GE Appliances was asking for an awful lot when it cast about for a new brand ambassador.
According to its online ad, the company was seeking someone who is “sharp, hip, forever young, socially engaged and willing to travel.” Additional requirements included “plenty of smiles, laughs, selfies, videos and social posts.”
What’s more, the right candidate had to be a she, and she had to be a grandmother.
Nearly 700 nanas submitted video applications to the “The Great American Grandma Search,” which GE whittled down to 10 deserving finalists. But the job ultimately went to Ally Phillips, a mother of five and grandmom of eight from Murrells Inlet, S.C., whose “style, panache and passion for life and family … made her an ideal fit for the position,” the majap maker said.
Indeed, brought up against a bohemian backdrop in West Virginia, Phillips pursued a career in special education and became a recognized expert in learning disabilities and ADHD. Her career then took a sharp turn in 2008 when she began pursuing her personal passions of cooking and acting, which led to the semifinals on TV’s “MasterChef”; her own website, AllysKitchen.com; and an Amazon Top 100 International cookbook, “Ally’s Kitchen: A Passport for Adventurous Palates.”
“Life happens around the table, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than giving this gift to those I love,” she said.
To help her share her gifts, GE is providing Phillips with five new top-of-the-line kitchen appliances, and enough cash — $50,000 — to keep the fridge stocked for her extended family. In return, she’ll promote cooking, cultural and family traditions for the company over the next 12 months through appearances, interviews, events and social content.
Added Phillips, “I’d like to set an example for my grandchildren and other grandmothers out there that dreams have no expiration date.”
See also: GE Appliances Opens 70-Bay Smart Distribution Center In Denver
