Meet Julia Evans | Director of Marketing & Brand Awareness

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Evans and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
One of the many reasons I love working for Buff City Soap is our commitment to helping the local community. We started as a single location in Memphis, TN with a mission to provide plant-based goodies for the skin, while giving back to the local community. We are now a nationally recognized brand with over 260+ locations and still strive to support each individual city where we are located.

There are several ways in which we choose to give back. Our main form of fundraising is through our Buff Gives Back program. On a monthly basis, we partner with local non-profits to help raise funds for their mission through fundraising nights and customized product drives.

We are always looking for local Houston non-profits to support and look forward to the creative ways we can raise funds for their missions.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In early 2020, I was living in Memphis, TN and working as an Area Manager for a well-known department store chain. I had a strong feeling that something better was coming for me and I made the spontaneous decision to leave my position – with no back-up plan. Soon enough, I saw a job listing for a Regional Director position for a local soap company called Buff City Soap. I took a chance and applied. Within a week, I had been hired to run the corporate locations in the region and assist in the opening of our new East Memphis, TN and Dallas, TX locations.

Two weeks after my start date, COVID-19 shook the world and we had to pivot quickly in order to keep our staff safe and our business running smoothly. This was a learning time for all leaders and I was grateful to be working for a company that handled the pandemic with care and concern. Due to our brick and mortar locations being closed to the public, we focused heavily on our e-commerce business over the next few months. Due to sudden demand, we had to relocate our fulfilment center to a larger facility in Dallas, TX to accomodate the increase in online orders. I was thrusted into learning multiple different roles and gained experiences across many departments during this period.

Within a year, I had been relocated to Dallas, TX and was given a new title as Franchise Support Manager. I had the opportunity to travel across the country, support new franchise operators, and visit over 100+ new Buff City Soap locations. It was during this time where I discovered my passion for local marketing. I took pride in supporting local franchise owners by helping them curate localized marketing plans.

When the opportunity to become the Director of Marketing for a TX franchise group became available, it was a no-brainer for me. I have enjoyed being able to blend my knowledge of operations and marketing into my current role and look forward to growing our business!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve been able to discover some of the best local businesses across the Houston area during my time traveling between Buff City Soap locations. Not only are these businesses some of my favorite to visit, but our brand also has partnered with each of them to support their brands through Buff Gives Back initatives or local product line features.

For a great cup of coffee to start your morning, I’d recommend visiting A 2nd Cup coffee shop on Fulton Street. “More than a cafe, it’s coffee with a cause”. This coffee shop is a non-profit on a mission to raise awareness for Human Trafficking. You can know that you are supporting a fantastic cause while sipping on your cup of morning coffee!

Mala Market is a great place to kill some time. This market is a non-profit space that spotlights local makers and vendors. We have been happy to provide their staff with some of our products and love any chance to work with them!

If you are in the mood for some Hot Yoga, Yoga Six Heights is the place to visit! The staff is so kind and has partnered with us to do regular hot yoga classes at some of our locations. It is a fun way to blend skincare and wellness together for a fun day of self care.

Lastly, I can’t forget to mention Karbach Brewing Company. We have been thrilled to curate a local line of handcrafted soaps in our Houston locations that match their creative beer can designs. If you stop by their brew house, be sure to try their Love Street or Hopadillo brews, then swing by our Houston Heights location to get the matching soaps!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
From a very young age, I knew that my career would involve the beauty and skincare industry. When I was a child, I was in “awe” of my mom. She was a skincare consultant and beauty advisor for most of my childhood. She would bring me along to her monthly meetings and I always loved watching her prepare. She seemed so strong and capable and would demand the attention of entire rooms. She had the ability to transform the way women saw themselves, and encouraged them to take time out for self care. I did not realize at the time how much these small moments of admiration would impact my future decision to enter the beauty industry.

At 18, I decided to go to beauty school and obtain my cosmetology license. I was living in Memphis, TN and chose to attend Empire Beauty School. It was the best decision I could have ever made for myself. I had the most incredible teachers and went to school with over 95 other women that all had unique stories, perspectives, and challenges to overcome. We were a support system for eachother and spent a full year working towards the same goal. The Executive Director, Kiesha Hurdle, has become a life-long mentor to me and has helped me through many career choices and personal life decisions.

Looking back, there have been numerous people that have helped me grow in my career, but these two special women stand out and deserve a shout out!

Website: www.buffcitysoap.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/buffcitysoap.htx

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/julialaineevans

Facebook: www.facebook.com/buffcitysoaphtx

Image Credits
Kaylin Booker Photography Theresa Wooner Photography Lauren Bethany Branding