Claremont, California, United States
I bring ideas to life and build the systems that sustain them. Over 14 years as the Founder and CEO of I Like Pie Bake Shop, I grew a single-person shared kitchen concept into a 3-location, $2.75M business with 35 employees, dozens of collaborators and trade partners, and a client roster that includes Disney, Mattel, Warner Bros., and Kaiser Permanente. Along the way, I pioneered an entirely new pie format, engineered a specialized order fulfillment system, and launched a 15,000-attendee-per-day regional festival that became a civic institution. What drives me is the intersection of creativity and operational rigor. I'm as comfortable developing a new product line as I am building the systems and teams that bring it to scale. My background spans product R&D, e-commerce, brand marketing, investor relations, and multisite operations. I don't just launch ideas. I build the infrastructure to support them. I've been recognized by Forbes, Thrillist, and Fodor's for what we built at ILP, and I earned the 41st Assembly District Business of the Year in 2019. But what I'm most proud of is the culture we created: a team that showed up, stayed, and cared. I am now ready for my next challenge. Whether that's bringing entrepreneurial energy to an established brand, advising early-stage consumer packaged goods businesses, or leading product and operational innovation at scale, I bring a unique combination of founder grit, creative vision, and executional depth.
I conceived and launched a first-of-its-kind individually portioned gourmet pie concept that challenged the conventional bakery model from the ground up. What started as a solo shared kitchen operation grew into a 3-location business with $2.75M in annual revenue, 35 employees, and 20+ vendor and distribution partners. I pioneered the "individual couture pie" format, flipping consumer purchasing behavior from 90% large-format to 90% single-serve, and attracted an enterprise client base that included Disney, Mattel, Warner Bros., Anthropologie, and Kaiser Permanente. National recognition followed: Forbes named us one of the "7 Essential Pie Shops to Visit," Thrillist called us one of the best in America, and Fodor's agreed. On the operations side, I built a proprietary order management and fulfillment system that doubled order volume, generated $40K/day in e-commerce revenue during peak seasons, and achieved a 2,400% increase in production capacity through process innovation. I also designed and launched ILP BakeSpace, a central kitchen, training facility, and executive event venue that extended our revenue model beyond retail. I led all brand strategy, investor relations, social media, and capital raising efforts, and implemented the EOS framework to drive focus during our expansion. Most importantly, I built a culture where people wanted to stay, which showed in our 4.5–5.0 Yelp ratings and staff retention rates that beat the industry average.
I created the Claremont Pie Festival in partnership with the Claremont Village Marketing Group, growing it from a 200-person community gathering into a signature regional event drawing 15,000 attendees per day across 12 city blocks. At its peak, the festival featured 100+ vendors, live baking demonstrations, pie competitions, and celebrity guest appearances. Beyond the event itself, the festival became ILP's most powerful brand activation vehicle, generating $30K/day in directly attributable revenue and elevating our visibility across Southern California and nationally. I managed every dimension of the operation: municipal coordination, public safety planning, talent recruitment, and vendor contracting. The work was recognized with the 41st Assembly District Business of the Year award in 2019 for driving unprecedented single-day commerce in the community.
I founded Firefly Fixtures as a vintage lighting design and fabrication business, building it from concept to market. My signature innovation was a modular component system that allowed customers to customize fixture assembly, bringing a bespoke design experience to a product category that rarely offered it. I sold through artist markets and regional retail channels, developing the full business from product design through sales and distribution.