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Women of Influence in the Food Industry
Credit Management). I was a board member for the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts for many years and am a past president of the association. I also ran a support group for them for many years. I am a trustee of our church and am on the endowment committee.
Mentors and how they have assisted you in your career:
GAYLE ALFREDS Imperial Distributors Inc.
Years with company: 13 Current position: Credit Manager
Education, degrees and professional/volunteer organizations: I have attended the University of Hartford, Worcester State University and the Worcester Art Museum. I have earned certificates from Dun & Bradstreet and Dale Carnegie and have attended various seminars and conferences for credit and collections through NACM (National Association of
The Griffin Report of Food Marketing
February 2014
I have been fortunate to have had many mentors throughout my years, both career-wise and personally. My first mentor in the credit field was the credit manager at Thom McAn Shoe Co. in Worcester, Mass. He took me under his wing and taught me all he knew. He sent me to my first credit management meeting with NACM, which at the time was mostly men. I was one of the first women who attended these meetings in New England. This group served as a mentor to me as well. These men were oldschool collectors and were very helpful to me in learning the field. At Imperial, our top management serves by example to be mentors to all of us that work here.
What are you most proud of in your career achievements? Do you have a defining moment of your career to date?
I am most proud of the relationships that I have built throughout the years with the customers, both internal and external. The fact that our bad debt writeoffs have been minimal since I have been at Imperial is one of my measures of success. Also, my mentoring of employees and seeing them grow in their careers has been very rewarding.
Most challenging part of your job: Collecting money while maintaining good relationships.
Advice for upcoming younger executives: Embrace learn-
ing, network with your peers – call people and talk to them, dress for success and be professional.
Hobbies: I enjoy photography and painting with watercolors and pastels. I also play the piano and organ, and love gardening – indoors and out.
charitable foundation, and I am a regional member of the Network of Executive Women.
Mentors and how they have assisted you in your career:
DARCY ANDERSON
Associated Grocers of New England Years with company: 9½ Current position: Procure-
ment Merchandising and Development Specialist
Education, degrees and professional/volunteer organizations: I have my BA degree
in liberal arts from the University of New Hampshire and my MBA degree from Southern New Hampshire University. I am the co-chair of AG’s Community Connection Committee, our in-house
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One of my early mentors was one of my college professors, Mr. Doug Jack, who was instrumental in getting me involved in teaching as an adjunct faculty member at a community college. Doing this, in addition to my career as a procurement specialist, allowed me to stay current with business trends and discover my passion for teaching and the mentoring of others.
What are you most proud of in your career achievements? Do you have a defining moment of your career to date? This
passion for teaching has led to what I am most proud of in my career — the ability to teach and train others at Associated Grocers in the function of procurement. If I had to pick one defining moment, it would be when I was asked to be a co-chair for AG’s Community Connection. This role has allowed me to work with and help many of the
charitable organizations in our area.
Most challenging part of your job: The most challenging
part of my job is maintaining the appropriate work/life balance. Many of my responsibilities involve doing longterm projects. This, coupled with my desire to help and mentor others, has sometimes led to an imbalance between work and my personal life.
Advice for upcoming younger executives: My advice for up
and coming younger executives is to be willing to learn new ways of doing things and embrace change! If you are willing to do this, you will always learn something new.
Hobbies: My hobbies are very
diverse. I play indoor soccer, enjoy running and going to the gym. During the summer I go boating every weekend and belong to AG’s golf league, which I run. I like to kayak and ride my motorcycle. I like to sew, cook and play computer games. Lastly, one of my favorite hobbies is to play cards with my Dad and brother while watching football!