Sweet Success: How Karen Griffiths Transformed Icing Smiles into a Growing Force

It was 2012. Icing Smiles was gifted booth space at a trade show in Reno, Nevada, which meant its booth was relegated to the hallway no one walks through.

As Founder Tracy Quisenberry set up shop, she met the publisher of Cake Decorating Magazine, Karen Griffiths. “There was not a soul going down our aisle, so we talked for three days,” Karen recalls. Adds Tracy: “We hit it off instantly. She became a fan of our mission from that point forward.” 

Karen began promoting Icing Smiles in the magazine, running ads for the organization and featuring a Baker of the Month section that highlighted Sugar Angels and their creations. Five years later, when Icing Smiles had an opening on the executive team and Karen had had enough of working in publishing, the two joined forces. 

Now, Karen is retiring from her position as Icing Smiles’ assistant director, but her years of dedicated service and strategic contributions have left an indelible mark on the organization, helping it reach new heights in its mission to bring joy to children and families facing critical illnesses.

“She is a huge part of who Icing Smiles is today and has been fundamental in the growth to get us to where we are,” says Development Director Chelsea Boog. “Her legacy will carry on as we continue to grow as an organization.”

Accelerating Growth

One of the most impactful changes Karen helped usher in at Icing Smiles was the move to a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, which allowed the organization to move from keeping track of everything on an Excel spreadsheet to a system that allows for easier and faster communication and more accurate data and minimizes the time spent on each request.

“The way our operations were set up, we’d maxed out at the number of cakes we could serve each year,” Karen says. “Our goal is growth. We want to serve more and more families.”

So far, the new system has reduced the average application processing time from 30 minutes to 10 minutes.

“The CRM completely changed how we do business and really positioned us for growth,” Tracy says. “Rather than worrying about how to do things better, we’re worrying about how to grow. That’s a huge shift that’s going to be a permanent legacy.”

A Game-changing Partnership

Karen was also crucial to bringing Craftsy on board as the SugarThon sponsor in 2022. A COVID-era pivot from in-person Buttercream Balls, SugarThon started in 2021 as a virtual fundraiser. In 2022, Craftsy handled the production of the event and hosted the virtual cake-decorating competition and fundraiser on its platform.

“They were a huge name to bring on,” Chelsea says. “It had a huge impact and created a lot of visibility for us.”

A Remarkable Comeback

Karen’s leadership has been pivotal in helping Icing Smiles return to its pre-COVID numbers. Before 2020, Icing Smiles was delivering around 300 cakes a month, but the pandemic caused a significant dip in these figures. 

Last month, Icing Smiles successfully delivered 250 cakes, marking a significant milestone on its journey back to its former capacity. Karen’s team of volunteers has been proactively reaching out to families and encouraging them to consider cakes not just for birthdays but for any occasion. Additionally, Icing Smiles just started sending automated email reminders to families six months after they receive a cake to encourage them to sign up for their next cake. 

With Karen’s guidance and these innovative approaches, Icing Smiles is well on its way to reaching and even surpassing its pre-pandemic achievements.

A Heartwarming Memory

When Karen thinks back on her time with Icing Smiles, she remembers one of her favorite cake deliveries: Navaeh’s cake. 

As assistant director, Karen helped with cake assignments when the scheduler tried all avenues and still did not have a baker secured. On this day, she was trying to find a baker for Navaeh, a little girl battling leukemia. Navaeh was turning 5 and was having her celebration on Nov. 9. Due to a recent COVID diagnosis, the Sugar Angel originally scheduled was unable to proceed, but the family was going on a trip to a Great Wolf Lodge Nov. 10–12 and did not want to change the date of the celebration.

So Karen attempted to locate a bakery near the Great Wolf Lodge. Without success, she went the extra mile and called Great Wolf Lodge to see if they could help out. They were more than willing to make this a special occasion for Nevaeh. The cake would be in their room upon arrival so they would not have to spend any time in their room waiting to get to the water park. 

“Karen embodies what Icing Smiles is about by always supporting our bakers and families,” says Lauren Smith, Icing Smiles’ southern regional coordinator. “She does a great job at helping save situations that need to be saved.”

A Dynamic Duo

As assistant director, Karen was the executor of Tracy’s ideas. “I am a volunteer executive director,” says Tracy, who works full time as the international tax lead at EchoStar Corp. “Karen knew I didn’t have the time to execute everything I wanted to. She would always say, ‘Tracy is shooting out ideas and I execute them.’ That was her attitude.”

And that’s one of the things Karen will miss most. “Tracy and I were incredible working together,” Karen says. “She has so many ideas and, with her full-time job, zero time to implement. I just love trying to implement some of her ideas. I will miss that a lot.”

But she’s also looking forward to retirement. “I’m looking forward to spending time with my two grandchildren,” she says. “I’d like to finish a book. I want to clean my house. I might pick up playing the piano again. But I don’t know if I’ll ever totally leave Icing Smiles. Tracy and I — we have an agreement: If needed, just call me.”

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