As Conti’s grew, so did the people who helped build its teams, prepare its stores, and establish the processes behind its operations. Among them are Ivy P. Alcantara and Estelita “Babes” G. Dalmacio, whose years with the company have brought opportunities to learn, take on new responsibilities, and guide others.
Each sharing 21 years of service, they carry different stories of perseverance and growth. Ivy’s journey began in office support while she worked toward completing her education. Babes entered through restaurant operations and went on to help develop teams, departments, and new concepts.
Ivy Alcantara: Building a Career, One Responsibility at a Time
For Ivy P. Alcantara, now Admin & Operations Manager under Operations Support, her journey with Conti’s began with a desire to do her work well and earn the trust of those around her. She started as an agency-hired Office Assistant, helping with administrative and human resources tasks during the company’s early years in BF Homes, Parañaque. When Conti’s prepared to open its Greenhills branch, she was assigned there as an HR Assistant.
As the business developed, her responsibilities expanded. Colleagues moved to support commissary operations, and Ivy took on additional administrative and finance work. What began as a support role grew into a position that required her to coordinate across several functions. The experience became an important foundation for her career, teaching her to understand different processes and bring together the information that store operations needed.
Finishing a Personal Goal
Alongside her early career was an unfinished goal: earning her college degree. Ivy had been studying Business Administration, Major in Business Management, at the Lyceum of the Philippines. Her eldest brother supported her education, but his passing at the age of 27 interrupted her studies. After joining Conti’s, she asked whether she could complete her remaining units while continuing to work. Management allowed a flexible schedule that enabled her to attend classes and fulfill her responsibilities.
It was a demanding arrangement. Workdays were followed by travel to school, evening classes, and the challenge of completing her final academic requirements. With help from her family and support from the company, she graduated in April 2005.
“Possible naman pala, basta’t meron kang time management,” Ivy reflected. She also remembers the company’s contribution to her college yearbook—a gesture that became part of a milestone she had worked hard to reach.
Growing Alongside the Business
Her attention to records also proved valuable. Over the years, she kept copies of company memoranda and organized them in a physical Admin Book. Those documents later served as references for operational guidance and the development of store manuals. For Ivy, understanding a process is especially important because she must help others understand it, too. New requirements and systems call for patience, clear communication, and a willingness to adjust.
The Support Behind Her Work
Conti’s also became part of Ivy’s personal life. It was where she met her husband, Noel, whom she later married in 2009. As they raised their two daughters and Ivy’s work increasingly involved store openings and travel, they decided that Noel would focus on caring for their children at home. Ivy expressed deep appreciation for his support and the role he has played in their family.
At work, one lesson that has stayed with her is “rectitude of intention,” which she learned from Ms. Angie. It reminds her to be clear about the purpose behind her actions, especially when raising concerns or helping correct a process.
Sharing What She Has Learned
She encourages colleagues to stay open to new ideas and to share the knowledge they gain.
“Huwag tayong maging madamot sa mga ideas, sa mga learnings na meron tayo, sa mga experiences,” she said.
From completing her education while working to supporting store openings and adapting to new systems, Ivy’s journey shows how a career can grow through everyday responsibility. The knowledge she once worked to acquire is now something she helps others develop.
Babes Dalmacio: Developing People Through Every New Chapter
For Estelita “Babes” G. Dalmacio, Senior Director for Store Operations Excellence, her career with Conti’s has involved repeatedly stepping into unfamiliar territory. She joined in 2005 as the restaurant manager tasked with opening the Greenhills branch. What followed were assignments across store openings, marketing services, customer support, operational documentation, and new concepts.
Looking back on those changes, Babes recalled receiving more than 10 personnel action forms reflecting the different roles she had held. Each assignment brought a new responsibility and another opportunity to learn.
Preparing More People to Lead
After Greenhills, Babes helped support succeeding store openings, including Trinoma and Serendra. As the business expanded, she recognized the need to develop more people who could carry operational knowledge into new stores.
“Ang objective ko noon is not only to be able to have a team to open stores, but to be able to multiply ourselves,” she explained. That thinking helped shape the Technical Support Group. Beyond preparing a store for opening, the team needed to train others and develop more people with the expertise to support expansion.
For Babes, growing the business meant preparing its people to grow with it. Her responsibilities later extended to Marketing Services, where she helped establish the company’s call center. Although it was unfamiliar work, she approached it with a clear purpose: supporting operations and serving customers.
She also helped develop the Store Operations Manual and took on assignments involving Better Coffee and Barn by Conti’s.
Finding Growth in Difficult Transitions
Not every change came easily. Babes spoke candidly about how difficult it was to step away from the hands-on operations work she loved. Moving into a different role required her to reconsider how she could contribute. With time, the transition gave her space to reflect and understand the business from another perspective.
“Yung understanding ko of operations became deeper,” she shared.
A health challenge also prompted her to slow down and reassess her approach to work and leadership. She described becoming calmer and more deliberate in guiding people, with greater attention to the values she wanted to leave with them. Those experiences now inform how she encourages her teams to respond to change.
“Kunin mo, then learn from it. Dagdag siya sa value mo as a person,” Babes said of unfamiliar assignments. She wants people to see opportunities in tasks they have not done before and to recognize that mistakes can also become part of learning.
A Side Beyond the Workplace
Behind the leader colleagues know is a woman whose life has also been shaped by caring for family. Babes shared that she has raised four children, including one biological child and family members entrusted to her care. She took on parenting responsibilities even before having a child of her own.
“Every Mother’s Day, I get to receive four gifts, cards, flowers, and they all call me Mama,” she said. “Hindi kami traditional family, pero we are connected with love.”
Carrying Her Mentors’ Lessons Forward
Babes credits several mentors with shaping the leader she has become. From Ms. Carol, she learned integrity, composure, and attention to food quality. Ms. Angie helped her develop a habit of prayer and gratitude, while Ms. Cecil taught her to value resources and avoid waste.
From Ms. Trisha, she learned to look at leadership through the capabilities of the team.
“The measure of a leader is how good your people are,” Babes recalled. For her, trusting people goes hand in hand with training them and helping them become ready for greater responsibility.
She also carries a reminder from Sir Joey: “You’re only as good as the last cake you sold.”
Preparing the Next Generation
Asked what has sustained her commitment, Babes pointed to her sense of ownership.
“I feel like I own the business,” she shared. Having helped develop its operations and teams, she feels personally connected to its progress. Today, that commitment increasingly takes the form of preparing others to lead.
“Ang motivation ko ngayon is magkaroon ng new breed ng leaders. Mai-impart ko all that I have learned,” she said. Even after years of experience, she remains open to learning herself.
“Twenty-one years with the company, I still want to continue to learn.”
For Babes, the work ahead includes sharing what experience has taught her and giving others room to build their own capabilities. As Conti’s continues to grow, she hopes to see more people ready to take on its next opportunities.
Ivy and Babes have followed different paths, but both now spend much of their work helping others succeed. In the teams they support, the processes they strengthen, and the knowledge they share, their years of experience continue to become part of someone else’s beginning.
