As a born and raised Southern California girl, Allyson never could have guessed that she would have found herself settling into the Pacific Northwest. A move to the Seattle-area in the early 2000s had her vowing to return south once she graduated high school. But, as Bellingham tends to do, she was lured to school at WWU where she completed her studies with a degree in Communication. When graduation arrived, she packed up her belongings and said her final goodbye to the city she had come to love (but never planned to return to).
Fast forward just one year later, and sure enough, she was back. After a stint at a local organic cereal company, she made a move to a new kind of business, or shall we say, businesses – restaurants, luxury collision repair shops, and fitness studios. Since 2013, Allyson has filled the position of Business Manager for the US side of Walker Group Ventures – a firm that creates innovative companies throughout the United States and Canada, including several in Whatcom County. She actively manages the business operations for Scotty Browns Restaurants (Barkley Village + Bellingham International Airport), No. 1 Automotive Body Repair, and barre3 Bellingham, with more local businesses set to open in late 2020.
Outside of her passion and dedication for her work, Allyson is active in the Bellingham community. She has served as a Bellingham Chamber of Commerce Ambassador since 2019, and most recently has taken her love of the performing arts and put it into becoming a volunteer at the Mount Baker Theatre. While this is her first year on the WYPs board, she was awarded as one of the organizations Top 7 Under 40 recipients in 2017, and has felt a strong desire to give back to young professionals in the community ever since. Being on the board as the new Special Events Coordinator will allow her to do just that.
In her spare time (lol, what is that) Allyson enjoys being active with her husband and dog, cooking, and indulging her foodie ways by trying every restaurant in town!