This December, American Licorice Company will be opening a brand-new facility in Lancaster, Texas. The facility will initially serve as a central distribution center, a midway point for housing products from both its La Porte, Indiana and Union City, California facilities.
The launch of a new base of operations has also brought new faces to the American Licorice team, including the first Texas-based employee to be hired for the Lancaster location, Leslie Alvarez.
Shortly after joining the American Licorice team, I sat down with Leslie to get her view on all there is to love about Texas, what she is excited about in her new role, and what she sees for the future – both her own, and that of American Licorice.
Leslie Alvarez fell in love in high school – with accounting! After taking her first class, she quickly realized how much there was to learn, and how interested she was in doing just that. “I like accounting,” she shares, “I found out there were so many different types of accounting, and I’m willing to learn all of them and get as much knowledge as I can.”
After completing her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Texas, Leslie came to join the American Licorice team as a Cost Accountant, also becoming the first official member of the brand-new ALC Texas crew.
She shared that what drew her to the role was the opportunity to apply all the knowledge she had gained in her degree program, along with her previous work experience. “I graduated in December [2021], and I’m first generation on both sides of my family graduating college,” she shares. “I plan on going back to school. I actually mean it when I say I truly did enjoy school! And I enjoy learning new things.”
Leslie was seeking an environment where she could apply her love for learning, her strong work ethic, and her interest in working with the community. “When I started applying to utilize my degree,” Leslie says, “I did research and started seeing [American Licorice] were the ones giving back in the community. When I spoke with [ALC recruiter] Erica, I told her that was my first priority is work ethic and having opportunities to grow.”
She developed these priorities in part as a result of previous work experiences. “I started noticing I was more of a regular employee,” she shares of her most recent role. “I wanted to be more than that. I wanted them to see my skills and what I could bring to the table.”
Fortunately, Leslie’s confidence in all she brings to the table landed her at American Licorice, and I was curious to know more about her home state of Texas.
Born in Houston, raised in Lubbock, and now in Dallas full time, Leslie is a true Texan. “I love Texas,” she shares. “I’ve traveled, too. We’ve taken little road trips here and there. I love seeing new places, but it always feels amazing just to come home to Texas. Traveling to other places, you see the Southern hospitality is just so much different. And I didn’t realize what the difference was until I started traveling.”
What Leslie went on to describe is the closeness and kindness of the broader Texas community, which prior to her travels, she didn’t know was so particular to Texas. “You feel like you’ve [known] people for the longest time,” she says. “You could go to a restaurant, a bar, wherever you are. You feel like you’re included as well. And that’s something I’ve noticed so much, and appreciated so much.”
We talked a bit more about the surrounding area of Lancaster, where the new American Licorice facility is based. When I asked her what she would want our folks to know about the area, she shared her wonder at the sheer number of things there are to see and do. “Honestly, there’s so much to see here just in Dallas,” she says, “And way more in the whole of Texas. I’ve been here since I was five years old and I’m twenty-four now, and even in the last two years I’ve seen places I’ve never been. There’s just so much to see and so much to experience as well.” The Dallas skyline alone, she says, is well worth the trip!
While on the subject of travel and trips, Leslie also shared that her family makes an annual visit to her mother’s hometown in Mexico. “We all get together and buy toys, save money. We rent out carts to give out food for the kids and their parents, just so they can have a great day.” She went on to explain that her mother’s community has experienced long-term issues with access to employment opportunities.
“It’s a small pueblo where my mom’s from,” says Leslie, “That’s where we always go because it’s outside of the city. Because it’s a small town, there’s not really a lot of jobs, so most of the families go out of town. They have to be apart from their families, and I know it’s hard, and I was fortunate to not have to go through that. My mom tells me a lot of what they went through as kids, and it just inspires me, how much she has overcome. And if we’re able to help, why not? It just feels amazing to help them.”
We can all understand the need that Leslie describes, but not everyone takes an active hand in doing something about it. But like her love for learning, her care for community is a driving force – and credit to her parents. “I’m very thankful for my parents. My parents have been very supportive of my education. You know, we all have those breakdowns [about] having to balance being a full-time student with working full-time. But I became a first-time home buyer at the age of 22. And my dad was like, Are you sure?? And I said I had to. I thought I could do it. And I did it! I’m very proud of myself, and my parents have a lot to do with that for supporting me and being my biggest cheerleaders,” also sharing that her fiancé has also been a great support to her, especially throughout her time at school.
Leslie already has a lot to be proud of, but it doesn’t make her complacent. “Having this conversation and saying it out loud is almost manifesting in a way. I have always been a go-getter,” she says, going on to share her future vision of this new opportunity with American Licorice.
“You’re going to be working 40 hours a week, and you want to work for a company that respects you not only as an employee, but as a person,” she explains. “You want to be given those opportunities, you want to continue growing. And I still want to continue to grow. This is where I will have those opportunities to grow, not only as a person, but in my career. And that’s what is most important to me right now, to gain as much knowledge as I can for my career, because I’m just getting started. Again, I know I have so much to learn, but the learning part,” she says with a laugh, “I have that.”
Leslie’s hope is to not only gain the knowledge she needs to perform well in her role, but also to train and develop others as well. She sees the need for a strong, inclusive culture among the new Texas team, and is looking to do her part to see that happen. “I’ve had jobs. I’ve had so many jobs, and I loved some of those jobs. But it was the environment that made me learn more,” she says. “I’ve always had this saying, we all have to go through what we go through just to be where we are today.”
Some of what we go through, she shares, are the growing pains of learning from difficult experiences. Of her previous experience she says, “Maybe I went through all that so I know how to treat employees, or how to be a better manager or a leader. Because I don’t want to put my employees through what I went through. It made me visualize and have a better understanding of what not to do. At the end of the day, the employees are the people helping you in your business, they are the people who are helping you get to your goal at the end of the day, and you have to appreciate them.”
To see more of what Leslie and our team are up to in Texas, follow @americanlicoriceompany on social media.
