Ali Collins

I am a custom sign salesperson. My job is to use my design knowledge and skills to help guide my clients in the right direction for their custom sign. I answer phones and talk with numerous clients and vendors every day. I have access to Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop at work and am able to help with graphic design when needed. Sometimes our main graphic designer gets his hands full and I'm the only other qualified person to step in and help! I also manage the office lobby, greeting clients and anyone who enters the shop. Part of my job is to schedule installations and make sure every one of my orders flows nicely from start to finish. It is a tight team and communication is key. I constantly running from the front to the back to check on graphic design and production. Sales quality controlling is also a huge part of my job and I'm very detail oriented so when I get to quality control the products that have been made, it's like giving my stamp of approval and letting my customers know their products are ready. Sometimes things are not up to standards and rework is needed so it's up to me to communicate that with my production team and designer.

I started out as a graphic designer on the team designing apparel items for clients. We were a custom apparel shop! It was really cool to see the clothes I was designing literally come to life.

After a while, I was promoted to marketing director for the company. It was my responsibility to make sure we were posting everyday and keeping people engaged with our company. I worked with iHeartRadio personally on a few projects, which was really cool! And got to go to networking events as well.

Shortly after the pandemic hit, the owner opened up a small workshop in Powell and I was frequently going there to set up the shop and help the team get settled. The idea was to bring in some sewing machines and hire a few backup seamstresses that could help with small batch orders that our large vendor could not complete because of complications due to the pandemic. One day I hopped on the sewing machine to see if I was any good and I fell in love. So my last almost year of work was dedicated to the production side of things. Getting to learn on industrial Juki sewing machines, working with a large heat press and large Epson printer to produce the various sublimated products we offered (t-shirts, flags, face gators, dog bandannas, magnets, mugs, and stickers.) I was able to expand more on my graphic design skills as well because we were designing things and then sewing them afterwards.

I was a shift lead for the position, so I was able to build healthy relationships with my co-workers and ensure that the shift always ran smoothly.

• Built trusted relationships with residents by getting to know them on a personal level and making their comfort a priority
• Collaborated with corporate Director of Operations, regional GM, and Shift Leads to pinpoint opportunities for streamlined processes
• Trained new employees, including instructing on food/drink safety, customer service standards, and operations
• Managed up to 5 employees during fast-paced shifts, delegating responsibilities to ensure customer satisfaction

• Maximize positive customer service experience
• Assist customers in finding specific items
• Ensure items are well-stocked for next shift
• Review customer orders and assist in resolving issues quickly Contribute to positive, fun working environment
• Help customers by asking questions and making suggestions for purchases
  Resolve customer issues promptly and efficiently