On May 18,1993, Diane Morales started a brand new new job on the Customer Service team at Party Rental Ltd., back in the days before cell phones and the internet, when orders were still taken by hand and confirmed by fax. Twenty-six years later, she still recalls that day. “I remember Sunny (our co-founder) taking me and another new CSR into the showroom and spending the entire day with us,” Diane said, “She explained everything we did and showed us every piece of china, flatware and glassware we offered.”
Understanding the business to that level of detail is still just as important today, even as technology has evolved and papers orders have long since gone digital. Today Diane supervises a team of five, wearing many hats and ensuring that everything runs smoothly for the major food service accounts.
With knowledge and experience that perhaps only 25+ years in the business can provide, she’s the one behind the scenes making the magic happen – handling all of the logistical details, answering equipment questions and helping customers pull off seamless results in the vigorous world of catering and food service.
In fact, Diane prefers to be the person behind the scenes as opposed to being in the spotlight. “I remember when Mike and Sunny were filming a video clip with Martha Stewart at our offices, and I wasn’t supposed to be on camera, but the producer came over to my desk and asked me if I would do it,” she said, “I finally agreed, and I came in for the shoot the next day wearing a soft beige sweater. The producers lent me a red sweater so I’d stand out and not blend into the background, which was what they ended up using in the video.”
Video Clip Excerpt from Martha Stewart Weddings
In the early 1990’s when the only warehouses were in NJ and DC, everyone was working out of the small office in the laundry building. “Everything was manual back then. We were just starting to transition to computers, so we were constantly on the phone with customers. That’s one thing that still hasn’t changed – maintaining strong relationships and being there when things come up. It’s important to keep a personal touch in a world of technology.”
As an avid reader and a Starbucks lover, if Diane isn’t taking a stroll at the local park during lunch hour, she can often be found indulging in an iced-guava lemonade with a good book or her tablet. “I can read 8-10 books in a week and a half,” she said, “fiction or non-fiction-it doesn’t matter!”
So what made her stay at Party Rental Ltd. for so many years? “The people. And Sunny and Mike were all about family and that hasn’t changed,” Diane told us, “As a single mom, working in a family-first company was really important.”
