Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I have a four-year-old daughter named Hayley, who is smart and sassy. I also have a dog (a corgi/basset hound mix) and 2 cats. I grew up in Delaware, which is mostly farmland and small towns.
My first job was working for a Third Party Seller (the very first 3P Seller accepted into Amazon FBA). I was responsible for shipping products into Amazon for FBA. Later I worked in Quality Assurance/Operations, overseeing customer service, managed FBA Onsite, Lightning Deal promotions on Prime Day, etc. I also oversaw our Google Shopping business, including analyzing the fee tiers, selecting items to sell, building the storefront, and setting up the inventory feeds.
Q. You’ve worked in eCommerce for a long time. What do you love the most about it?
Every day is something new and different. Today I won’t work on the same things I did yesterday and tomorrow will hold its unique set of challenges. I truly love that this industry keeps me on my toes and keeps my mind agile.
Q. I think it’s safe to call you an expert in FBA. This past year has been particularly challenging, given the capacity issues at the Amazon DCs. Can you give me an example of something we did for our clients to help overcome FBA issues?
One of our clients had 135 pallets of product that was supposed to ship into Amazon’s fulfillment center. However, because there were too many pallets to fit on a truck, the freight companies refused to pick up the items. Working with the Amazon Relay Operations Command can be a very time-consuming process, and the product was aging out. Because of the urgency, rather than relying on Amazon FBA, I worked with all of the carriers directly to come up with a solution and coordinated with the client’s warehouse on pick-up times.
You really went above-and-beyond to help this client! What inspired you to do this?
They were desperate and I wanted to help. (I identify with Chaotic Good, for anyone familiar with Dungeons and Dragons.) I think it’s important that we do what we can to help brands and sellers optimize their eCommerce. Now that the immediate crisis is over, we are now in the process of consulting with this client’s warehouse to help them try to optimize their pallet sizes and quantities.
Q. You’ve worked at other places (and run your own business too). What makes working at HINGE special?
Everything. From the top to the bottom this is by far the most “balanced” workplace I’ve had. Leadership is super approachable and that makes a difference. Jeanie and Olga have taught me so much, and actively encourage a healthy work / home life balance. Taylor is my partner in E-com shenanigans, and I love that we both learn from each other. I love learning from people from other departments too, to learn about “their side” of eCommerce. I’ve got to take a moment to give a shout out to Chris, one of our “Advertising Gurus” at HINGE, who has mentored me in all things excel during our time at another company. He’s a phenomenal person and getting to work with him again is wonderful.
Q. OK… break it to us: what is your deepest, darkest secret?
I don’t have one. I don’t have a filter and will talk about absolutely anything anyone wants to talk about. I am fond of true crime / forensic shows and books. I’m just very “Addams Family weird” and I’m good with that.
So are we!
