Meet the #ShopFreelyFam

Eric HermanEric Herman

CO-FOUNDER

Eric attended college at St. Michael’s in Vermont where he began his professional career in finance.  His e-commerce journey began in 2003, working for a fast-growing online home furnishings business.  After 10 years in that start up environment, Eric decided he would rather be driving the bus than be a passenger.   In 2010, he and his good friend Jon Ivers had the idea of venturing off on their own, building a grass roots online store on their terms, with their own unique vision.  Hence the birth of ShopFreely.com.  Since then, this duo has worked relentlessly to create the best online shopping experience for Lighting, Furniture, Rugs and more. 

In his spare time, Eric keeps busy with his growing family.  He and his wife of 9 years, Bonnie, have a 7-year-old daughter, Amelia, and 4-year-old twin boys, Benjamin and Sawyer.  An avid lover of music, Eric also helps with a music studio and venue, Soundcheck Studios in Pembroke, MA.  “Our aim is to help the local music community by having a place where musicians can rehearse, collaborate and perform”. 

What is your favorite thing about being part of the #ShopFreelyFam?

 “There are so many!  We have a great team and we have so much fun together.  Some of us have been working together for over 15 years over our careers and it shows.  A huge perk of working at Shop Freely is the work-life balance that comes with a job that can be done 100% from the comfort of our homes.  Instead of spending the hours commuting, we spend it working to make ShopFreely the best we can for our customers and dedicate more time to spend with our families”

Jon IversJon Ivers

CO-FOUNDER

Jon graduated from Bates College in 2005 with a Business and Management degree.  Jon began his ecommerce journey in 2005 at one of the world’s largest online retailers, working alongside his now business partner, Eric.  Jon grew up in Western Massachusetts, and currently resides in Westchester, NY with his wife Emily, and 2 sons, Parker and Finn.  In his free time Jon enjoys golfing, playing basketball and spending as much time as possible with his young family.  Jon’s steadfast dedication to his ShopFreely vision has led the shopfreelyfam through many growth spurts, and his tenacious work ethic has been the fulcrum of our company’s mission to provide top notch service and excellent service to our customers.

 

Doug TaylorDoug Taylor

VP OF OPERATIONS

Doug graduated from Syracuse University with Marketing and Entrepreneurship/Emerging Enterprises degrees, during which he spent a semester abroad in London.  He started working in eCommerce in 2003 and quickly realized that he loved working in the fast-growing world of eCommerce.  Doug grew up in Central Massachusetts, and currently resides in Brooklyn, CT with his wife Kate, and 2 daughters Lily and Maddie.  An avid music enthusiast, Doug has been playing guitar since he was a kid.  He enjoys gardening, cooking, mountain biking, fishing, snowboarding and getting into trouble with his kids.  Doug also enjoys the mountains of Vermont, the beaches of Cape Cod, and coaching his daughters sports teams.
What is your favorite thing about being part of the #ShopFreelyFam?
Our company culture helps to set us apart from other companies because we are all passionate about the success of our company and giving our customers the best possible shopping experience.

Marcie DichiaraMarcie Dichiara

VP OF MARKETING

Marcie is a UConn grad (go Huskies!) with a Communication Sciences/Marketing degree.  She was born and raised in Connecticut and resides in Franklin MA with her husband Joe and 2 children, Julian (age 12) and Aida (age 10).  Marcie has over 17 years of furniture and lighting buying experience and enjoys attending trade shows to seek out the most fashion and trend forward products to share with the world.
Both of Marcie’s children are active musicians and thespians, so much of her spare time is spent carting them from one activity to the next.  Watching them perform on stage is her favorite pastime. She is also involved with her community theater, acting in productions with both her children and her husband.  When she isn’t buying or on stage, Marcie loves working out, cooking, gardening and caring for her zoo of animals- a French bulldog named Ruby, a Guinea Pig named Fuzzy, a bearded dragon named Rocky, and a 6 yr old goldfish name Rose.
What is your favorite thing about being part of the #ShopFreelyFam?
“Definitely the people- I've been working with the founders Jon and Eric for over 17 years, so to me, we are more than friends/colleagues.  We are family, and we operate like a true family run business.  The work-life balance they strive for as a culture is amazing, which has afforded me a great opportunity to be equal parts both mom and professional”

Kate Secondo

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Kate graduated from UConn with a Masters in Elementary Education and taught 4th grade for several years before making a career shift into the world of e-commerce as a Marketing professional.  She fell in love with the fast pace, exciting atmosphere nearly 10 years ago and has been at it ever since! 
An avid yogi and gardener, Kate also loves spending much of her free time with her husband Tom, and her 2 children, Mia (age 10) and Andrew (age 7).  Kate practices Ashtanga yoga and is currently a student in a Yoga Teacher Training program to become a certified yoga instructor.  And if that wasn’t enough, she also volunteers with a local charity, Project Home Again, which provides low-income families new and gently used furnishings free of charge to help them make their houses into homes.  She is also a Girl Scout Troop Leader and active volunteer in her town’s youth baseball and softball programs.

Kate resides in the suburbs of Boston with her husband, 2 kids, and dog Bowie.
What is your favorite thing about being part of the #ShopFreelyFam?
“Definitely my co-workers!  I love being a part of such a hardworking and smart group who inspire me to work hard every day but also encourage me to enjoy life outside of work too!”

Chantelle CadeteChantelle Cadete

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Chantelle is a graduate from Bridgewater State University, majoring in Business Management, and started her career in ecommerce with ShopFreely immediately after graduating. She’s worked side by side with Jon Ivers and Doug Taylor for the past four years and has quickly learned the ins and outs of this fast paced world of etail.  A lifelong Massachusetts resident, Chantelle shares her home with her husband Mike, their son Michael, and their lab mix Ziggy.  Chantelle loves working out and spending time in her favorite room of her house, the kitchen, where she enjoys cooking and baking for her family.
What is your favorite thing about being part of the #ShopFreelyFam?
“This family. My coworkers are not only my friends, but my family. Everyone is always so supportive of one another through any and all stages of life. It’s a very rare and special thing to consider your coworkers your family”

Megan CruzMegan Cruz

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER

Megan is a graduate of Bridgewater State with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and marketing.  She joined the ShopFreely in 2017 and has been at the forefront of our customer service team ever since.
Born in Kingston MA, Megan is now a resident of Wareham, where she spends her free time with her partner, Trent and their golden retriever/hound fur baby named Rosie.  Megan is an avid gardener and amateur chef, spending most of her time in her kitchen, testing out new and exotic recipes from various cultures.
What is your favorite thing about being part of the #ShopFreelyFam?
“I love working for a small company that’s always striving to help each other out whenever, wherever possible in order to make our company the best that it can be!”

Devin FoleyDevin Foley

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Devin is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a minor in Information Technology. After graduating, she spent two and a half years in Marketing before joining the ShopFreely team in 2018 as an Operations Manager.  A lifelong resident of Pembroke, Mass, Devin spends her free time outdoors, enjoying walking, hiking and running. She also practices yoga and meditation, loves a good glass of wine with friends and travelling to her favorite tropical destination, Aruba.  Devin is a dog mom to her 2-year-old Boxer, Brody and regularly contributes to The Boxer Rescue, Inc., a non-profit organization serving the New England area.  

What is your favorite thing about being part of the #ShopFreelyFam?

“The team I get to work with. Not only is everyone helpful, understanding and kind, they push me to learn new things every day and truly make me feel like an asset to the team”