“The fashion industry often gets a bad rap,” Frederica Tompkins says with a smile. The Jimmy Choo Senior Marketing Manager is sitting with Alfred’s Marcela Sapone over coffee in her Chelsea home. “Luckily, I’ve made a lot of friends in my career who serve as a constant source of inspiration. And I’ve only always worked for really intelligent people who love what they do. Working at Jimmy Choo has been a dream come true.”

As the point person for all of Jimmy Choo North America, Tompkins oversees national and regional advertising, events, wholesale marketing, retail marketing, outdoor advertising and brand partnerships (phew!)

“Fashion has always been a passion of mine,” confesses Tompkins. “With Jimmy Choo, I get to go beyond fashion into lifestyle - and particularly life moments. The relationship between our consumer and our brand goes beyond the shoe. To many, it represents success and achievement.”

Tompkins explains that most Jimmy Choos are purchased for significant life moments like anniversaries, graduations, job promotions or major birthdays. And while Tompkins loves to launch a new brand campaign, she also wants to be able to celebrate those same life moments with her own friends and family….which is why she has been a happy Alfred client for the past year.

“Alfred is just the most brilliant service,” she says. “I can direct my week in terms of what I need to get done - I leave a Sunday list for Alfred and on Monday, I have confidence all my errands will be done: dry cleaning, groceries, buying gifts, all of that. Alfred even reorganized my closet!”

“The service is worth more than the sum of its parts,” she continues. “It’s not just my favorite foods always stocked or my bed being made (which is awesome). It’s the time that it gives me back.”

And she recommends using that time to invest back into being happy at home and at the office. “Really work to find the right people to nurture you,” she urges. “Find mentors who push and bring out the best in you. If you don’t find balance, no job will be a dream job for very long.”

To hear more Alfred Stories click here.

From his sister, to his dad, Pavel’s been around devoted cyclists his whole life, but never really took to riding. But, Citi Bike did the trick! Now an avid user, he especially enjoys riding around NYC with his two daughters, keeping the family tradition of cycling alive. 

Name: Pavel Lempert Age: 48 Occupation: Operations Manager & Chief Facilitator for Drum Café, a corporate team building company Home: Lower East Side Work: Home! (usually)

Coming from a bike-friendly family, you held out for a long time. What made you finally get on the saddle? My daughters, who both got their own bikes recently, were eager to graduate to riding on the street. And since space/storage concerns have prevented me from owning a bike in the past, Citi Bike easily answered the question, “Should I, responsible dad, get a bike?”

How do you use Citi Bike? The privilege and responsibility of my kids’ after-school schedule falls on me. And with one of my daughters having soccer practice or a game everyday after school, I bring her bike to her, I hop on a Citi Bike, and we ride home together. Sometimes her sister will join us, and it is a great opportunity to get them comfortable with how to ride safely in traffic. 

As a new member of the club, what’s your favorite thing about riding a bike in NYC? I love how “small” our little part of the island has become. My daughter’s games have been played on various fields around the downtown area, and on a Citi Bike, everything is within a 15-minute ride.

Any Citi Bike experiences that stand out? The joy of riding with both my daughters in tow; riding across East 10th Street to the East River Promenade, and then biking down towards home, the view of Brooklyn, the bridges, and people out enjoying themselves. All this with the occasional shout of “How ya doin’?” back to my daughters, and their predictable response of, “I’m fine” or, “Let’s go faster!” followed by me saying, “Wait for me, my legs are tired!” It doesn’t get any better than that.