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contractor she knew, getting approximately 300 sq. ft. for her office/showroom. "As a single mom with no money, I took it in small stages. I was lucky enough to find some- one who would take me under their wing and help me get started so I didn't have to start with my own office, and that helped," Ruocco states. The first two years were a little slow, but business picked up and Ruocco was able to maintain a steady ship. Within five years of opening her business, Ruocco moved to a new location with a 1,200-sq.-ft. showroom. She put out displays as she could afford them. Ten years ago, when Ruocco remarried, she and her new husband decided it was time to take on redoing the entire showroom. Today, she has successfully redesigned the entire space to her liking. FINAL FRONTIER While Ruocco loves where she lives, she concedes that being in Alaska "is a challenge in itself." "Because of the size of the state, there are times when we have clients that are a five- to six-hour drive from us, or even ones that can only be reached by a plane ride," she notes. In addition to traveling long distances to be on the job and ensuring that products can be shipped to a remote location, Ruocco has faced the challenge of designing for homes in the Alaskan Bush, where there may not even be running water in the bathroom. She still recalls her first job in Barrow, Alaska. A family came in asking for a new kitchen and when Ruocco went to design it, they explained they wanted the refrigerator to be placed on the back porch. At first, she was thrown. "I'm going, 'wait a minute, the refrigerator's on the back porch,'" says Ruocco. "Because it's cold in Barrow all the time, they don't need a refrigerator per se – they use coolers most of the time for keeping their food and stuff. They don't have to have a refrig- erator. So the back porch was their refrigerator." MOVING ON Ruocco's partner in crime is 31-year-old Danielle Bohn, CKD, an NKBA 30 Under 30 recipient. Bohn, who is currently working towards becom- ing a CKBD, completed a summer internship with Ruocco while at the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2008. Ruocco hired Bohn in 2011, and the two haven't looked back since. Ruocco appreciates Bohn's talent as well as her role as a link to the younger generation of clients. "Sometimes I think it's so much easier for them to [work] with Danielle rather than dealing with somebody that reminds them of their mother," she remarks laughingly. "I'm in my 60s now, so it gives me somebody that I know I can turn the business over to who will take good care of it for me," says Ruocco. She is looking to retire within the next five to seven years. When asked whether it is some- thing that she and Bohn have formally dis- cussed, Ruocco laughs: "She says I can't retire, so she's not looking forward to it right away." ▪ For this project, a cramped cookie-cutter kitchen underwent a major redesign, allowing the designers to accommo- date the homeowners' desire for a sleek style, while also expanding the space's utility. Photo: Dave Davis, DMD Photography December 2016 • KitchenBathDesign.com 43 inspiring design. Hardware, R e q u e s t l i t e r a t u r e a t c l i f f s i d e i n d . c o m / k b d n o r c a l l 8 0 0 . 8 7 3 . 9 2 5 8 Circle No. 24 on Product Card