> Out and About: Paula Pierce
Out and About: Paula Pierce
Paula was born and raised in Windsor. She attended St. Gabriel School, and then moved on to Sage Park Middle School, and Windsor High School. Her mom is Betty Mancarella, formerly the Executive Secretary at Sage Park for about twenty-seven years. After graduating, Paula went to Loyola University in Maryland and received her degree in English Literature. Looking back to where she is now, Paula admits, "I didn't intend to go into business." In fact, she vehemently opposed taking any business classes while in college. She took an accounting course and a couple of business classes in high school. While there, she was a member of Future Business Leaders of America. She says of the one accounting course, "I kind of enjoyed that, but it wasn't what I thought I wanted to do." She was more involved with the liberal arts. She didn't really think she would go into business. "But as things progress, your life changes. You learn a few things. You see the world and meet people and realize, 'Oh, maybe this will work out better.'" She transitioned from college to her first "real job," an international distribution manufacturer. Paula loved the experience because she always loved different cultures. She got to do a little bit of traveling internationally and meet people across the globe. From working internationally, Paula started an online gift shop, making contacts she had made from her previous job. She did a little bit of importing at that point. Teas, brassware, fabrics and textiles were some of the things she would offer from around the world. That business was called, PaulaWalla Imports, with web presence in 1996. After creating PaulaWalla Imports, Paula began learning more about websites and hosting. For one, she learned how to set up e-commerce, merchant accounts to take credit cards, how to market herself, and doing e-mail marketing. It was through that process; around 1999 through 2001, Paula started to build websites. Someone she knew through one of the business groups online had informed her about hosting websites. It was through this opportunity that piqued Paula's interest. She partnered up with her mentor and they began Hosting Connecticut LLC, as we know it today in 2003. As a lifelong member of the town, Paula states, "I love Windsor!" She's been a member of the Chamber of Commerce since starting Hosting Connecticut in '03. Positions include, becoming a board member and President from 2008 - 2010. She now occupies the role of Secretary. For 8-10 years, Paula was with the Windsor Education Foundation (WEF), which she still supports. She has garnered a few awards in the past ten years, starting with the Home Based Business Champion Award from SBA in '08. She was named, Director of the Year in 2010 and Jerry Hallas Memorial Award 2012 through the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. Paula is a big proponent when it comes to local restaurants. When the Chamber hosted their own TV program, Windsor Today, Paula had her own segment called, Grab A Bite. She is also the moderator of Freecycle, an online group which emphasizes recycling goods. Her hobbies include reading mysteries and knitting. Three words that describe Paula: Entrepreneurial. People-oriented. Community. |
