About
The Eudokia team began with a phone call from Jane Sadowsky to Kris Manos. Jane experienced and then confirmed a problem and, knowing Kris’s background in the furniture industry, picked up the phone. Kris was intrigued by the problem and, what’s more, had a vision for a process that would produce a solution. That process included reaching out to Brian Alexander, an inventive, pan-discipline designer Kris was confident would provide a fresh perspective and thoughtful problem-solving.
The team has grown organically from there, with skills, networks, and expertise added as needed throughout the investigation and development of Eudokia’s first product offering. “Seeing how different brains function through solving complex problems has been profoundly fascinating,” Jane says, “and really unlike anything I’ve experienced before.”
Kris
Kris Manos doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t making things; she made gifts for every occasion from kindergarten through college. A first foray into entrepreneurship was making candles to sell at the beach. Coming from a family of teachers, though, she had no idea you could have a career making things.
Jane
The daughter of a doctor and an educator, Jane Sadowsky grew up without a vision of what careers in business might look like. Her upbringing did, however, instill discipline, a sense of curiosity, and an outsider perspective that’s helpful to identifying trends and patterns.
Brian
The seeds for Brian Alexander’s approach to industrial design were planted early, whether by genetics or circumstance. He was born into a farm family in rural Illinois. His father came from a family with a technical bent, so the farm’s machine shop was more than a practical feature. Brian’s mother was an illustrator, whose second-floor studio was filled with drawing tables and Rapidograph pens.
From the original three, the team has grown as skills, capacity, and networks were required. As Kris says, "Business is a recipe, and you have to have all the right ingredients to make it work.”