SSPC Names Trinita Ervin 2018 Woman of Distinction

Trinita Ervin accepts the 2018 Woman of Distinction Award

Women business leaders took center stage at the Nov. 13 luncheon hosted by the Sandy Springs Chamber and sponsored by Axis Group, LLC. As is tradition at the organization’s November meeting, Tisha Rosemon, chairman of the Chamber’s Women’s Business Network, announced this year’s Woman of Distinction winner. The 2018 Honoree is Trinita Ervin, internal medicine hospitalist-manager for Northside Hospital, and founder and executive director of the Ladybug for Girls Foundation, Inc. a non-profit organization that empowers young girls to live healthier lifestyles. Now in its eighth year, the Woman of Distinction Award is given to a woman in the local community who has demonstrated exceptional leadership through professional endeavors and community involvement, has generously shared her time and talents to demonstrate a sense of social responsibility and has made a difference in Sandy Springs.

Ervin is a graduate of Spelman College and a certified Health Coach. She has served on the Board of Trustees for Leadership Sandy Springs and on the Regional Board of Directors for the American Red Cross. In addition to her professional role at Northside Hospital, she has served as president of the hospital’s Employee Leadership Council and Executive Board for United Way.

Following Ervin’s recognition, Chamber members and guests welcomed Dena Tripp, co-founder and chairman of Nothing Bundt Cakes, to the podium. Tripp recounted her journey from baking at home for her family to leading a national bakery business with nearly 300 franchise operations from coast to coast, including three in metro Atlanta.

Tripp co-founded the business with her friend, Debra Shwetz in 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Tripp, she had created a delicious cake recipe, while Shwetz had perfected an amazing frosting. The two combined their concoctions and created the cake that would become the focus of their business endeavors. Tripp emphasized that while the bakeries create and sell hand-crafted, decorated cakes, “we are really in the people business.”

Tripp says she didn’t plan on launching a national business. “I had a drive to do something fun, but I didn’t know what that was until we moved our small cake business out of my home kitchen and into a bakery. Yes, Debbie and I were naïve. We didn’t know what we didn’t know, but we had passion and worked really, really hard. We didn’t even pay ourselves for the first eight years of the business.”

Reflecting on her more than two decades of managing Nothing Bundt Cakes’ growth, Tripp shared several lessons learned. First, she said, keep the brand DNA intact. For her company, that means maintaining the highest quality ingredients and products, and finding a way to differentiate her cakes from the competition. This is why her company focuses on bundt cakes rather than traditional round or sheet cakes. A critical decision early on, she said, was trademarking their distinctive frosting style.

Next, she said, bring on people who embody the corporate culture. “Our company culture is people,” said Tripp. “We are in the joy business, helping givers and recipients share something special. We hire people who want to serve and follow our LOVE motto -- Live Our Values Everyday.”

Customers were so interested in opening Nothing Bundt Cakes franchises, the company morphed into a franchise operation and began to carefully grow. Now headquartered in Dallas, Texas, there are currently 273 bakeries throughout the United States and Tripp anticipates that number growing to around 300 by year’s end. “We set a strong foundation for franchising and established a legal, marketing and accounting team to help us achieve our goals. As for me, I try to maintain a bakery owner’s perspective, not a franchisor’s perspective.”

Today, each Nothing Bundt Cakes bakery focuses on four goals: Offering the highest quality products, paying attention to every detail, providing personalized service and delivering a consistent experience. The program ended on a sweet note, as each guest left with a bundtlet of his or her own.

About Axis Group LLC

Axis Group is a leading Business Intelligence (BI) and data management consulting firm that provides value to clients through their COMPASS product line, managed services division, and QlikView practice. Axis recognizes that people, processes, and technology must all fit together to deliver a successful solution. By leveraging best practices and a common framework, Axis Group helps its customers understand their key drivers behind their BI initiatives to be successful. Finding ways to help customers improve their business through better information is the goal. To learn more, visit www.axisgroup.com or call (908) 988-0200.

About the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber

The Chamber was formed in 2008 to serve businesses in the City of Sandy Springs and the north Perimeter area. With leadership from an elected Board of Directors, and working in partnership with city government, the Chamber’s mission is to maximize the business success of its members, strengthen the competitiveness of the Sandy Springs business community and enhance economic prosperity of the area. Ongoing initiatives include workforce and economic development, business education, community service and networking opportunities for members. Tom Mahaffey is president of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber. www.SSPChamber.org