** Here are a few letters of recommendation that I have received. To read more, please visit my LinkedIn Profile **
Letters of Recommendation
____________________________________________________________________________
Linda Dickerhoof Sperling, Director of Marketing, VIPdesk (now Aspire Lifestyles)
I highly recommend Erika Blanchard for any opportunity in which her talents as a digital marketing, social media, and graphic design expert will shine. Erika worked directly for me for two years while at VIPdesk, during which time I was able to regularly observe her professionalism and marketing expertise.
Erika was hired in June 2010 by VIPdesk to work as the company’s first Social Media Coordinator, however through her talent, drive, and professionalism, as well as her desire to grow her position and expertise, she was promoted within a year to the Manager of Digital Marketing and Social Media.
First and foremost, Erika is extremely talented and knowledgeable in the realm of social media and digital marketing. She is one of those people who just “gets it” when it comes to the relationship between marketing and new technologies, and it shows in the quality of her work. Whether she is working on a B2B, a B2C, or a B2B2C project, she is quickly able to put herself in the shoes of her target audience and deliver results that speak to their needs.
Erika is also a true professional. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get a project done, and always goes the extra mile to do so. This includes teaching herself whatever needs to be done: from learning how to use a new software to learning how to most effectively apply a graphic design technique, Erika has taken it upon herself to learn more things that I can imagine, in order to further both herself, and her employer.
Finally, Erika is very self-motivated and self-driven, which was very beneficial for our working relationship, as she worked in a remote location. As her direct supervisor, I never had to worry that she was on-task or that she wouldn’t deliver the desired results. She always went above and beyond what was asked of her.
I can not express enough what an invaluable asset Erika is to any organization.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mary Naylor, CEO, VIPdesk (now Aspire Lifestyles)
To whom it may concern:
Erika Blanchard has worked for VIPdesk since June 2010. She was initially hired as our first Social Media Coordinator and within a year was promoted to become the company's first Manager, Social Media and Digital Marketing. Unfortunately, as a result of the loss of a longstanding large account not renewing due to pricing pressures, VIPdesk was forced to release several valuable team members, including Erika.
Erika was part of the VIPdesk sales and marketing team, which I, as Founder and CEO of the company, work very closely with. Erika was a consistent and highly productive performer that any executive would be proud to have on his/her team, as her talents and skills are vast.
Erika joined VIPdesk to lead the strategy and execution of the company's social media plan, and worked diligently and with great savvy to develop our social media presence. In this capacity, she represented VIPdesk at industry conferences and continually honed and refined our social media presence, while managing all aspects of our program. Her responsibilities included the sourcing and managing of our social media tools, monitoring all of VIPdesk’s social media results, preparing and reporting weekly social media and marketing results, and preparing social media intelligence on all of our prospects and clients.
In addition to her core focus, Erika routinely stepped up to offer her assistance outside of her immediate scope of responsibilities which was the impetus for her rapid promotion. She launched the VIPdesk corporate blog and ensured its visibility throughout the industry, supported the development, marketing and management of our marketing webinars, and designed many of the marketing and advertising materials used by the company. Erika also supported a comprehensive redesign of our corporate website, not only developing the majority of the graphics and copy used on the site, but also ensuring that the site was optimized for optimum search engine visibility. She launched the use of an inbound software, HubSpot, which is integrated with the VIPdesk CRM for the purposes of driving more new incoming leads to our sales team. Finally, Erika implemented a new digital marketing tool, Vertical Response, which she also integrated with the company’s CRM, and managed all of the company’s digital marketing campaigns.
In addition to her excellent work product, Erika is the epitome of professionalism. She was always eager to support her team members, was highly collaborative and willing to do what it takes to get a project or task done. Erika’s positive “can-do” attitude was an inspiration to her teammates.
I cannot say enough about Erika Blanchard. Any organization would be very fortunate to have her as a team member. She will certainly be missed by me and all of her team members at VIPdesk.
I am happy to talk with you further about Erika. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Mary Naylor
CEO, VIPdesk
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Teresa Sinel, Director Global Project Management, VIPdesk (now Aspire Lifestyles)
To Whom It May Concern:
It has been my distinct pleasure and privilege to work with Erika Blanchard on a number of high profile initiatives in recent years, including key projects such as VIPdesk’s website design and development, logo/letterhead/business card redesign, and the establishment of our regular presence in the blogosphere. She has also been a key contributor for a large number of proposal responses which required Erika’s significant talents in conceptualizing, designing, and delivering eye-catching and relevant images, mock-ups, and marketing collateral that deliver on the wow factor.
Erika is an incredible social media resource and played a founding role in the development of the company’s social media program, spearheading the setup and public relations efforts required to gain industry recognition and readership. In this capacity, she has facilitated the development of social media programs for clients to maximize brand presence in a way that is customer-centric and memorable. Additionally, Erika has been instrumental in guiding the development of successful social media service launches that provide monitoring, direct customer interaction, analytics, and reporting to our clients.
Of particular note are Erika’s design skills, which are exceptional. She has a keen eye for what will create the most visual impact and knows what will draw the reader’s attention. Erika is clearly in the upper echelon when it comes to seeing the big picture and being able to translate that into graphic representations that really pop.
I am beyond pleased to be able to provide this reference for Erika and welcome any calls or emails to further discuss her many talents and contributions.
Best regards,
Teresa
Sinel
Director,
Global Project Management
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Barry
J Simmons - Director of Merchandise, FPI MB Entertainment
May 10, 2010
To whom this may concern:
This letter is my personal recommendation for Erika Blanchard. Erika has worked for me at Freestyle Music Park for the past year. She is a very well rounded individual who takes pride in the company she works for. She is very organized and willing to tackle any assignment given to her with dedication and a smile.
Erika is the kind of person who is always willing to go out of her way for you and at the same time ensuring the company is moving forward within the business plan. Besides being a joy to work with Erika is a take charge person who is able to present creative ideas and communicate those ideas professionally. During our employment time together she took on many different tasks by keeping our entire team organized and on track. Erika also assisted in sourcing and purchasing merchandise for all of the retail locations in the park.
Erika was a great asset to our team and to the company. She was also willing to help out where ever needed in the park to help move the business in a positive direction. She is definitely a team player and always willing to assist where ever needed. I would highly recommend Erika for employment. She would be a great asset to any company she joins.
Sincerely,
Barry
J Simmons
Director
of Merchandise
Freestyle
Music Park
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Jimmy
L Aronson - Regional Sales Manager, ADVO, Inc.
To whom it may concern:
I have had the pleasure of working with Erika Omenson for over five years. During this time, Erika has proven to be an extremely gifted individual who understands the workings of ADVO not only from an internal client perspective, but also from the perspective of our clients. Her ability to identify with our clients’ circumstances and accommodate their needs makes her a tremendous asset to the field sales team.
Erika is a team player who is always willing to do her part to get the job done accurately and promptly. Over the years, my team has sent numerous requests her way and her solutions are always on target.
Erika’s leadership and integrity have brought an immeasurable level of quality to our financial services department. Her guidance and proactive nature have curbed many potential billing issues, which in turn enhances client satisfaction.
I would, without hesitation, strongly recommend Erika for any new challenge.
James
L. Aronson
ADVO,
Inc.
Regional
Sales Manager
Sunrise,
FL
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Lori
Murphy - Director of Client Financial Services, ADVO, Inc.
To whom it may concern:
I have worked closely with Erika for the past 10 years as a colleague and more recently, as her Manager. During this time, I have seen Erika develop outstanding abilities in several areas.
Erika effectively communicates with her Sales & CS teams to identify potential client issues, streamline processes and generate the best invoicing solutions for our clients. She exhibits the qualities to strive for excellence and deliver quality work accurately and timely.
Erika also has an extensive knowledge of the Internet, Financial Systems and all Microsoft Applications, which has allowed her to assist the field and CFS with program issues.
Over the past few years, Erika has received well deserved promotions, most recently as a high level Supervisor, and demonstrates leadership and teamwork by consistently guiding her team to achieve department goals.
Her continuous display of leadership, teamwork and client focus has played an integral role in the success of several company initiatives. Erika’s years of growth has prepared her for greater challenges, and I would definitely recommend her for any business position.
Thank you for your consideration.
Lori Murphy
ADVO, Inc.
CFS Billing Manager
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Lisa Maggi - Director of Billing Services, ADVO, Inc.
To whom it may concern:
It has been my pleasure to work with Erika Omenson for the past 10 years. She is a most conscientious and hard worker, who gives 100% at all times.
I hired Erika as a Senior Billing Associate for ADVO, Inc. In addition to her responsibilities of invoicing, rate validation and data verification, all of which she excelled at, she also created several custom spreadsheets based on client requirements. Erika demonstrated teamwork and leadership and always handled her responsibilities with the highest degree of professionalism. She was promoted to a Senior Marketing Services Assistant and moved to the Customer Service department. She later returned to the Billing Department, where she became a Billing Supervisor. She developed an excellent rapport with external as well as internal clients (Sales and Service) a key component to the success of her position.
Erika is a well-liked and well-respected associate who handles special assignments with thoroughness and accuracy. She is organized and follows through on all aspects of her current position – people processes and projects. Erika has streamlined and improved many processes, which have enabled cost savings in the department, and is eager to take on any challenge to strengthen her knowledge. I would highly recommend Erika for any business position.
If you so desire, I would be most happy to discuss Erika’s qualifications in greater detail. I can be reached at (860) 285-6100.
Sincerely,
Lisa
Maggi
Director
of Billing Services
Member
Service Delivery Redesign (SDR)
Valassis
(formerly ADVO, Inc)
Performance Review Manager Feedback
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Director of Client Financial Services, ADVO, Inc.
Exceeds Expectations
Overall, the Billing Department is running extremely well and that can be attributed, in part, to Erika. We have had virtually no issues with final billing, in terms of timeliness and accuracy. We have seen a continued decrease in zero controllable unbilled on a weekly basis, which has had a favorable impact on the percent current.
Erika has been instrumental in the order error notification/communication process, resulting in a dramatic decrease in order errors. Erika works well with the field in terms of communicating and resolving issues. She continues to be extremely client focused, as evidenced by her involvement in FME, AT&T, Printz Advertising and Color Ad.
Erika has been involved in various projects, her contributions valuable. Specifically, Erika has written many queries that have created efficiencies and streamlined the current processes. Additionally, Erika has been involved in various initiatives (platform teams, Gatekeeper, Finance VIP initiative), contributing time, experience, knowledge and ideas for enhancements.
Erika has a good attitude, is respectful of the people she works with, and is viewed by her peers as a team player. She does a good job supervising her group, maintaining a balance coaching, counseling, leading and evaluating, while taking actions to correct/change behavior and performance when necessary.
Erika recently took on new responsibilities. Her challenge for the remainder of this year will be to get her new group up and running, while focusing on increased customer service and improved processes.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Manager of Client Financial Services, ADVO, Inc.
Exceeds Expectations
The last few months have brought many new challenges to Erika. In addition to having to adjust to a new management style, Erika gained two new positions that focus on specialized areas. Erika has been able to demonstrate her integrity by accepting these changes, and her ability to supervise effectively by consistently leading her team to achieve department goals.
The introduction of the new Problem Resolution Specialist, and Custom Invoicing Specialist were especially challenging because of the expectations that had been set. Erika rose to the challenge by identifying the steps needed to succeed and implementing process improvements to better reach their goal.
Her knowledge of the systems allows her to assist the field with system issues. She has written several system queries for various job requirements that significantly reduced the time spent gathering billing data, and streamlined several customization processes. She has also assisted with testing several system upgrades to ensure continuity with the billing processes
Erika is extremely dedicated and thorough with any projects she is given. She embraced the June postal rate increase and fully organized the project to include data gathering, testing and communication. She takes the lead on account issues for some of our more strategic clients that resulted in client focused solutions, as demonstrated with SuperValu, MailCoups, and Rentway.
She most recently was given the supervisor responsibilities for the Order Confirmation Group. I will need Erika to fully monitor this new process in and make necessary adjustments to gain efficiencies and increase automation.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Director of Client Financial Services, ADVO, Inc.
Exceeds Expectations
Erika continues to work with her billing associates to be sure all department objectives are met. Zero Controllable Unbilled was achieved 8 months out of 12 (which has never been done before) and year-end expectations were surpassed. Journal entries are regularly completed within the established timeframes and postage discrepancies are immediately researched and resolved.
Erika reviews every new custom request to be sure it meets account history guidelines and future system requirements. She discusses possible automated methods to CS/Sales, and communicates all denied requests clearly and professionally.
Erika continues to demonstrate her leadership abilities by taking ownership of any process enhancements or projects assigned to her. Some of these include, developing the MMSI postage rebate program, assisting with the development of the Sarbanes-Oxley Billing process walkthrough, Newspaper Alliance Initiatives, and special company promotions for Summer Heat, Focus Market and CEO Challenge. She independently resolves regional issues as they arise, calling for assistance from the billing associates as needed. Erika’s knowledge and attention to detail is invaluable to the CFS Billing Group.
In August, changes were made to the department structure. Two associates were promoted, a billing position eliminated, and one billing supervisor transitioned to CDT. Erika became the sole billing supervisor, increasing the number of associates reporting directly to her.
During the next quarter, I will rely on Erika’s proven supervisor abilities and expertise to meet our department’s goals and objectives.
