DAVID LEVENTHAL
Executive Director, from Coral Springs, FL, AKA “Geniusness”
David has been doing web design and online marketing for quite some time now. In fact, he’s the one that designed and built dalidecals.com. So yeah, as much as we hate to admit it, he’s our resident genius.
David is a self taught computer programmer with extensive experience in web development, graphic design, and online marketing.
After short stints at Florida Atlantic University and the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, he pursued entrepreneurship with great success. Alongside Alicia Soret, he has built Dali Decals from the ground up, and he continues to maintain growth for the company with new, innovative ideas.
Favorite restaurant? “There’s a lot. Ted’s has got to be near the top for me.”
Favorite TV show? “South Park.”
Favorite thing to do outside of work? “Dali Decals is my life!”
“Dali Decals is my dream job. I absolutely love what I do.” -David Leventhal
ALICIA SORET
Executive Director, from Coral Springs, FL, AKA “The Teacher”
Alicia’s a race bike enthusiast and former high school teacher. Now, she’s the co-owner and Executive Director of Dali Decals. She manages the day to day operations that keep things running smoothly around here.
Alicia was born in Kalamazoo, MI, but spent most of her youth in Naples, FL where she was constantly exposed to her parents’ entrepreneurial spirit.
She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from Florida Atlantic University, and upon graduation in 2003, pursued a career in education and taught 9th Grade World Geography for 3 years. She was also an ESE Support Facilitator where she worked with learning disabled kids. Knowing that she wouldn’t be a teacher forever, she kept her options open and her sights set high for the future.
In late 2006, Alicia met David through mutual friends in their local sportbike group. By fluke, they began making decals for their sportbikes and for their friends’ bikes a couple months later. She often jokes that their relationship started the same time the business did. Just over a year later, in 2008, David and Alicia decided to combine both of their first names, and Dali Decals was officially born.
Outside of Dali Decals, Alicia can be found at the YMCA in spin class, working on her fitness, or at the pool swimming laps. Aside from the gym, she enjoys riding her bike around the neighborhood or to the beach, and taking Tex and Sammi (see their biographies below!) to the dog park or on nice walks in the evening.
Favorite TV show? “Right now, I’m obsessed with Game of Thrones on HBO.”
Favorite music? “I love all kinds, but I listen to electronic mostly.”
What kind of animal would you be reincarnated as? “Probably a cat, not because they’re lazy, but because they’re independent like me 
“
“Being a teacher was great, but Dali Decals is my life. I couldn’t be happier.” -Alicia Soret
DAVE TORRES
Associate Director, from Coral Springs, FL., AKA “Mr. Fix It”
Dave finds his way into every nook and cranny at Dali Decals. He handles everything from production efficiency work flow, to website development, and he even builds custom equipment. Do the words sandals and power tools scare anybody?
In 2002, while attending the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, David Torres landed his first design job at Innovative New Media (INM) when he was hired by none other than his now fearless leader, David Leventhal. He went on to work for the internet giant, GoDaddy.com in Scottsdale, AZ where he learned the ropes of customer service and online marketing from some of the best. It wasn’t until moving back to Florida that David Torres reconnected with David Leventhal when they began working on a few projects together. Now he’s the Associate Director of Dali Decals.
Alongside David Leventhal and Alicia Soret, Dave Torres helps to manage the daily operations of Dali Decals. When Dave’s not at the office, he can be seen driving around in his Dodge Challenger or working on something mechanical.
Favorite movie? “Anything Quentin Tarantino makes, the guy’s awesome.”
Favorite thing about working at Dali Decals? “I continue to learn, and I get to build cool stuff all the time.”
Any pets? “I have fish!”
“I take pride in everything I do at Dali Decals, and I consider myself lucky to work with such a great group of people.” -Dave Torres
MARISA RICE
Associate Director, from Morrison, CO, AKA “Skipper”
Marisa somehow works her way into everything in the production warehouse, from cutting and peeling the decals to managing customer service. She never stops moving, literally.
Marisa Rice was born in Toledo, OH, but she was raised in Morrison, CO, where she spent most of her youth being active and playing sports. After some time in the medical field as a CA, she moved to Ashville NC. In 2009, she became Dave and Alicia’s first full time employee, cutting and peeling decals right alongside them in the basement of “the house.” She now boasts the title of Associate Director of Dali Decals, and she helps to manage the daily operations of the production warehouse.
Outside of work, Marisa enjoys spending time with her 5 year old daughter, going to the beach, and glasses of wine in the tub while being serenaded by the soothing sounds of Dave Matthews.
Favorite music? “My boyfriend, Dave Matthews and my husband, Michael Buble’.'”
Favorite TV show? “The Good Wife.”
Any children? “I have the most amazing 5 year old little girl, Hanna.”
“Relocating to Jacksonville with Dali Decals was the best decision I’ve ever made. I can’t wait for our next adventure.” -Marisa Rice
MITCH KELLY
Creative Director, from Jacksonville, FL., AKA “Mr. Personality” AKA “Beiber Fever Mitch”
Mitch is our Creative Director, and he certainly is creative. He specializes in graphic design, and he manages most of the custom orders that come in on a daily basis. If you need to place a special order, he’s your guy.
Mitch was born and raised right here in Jacksonville, FL. He graduated from Duncan Fletcher High School in 2004 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Jacksonville.
Mitch joined the Dali Decals team in October of 2010. “We saw examples of his work at an exhibit the college held, and we knew we had to hire him,” David Leventhal says of Mitch. He now boasts the title of Creative Director. That means most of the graphics you see on our site and most of the custom orders are put together by Mitch.
Outside of work, Mitch is usually fishing in the back yard, or doing karate in the garage with his little brother.
Favorite thing to do at home? “There’s a really comfy couch in my office. Why go home?”
Favorite movie? “The Fifth Element. Bruce Willis is the man.”
What animal would you be and why? “Probably a hawk or an eagle. I would definitely have to be something that flies. Gas is way too expensive.”
“Graphic design is my passion. Working at Dali Decals is awesome, because I get to come here everyday and do something I love.” -Mitch Kelly
JOHNNIE BURNS
Shipping Supervisor from Atlantic Beach, FL., AKA “Lil’ Johnnie”
Johnnie is a big part of the Dali Decals family, literally. At 6′ 4″ tall and 280 lbs, Johnnie is by far the largest employee we have. He supervises the shipping, and he also helps out around the warehouse, handling most of the heavy lifting.
Johnnie earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Louisville, where he was also a standout football player. In 2009, he signed an NFL contract to play for the Miami Dolphins, but he was sidelined due to injury. Following his time in professional football, he moved back home to Jacksonville and joined the Dali Decals family.
Johnnie’s a pretty large and seemingly scary man, but he’s really just a big teddy bear, probably the nicest guy at Dali Decals. The girls love having him around, because he’s the residential back cracker and an all around good guy. Outside of work you can find Johnnie locked in on a video game, playing his guitar, or riding his motorcycle.
Favorite show? “I loved watching Transformers as a kid. That’s gotta be my all time favorite.”
What animal would you be reincarnated as? “A lion. I prefer to be at the top of the food chain.”
Favorite activity outside of work? “I like riding my motorcycle, playing the guitar, and of course, football.”
“I wake up in a good mood everyday, because I know I’m about to have a great day at work.” -Johnnie Burns
MEGAN HOPKINS
Production Specialist from Baltimore, MD., AKA “The Burp”, AKA “Special M”
Megan runs the cutting machines and handles a large portion of the orders. She’s says she’s great at what she does, because she’s from Maryland, the land of crab cakes and football.
Megan grew up in Maryland on her parents farm. She migrated to St. Augustine, FL. in early 2009 and landed a spot on the Dali Decals team shortly after. Now, she’s our Production Specialist which makes her responsible for operating the decal cutters, and she also takes on various production duties.
She considers herself an outdoors kind of girl who loves the water. Outside of work, you can find Megan in the middle of the Atlantic, fishing and spending time with her boyfriend, Matt, on their boat.
Favorite music? “I’m definitely a country girl.”
Favorite movie? “Top Gun, without a doubt.”
Favorite food? “Sometimes they’re hard to find, but I love Lays Baked Cheddar Cheese potato chips.”
“I love the environment at Dali Decals. It never really feels like work.” -Megan Hopkins
JENNIFER REED
Production Assistant/Customer Service, from Virginia Beach, VA., AKA “The Machine”
You can find Jenn at the transfer machine, applying the transfer paper to all the decals. She busts them out all day “like a machine,” she says. Other than that, she’s taking on customer service, answering calls, and responding to emails.
Jennifer made her way down to Jacksonville in 2005 by way of Virginia Beach, VA. She has a lot of experience in customer service, and she takes on most of it here at Dali Decals. Aside from customer service and running the transfer machine, Jennifer has various responsibilities around the warehouse, and she helps out wherever needed.
When she’s not at work, Jennifer can usually be found at the the beach or the zoo, having fun and hanging out with her son. “Outside of work, I’m a mommy. Whatever I’m doing, I’m probably with my son.”
Favorite actress? “I love love love Jennifer Aniston.”
Favorite show? “Criminal Minds for sure.”
What would you do if you won the lotto? “I’d pay off all my debt, and I’d set my family up for life.”
“We’re not a bunch of co-workers here. We’re all friends, and we work as a family.” -Jennifer Reed
ASHTON KINSEY
Production Assistant, from Ft. Myers, FL., AKA “Indie”
Ashton handles a lot of production. In the mornings, she can be found managing all the sample orders, and during the afternoons, she’s peeling the decals and helping out with customer service.
Ashton attended the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale where she studied Fashion Photography. After 2 years as a fashion photography assistant in Miami, she came to Jacksonville in 2009 and joined the Dali Decals team shortly after.
Outside of work, she still enjoys freelance photography, and you can usually find her hanging out with her dogs, Ollie and Cooper, eating all organic foods and listening to indie-dance music that most people have never heard of.
Favorite music? “I like Indie-Dance music mostly, but I listen to some electronic.”
Favorite show? “Definitely The Office. Kevin reminds me of Joe here, because he’s always eating.”
Favorite actress? “I guess Fairuza Balk by default. Joe keeps telling me I look like her.”
“Dali Decals is so laid back. I love coming into work everyday.” -Ashton Kinsey
CARYN DUANE
Production Assistant, from Jacksonville, FL., AKA “The Hammer”
Caryn has been with Dali Decals since April of 2010 as a production assistant, helping to peel and transfer all the orders. When she’s not in production, she’s usually arm wrestling the guys….and winning.
Caryn is a Jacksonville native and loves the area. She’s lived in several other places but prefers not to be too far away from the beach.
Caryn joined Dali Decals in early 2011 and has since become a jack of all trades around the production warehouse. She peels, transfers, tubes, and chips in on a lot of the customer service.
When she’s not in the warehouse, you can find her behind a camera lens, taking pictures of insects (she loves nature photography). On the weekends, she’s at the beach with her dog Bailey, looking for sharks teeth, and at the end of most days, you can find her lifting heavy things around the warehouse and challenging the guys to arm wrestling matches. She recently demolished Joe. He can no longer look her in the eye.
Favorite food? “Oreo cookie ice cream cake.”
Favorite movie? “Probably the Notebook. I know it’s a little corny, but I cant help it. I love that movie.”
Favorite thing about working at Dali Decals? “The atmosphere. It’s like we’re just hanging out all the time.”
“Working for Dali Decals is awesome. There aren’t too many jobs out there as relaxing and stress free as this.” -Caryn Duane
KAREN GONZALEZ
Product Developer, from Miami, FL., AKA “Whispers”
Karen’s specialty is graphic design. She spends her days developing products and working with our customers to help design their custom orders.
Karen is originally from Miami, but she moved to Jacksonville to attend the Art Institute of Jacksonville where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. In early 2011, she joined the design team here at Dali Decals and went to work developing products, and working on custom orders and Modern Mosaic designs.
At home, Karen enjoys illustrating random stuff for her blog, reading, and watching bad horror films. When she’s not designing products, she’s usually playing video games or doodling on her computer.
What animal would you be reincarnated as? “A cat. They’re spoiled and easily amused.”
Favorite music? “Korean pop! I know it’s strange, but it’s so upbeat and happy that it never fails to cheer me up.”
Favorite thing about your job? “It’s pretty neat to make happy homes with my designs. I love that people put my art on their walls.”
“It’s awesome that I have a job that allows me to do something I love.” -Karen Gonzalez
DENVER MAYO
Custom Print Production, from Jupiter, FL., AKA “The Dude”
Denver heads up most of production for all of our printed orders. He’s in charge of running the print machines as well as cutting, peeling, and shipping the custom orders.
Denver graduated from Jupiter High School before moving to Jacksonville to attend the University of North Florida. After college, he ran his own screen printing company, gaining valuable experience running large printing machines and handling customs. He came to Dali Decals in 2011 to handle the majority of custom print production.
Denver is definitely a laid back kind of guy. He’s lived near the water his whole life, and when he’s not at work, you can find him hanging around Jacksonville Beach, fishing or in the water catching the surf.
What superhero would you be? “Probably the Silver Surfer, because he gets to ride a rad surf board through the air.”
What would you do if you won the lotto? “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
What animal would you want to be reincarnated as? “Definitely a dolphin.”
“This is the best place I’ve ever worked, pleasant work environment and a laid back crew.” -Denver Mayo
ROBERT CHADWICK
Graphic Designer/Production Assistant, from Jacksonville, FL., AKA “Hobo”
Robert is one of our newest employees at Dali Decals, so if something is not quite right with your order we naturally will be blaming him. He’s doing some graphic design and helping out in production.
Robert is a Florida native and has spent most of his 50 years in the Jacksonville area after briefly living in Baltimore, Atlanta, and East Brunswick, NJ. He brings over 15 years of graphic design experience to our team (along with 7 years of junior college). His design work includes print advertising, logo and business card design, brochures, cd and book covers, and t-shirt design.
In his spare time he enjoys riding his motorcycle, sports, playing guitar, smoking fine cigars, spending time with his two grand daughters (5 and 6), looking for sharks teeth at the beach, the smell of vanilla extract, a Saturday morning cup of coffee with his beautiful wife, watching The Grinch, and using credit cards, because “it’s not real money.”
Favorite movie? “I could watch Shawshank Redemption and Anchorman every single day. If the title has the words “space” or “UFO” in it, I will watch it.”
Any pets? “My wife and I are faced with the challenge of taming our 7 month old puppy Roxy, a German Shepherd, Dachshund, Chihuahua mix who has a mutant amount of puppy-energy.”
Favorite food? “I once ate 13 steaks in one sitting, and I have witnesses.”
“The greatest moment in my life was being hired at Dali Decals…..but I’m still in my 90 day probation period, so I’m taking that with a grain of salt.” -Robert
SAMMI
Head of Security, from Germany, AKA “Mail Man Kryptonite”
Sammi is devoted to being the Head of Dali Decals Security. There isn’t a passing pedestrian or single gust of wind that doesn’t warrant some kind of warning from Sammi. She may take her job a bit seriously, but she’s a real sweet heart.
Sammi was rescued and adopted by Alicia Soret a few years back, and she now boasts the title of Dali Decals Head of Secrity. She’s here day in and day out, ensuring the safety of our employees and the demise of any left overs that make their way to the floor.
Sammi stands about 2 and ½ feet tall and weighs about 80lbs. She’s a sucker for anything that squeaks, and she enjoys milk bones, tennis balls and long walks in the yard. Outside of work, Sammi can be found patrolling the neighborhood and chasing postal workers.
Favorite food? “That’s a tough one. It’s got to be between milk bones and decal flavored cardboard.”
Favorite movie? “Air Bud.”
Favorite thing about working at Dali Decals? “I’m passionate about my work. Barking at people is what I do.”
“Ruff, ruff ruff ruff. Ruff ruff, ruff ruff ruff.” -Sammi
DR. TEX
Resident Doctor, from Siberia, AKA “The Lazy One”
Dr. Tex is your go to guy for any advice and treatment for Dali Decals Obsession Disorder (DDOD). If you feel you’ve contracted the epidemic, talk to Dr. Tex.
Dr. Tex was also rescued and adopted by Alicia Soret. She took him in, and he’s been by her side ever since. He’s here everyday, studying the fast growing disorder (DDOD), trying to find a cure. He’s dedicated to finding treatment for those in need.
Dr. Tex can usually be found lounging around the Dali Decals warehouse on one of his many beds with a stack of cardboard in his mouth. He’ll pick his head up from time to time to see if anyone’s got some food, but for the most part, he’s a pretty laid back guy.
Favorite food? “Any kind of people food. I’m a scraps addict.”
Favorite actor? “Johnny Depp. He’s impressively deep and extremely well rounded.”
Favorite thing about working at Dali Decals? “Fighting DDOD is my life. I love helping those in need.”
“We make great stuff here at Dali Decals, but be careful, you could become obsessed.” -Dr.Tex
NURSE NUGGET
Resident Nurse, from England, AKA “The K-9 Wrecking Ball”
Nurse Nugget is Dr. Tex’s assistant. She was hired based on a strong recommendation from her owner, Carolyn. DDOD is spreading like wild fire, so hiring a nurse to help Dr. Tex was a necessity.
Nugget was living in Tallahasse FL. with Carolyn when she was at FSU. When Carolyn made the move to Jacksonville, she took Nugget with her and got her a job here at Dali Decals as the Resident Nurse.
In Nugget’s free time, she enjoys belly rubs, shoulder slams, and people food whenever she can get her paws on it. When she’s not at the office, you can find her running on the beach with Carolyn or showing her dominance to those who dare enter her home.
Favorite leisure time activity? “Rest. I get out of breath quick.’”
Favorite movie? “I’d have to say Beethoven.”
Favorite thing about working at Dali Decals? “Hanging out with everyone here is always fun.”
“I love this place. It’s way funner than my last job delivering subpoenas.” -Nugget
Behind the Scenes
No offense to all you other workers, but I’m loving the dogs! lol
Yeah me too! They’re my favorite co-workers
I don’t blame you! haha!
Dr. Tex is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I can’t tell if he/she is a Siberian Husky or an Alaskan Malamute.. But if I’m not mistaken, the malamutes do not have those amazing blue eyes..So, Husky? Am I right?
You’re right! Dr. Tex is a husky! He does have some beautiful eyes, a real lady killer that one!!
I vote nurse nugget is the best
Allowing dogs at the workplace…that tells so much about a company and its people – very groovy!
hahah i love the dogs my fav dog is prabaly nugget
I LOVE THESE PICTURES!!!! Hahahhahaa they are so awesome!!! Thanks Joe, for putting all this together!
Yeah…awesome gallery!
Thanks guys! It was fun picking them out!
How come the turtles don’t get to be listed as crew? I am sure they work just as hard as the others!
Well said Mike!
I agree, the turtles need a shout out too!!
Yeah…what’s up with that Joe???
I’ll work on it!! Cut me some slack people!!