Jan Scott Merle, ASID, LEED AP

Accomplishments

        Whether as an award winning interior designer, retail furniture showroom manager, e-commerce executive, or design educator, Jan Merle has provided innovative, dynamic leadership within the design industry throughout his career. Jan is a practicing designer with over 30 years experience creating residential and commercial interiors throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Since 2004 Jan has also been a fulltime educator in the Interior Design Department of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. He holds two Masters Degrees: MSP in Urban & Regional Planning from Florida State University and MFA in Interior Design from Miami International University of Art & Design. His area of special interest is sustainable/green building design, and he has written and teaches a comprehensive course in that subject.

        One of the first interior designers to be licensed in the State of Florida, (ID#0000085) Jan is NCIDQ exam qualified, and has been a Professional Member of ASID since 1981. In addition to being a fulltime educator, Jan is a noted speaker with unique expertise in the use of computers and the Internet within the furnishings industry. He authored the "CyberView" column in ON DESIGN magazine for over 5 years, and has written and presented several nationally approved continuing education courses for designers. Jan is an active member of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), South Florida Chapter. He recently completed his Masters of Fine Arts degree in interior design at the Miami International University of Art and Design. He presented his thesis research into critical forces driving green building at two conferences of the Interior Design Educators Council, the November 2008 Southeast Regional Conference held at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, and the March 2009 National Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to that he completed the USGBC LEED-CI Exam (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Commercial Interiors) and is now a LEED Accredited Professional.

        As an active industry volunteer Jan has served as an ASID official locally and nationally, and Chairman and Director of the non-profit Bud Merle Educational Foundation. Jan has volunteered design services and participated in numerous "designer show-houses" for the benefit of charitable organizations including the American Red Cross, the Miami Home and Hospital for the Aged, and the Boca Raton Symphony. For 9 years Mr. Merle served as Assistant Scoutmaster and then Committee Chairman of Boy Scout Troop 327, Boca Raton, in which he, his wife, and their 3 sons (including 2 Eagle Scouts and a Life Scout) were active.  

           Jan's contribution as an instructor was most recently acknowledged in his selection as the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale's "Honored Faculty" for the Fall 2008 Quarter. Last year Jan received the Honorable Mention Winner- Sustainability Award in Cooper Lighting's 2008 SOURCE Awards Competition. To receive his award Jan was flown to Las Vegas and presented with a trophy and $500 check at the keynote luncheon of the Lightfair Daylighting Institute, held at the Lightfair International Conference, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, May 27, 2008. The winning entry was an energy-saving LEED-CI qualified lighting plan for a 5,300 sq. ft. south and west-facing commercial office in Miami. 

            Jan is currently faculty advisor to the Art Institute's Student Chapter of the US Green Building Council. He served previously as a member of the Curriculum Committee, faculty advisor to the school's student chapter of the ASID and as chairman of the education and curriculum sub-committee of the Art Institute's Green Committee. 

Experience

        Instructing students in a 4 year, CIDA (formerly FIDER) Accredited, Bachelors Degree program and a 1 year certificate program, Jan currently teaches courses in Ergonomics, Business Principles, Advanced Business Management, and Specifications. he has also previously taught courses in Drawing Types, Residential Design, Commercial Design, Furnishings and Accessories, and AutoCAD.  He has expertise in Accessible Design (requirements of the American with Disabilities Act, or ADA, and the Fair Housing Act), which he applies in his Ergonomics and Commercial Design classes. Jan has also redesigned the department's business curriculum to incorporate instruction in the use of the Design Manager integrated office/project management and accounting software, specifically written for the interior design profession. Due to Jan's interest in sustainability and green design issues, he recently completed writing the curriculum for an elective course in green design for the department, which has been approved by the Curriculum Committee, and which will be offered soon.  Mr. Merle was also appointed by the student members and served as the Faculty Advisor to the school's  student chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) from 2005-2006.

        For a year prior to being appointed a full-time instructor, Jan was an adjunct (part-time) instructor within the department. He was also an adjunct instructor for the year prior to that at the Art Institute's sister facility, The Miami International University of Art and Design, where he taught courses in Architectural Communications 1, Principles of Interior Design 1, and Interior Design 1 (studio).  

        Senior interior designer providing a full range of design services to retail clients throughout South Florida. Current residential projects located in Mizner Country Club, Boca West, Boca Grove Plantation, (Boca Raton); Toscana Condominium (Highland Beach); Heron Bay, Cypress Head, and Parkland Golf & Country Club (Parkland); BallenIsles and PGA National (Palm Beach Gardens); Valencia Shores and Avalon Estates (Boynton Beach).

        Providing model & spec. home merchandising services to builders, developers, and realtors, including projects in the $2+ Million market. Current projects include Parkland Golf & Country Club for WCI Communities (Parkland) and St. Andrews Country Club Realty Sales (Boca Raton).

        Interior design services include CADD space planning, furniture layouts, and furnishing sales (inventoried, special order, and custom-designed) lighting, art, accessories, flooring, rugs, wall & window treatments. Personally manage complete design process for each project, including client contract and budget negotiations; design development and programming; custom design or specification of all interior furnishings, treatments and finishes (including complete "color-out" and builder-option selections); preparation of scaled working drawings including space plans, furniture floorplans, elevations, electrical plans, custom millwork and cabinetry details, tile/marble details for floors and walls, etc.; and supervision of all custom fabrication and installation.

        Providing furniture sales and full range professional interior design services to retail clients. Providing model home merchandising services to builders in the $2+ Million market (completed $2.3M furnished model for Paramount Building Corp. at Le Rivage, Boca Raton.) Monthly sales exceeded $100,000.

        Established the furniture division for a 20,000 sq. ft. startup retail/wholesale "designer warehouse" showroom. Responsibilities included all furniture buying, including lighting, bedding, artwork, & accessories; product pricing; marketing and advertising; sales and promotional strategies; managing sales and warehouse staff; showroom design; interior design services, placing and expediting all product orders for both stock and special orders; claims for freight damage and manufacturing defects; and customer service complaints. Generated over $600,000 in retail product sales in first 7 months of operations.  

        Responsible for strategic planning and implementing online transactions for this subscription-based B2B service providing interior furnishings product information to professional interior designers. Supervised conversion of 50,000-item product database to ecommerce transaction capability. Coordinated requirements of the company's 200 manufacturer clients and 1000 designer/buyer subscribers. Responsible for order processing, customer service, product pricing, marketing and sales, in-call and out-call activity, broadcast email and fax campaigns, and manufacturer promotions. Generated over $150,000 in product sales at retail in first 6 months of ecommerce operations. 

        Business consultant to interior designers for office automation. Exclusive Florida representative for Impact Ideal Solutions Software (Denver, Colorado). Provided software sales, training and technical support to 100+ design firms throughout Florida for integrated office management and accounting software. Developed and maintained design industry's first Internet vertical web portal. Lecturer, author and continuing education provider of ASID nationally approved courses.

        Principal of own full service residential and business interior design firm, serving clients throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Responsible for daily business operations, as well as all aspects of client relations, project design, purchasing, and installation.

        Principal of own full service residential and business interior design firm, serving clients throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Responsible for daily business operations, as well as all aspects of client relations, project design, purchasing, and installation. $3 Million annual sales, supervising full time staff of 6.  

Education 

Certifications and Professional Affiliations

           Certificate No. 003561, April 11, 1981 - Present

          Membership No. 26760, July 1, 1981 - Present

          Membership No. 2859, April 19, 2008 - Present

          October 31, 2006 - Present

Honors and Awards   

            Paper published in the Proceedings of the 2009 National Conference of the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), held in St. Louis, MO, March, 2009 

            Paper Published in the Proceedings of the  2008 South Regional Conference of the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), held at Auburn University, Auburn, AL, October, 2008 

           Presented at 2008 IDEC South Regional Conference, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, October 22, 2008 

           Trophy and $500 award presented at Lightfair Conference, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, May 27, 2008 

           American Red Cross, Palm Beach County Chapter, February, 1987

Manuscript Review: "Design and Security in the Built Environment," Fairchild Books, October 29, 2007

 

Annual Membership meeting of the US Green Building Council South Florida Chapter, and tour of the Christine Lynn School of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, (LEED Certified facility,) FAU, Boca Raton, FL,  October 25, 2007

 

Guest Speaker, Miami International University of Art & Design, Interior Design Department, Miami, FL, October 18, 2007

 

Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition and Conference, Miami Beach, FL, September 18-19, 2007

 

AiFL Curriculum Committee Meeting, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, September 14. 2007

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, August 8 & 9, 2007

 

AiFL Interior Design Department Town Hall Meeting, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, August 8, 2007

 

AiFL Curriculum Committee Meeting, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, August 3, 2007

 

AiFL All-School Meeting, Bahia Mar Hotel, Ft. Lauderdale, July 3, 2007

 

Toured Seattle Public Library, LEED Silver Certified, award winning Central Library facility designed by architect Rem Koolhaas (Built 2004), Seattle, WA, June 23, 2007

 

Toured Tinglit Tribe's Saxman Village (including Beaver Clan House and wood carving studio), Ketchikan, Alaska, June __, 2007

 

Toured White Pass & Yukon Route Railway (Built 1898-1900 during the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow gauge railroad links Skagway, Alaska to White Horse, Yukon Territory, Canada.  Designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1994), Skagway, Alaska, June __, 2007

 

Toured Mendenhall Glacier, Tongass National Forest. (Originally known to the Tlingit tribe, named Auke (Auk) Glacier by naturalist John Muir for the Tlingit Auk Kwaan band 1879. Renamed in 1892 in honor of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1889–1894), Juneau, Alaska, June __, 2007

 

Toured Sawyer Glacier, Tracy Arm Fjord, Tongass National Forest, aboard Golden Princess, Juneau, Alaska, June __, 2007

 

Toured Pike Place Public Market Historic District (Built 1907; National Register of Historic Places listed 1970), Seattle, WA, June 15, 2007

 

Toured Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (aka Ballard Locks) and Lake Washington Ship Canal (Built 1917; National Register of Historic Places, listed 1978), Seattle, WA, June 15, 2007

 

Toured Ballard Avenue Historic District (Built 1870's to 1890's; National Register of Historic Places, listed 1976), Seattle, WA, June 15, 2007

 

Manuscript Review: "Health, Sustainability, and the Built Environment," Fairchild Books, May 15, 2007

 

DCOTA Designer Seminar: "Palettes & Hues as Expressions of Design," presentation by Santiago Bernal, Dania Beach, FL, May 8, 2007

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, May 3 & 4, 2007

 

"Green is the New Black: The Emerging Urgency of Sustainable Design", Muscoe Martin, M2 Architecture, sponsored by US Green Building Council South Florida Chapter and the University of Miami School of Architecture, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, April 18, 2007

 

DCOTA Designer Seminar: "Yacht and Aircraft Design," presentation by Patrick Knowles, Dania Beach, FL, April 10, 2007

 

Private Tutor, NCIDQ Exam, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Spring, 2007

 

AiFL Interior Design Department Town Hall Meeting, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, March 1, 2007

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, February 7 & 9, 2007

 

AiFL Curriculum Committee Meeting, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, February 2, 2007

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator: 2007 LightShow Southeast, , 4 CEU Contact Hours: Broward County Convention Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, , January 25-26, 2007 Lighting for Office Workers The Florida Energy Code - Commercial Building Compliance Facing the Challenge of Lighting for LEED Lighting Control for Sustainable Design and LEED Certification

 

Career Day Mentor and Student Field Trip Facilitator: ASID Student Career Day at DCOTA,  Sponsored by ASID, Florida South Chapter, Dania Beach, FL, January 26, 2007

 

AiFL All-School Meeting, Embassy Suites Hotel, Ft. Lauderdale, January 2, 2007

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, November 4, 2006

 

"Pine Jog Elementary: The First LEED School in Florida," , presented by Thorn Grafton, Zyscovich, Inc., sponsored by US Green Building Council, South Florida Chapter, Broward County Library, African-American Research Library Branch, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, October 19, 2006

 

Facilitator, Student Entry Submission, National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) 2006/2007 Student Design Competition, November 30, 2006

 

Successfully Completed Examination by U.S. Green Building Council in "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Commercial Interiors" (LEED-CI) and Credentialed as Accredited Professional (LEED AP), October 31, 2006

 

Proctor, NCIDQ Exam, AiFL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, October 13 -14, 2006

 

Annual Conference, Florida South Chapter, ASID, Coral Gables, FL, September 30, 2006

 

Private Tutor, NCIDQ Exam, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Fall, 2006

 

Advanced Codes Course: "Florida Accessibility Code for Building Construction," Course # ID 06.02.722, , , presented by Larry Schneider, AIA; sponsored by Florida South Chapter, ASID, 2 CEU Contact Hours, Coral Gables, FL, September 30, 2006

 

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, September 27, 2006  Interior Design department activities

 

Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition and Conference, Miami Beach, FL, Sept. 18-19, 2006

 

Completed researching and writing of syllabus for proposed course: IND3623 Sustainable Design for Interiors, an introductory elective course on sustainability and green building design principles and practices for interior design students at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, July 19, 2006

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, August 10, 2006

 

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, July 3, 2006  Active Learning Knowledge Online Optimizing Teaching Environments

Student Field Trip Facilitator: , Wolf/Sub-Zero Showroom Tour, sponsored by AiFL's ASID Student Chapter, Hollywood, FL, June 2, 2006,

 

	ASID Designer Showhouse Tour,  sponsored by AiFL's ASID Student Chapter, West Palm Beach, FL, April 28, 2006,
	Sun Recycling Center Tour,  Sponsored by the US Green Building Council South Florida Chapter, Dania Beach, FL, April 27, 2006,

 

Proctor, NCIDQ Exam, AiFL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, April 7-8, 2006

 

Coverings: International Tile & Stone Exhibition, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL, April 4-7, 2006

 

"LEED and Lighting Controls," Lutron Electronics, Plantation, FL, , Sponsored by the US Green Building Council, South Florida Chapter, March 29, 2006

 

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, March 29, 2006  Creating PowerPoint Presentations Using Excel for a Class Grade Book

 

Juror, AiFL Residential Design Student Portfolio Review, Ft. Lauderdale, March 17, 2006

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator: King Tut Exhibit, Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art, sponsored by AiFL's ASID Student Chapter, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, March 10, 2006

 

"Tropical Green Sustainability Design Conference", Sponsored by Metropolis Magazine and US Green Building Council. 13 CEU Contact Hours, Miami-Dade College, Miami, FL, February 9-10, 2006 A Green Vision  Policies for Sustainable Growth Sustainable Place-Making Environmental Strategies for the Tropics Developing Green Keynote Address by William McDonough: Rethinking the Way We Make Things Urban Eco-Sustainable Networks Green Interior Design Solar Decathlon Building Green in Hot and Humid Zones Tropical Skyscrapers and Bioclimatic Design Keynote Address by Guy Battle: A Green Engineer Imagines

                    

Volunteer, Student Career Day, ASID Florida South Chapter , DCOTA, Dania Beach, FL, February 3, 2006

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, February 8, 2006

 

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, January 5, 2006  Authoring a Textbook  EDMC Employee Benefits

 

LEED-CI (Commercial Interiors) Technical Review Workshop, US Green Building Council,  7 CEU Contact Hours  (LEED is "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.") This workshop taken in preparation for LEED Exam and Professional Accreditation, Sponsored by ASID Florida South Chapter, Boca Raton Hotel and Club, Boca Raton, FL, October 1, 2005

 

Student Study Abroad Facilitator: Odyssey Program, Italian Architectural and Interiors Tour,  (planning at AiFL) December, 2005 - February, 2006.

 

Annual Conference, ASID Florida South Chapter, Boca Raton, FL, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2005

 

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, September 28, 2005

 

Juror, AiFL Residential Design Student Portfolio Review, Ft. Lauderdale, September 16, 2005

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, August 4, 2005

 

Case Study in Green Building: MTV Networks LEED-CI (Commercial Interiors) Project Review, US Green Building Council, Miami Beach, FL. August 9, 2005

 

Case Study in Green Building: Broward County Public Library LEED-NC (New Construction) Project Panel Discussion, US Green Building Council, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. July 28, 2005

 

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, July 6, 2005 OLS Email Usage and Configuration Media Cart Usage AiFL Networks Assessing Student Remediation Developing a Class Web Page

 

Juror, AiFL Residential Design Student Portfolio Review, Ft. Lauderdale, June 10, 2005

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, May 12, 2005

 

AiFL Employee Workshop: "401k Benefits", Ft. Lauderdale, April 21, 2005

 

"Designing and Building a Kosher Kitchen" a seminar by David Linzer, The Kitchen Strand,  sponsored by the Florida South Chapter, ASID and Miele, Boca Raton, FL, April 8, 2005

  

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, March 31, 2005 Student Retention and Student Success CARS to CampusVUE Beyond Google: advanced Internet search ADA - Referrals and Responses

 

Student Career Day, ASID Florida South Chapter , DCOTA, Dania Beach, FL, February 21, 2005

 

Juror, Bud Merle Educational Foundation, Buddy Award Competition, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FL, February 21, 2005

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, February 3, 2005

 

AiFL Faculty Development Workshops, Ft. Lauderdale, January 6, 2005  Understanding IDEA Surveys Faculty Development Plans Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy Fundamentals

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, November 4, 2004

 

Annual Conference, Florida South Chapter, ASID, Boca Raton, FL, Oct. 1-3, 2004

 

AutoCAD 2005 Fundamentals Level I (#IND 07.01.284A),  28 Contact Hours CEU,

           Digital Drafting Systems, Inc., Miami Lakes, FL, August, 2004 

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, August 5, 2004

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, May 6, 2004

 

Student Field Trip Facilitator, Ergonomics Class: Expo Design Center, Davie, FL, February 12, 2004

 

Annual Conference, Florida South Chapter, ASID, , 20 Contact Hours CEUs, (incl. 4 hr. req. Building Code Comparison Core Course), Delray Beach, FL, October, 2002