Eva Niewiadomski Organization Module: "Creating a Work Environment that Inspires You" Eva Niewiadomski is a successful entrepreneur who created a new category in the hospitality industry — Creative Conference Space — by opening Catalyst Ranch 8 years ago. Eva believes that ideas, learning and breakthrough thought thrive when people are placed in an environment that stimulates and invigorates the senses. It's important to take individuals out of the typical cubicles and conference rooms where they're ensconced throughout their daily working lives if you want them to think differently and approach problems from a new viewpoint. So she created such an environment at Catalyst Ranch. The rooms are housed in a historical loft in downtown Chicago and whimsically furnished with vintage furniture, ethnic artwork, colorfully painted walls, toys, books and much more. Corporate America has embraced the spaces by hosting a wide range of meetings and events. In 2008 Catalyst Ranch was named to Inc. Magazine's Top 100 fastest growing private companies in Illinois.

Prior to starting her own business, Eva spent almost 20 years in corporate. She worked for The Quaker Oats Company in a variety of finance and marketing positions and at Arthur Andersen & Co. as an auditor. While in Brand Management, Eva worked on the Life Cereal, Cap'n Crunch, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, Gatorade Energy Bars and Fruit & Cereal Bars businesses. A good portion of her work was in new product development. She successfully launched Mini Chewy Bites and Mini Fruit & Cereal Bites, two of the largest growth initiatives in the division.

Eva's understanding of the transformative nature of creative environments was shaped during her tenure at Quaker. In her role in New Products, she was trained in brainstorming facilitation. One of the key components for successful brainstorming was putting people in a completely different environment in order to generate a higher caliber of ideas. She created many inspiring environments for her brainstorming sessions. Eva also spearheaded several independent initiatives within Quaker's headquarters, two Innovation Hallways and a Creativity Room, all of which were positively received by her colleagues.

Eva has an undergraduate degree in Public Accounting from Loyola University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management with a focus on Marketing and International Business. She has been profiled in articles in The Chicago Tribune Magazine and Crain's Chicago Business.