Employee Spotlight: Tessa Kolb-Perilloux
Our BBP team comprises a diverse group of professionals, from skilled engineers and dedicated customer service representatives to meticulous accounting specialists and tech support superheroes. Beyond their professional roles, each team member brings a unique story, background, and passion.
Through our Employee Spotlight series, we spotlight the incredible individuals who drive BBP’s success. We take you behind the scenes to explore the professional journeys of our team members, learn more about their expertise, and celebrate the distinctive qualities that make BBP an exceptional place to work.
Join us as we continue to discover the faces, stories, and talents that create the dynamic and collaborative environment that defines BBP.
A career path doesn’t always have to be a straight line, and Tessa Kolb-Perilloux’s journey to BBP is a great example. Before becoming an Accounting Coordinator, Tessa attended the Louisiana Culinary Institute and built a career in the food industry as a chef, manager, food photographer, and food stylist. Ready for a change of pace and a new opportunity, she made the jump into a completely different field and found her place at BBP.
As an Accounting Coordinator, Tessa works behind the scenes to support several areas of BBP’s accounting operations. Her role includes everything from data entry and setting up new accounts to handling ship-to and vendor requests, maintaining business records, and processing payments and mail. She also helps analyze internal functions and processes to identify opportunities for automation and greater efficiency.
Tessa’s involvement at BBP extends beyond accounting. As Team Lead for the Community Outreach initiative, she helps find new ways for BBP to connect with and support communities in Louisiana and throughout our footprint. It’s another opportunity for her to use her creativity, problem-solving skills, and passion for working with people.
One of Tessa’s favorite parts of her role is the variety. She enjoys being able to use different skills to solve problems, improve processes, and help teams become more efficient. She also appreciates that accounting is constantly changing, giving her opportunities to continue learning and growing. Most importantly, she credits the people at BBP with making the day-to-day work enjoyable.
That willingness to help is also one of the things that makes Tessa proud to work at BBP. She says there is always someone willing to answer a question, work through an issue, or help find the person who can. She also values BBP’s understanding that employees have lives and families outside of work and appreciates a culture where communication and support go hand in hand.
For Tessa, BBP’s values of Like, Trust, and Commitment can start with something as simple as kindness. She believes the way you treat people matters and that one positive conversation can change the direction of someone’s day. By approaching interactions with kindness, she works to build the trust and relationships behind those values.
Outside of work, Tessa lives in Prairieville with her husband and two sons, Liam and Grayson. Her culinary background is still part of her story, too. One fact her coworkers may not know is that she has styled food for several restaurants and was even hired as a food stylist for a Community Coffee photo shoot.
Tessa’s love of food, culture, and creativity carries into many of her interests outside of work. If she could sit down for dinner with any four people, she would choose Anthony Bourdain, Princess Diana, Hayley Williams, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Her music taste is just as varied, ranging from alternative, hardcore, rock, and indie to the occasional ‘90s country song that reminds her of her childhood. If her life had a theme song, it would be Paramore’s “Last Hope.”
Her favorite quote also comes from Anthony Bourdain and reflects the importance of continuing to learn, grow, and recognize how much there is still to experience in life. That perspective ties closely to her personal mantra, “What if it all works out?” Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, Tessa has worked to reframe uncertainty around what could go right and to be more willing to take chances on new opportunities.
Looking back, Tessa says she would have traveled more when she was younger, experiencing new places, cultures, and foods around the world. It’s a reminder of the curiosity and openness to new experiences that have shaped both her personal life and career.
For prospective BBP employees, Tessa encourages people not to be afraid of making mistakes. She sees mistakes as opportunities for growth and believes that asking questions, communicating, applying yourself, and trusting the process can go a long way. At BBP, she says employees are given the support and resources to learn, grow, and succeed.
From changing career paths to improving internal processes and finding new ways to serve the community, Tessa’s journey shows what can happen when you’re willing to take a chance on something new and ask, “What if it all works out?”
