People: Carla Mannino

QUEST FOR AMERICA'S BEST

There are retailers, and--in the electronic age, there's QVC, literally a department store with about 54 million branches in 50 states. Based in West Chester, PA, the cable television network sells some 50 million products a year worth more than $1.6 billion retail, topping such giants as Bloomingdales and Sak's Fifth Avenue.

The senior buyer for this operation, Carla Mannino, '89, makes judgments that fill a warehouse the size of 27 football fields. 'This is really exciting as a buyer,' says Mannino, who joined QVC in 1994 after stints with Macy's (New York) and Woodward & Lothrop (Philadelphia). 'You can see if something is successful within three minutes,' she notes. 'In traditional retail, it sometimes takes months before you know. It's great to receive this instant feedback, especially when you're successful.'

This past year Carla organized a 'QVC Local Discovery Tour' through eight states, including a stop on the MSU campus last fall. 'If you saw the MSU show, you'll remember the gourmet lollipops,' she says. 'That was a big gamble. I kept fighting for it. Within three minutes, we sold $30,000 retail. The next time, we sold $50,000.'

A native of Southfield, Carla likes to tout MSU: 'In my mind, there's no other school. I was active with Chi Omega, was on the judiciary board, and had about 10 different jobs at once.' That busy schedule was probably great preparation for her next assigment--'The Quest for America's Best--QVC's 50 States in 50 Weeks Tour.'

Having just bought a home in Manhattan with her husband, Carla expects to spend next year basically telecommuting. The QVC Local, a 45-foot orange bus that is the nation's only mobile TV studio, will trek from Alaska to Key West selling the best 1,000 new products from American entrepreneurs that Carla can find.