Meet Carl Stokes
Raised in Opelika, AL, Carl Stokes loves to travel, cook, meet new people, learn new things and bake! His favorite dessert to bake is cake. “My most popular cake flavor is my strawberry cake.” He moved to Montgomery in 1990 and graduated from Auburn University of Montgomery in 1999. Carl joined the Alfa® family as a Financial Accounting Support Team (FAST) Analyst in 2001 and was later promoted to his current role as a Senior FAST Analyst.
“Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” is Carl’s favorite quote from the movie Auntie Mame. “There is so much to do and to see in the world. Life goes by pretty fast, so get out and live your life, enjoy everything there is to offer before you are not able to any longer. And please don’t worry about what other people are doing at the “banquet.” This will just eat up your precious time and your happiness,” he shares.
Having a mother who was a Home Economics teacher, Carl learned at an early age how to take care of himself. “In January of 2023, my mother was diagnosed with Lymphoma - Cancer stole my father in 1995 and now it is after my mother.”
After his mother caught her four-year-old son standing in a chair cooking bacon in a cast iron skillet, Carl’s love for cooking and baking continued to grow. In 2009, Carl bought Liger’s Bakery. It was the oldest operating bakery in Montgomery, AL. “I loved having the bakery and sharing my skills as a baker; however, I did not give up my career at Alfa.”
Carl has been a part of the Alfa family since February of 2001. “I enjoy my job and working with some of the best people in the company. We have developed beyond being a team into a full work family. This makes coming to work a great joy and is a super fulfilling part of my life.” He shares how he has learned to love and cherish those good people and honor what they have taught and left behind. “I am thankful to work for a company which allows me to be myself and to be cheerful in the workplace. I believe the atmosphere directly correlates to productivity. I am fortunate to have some great leaders and admire them tremendously.”
Carl committed to Alfa and his bakery daily. He eventually sold the bakery, but that did not extinguish the fire Carl had for baking and cooking. Alfa invited Carl to join the Relay for Life team in 2010. Coincidentally, bake sales just so happen to be one of the main ways of raising money. With no hesitation, Carl took charge as team captain, holding bake sales ranging from $300 to $500. The team was able to jump new heights of over $2,500. “In 2019, we were able to raise almost $8,000 through bake sales to donate to the American Cancer Society,” Carl says. He is a proud contributor of Alfa becoming the number 1 team in the Montgomery Metro area and raising just over $68,000 for the American Cancer Society over the last 8 years.
Carl also enjoys helping others. In addition to raising money for the American Cancer Society, he has regularly led fundraising events in his department at Alfa. For several years, the Accounting Department raised money and toys for the Hands of Christ Ministry. During that time, they donated more than $25,000 and countless toys for their Christmas Toy Store. Carl also helped establish the Jacqulyn Bibb Memorial Scholarship in memory of his friend who was the Accounts Payable Director at Alfa and lost her fight against cancer in May of 2022. This scholarship is awarded to culinary students by the Women In Touch group in Montgomery, Alabama. Most recently, Carl and his work family spent time at the Montgomery Area Food Bank where they packed over 300 boxes of meat for their senior care program.
Alfa is proud to have people like Carl who represent our company’s Core 4 Values by faithfully loving others, encouraging other employees and leading efforts to serve the community. If this sounds like you, explore our careers and join the Alfa family!