gaylebruney, PO Box 3171, Princeton North, NJ (2025)

10/31/2025

Jounen Kwéyòl, which translates to Creole Day, is one of Dominica’s most significant annual cultural celebrations.

It is observed on the last Friday of October and is a key highlight of the island’s broader Creole Heritage Month. The main focus of Jounen Kwéyòl is to preserve and promote Dominica’s Kwéyòl (Creole) language and its rich cultural heritage.

🇩🇲 Key Aspects of the Celebration:

Date: Last Friday in October (coinciding with the independence season).

Significance: A celebration of Dominica’s Creole identity, which is a blend of African, European, and Indigenous Kalinago traditions.

Attire: People are encouraged to wear their National Wear or variations made of Madras cloth.

For women, this often includes the elegant Wob Dwiyet or the Jupe ensemble.

Men typically wear a Madras jacket, a white shirt, black slacks, and a red sash.

Cuisine: The day is a feast of traditional Creole dishes made with fresh, local ingredients. Popular foods include:

Callaloo soup

Bakes and codfish

Roasted breadfruit

Smoked herring

Fig and codfish

Local drinks like Cocoa Tea and Sorrel juice are also enjoyed.

Music and Dance: The air is filled with traditional Creole music, including styles like Bèlè, Quadrille, and Lapo Kabwit. Traditional dances are performed, and instruments like the Shak-Shak and Tambos are prominent.

Language: Locals are encouraged to speak the Kwéyòl (Patois) language, with cultural activities and storytelling often conducted in the native tongue.

The celebration is a vibrant, island-wide event that draws locals and tourists alike to experience Dominica’s unique cultural tapestry.

09/22/2025

After 10 incredible years, I’m reflecting on my career journey and feeling so grateful!

Seven years into working at the Snack Factory, the company was sold to Snyder’s-Lance. We were forced to look elsewhere for employment. We woke up one morning and it was all over the news. Our cute little pretzel crisps family, would be separated

It is wild to think about, but during my last two weeks there, I was training my replacement in Hanover, PA, when I got a call about a one-week temp assignment at a CPG company. At the time, I thought a week was better than nothing, so I accepted.

Little did I know, that one-week gig would turn into a 10-year career, counting to 11 years!

This company not only gave me a professional home, but also provided the opportunity to get certified in supply chain, earn my hazmat certification, and opened doors to serve on multiple boards—both supply chain-related and otherwise. I’m so proud of the work I’ve done and the person I’ve become. Here’s to never underestimating the power of a single opportunity!

09/02/2025

Starting a new job is always a big change, but also very exciting. After a seven-year tenure with C&S Wholesale - Pathmark, started a new chapter at Pretzel Crisps.

Leaving C&S Wholesale - Pathmark felt bittersweet. It was where I learned the fundamentals of the industry and gained experience that has been invaluable.

I was thrilled to join the Pretzel Crisps team. It was a small, intimate company of about 13 people, and I was so excited for that close-knit environment. It was at a place like this that I made lifelong friends that I still hang out with 17 years later, a place where the employers saw you as a person first and then an employee.

I learned so much at Pretzel Crisps, from order management, negotiating freight rates, and return logistics. I got a chance to work with retail behemoths like Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, and Target, and truly came to understand the logistics of product management. I’m so grateful for this experience. The skills learnt there, I have carried with me not only through my professional life but also through my personal life.

It was at this job I first became a homeowner, a wife and a mother.

08/27/2025

Wow, what a journey it's been! I'm so grateful to everyone who has followed along with me as I've shared these stories. It means a lot to have your support and to be able to look back on this incredible ride with all of you.

After seven years working as a procurement analyst, with a must-do focus on the Pathmark account, it was time to go. Pathmark had filed for Chapter 11, and I knew I needed a change. A small food company in the Princeton area was hiring, and I was interested. Working for a smaller company was everything I dreamed it could be—it was intimate and people-oriented. It would be another seven years before this company was bought out, and it was time to move on again.

08/20/2025

My career journey has been a testament to the idea that sometimes the best opportunities come to those who wait—and who have a clear plan. Early on, as an hourly inventory analyst, a great opportunity came my way: a promotion to a salaried procurement analyst role with better pay.

The catch was the hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. At that time, my priority was finishing my degree at NJIT, and my 5 p.m. class was a non-negotiable. I knew that taking on a new, demanding role would have derailed my academic goals. So, I made a tough but necessary decision to turn it down, and I remained an inventory analyst.

I stayed with the company, focused on my studies, and put in the work. Two years later, with my degree in hand, the timing was finally right. I was promoted to procurement analyst, the role I had been offered before. This path taught me that true career growth isn't always a straight line; sometimes, it's about staying committed to your long-term goals and trusting in your timing.

08/18/2025

My Transition from ShopRite to C&S

In the last two posts, I shared a bit about my career journey, from my first job at ShopRite to the next chapter as an inventory analyst at C&S on the Pathmark account. But there was a pivotal moment in that transition, a conversation that changed everything.

I wanted to pause and talk about the feelings behind that transition. It’s easy to just list job titles and dates, but the real story is in what it felt like to step outside my comfort zone. It was a mix of fear and excitement, of wanting the stability I had while also knowing I needed to push for more.

I had found my rhythm. The schedule was predictable, and I was making it work with school. As a young immigrant, that stability felt like the most important thing in the world. The idea of disrupting it—of taking a risk—was terrifying. I was comfortable, and I was convinced that was enough.

That's when a good friend, a fellow Dominican, stepped in. She saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. She challenged me, not with criticism, but with a question: "Is this all you want? You're capable of more." These words were the push I needed. She knew that my fear was holding me back.

That one conversation changed everything. It wasn't just about a new job; it was about realizing that my comfort zone was also my limit. My friend’s words lit a fire in me, pushing me to take a leap of faith and apply for the C&S position. For that, I will always be grateful to the person who saw my potential before I did.

08/15/2025

Thank you for indulging me as I share my supply chain journey with you. It reminds me of my path and hopefully it can inspire you.

08/14/2025

My second job in the US marked a significant turn in my career path, a move from the front lines of customer service to the strategic heart of the supply chain. I was hired as an inventory analyst, a role that was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. It was here that I truly began to develop the analytical skills that would become the foundation of my professional life. My days were a mix of deep-dives into data, using spreadsheets to manually forecast demand and optimize stock levels. ERPs were not yet widely used at this company. I learned to identify trends, pinpoint inefficiencies, and make data-driven decisions that directly impacted the company's bottom line.

But this job wasn't just about sitting behind a computer. A crucial part of my role involved getting hands-on experience at the warehouse level. I'd regularly trade my office chair for some time on the massive, bustling warehouse floor. I worked alongside the logistics team, conducting physical inventory counts and reconciling them with our records. This hands-on experience was invaluable. It gave me a firsthand understanding of the real-world complexities of inventory management—the space constraints, the flow of goods, and the impact of a single misplaced item. It taught me that the numbers on a screen are a direct reflection of physical assets, and that true inventory control requires a blend of analytical prowess and on-the-ground knowledge. This role solidified my passion for supply chain and equipped me with a skill set that has served me ever since.

08/13/2025

💛 Your Glow, Their Growth 💛

Every jar of Shea butter carries more than skin-deep beauty—it carries the hopes and hard work of women in West Africa. By choosing Healngo, you’re nourishing your hair and skin and helping women build brighter futures for their families and communities.

✨ Beauty that empowers.
📩 Discover more: https://www.healngo.com/blogs/news/shea-butter

08/13/2025

How many of you work in some aspect of the supply chain industry?

Comment a ❤️ below.

gaylebruney

10/31/2025

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