Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Lambros.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The question I get most often when people meet me or get to know my story is “how do I do it all?”. What they are really asking is how I have managed to balance and juggle the responsibilities of my professional career as a Marketing Executive while raising four kids, three of which are triplets. To be honest there are some days when I find myself asking the same question. When I step back and think about the variations to my answers over the years one thing has always remained consistent love. As simple as that may sound, I have always realized and appreciated that any of the successes I have had as a mother or professional are less about me and much more about the love and support I have received from others.
I was young, recently married and working for The Irvine Company Apartment Communities as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing when we got the surprise that we were having triplets. When the time came for me to go out on maternity leave I assumed like most people that I would not be returning. As excited (and anxious) as I was to be a mom, I was disappointed to put this part of my life on hold. Getting the nursery ready my husband Rich asked me, why don’t you think you can do both? Why leave something that you love and have worked so hard for because you assume you cant do it. You will love these babies, you love your job and I love you. Don’t assume you can’t do something when you have this much love and support around you.
That conversation and moment was really the defining moment of an 18 years balancing act, centered around the belief that finding authentic joy in the work you do and the relationships with people you work with are essential. I made a commitment to myself and my family that I would only invest my time in work that I loved. To be the very best wife and mother I wanted to be meant I have a responsibility to surround myself with people and work that inspire and challenged me to be the very best version of myself both professionally and personally.
I ended up working at the Irvine Company for an additional 12 years. Being promoted three times since the birth of our triplets and a fourth baby, to ultimately holding the position of EVP of Corporate Marketing and Communications where I was responsible for marketing/branding strategy, planning, and implementation for the company’s 105 million square foot real estate portfolio reporting directly to the office of the Chairman.
One of the greatest gifts of my time at The Irvine Company was getting to know and working alongside Lori Torres, one of the most positive and authentic leaders who completely optimized the idea of loving what you do. Lori had left The Irvine Company to start Parcel Pending, a package management solutions company, but we had always stayed professionally close. I tracked the wild success of the company over the past couple of years and thought the product and idea was really strong. I was also really intrigued by the vertical growth plans for the company in addition to the culture of innovation and fun! I was fortunate enough to join the Parcel Pending team as Chief Marketing Officer last year.
Has it been a smooth road?
I assume I have struggled with the same things as most working moms do. There are days and weeks where you have to prioritize and sacrifice, and that never feels great. Creating a work/life balance does not mean that everything is or should be 50/50. Balance for me means making sure your time, effort, attention is appropriately spent. As a type A personality, I have struggled with accepting things are not always exactly like I expect or planned.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Parcel Pending – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Parcel Pending is the leading provider of package management solutions for residential, commercial, retail, and university properties in the United States and Canada. With over 1.5 million packages successfully delivered monthly, We offer a wide range of solutions that ensure the simple and secure delivery and retrieval of packages and online orders.
In addition to phenomenal customer service, we are also committed to offering the most technologically advanced parcel lockers. That’s why our product line has expanded from indoor lockers to outdoor and refrigerated (the first in the industry!) lockers. We are always pushing the envelope when it comes to new features and strive to provide state-of-the-art lockers that suit the needs of our diverse audiences.
We remove the chaos of package management by assuming all customer service responsibility for package delivery, notification and retrieval. This enables property owners and managers, employers, store managers and universities to increase responsiveness to their residents, employees, shoppers and students while at the same time provide better service, gain competitive advantage and concurrently reduce operating costs.
The Parcel Pending process is simple. Recipients are instantly notified by text, email or mobile app when they have a delivery. Once a notification is received, the recipient can pick up the package using the unique code provided in the notification or by using the convenient mobile app. Property owners and managers do not need to sign for packages, sort them or distribute them to recipients.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We have lived in Orange County (Fullerton) for over 20 years. My favorite thing about Fullerton is the small town neighborhood feel. We have restaurants in the Downtown area where we know the owners and staff by first name and have been going to for years. I love going out to lunch and dinner and knowing we will run into friends. There is a social culture in Fullerton I have not felt in other cities in Southern California that we have lived.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1 Vanderbilt, Irvine CA 92618
- Website: ParcelPending.com
- Phone: 949-294-2615
- Email: [email protected]
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