TINLEY PARK, IL —Retail Bakers of America (RBA) announced the addition of Kimberly Houston as engagement and events manager.
Houston is a retired Le Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef who also ran a cottage bakery and dabbled in culinary photography. She previously served as a certified transformational life coach for entrepreneurs.
In this role, she will forecast the resources future members will need earlier in their journey to assist in their entrepreneurial success.
“Becoming a member of the RBA team was divinely orchestrated,” Houston said. “I could not have created a more fitting position for myself if I tried, and I’m excited to see how we all grow in the coming years.”
Houston’s top priority will be supporting Marissa Velie, the newly appointed executive director of RBA, to advance the association’s objective of connecting with retail bakery owners and operators nationwide, with a firm understanding that no goal is too big.
“I want our members to embrace the community we are growing for them and to love it so much they tell every other baker they know that this is the community we all need at every part of our entrepreneurial journey,” Houston shared.
Another one of her goals is to further connections with current RBA members. As the association enters a new era under Velie, Houston will have ample resources and opportunities to facilitate member growth and build community interaction.
“I want to understand them, speak to them, relate and build rapport with them,” she explained. “I want them to know it’s my job to know not only their needs but their desires and their big dreams for their businesses.”
Houston also plans to emphasize impacting and influencing bakers- and chefs-in-training. RBA prioritizes a range of interactive educational opportunities from peer-to-peer networking to traditional hands-on training sessions.
“I want to make sure we give our students, partner schools and other educational organizations the time, care and attention they need to ensure we are creating the best possible outcome for our rising stars,” Houston concluded.
