Kristin Allen
General Manager, Sales Manager
“Any business can come to us, no matter how big or small. We’d love to help you build your company.”
For Kristin Allen, being the General Manager and Sales Manager for Heartland Design Concepts has its perks. Collaborating with customers who visit her company’s sales floor often offers moments of inspiration. “I think that I have the most exciting job here,” Kristin says, “because I get to work directly with the customer. The customer comes to me, lets me know a little bit about what they want. A lot of times, they don’t necessarily know what they want. That’s when I can show them everything we have to offer.”
Kristin’s daily duties aren’t bound just to in-store consultations, though. While she does handle a lot of projects over the phone, a sizable portion of her work begins outside of the Heartland Design headquarters. “A lot of times, I will go on site and take pictures and measurements,” Kristin says. “Then we start having a bit of fun where we work with our designer, really getting down to whatever is it that the customer wants. We want their feedback--‘what do you like about this...what do you not like about this? What can we change to make it exactly what you want?’” Then, once the job is finished, no matter how long that process is, the end result is still the most rewarding part for Kristin. “When you get to see the pure excitement that they have with the new sign that they’re getting, the new wall murals, whatever it might be,” Kristin says, “that’s really the exciting part I love more than anything--seeing the excitement of the customers.”
Kristin believes Heartland Design’s in-store Idea Center is just one of the many steps the company takes to elevate itself above local competition. “The Idea Center is a place full of tons of products that can help spark creativity for our customers,” Kristin says. “You can come in and we can design something custom for you. It doesn’t have to be something that’s only available on our website. We can really get that ‘wow’ factor for our customers.” Capitalizing on that, Heartland Design can create virtually anything for its customers, whether it’s a wedding or anniversary gift, a holiday or birthday present, or a graduation gift. “If you’re looking for a completely custom gift, come work with us,” Kristin adds. “We can design something that is going to really wow that friend or family member and be something that they will pass on for generations to come.”
Kristin is quick to emphasize the importance of the team Heartland Design has put together. “We have amazing staff here, and we love just being able to give back to the local community,” Kristin says, “because we’re all from here and we all want to see these small businesses succeed.” Kristin also stresses the importance of one-on-one customer service, especially the personable atmosphere created both in-store and beyond. “Any business can come to us, no matter how big or small,” Kristin adds. “You can walk into our Idea Center and check out some ideas. You can call us and you’ll be speaking directly with me. You can email us or visit our website. We’d love to help you out and help you build your company.”
Kristin Allen, daughter of owner, Paul Forbes, came to work at Heartland Design Concepts in 2017 after over 15 years working in the Child Welfare industry. She studied Psychology and Criminal Justice at Tiffin University, earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. Putting neither of those to work now, she is the Sales and General Manager at HDC. Kristin’s favorite part of her job is getting to interact with customers and see their pure joy when talking about their signs or décor for their new, rebranded, updated, or expanding business. Kristin is a very active member in the Ashland chapter of BNI, Successful by Choice where she represents the signage industry and HDC.
When not at HDC, Kristin enjoys spending time with her husband, Chris and her two children Kylie and Tyler. The family loves just about any sport and if not watching either Kylie or Tyler play, can usually still be found watching sports together.