Submit your ideas for
neighbors
neighbors
to [email protected]
6 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Lisa Emeric
The scoop on the owner of Sweet Ice Queen
WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE NODA
C
18
lad in a pink tiara and pink
heels, Lisa Emeric, the
self-proclaimed Sweet
Queen, aims to make the
world sweeter, one bar of
ice cream at a time.
The Wayne mom began her ice
cream truck business, Sweet Ice
Queen, in 2015. Standing out in
a sea of plain, white trucks, she
aims to turn heads with her vibrant
pink ones. The two trucks even have
names: Joey and Pinky.
She wants to not just serve ice
cream, churros and pretzels, but to
make a lasting memory. Here are six
things you should know about her. businesses embraced her vision. “I
had steady bookings almost from the
beginning,” she says. “By the second
year, I added [my] second truck.”
SHE LEFT THE CORPORATE WORLD
TO DO SOMETHING MORE UNUSUAL.
Before starting Sweet Ice Queen,
Emeric worked as a human resources
executive. She spent 14 years out of
the workforce to raise her two sons.
She worked freelance on the side,
planning business events and per-
sonal parties, but when her youngest
son entered middle school, she felt
the time was right to re-enter the
workforce full time.
Emeric says she wanted to create
a business that would allow people
to escape for a bit. The answer soon
became clear: a specialty ice cream
truck business.
“Who doesn’t get excited when
they see or hear an ice cream truck?”
says Emeric. “If you’re a kid, it’s
instant happiness. Wherever you are,
whatever you’re doing, seeing the ice
cream truck makes the experience
even better.” EMERIC TAILORS HER TREATS TO
SUIT THE OCCASION.
Whether she’s visiting a wedding,
bar mitzvah, school event, nursing
home or daycare center, Emeric and
her staff customize the ice cream
flavors and food based on the
customers’ preferences.
BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 WAYNE MAGAZINE
STARTING HER OWN BUSINESS HAD
ITS CHALLENGES, BUT ITS BENEFITS,
TOO.
Starting a new business is
always hard work, as Emeric found
out when she created a business
plan, secured the ice cream truck,
searched for the right suppliers,
built a website and launched a
marketing campaign.
The most challenging part of the
day-to-day operations is keeping up
with demand, and having to work
sometimes 15 to 20 consecutive days
due to the seasonality of the business.
For Emeric, however, these are “good
challenges to have.”
SHE WAS SURPRISED BY HOW
QUICKLY THE BUSINESS TOOK OFF.
Emeric says that she’s been thrilled
by how the community and local
SHE HOPES TO EXPAND HER
OFFERINGS.
Going forward, Emeric is hoping
to add another truck to her fleet.
She’d also like to add a wider variety
of items so that she can keep her
trucks on the road all year long, not
just when the weather gets warm.
“We [will be able to] keep the
truck on the road year-round with
treats that warm you up in the win-
ter, and delight customers as much
as ice cream does in the summer
months,” she says. ■
SHE WANTS TO HELP OTHERS
THROUGH HER BUSINESS.
Emeric likes to give back to the
community herself, working with
local non-profits and aiming to help
those with special needs.
“If a visit from the Sweet Ice
Queen Truck can brighten the day of
a child who is suffering or someone
who is struggling, we work to
accommodate those requests as often
as we can,” says Emeric.