Q: What do you think the best part of your job is?
A: Working with family. Everybody at Echo is considered part of my family. It's really great to come where you go from this floor to the other and you see all the people you know, and love, and care about. So I'm very lucky.
Q: What was the biggest challenge being a woman and leading a family business?
A: So, after my aunt died my husband and I became the heads of the business. He was president, I don't even remember what my title was to tell you the truth. But we divided the business in half, and it was amazing that we could run it the way we did, each doing half. I did design, product development, advertising, publicity, and sales […] And then I had young children…
Q: So you have always worked, even when your children were little. And in those days it wasn't very common for a mother to be working. What was that like, to be a working mom at that time?
A: In retrospect I'm thinking I was really the only one of all my friends who had a long career, from the very beginning when the children were little. A lot of my friends started working after the children were growing up, but it was just a way of life for us.
Q: What or who inspires you?
A: I don't know. Nobody ever asked me what inspired me. I just knew what I was going to do every day, and did it, and then I was inspired […] on the way because I connected with so many people and so many ideas, and travel. I've always been very active and I hope to continue to be.
Q: Is there any advice that you would give your 21-year old self?
A: I have never really thought about age either, you know. I have a granddaughter who called me […] when she was 29 and she said, "I am not enjoying getting older, how do you feel about age?" And I said, "Julia, I never think about it."