Speaker Profile: Gabrielle DeSantis & Monica Hillman
September 1, 2008
Gabrielle DeSantis & Monica Hillman, co-owners of Gigi Hill Bags will be speaking about Product Development and Research on Wednesday, September 17th at 2pmCT.
Mission Statement for Gigi Hill Bags:
Wow! Gigi Hill is one of the most exciting and challenging ventures I have undertaken. At Gigi Hill we design and sell handbags, tote-bags, travel bags, cosmetic bags and more. Our passion is ensuring that our products fulfill our company promise. Our promise? To give our customers a lifestyle piece that delivers exactly how they intend it to. And we are happy to report that our customers consistently tell us that they love the Gigi Hill bags they purchase.
Soccer moms Monica Hillman and Gabrielle DeSantis-Cummings, passing the time on the sidelines at their kids’ games, had been brainstorming ideas for a business they could run from home.
The conversation turned to Hillman’s tote and their frustration over finding a decent bag that could handle a busy mother’s needs.
They wanted function. They wanted fashion. And they didn’t want to mortgage the house to pay for the perfect combo.
“We kept looking at this bag and saying, ‘There has to be a better way,’ ” says Hillman, 42.
They were convinced that women would snap up a better bag, one that could haul soccer snacks in style as easily as beach towels, diapers or work files.
After a year of tinkering with samples, they launched Gigi Hill in mid-2006 from Hillman’s Yorba Linda living room with $5,000 in savings and $23,000 in loans and investments from friends and family.
About the ladies who own Gigi Hill Bags:
Gabrielle DeSantis – CEO
Gabrielle started her 1st business in January 1995, co-founding a successful promotional marketing agency with Fortune 500 clients generating yearly revenue of $2.5mm pr year. Having sold the venture at the end of 1999, Gabrielle then started a staffing agency for the promotional marketing industry. Turning over the helm to a business associate, Gabrielle then founded The MomExchange (2002 – present), an online community for moms to ask questions and get answers from other moms. At the same time, (from 2002 to 2004) Gabrielle was the Program Director then President of The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Los Angeles/Orange County. In 2005 Gigi Hill began its research and development and had its official launch in July of 2006. Gabrielle has her Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications from California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California.
Monica Hillman – President
Monica has over 17 years experience in Human Resources and Finance working for various financial institutions. She specialized in incentive plan design and compensation however she held multiple positions during her career including financial analysis and reporting. Her background also includes retail sale experience for various women’s retail clothing stores including Nordstrom. In 2005 Gigi Hill began its research and development and had its official launch in July of 2006. Monica has her Bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Resources from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California.
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.