The beating heart of Staging Design DC is our wildly creative and infectiously positive CEO, Christian Salinas. Many people know him as the friendly, approachable, professional, and established creative that he is, but not everyone is so familiar with his inspiring story–a story that we love to share! As our company expands into new industries and updates its identity with initiatives like a brand-new website and professional photography, it feels like the perfect moment to bring attention back to where we started, and the core of who we are, which is Christian.
Christian was born in Carupano, a quaint beach town on the coast of Venezuela. Despite his family's modest means—his mother often sold cakes to make ends meet—he never lacked for anything. His childhood years growing up with his mother and brother were marked with many joyous moments. He frequently played with other kids in his small neighborhood, and even spent time building his own toys, which often consisted of small handmade boats and cars. Looking back, he realizes that these experiences were some of the early indicators of his innate creativity.
As Christian grew up, he found himself admiring the skyscrapers and impressive architecture of cities like Miami and New York from afar. Feeling inspired, he once created an entire mockup of downtown Miami’s skyline, even placing small lights inside the buildings. From then on, his love of architecture blossomed. Because of the financially demanding nature of that job, and the inability to draw financial support from his family, he found himself pushing that career aside. Through this experience, though, he discovered his love for the analytical and mathematical side of learning.
With a desire to spread his wings, Christian left his coastal hometown at the age of 16. The next chapter of Christian’s life unfolded in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, where he attended college to become an economist. Still uncertain of his path, he ventured into the resorts industry, starting by managing a telemarketing team in a resort's marketing department. This role took him across various resorts in Venezuela, where he honed his customer service and hospitality skills.
Christian revealed that these were difficult times in Venezuela, and even Caracas felt too small for him. Having visited the United States before for pleasure, he always felt awestruck when in America. Not only did he love the beauty of the architecture, but he also felt that his mindset and work ethic aligned more with American culture. In 1999, Christian decided to take a huge leap and move to the United States for good, beginning a new chapter of his life in Washington, D.C.
To be continued…
ABOUT STAGING DESIGN DC:
We are Staging Design DC: a team of design and hospitality professionals. We transform spaces and places to evoke a feeling, create a personal connection, and elicit a memorable impression by marrying our talented team with our diverse and expansive inventory.
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