Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Futris.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Born & raised in Chicago, IL but found ourselves in Waco, TX with my father’s job at M&M Mars in 1998. I went to middle school and high school in Waco, TX then went off to college at Texas A&M to study Sports Management. I began my career with the Southern Texas PGA in Houston and shortly after moved to the DFW area to become the Program Director for Special Olympics Dallas.
After a year in that role, I received a call from the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce offering me a role as Vice President of Sports and Special Events. I stayed in that role for about 8 years, dreaming up community events such as the Texas Food Truck Showdown & George’s Big O’ Cup golf tournament.
I eventually left that position and tried my hand at entrepreneurship, first with my mom’s business SportHooks, then opening my shop downtown Waco, called Bolt Boutique. Due to various circumstances, I ended up closing my storefront in 2019 and beginning my career at Baylor University which led me to my current role as Senior Manager of Business Development for Baylor Bear Sports Properties and Baylor Athletics.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think there are challenges in any role, but certainly owning my own business came with many. Downtown Waco was in a major growth phase which brought increased construction/congestion. My location happened to be in the middle of that growth, which was wonderful, but ultimately led to me closing my doors sooner than I had expected. But, as the saying goes, everything happens for a reason, I was able to secure a great position with Baylor University, which came with great benefits.
Luckily, as 2020 came about, Baylor was in a great financial position and my position remained through the pandemic, we worked from home for about 2 years which would end up being a huge blessing in disguise for me. In August 2020, I was shockingly diagnosed with breast cancer at 34 years old. My insurance was wonderful and working from home allowed me to continue working through treatment.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Much of my career has been spent in event management which is more like project management, it involves budgeting, marketing, sales, logistics, and a little bit of everything. Right now, my role is 95% sales-focused as I manage corporate partnerships for Baylor athletics.
I would say I’m most known for my event management & networking, as I created some memorable community events during my time at the Waco Chamber of Commerce. Not all Chamber of Commerce has the position of an event, so that was a bit unique. I also created some community events during my time owning Bolt, called CoTown Collab, which was a way to provide a local market for the local community, outside of the larger markets that Magnolia had been putting on at the time.
I would say that people also know me for my Waco shirt from my boutique, Bolt or Bolt254 on social media. Most recognizably for my “Waco Famous” shirt. Now, we’ve turned into a podcast called, Waco Famous. I’m most proud of my work highlighting the unique, awesome businesses and community we have here in Waco, outside of the widely-known Magnolia franchise.
What do you think about luck?
Going back to my previous answer of “everything happens for a reason”, it was a really difficult decision to shut down my shop, Bolt, but the timing worked out largely in my favor and there were a ton of “God winks” along the way!
Pricing:
- Waco Famous Podcast advertising $50/episode
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wacofamouspodcast.net
- Instagram: @wacofamouspodcast
- Facebook: facebook.com/wacofamous
- Twitter: @FamousWaco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClpvaI01iMMOXFkw02Silhw
Image Credits
Dominic Villa, Kai Horan, and Hanna Braud
