‘Meet The Quacker Team – Ali Warren!’

by Patrick H. Hoy

 

 

Teamwork Makes Dreamwork!

Patrick Hoy here – and as I’ve said before, Angel and I get to work with the BEST team in the whole world! We are so lucky to have a Quack-Tastic team that we work with every single day!  Jeanne Bice really knew what she was doing when she brought us all together.

A lot of people are surprised that since Quacker Factory is on QVC in both America and England, that we must have at least a hundred employees – but that’s not the case – we actually have less than 15 team members!  I love our team so much – we really are like a family – and when you love your ‘family’, you want to share them with your friends!  I’ve been doing a series of blogs where you’ve been able to get to know some of the wonderful people on the Quacker Factory team.  This month I wanted to introduce you to another one of our FABULOUS team members who I just know you’re going to love!

 

Meet Ali Warren!

Now, I LOVE all of our Quacker family members – and Ali is no exception!  She has the most amazing personality, a great laugh – and a soul that lights up the room when she walks into it!

I recently caught up with Ali and asked her a few questions so that you could all get to know her better.

Patrick:  Hello Ali! I’m so excited to be spending time with you – and I’m super excited that our viewers are going to get to find out what joy you bring to the team!  First things first – tell us what you do for Quacker Factory?

Ali:  Hello Patrick – and everyone!  I’m one of the newest members of our great team.  Currently ,the work I’m concentrating on at the Factory revolves around our Social Media projects in order to come up with more ways our wonderful viewers can interact with us in-between our shows on QVC.  I’ve been primarily increasing our presence – and our content – on both Instagram (www.instagram.com/quackerfactory) & Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/quackerpins)  I’d love it if you and Angel could help get the word out there that we’d LOVE for our gals to follow us both on Instagram & Pinterest!

Patrick:  Angel & I both love Instagram & Pinterest as well – so girls, please click on the links above and make sure you’re following us on both platforms – and make sure to say a big HELLO to Ali as well!  And Ali, I know you’ve also been really involved with organizing our recent Photo Shoots as well!

Ali:  That’s right Patrick – and what FUN that has been!  Our gals love those Photo Shoots that you, Angel and our beautiful models have been doing when all of the gorgeous new items, from our Design Team, arrive. I’ve been helping coordinate what items are coming up in the shoots, compiling all the information of the shoot sequences to help Kristy – so that when you all get together on the runway for those shoot days, you’ve been able to make sure that we’re showing off all those Quack-Tabulous designs for our viewers.

Patrick:  Wow – you are one busy Quacker – thank you for all that you’re doing for us!  As you know, we have women in American and the United Kingdom who absolutely love our brand.  My next question to you is:  What do YOU love about Quacker Factory – and what makes it a magical brand to you??

Ali:  What I love most is that it’s MOTIVATING!  It’s more than a fashion brand – it really is MAGICAL.  I’ve been working in fashion since I graduated from college – and this is one of the most inspirational brands that I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  It’s so inspirational – and we’re not just about making clothing – rather, it’s like Jeanne used to say, we’re creating a marvelous community with our beautiful viewers – and we’re giving them a reason to wake up, dress up – and face the day with happiness and joy in their hearts.

Patrick:  Amen to that Ali, AMEN to that!  Speaking of Jeanne, even though you are new to our team after spending many years working with other fashion brands, you actually had a special relationship with Jeanne that I think our viewers would love to hear about!

Ali:  That is true. Tim Bice – Jeanne’s son & the President or Quacker Factory – is my uncle.  Karin, Tim’s beautiful wife, is my gorgeous mother’s sister!  And because of that, I’ve known Jeanne since I was about 4 years old!

Patrick:  That is so cool!  I love this picture of you with your mother – (you’re the 2ndfrom the right-hand side with your hand on your gorgeous mother’s arm) – and I also spot Tim & Karin Bice – and Jeanne’s grandson James – who is 3rdfrom the left!

Patrick:  And here’s another picture of you with Tim, Karin & James that I really like.  Jeanne was always so much fun to be around – and I can tell that the four of you are as well!!!!

Patrick:  Ali, as you know, Jeanne was a one-of-a-kind woman who was loved – and is STILL loved – by so many women around the world.  What is one of your first memories of Jeanne?

Ali:  One of my first memories of Jeanne was when I was a little, little girl – and it was at an Easter brunch.  Jeanne brought some little rubber duckies and chickies just for me.  Well Patrick, you can imagine what an impact that had on me as a such a young girl – it’s one of those first experiences I learned about caring, sharing, giving and loving others – and it’s stayed with me my entire life.

Patrick:  Speaking of being a little girl, I just love this picture of you at Christmas.  It’s obvious that you were destined to be in a life of fashion – I bet Jeanne used to love helping you get dressed up every time she saw you!

Ali:  Ha – it definitely was always GREAT fun when Jeanne stopped by – she just lit up the room with her beautiful personality – and her sense of humor!!

Patrick:  As you continued spending time with Jeanne through the years – from just a little girl to a young woman – was there any advice that Jeanne gave to you that you remember?

Ali:  Mostly it was not to fear what life would throw in my direction – and to make sure to ALWAYS follow my dreams!

Patrick:  That’s such GREAT advice!  You mentioned that Jeanne had a wonderful sense of humor.  Do you remember a time when Jeanne made you laugh?

Ali:  YES – all of the time – ALWAYS!!!  She was always making people laugh in her presence.  I always knew that when my parents were going to take me over to Jeanne’s for a visit, that it was going to involve great food, LOTS of fun – and a BARREL of laughs!  She really didn’t have an off-button.  What we saw on air, was just like she was in person – great fun, a beautiful soul and a magical personality.  I loved every visit with her – but the BEST times with her were during any holiday period – because she REALLY loved the holidays!

Patrick:  That’s so true!  And here’s a picture of you and your family with Jeanne over Thanksgiving one year.

Patrick:  What else did you love about Jeanne?

Ali:  I loved her perseverance.  Jeanne always told me not to stress the little things in life – and to persevere. One of my favorite sayings of hers was “Pull Yourself Up By Your Bra Straps” – and of course she ended up writing a whole book about that – that I still have by my bed and reread all the time. I think it was some of the greatest advice that she gave to me and to women around the world.  It really is fantastic practical advice that we can use every day of every year.

Patrick:  Tell us where you grew up, Ali.

Ali:  I grew up in South Florida.  First in Miami for the first 9 years of my life – and then we moved up a little north near where Jeanne lived when she moved from Wisconsin.  It was so fun knowing that Jeanne was just down the road from where I grew up.

Patrick:  I bet that was so neat having Jeanne so close!  And where did you go to school?

Ali:  I went to Florida State University in Tallahassee – and I majored in Fashion Merchandising.

Patrick:  Here’s a picture of you when you graduated – I can see from your happy smile that you were over the moon to have your degree!

Ali:  It really was one of the happiest days of my life, Patrick!

Patrick:  What did you do after you graduated?

Ali:  I moved to New York City – and started working in a discipline of Fashion called Clothing Production.  I was a middle-person between the Designers and the Production partners – those partners who turn designs into actual garments. I would make sure that once the design was approved, and then sent to be made, that it was made on-time and on-budget. And then I had to make sure that those finished garments arrived at the distribution points when they were supposed to.

Patrick:  That sounds similar to what our team member Colleen, on Susan’s team, does.

Ali:  Yes, you are right about that!  In fact, when I was in college, I did a summer internship with Susan, Colleen and the Designers – and it was THAT experience which peeked my interest in the whole Clothing Production process of Fashion Merchandising!  And then after school, I actually worked for about 5 years with our DreamJeannes studio in NYC – how cool is that?!  And now, it’s wonderful to be working in the Social Media part of our company – especially because of the way that Social Media has grown so much – and is so important to the way that we merchandise fashion these days. I’m so excited about utilizing all of my past experiences in the realm of Social Media!

Patrick:  That really is so cool!  And you’re right, it’s amazing how much Social Media plays such a BIG part in the merchandizing of fashion these days – especially with all of the brands like Quacker Factory shown on QVC!  Ali, speaking of NYC, I understand that when you turned 21, Jeanne helped you get to make one of your dreams come true?!

Ali:  Yes – that is true!  Because I studied fashion, I had always wanted to go to a live fashion show during Fashion Week in New York City.  So, my mother, along with my Aunt Karin (Tim Bice’s wife) – and Jeanne – made that dream come true.  I got to attend not only 1 – but TWO – shows that week – Maura Kaufmann & Nicholas Kaye. And of course, since it was my 21stbirthday, I got to top it all off with my first ever glass of champagne – it was an experience that I will NEVER forget – I even got to stand on the runway!

Patrick:  Okay – now Angel and I are officially VERY jealous – and what a Quack-Tabulous picture of you on the runway!!  Now, I understand, that like Lee Bice, you’re a lover of animals.

Ali:  YES – I am! I have loved animals my entire life. Here’s a picture of me with one of my fur babies!

 Patrick:  I absolutely LOVE this picture of the two of you – look at all of that love!!  Okay, I’ve got one last question for you before I let you get back to work – and it’s a question that I ask all of our team members:  What is your favorite QVC product??

Ali:  That’s an easy one Patrick – bareMinerals makeup for sure – it helps me look my best every day!  I also love the Drybar line of hair products – I just love, love, LOVE their styling tools. They have stores in NYC and I always treat myself when I’m back in New York City.  I just love the hair styling tools they use – and whenever I use them, I have a little bit of a feeling of being in NYC and being pampered!

Patrick:  Well, all of us on the Quacker Team think you definitely look your best every day – and we’re SO glad to have you on our team, Ali!!! Thank you for taking the time to sit with me – I think you’re the bee’s knees!!!

One Team – One Dream!

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Ali – isn’t she wonderful?!  Join me soon for my next ‘Meet The Team’ blog where I’ll be sitting down with someone else who has known Jeanne for a very, very long time!

Quacker Hugs & Love From Across the Duck Pond!

Patrick H. Hoy

Xoxoxo

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