Celebrating Month of the Military Child: Debora George and wireacake/HB Bakery Connection

There are some companies that stand out when it comes to supporting the military! I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Debora George, a MilitaryAvenue Partner, after she approached MilitaryAvenue earlier this month with the desire to honor a military child with a free cake from her product-line. What a great idea! She is not of a military-background but she is IN TOUCH with the military-lifestyle, military happenings and the military way of life. She has put herself in the families’ shoes and therefore has made herself very approachable and knowledgable. Thank you, Debora, for all that you do! (Want to learn more about the contest for our Military Children? Click here!)

Your Name: Debora George

Your Company Name: wireacake/HB Bakery Connection

Description of your business: HB Bakery Connection nationwide cake delivery service, was established in April 1987, (August 1997: I acquired the “wire-a-cake” name and joined the internet revolution) Debora George is the founder and president of HB Inc. She developed the idea for this telecake service after an unsuccessful attempt to have a cake delivered to her father for his birthday. Recognizing the potential and opportunity for a successful business, she created a network of bakeries that would give well-wishers a way to “Wire A Cake” to any city in the country. The bakers joined the network to accept cake orders and deliver them in their own cities. But with the slowing economy she faced a decision: reinvent the company or shut it down. She chose to reinvent. What began as an idea to mail a single cake to her dad for his birthday, turned into a business that would send thousands in the US and across the world to the front lines.

What is the best way to reach you?: Email debora@wireacake.com or telephone 1-800-WireACake {1-800-947-3222}

How does your company support the military family? People assume I am military and I answer no I am not BUT my cakes are! After 9/11 people were asking if I would send a cake overseas to the military and my response was always “No I did not think it was possible to ship a traditional frosted, decorated birthday cake so far away and expect it to arrive in decent condition”. In 2008, the slowing economy was a factor in reinventing and shifting the focus of the telecake business from the bakery network to an association with a sole bakery here in Huntington Beach, CA that could come up with a travel stable cake. After many test cakes to a few brave marines we came up with a winner. The military order is a gamble to accept from a business standpoint as the shipping is out of ours & USPS control once it is in military hands but the joy that comes with a successful delivery is more than worth the risk. We do not recommend sending our treats if the mail takes longer than 2 weeks to arrive and families are understanding of that. When cakes get misdirected, delayed and arrive spoiled or sometimes never even arrive we stand behind the integrity of our company and we gladly replace the cake. There is a war going on and the circumstances are such that many companies refuse to even ship to an APO because the risk is too high.

Thinking about all of the cakes and goodies you have sent overseas, what made you start that line of your business? If it was not for the many requests I received I don’t think I would have come up with the idea to try and ship a cake. I am aware of a few companies that do ship to APOs but it is a smaller different type of cake i.e. brownie/coffee cake or cake in a jar. Ours is the most like a traditional birthday cake complete with personal inscription on the cake and a candle for a birthday or anniversary celebration!

Tell us about one of the cakes that you have sent overseas. Who was it for? Who was it from? What made that treat special? I think the best way to answer this is with actual customer feedback

“I ordered a last minute cake to go to a deployed friend. I ordered it one week before I needed it and I got an email shortly after saying the cake would be made the same day and shipped the same day… I never thought in a million years it would arrive to my deployed friend on his birthday. Yesterday he received his cake! And it made his day…. I can’t thank you enough for bringing a smile and a lil piece of home to my very dear friend! Jennifer 02/08/11 (To the right you will see Capt Addison and his wonderful cake!)

We are honored to have feedback direct from Captain Addison:
“The cake was great…to be honest, I didn’t think a cake could be shipped and actually not go bad but your cake was still moist and yummy. The fondant was really good..I’m a fan of good fondant. Thank you very much once again. Capt Addison, United States Air Force”

What is the best thing about your line of business? I know that sending packages is an expression of love and support whether the address is here in the USA or thousands of miles away to a military address. We have sent thousands of cakes and each one that is sent is the most important cake being sent. In the beginning I was always so anxious wondering if the cake made it to it’s destination in one piece but in this business I have found that no news is good news. We do encourage any feedback positive or negative as that has helped us make necessary changes and improvements for the better.

If you could send a message of encouragement to all of our military families what would you tell them? Thank you for your and your family’s service and sacrifice to our country for our freedoms.

Any last thoughts to share? We are proud to be a member of the Angel Team of Bakers for Soldiers’ Angels Organization. Each month we take on an assignment and send a cake, cookies or pie to a deserving service member.

You can learn even more about Wire-A-Cake on their MilitaryAvenue Ad Posted byLeanne KocsisonTuesday, April 19, 2011 Labels:Month of the Military Child