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Photo provided by RETAIL CONFECTIONERS INTERNATIONAL
Photo provided by RETAIL CONFECTIONERS INTERNATIONAL

Five Questions: Denise Alvarez

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Denise Alvarez has moved into the sweet life. Starting Jan. 31, the former marketer, fundraiser and administrative assistant for Developmental Center of the Ozarks and the Pregnancy Care Center is now managing the office and helping plan events for Retail Confectioners International, a trade organization that supports 600 chocolatiers from as far away as Australia. She said one career theme remains constant: the desire to serve others.

Q: Who are Retail Confectioners International’s 600 clients, and how do you serve them?
A:  RCI is a trade association for chocolate and candymakers across the globe. The members represent approximately 450 companies. Most of them are active chocolatiers, but we also have about 70 suppliers. We have a quarterly newsletter that we produce with original content that may have information about how to better market their business, or a profile of a particular member. We have advertising sponsorships, so suppliers, or even nonmembers, are able to directly advertise to our members. We also have annual conventions.

Q: What do you have planned for this year’s conventions in Pittsburgh and Houston?
A: Two of the four days for our annual convention are for a trade show. We have about 80 exhibitor booths planned. This summer, it’s going to be in Pittsburgh, and we are expecting about 200 people. The other two days are for educational classes. It’s so important for members to be able to get with other colleagues and learn from each other. In Houston, which is planned for the fall, the main difference would be that we don’t have the trade show, so it’s a little shorter. But, we still hold an education day, what we call a “candy clinic.”

Q: How has the economic downturn impacted the chocolate industry?
A: What we’ve found is that when people have been laid off, that has in many cases been the impetus for doing what they want to do, and they open a chocolate store. I understand we’ve had more members join than drop in this economy. Our registration at last year’s convention was up 21 percent. Also, our candymakers have told us they’ve had record years.

Q: How did you come to your position with RCI?
A: I worked at Developmental Center of the Ozarks in its marketing and fundraising department for a couple of years, and I really enjoyed that. I came into this position through Kelly (Brinkmann, executive director). She knew the opening was coming up, and it looked like a really great fit. I knew a lot of what I had been doing at DCO, I’d be able to bring over. We met when I worked for the Pregnancy Care Center.

Q: Has it been hard to break away from nonprofit work?
A: With DCO, I do plan on staying on as a volunteer for their gift-wrap booth. I’m really excited now that I’m here, I won’t have to be on the side of getting volunteers; I will get to be a volunteer. And I still would like to find a place that’s a good fit to go and volunteer maybe weekly or monthly. With what I’m doing now, it’s still serving, but now I’m just serving small businesses.
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