NEWH - Summer 2015 - 28

Q&A

Getting to Know
Cinnamon Alvarez
Finken

Executive advisor of the NEWH Los Angeles
Founding chapter and president of A19

How did you become involved with NEWH?
I originally got involved in NEWH because-contrary to what
many may believe-I can be shy. I loved working in my business,
but I dreaded anything related to sales or networking. I accepted
the role of hospitality chair (my introduction to serving on the
board) as a way to get myself out there and meet people. From
there, being a part of an amazing organization and the mission
of awarding scholarships was easy to commit to.
 
What has NEWH done for you, both personally and professionally? 
NEWH has taught me a lot about different aspects of our
industry and expanded my knowledge of how businesses and
organizations are structured and operate. Working closely on
the Los Angeles board and with NEWH, Inc. has helped me in
my own businesses, from building a strong team to reviewing
fi nancials. And of course, I have met some extraordinary people,
some of which are among my dearest friends.
 
In your role on the NEWH Los Angeles Founding chapter's board of
directors, what do you have planned for the rest of 2015?
Serving as the Los Angeles Founding chapter's executive advisor
my primary goals are to act as a mentor, assist with succession
planning to ensure our chapter continues to have a strong board,
and to assist our committees. These are exciting times as NEWH
continues to grow and offer more value to its membership. Our
chapter is working hard to bring a variety of more creative, fun,
and appealing programming.
  
Tell us a bit about A19 and what's new.
A19 specializes in ceramic and fused glass wall sconces and
pendant lighting, all made in sunny Ontario, California. We
are preparing to launch a new website this year, and we're also

30 www.newh.org

excited to expand our catalog offering of quick ship items; and
we'll be adding at least one new member to our creative team
well before year's end. Our philosophy is that we should take
pleasure in the work we do (which is easy when you make
functional art for a living) and the people with whom we do it. 
What is your business outlook for the next year or two?
Consumer and business confidence is said to spur spending,
and projections for the hospitality industry look promising.
Th at said, A19 has been relatively easy to scale with the ebb and
flow of our economy and other external factors that can impact
businesses. We specialize in a unique niche and diversify our
revenue through different channels. I'm especially happy to see
so many of our preferred brick-and-mortar dealers doing well, as
they provided a backbone in the early years of A19.
 
Latest personal travel highlight or plan?
I won't be skiing or joining in on any rigorous hiking adventures
in the near future as I blew out my knee skiing two days
before the Leadership Conference in January and had ACL
reconstruction in March, but I am looking forward to returning
to cycling along the Pacific Coast and a large family trip by car
to Iowa, where my husband spent almost every summer of his
childhood on the family farm. 
 
When you aren't working or at an NEWH event, where can we
find you?
These days you can fi nd me researching and working on
completing my fi rst book about generating your own happiness.
Once the book is complete, my goal is to be giving a keynote
speech in a city near you.  ❙❘❚
http://www.newh.org
NEWH - Summer 2015

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