Full transcription

Romy: We are here with John Van Kamp at Southwest Solutions in Detroit, welcome John.
John: Well, I’m very pleased to be here, thanks very much for coming here.
John: And for this interview, I really appreciate.
Romy: So, let's first give a feel of what Southwest solutions is.
John: Sure, at this point and time we would see that we are a family of agencies that are in partnerships with others, working in Detroit’s neighborhoods. Both at the people level and at the place level. But it probably takes a story from the beginning, because when we started we had ten staff and we now have about five hundred. So, it’s a story of the evolution that brings sense as to what we are.
Romy: Yeah, I really want to unpack this a little bit. Just real quick at a service level, you said you work with people and places in the neighborhoods, is it veterans mostly that you work with or all kinds, right?
John: Yeah, it’s with all kinds. I mean, we really started in 1972 as a small community mental health agency. It was not long after the Kennedy administration had created the concept of community mental health and it put together a funding model for community mental health, and Monsignor Clement Kern and Rev. Bill Moldwin and Rev. George Veneto, by Faustino Romero, Snoal and others, saw the concept of community mental health and saw the dollars available. They did a lot of work, and we opened our doors in 1972, with a staff of ten and a budget of two hundred thousand.

John: So that’s where we started. I shouldn’t say we because I didn’t start until 1973. I started as a grad student from Wayne State in the school of social work, community organizing and placed with the agency. But what attracted me and not only the clinicians but kind of some the community oriented people is that context of community mental health. It started with mental health rather than mental illness. So, the treatment of somebody’s mental illness is a key part of mental health but so is housing, so is healthcare.

John: So is a job, so is education. All of those things are a part of, if you will, my emotional well-being or my mental health.

Romy: Yeah, definitely.

John: But community mental health, what they realized is that because of the myths and the stereotypes and the stigma about mental illness, those community values are in a community and people either open them up or don’t.

John: So they divided the country into catchment areas to implant a community mental health agency in each. So you could work in a community context to have the community open up their values to their brothers and sisters who had a mental illness. So we started at the very beginning.

John: Creating a system of care for people with mental illness. What that meant is we came to the table, providing treatment services, but we had to find healthcare. We had to find housing; we had to find workforce development. And in that, some things we partnered, and some things we did ourselves. But when you realize you can create a system of care for a vulnerable population, you could do it for another population. And maybe that’s the first evolution of business thinking.

Romy: Yeah, right.

John: Right? Wow, we could create a system of care for people with mental illness. We can also do it for people who are homeless.

John: So we and our partners then created a pretty comprehensive array of services for people that are homeless. Well, then we realized when another opportunity came along, we could do it for kids in the juvenile justice system. So, you see kind of a business model?

John: You started one, but you see your line of business applies to others. So, for the last fifteen years in partnerships with the Down River guidance center, we have created a very comprehensive system for kids in the juvenile justice system. And then, about twenty years ago we started working with children, with parents, with very young children. So, we entered that space of early childhood development but what we saw there when we entered in, if you just work on the kids, you’ll go so far, but if you work with the whole family if you are as focused on the mom and the dad.
Romy: Mmh.

John: Or the aunt and the uncle, that impacts the child.

Romy: All right.

John: Okay, so, we created a system of care for families with young children.

John: How do we help mom? Maybe mom is working, for a company, and that company moves out of Detroit, and the skillset she has is not now, what's needed in the marketplace. So, how do we help her with her math skills or her English skills, or to get the next elevation of a job that she wants? So we started looking at things pretty comprehensively, does that makes sense how I’m trying to describe it?

Romy: Yeah, as I keep listening to you in those two or three scenarios, it’s like you are looking at all of the factors that are affecting, I guess what I would call the beneficiary you are trying to help.

John: Yeah.

Romy: And setting up an infrastructure around them and almost a village type way with these partners, right?

John: Yeah, yeah. We use the villages a lot.

Romy: Yeah.

John: We talk about, at some level, what are we trying to create? We believe that community is an intervention.

Romy: Yes, I believe that too.

John: Okay, and that village is an intervention.

John: Yeah, in other words, that village works. I don’t know if they talk about governmental structures or families, but that village works because everyone is centered on the success of everyone in that village.

Romy: Yes.

John: Well, that’s a community.

John: But what we realize is, you can’t just focus on the person, you need also to focus on the place. In other words, what is the condition of housing, what’s happening in your neighborhood as well as with you as a Neighbor? So, we are vested in the success of the individuals and the success of neighborhoods, is that so?

Romy: Yes.

John: Kind of the integrated wellness between the wellness of people and the wellness of place.

Romy: You’ve done something that many try to do, and you’ve done this well. You have partnered with these organizations and created stability.

Romy: Many tell me in the field, “Gosh, Romy, I’ve tried to do that but it’s unstable, I can’t depend on that partner’s thing.” You have so successfully built this infrastructure or partnerships and kept the community together.

John: Yeah, I mean, trust me, we’ve had a lot of lessons learned. We’ve probably had as many failures as we have success, but we learn from the failure. But let's take healthcare, okay. Very early on, we saw studies coming out of national institute of mental health that said, people with severe mental illness, die twenty-five years earlier than the general population.

John: Probably one of the largest health discrepancies, that there is, or health disparity. So we knew we had to address healthcare. We also knew that we weren’t, doctors and nurses. So, we looked for a provider who wanted to partner with us. It took us a while, quite frankly, there were some clients who said, “There is this free faith-based clinic called Covenant Community Care that is treating us with respect.”

John: so, wow, then I want to meet them.

John: And the first place you start is, is there alignment and mission, vision and values?

Romy: Right.

John: So you spend a lot of time at that.

John: Because when you are in a true partnership, you are probably equally, if not more vested in their success than your success, so when you can get to that point.

Romy: Yes.

John: It’s like a marriage when you are more lets say …

Romy: Right.

John: You know, vested in your partner, it comes back to you, all right?

John: So, we were fortunate to have a covenant was at the time was a free clinic. So we worked with them, till now they have very significant funding. They have over a hundred staff, they are in seven locations around the city, but they started with us.

Romy: So they grew with you?

John: Yes.

Romy: Your intention wasn’t just to take, it was to help them grow as well?

John: Oh, absolutely, they are totally independent and do things …

John: But they are in all of our buildings where we are working with our clients, they are in our buildings and an integrated kind of model. That’s an example of a partnership that works.

Romy: Yes.

John: Because we are vested in their success, they are vested in ours.

Romy: Yes.

John: But we are drawn together by a common mission, vision, and values.

Romy: Yes, yes, that’s great … I’m going to make sure I highlight that word on there for everybody.

John: (Chuckles), yeah.

John: So there are a couple of examples, of social entrepreneurship, that I think highlights again, another example of partnerships. A number of years ago I had a sabbatical from the McGregor Foundation.

John: And it allowed me to go around the country looking best practices.
John: And I asked people where I should go. So I asked Rip Rapson, from The Kresge Foundation where I should go. He said, “John, you ought to go to Minneapolis,” where he was a former deputy mayor.

John: And he said, “Look at neighborhood development corporation.” He said, “They have the best social entrepreneurship program in the country.

John: So I went there, and I was real, really impressed. I mean, for twenty years they worked a lot with immigrants. Okay, whereas here in Detroit we are working with Detroiters. Most of the minority and some, immigrants. How do you start somebody who has a passion for a concept, for an idea, who is going to be all in and their family will be all in, and they are going to work twenty-three seven, on that concept, and they are willing to go through some failures in order to get to the business model that they see. So, for twenty years, they perfected a model. And they were fortunate to bring evaluators on board from the very beginning

John: So they can now show the thousands of jobs created, the millions of dollars of property tax paid, and personal income tax. I mean, those are the measures you want to look at, right?

Romy: Yeah, oh yeah.

John: As a community to look at that. So, probably better than might go in there and seen it, is it Steve Tobocman, also when, on his own? So Steve brought them to Detroit and brought the foundation community to take a look at what the neighborhood development corporation had done. And they said, “We want to fund it.” see, Steve said, “Okay while you are at it, do it through Southwest.” But the model is one where we look for a community partner, that community partner could be a church.

It could be a non-profit organization; it could be a group, but they are known in their community. They are known in the Latino community or the Arab community or the monk community, or in East side Detroit or in Asb, they are known, they are trusted by the residents there. So then we partnered with them, we bring the skill sets, we bring the twenty hours of individual and group training. We bring the business model and the coaching and the TA, but then we do it with you, in your language.

John: By people who speak your language, by people who look like you in your community, to that trusted community partner. Prosper Us is the name of our business. A lot of people don’t even know that Southwest started it.

Romy: Yeah.

John: Because we have it allowed to be owned so much by our community partners.

John: But we’ve now had over four hundred and sixty graduates, from that in just three and a half years. People are now starting their own businesses, getting loans, we have a micro-lending program in there, character-based loans. So there is an example of, starting off being a mental health agency, gets into social entrepreneurialism which is a social enterprise I don’t know if itself.

Romy: It is, and you continue to keep solving and strengthening the ecosystem by bringing in all of these connection points.

John: Yeah, yeah.

Romy: That eventually lead to mental health if they are not solved, right?

John: Yeah. We are now about the mental health of the community.

John: And I think overtime we have evolved into working in neighborhoods, around the city, with neighbors and neighborhoods. Our neighborhood with our partners is Southwest Detroit. It’s going to take us and our partners ten, fifteen, twenty years to make Southwest Detroit, the eighty thousand people who live here, intentionally a place that people want to live, work, play, pray and all of that.

John: It will take us a while, but some of what we do, the fact that we do mortgage lending, the fact that we do workforce development and prosperous, we can do in your community, we can do in other communities around the city. So in fact, we probably are in more neighborhoods, around the city than just about any other NGO.

Romy: So, for us, that’s relatable when you are outside of the US, but Southwest solutions are so well known, they even know it in other parts of the state and other parts of the Midwest.

John: Mmm-hmm (affirmative).

Romy: It’s really viewed as an anchor organization and a model that others would like to achieve and follow.

John: Well, a number of years, I didn’t know how to describe our agency, community mental health didn’t seem, when you are into housing, you, are mortgage lending, or workforce development and early childhood, it didn’t seem to lend itself to a label, but I went to a Whitehouse conference. Fairly small but it was, how do you turn distressed neighborhoods into neighborhoods of opportunity. One of the panels was phenomenal. There were assistant secretaries of state of HOD, HHS, education, justice, treasury.
John: And seniors leaders from the Whitehouse, all in the same panel. But that wasn’t the best part, the best part as they admitted and this is only five years ago. They said. Finally, we are speaking from the same PowerPoint.

Romy: I understand that.

John: In other words, before that, education would say, “Here is what we are doing in this, you know, distressed community.” And what they realized, that it took an integrated approach among all of what they did, to work it. And they were talking about forty blocks in Baltimore or sixteen in Cleveland or two hundred in Chicago. In Detroit we are talking, many, many neighborhoods surround, around the city. So, what it takes is a comprehensive human development approach, which is an education in early childhood and healthcare and workforce development, financial coaching and all, a comprehensive human development approach.

At the same time a comprehensive community economic development approach, which is housing and commercial development and banking and entrepreneurship in small business. And at the same time you have to have that resident voice from those neighborhoods, guiding what they want to have and the changes and the opportunities created. So, you see, there is no governmental entity that does all of that. There is no NGO that does all of that. It’s kind of a collective impact model of how do you get all of those aligned in a neighborhood to create neighborhoods of opportunity.

Romy: It’s almost a combination of a cooperative, you had partnerships.

John: Yeah, yeah.

Romy: But the best of all of those is whats actually happening here.

John: Yeah, yeah. I mean…

Romy: Because ….

John: There is an economic development model that, during that sabbatical. And it came out of San Diego. Market Creek Plaza, and they’ve had some lessons learned and some challenges, but they were one of the first to do it.

John: There was the Jacobs family foundation in downtown San Diego. We are giving out about a million in a year. And they realized they weren’t, changing the world. So they decided to move to the most challenging part of San Diego and lead a resident led resident-driven economic development project. Well, so I went out there and I looked at what they did. I looked at the lessons learned. I got some guidance from them but then came back and with help from the Skillman Foundation, we found an area that would make all kinds of commercial sets.

Another instance where eighty thousand cars were traveling on the expressway, in a day and ten thousand, coming across from Canada. So, we knew that that was going to be developed but, that a CVS or gas station or Wendy’s would move in, and those are nice. But that’s not what neighbors want. So, The Skillman Foundation gave us enough money and we hired residents, and we did seven hundred face to face interviews.

Romy: That’s a lot.

John: Yeah, that is a lot.

Romy: That’s a lot.

John: Yeah, but the data that you gather when you do, especially when you hire residents to interview other residents, now that’s where they are spending their money. What businesses, you know, that they are going outside, that they would like to have here, what would keep them here?

John: So, they designed a survey, they implemented it. Now we are armed with, what they want regarding economic development in their neighborhood. Now we are looking for dollars to buy the property. And the create development opportunities, based on what residents want. Well, that’s an economic development model that ought to be replicated throughout the city and the state.

Romy: Right, there is so much of everyone having to submit to what everyone else …

John: Yeah.

Romy: Has decided it’s good for them, right?

John: Yes, isn’t it?

Romy: In that voice message, right?

John: Yeah, yeah.

Romy: Yeah.

John: So, yeah, that’s what I love about it. We are still working at it, it’s a work in progress.

John: But, I think one of the things we look to be is early adapters of other people’s best practices. In other words, we are non-innovators, we don’t conceptualize something.

John: But we look at, how can we learn from the best practices there and through partnerships created, in the neighborhoods that we are working?

Romy: Well, that stays with and honors your theme of community.

John: Yeah, yeah.

Romy: Because you by default become a bigger community when you are learning from each other.

John: Mmh, yeah.

Romy: In other locations.

John: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Romy: (Laughs), it’s networks here if you will, to other cities that are already doing some learning.

John: Another example, is one that united way and risk, brought to the community, just about ten years ago is called...]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1558Thu, 05 May 2016 14:31:38 -040040:12falsefullRomy interviews John Van Kamp of Southwest Solutions. John has been the leader and visionary of Southwest Solutions since 1973 and has successfully established a village of partners to address mental health issues. The incredible collaboration and partnering led initiatives into entrepreneurship and other related systemic change. This is an incredible story of community partnering and change!Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Better Life Bags#49Season 2 –  Better Life Bags Social Enterprise

Romy interviews Rebecca Smith with Better Life Bags in Hamtramck of Detroit. Hear the incredible story of how she launched a business of making custom handbags hand-sewn by local women who had previously had cultural barriers to employment. Rebecca shares how she grew, used social media, and created dynamic relationships with her now 16 employees~

 

Transcription beginning with Fun Fuel:

Jentzen:
Hey, guys. This is Jentzen with your fun fuel for this episode. Now, today’s fun fuel is going to be about Coach Handbags and the history behind them. The Coach Company was originally created in 1941 by the Coach family out of a small shop in Manhattan. The Coach family had a small team of six, and they were making wallets and billfolds out of leather, and they were doing all these by hand.
Five years after the company was created in 1946, the Coach family joined up with a man named Miles Cahn and his wife, Lillian, who owned their own leather handbag manufacturing business. Fifteen years later in 1961, Miles Cahn and his wife ended up buying out the Coach family and making the two companies one company. Now, Miles was amazed at the leather baseball glove and how over time, the leather of the baseball glove becomes more flexible, softer, and more supple. He attempted to mimic that leather in his own leather of wallets and handbags. Through attempting to mimic this, Miles ended up creating leather that was stronger, softer, and more flexible.
Now, he also found ways to color the leather. Little did he know that leather itself actually holds color incredibly well. Now, it wasn’t until Miles’ wife suggested to him that they not only make wallets and bags for men but they start creating accessory bags for women. Now, this is when their company really boomed. As the company grew more and more successful, Miles and his wife hired sportswear and fashion designers to add more creative elements to their bags making them even more successful and growing into the famous Coach bags we see around the US today. This is Jentzen, and this was your fun fuel for today’s episode.

Romy:
Very nice. Thank you, Jentzen. Let’s transition. Please meet Rebecca Smith from Better Life Bags. Welcome, Rebecca to the podcast.

Rebecca:
Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Romy:
Now, let’s talk about what Better Life Bags is.

Rebecca:
We make custom leather and fabric handbags. We manufacture them here in Detroit, Michigan, actually in a little city called Hamtramck which is surrounded by Detroit on all sides. We hire women who have barriers to traditional employment, and they work here in our workshops. Some of them work from their homes. Whatever their specific need is, we try to work with them in that. Then, our customers go on to our website, and they customize and design their own bag. Then, we make it to order for them here and shop.

Romy:
Social enterprise at its finest. We’ll come back and dig in. Let’s let listeners know where we’re doing this interview.

Rebecca:
Right now, I’m actually in our workshop. If you hear background noise, it’s a working manufacturing studio. Pretty small, I’d say 1600 square feet. Actually, big to us. We just moved from a 700 square foot space into this space. It feels enormous. We’re right here in Hamtramck. We’re cutting leather, we’re cutting fabric, we’re sewing, we’re...]]>Season 2 –  Better Life Bags Social Enterprise

Romy interviews Rebecca Smith with Better Life Bags in Hamtramck of Detroit. Hear the incredible story of how she launched a business of making custom handbags hand-sewn by local women who had previously had cultural barriers to employment. Rebecca shares how she grew, used social media, and created dynamic relationships with her now 16 employees~

 

Transcription beginning with Fun Fuel:

Jentzen:
Hey, guys. This is Jentzen with your fun fuel for this episode. Now, today’s fun fuel is going to be about Coach Handbags and the history behind them. The Coach Company was originally created in 1941 by the Coach family out of a small shop in Manhattan. The Coach family had a small team of six, and they were making wallets and billfolds out of leather, and they were doing all these by hand.
Five years after the company was created in 1946, the Coach family joined up with a man named Miles Cahn and his wife, Lillian, who owned their own leather handbag manufacturing business. Fifteen years later in 1961, Miles Cahn and his wife ended up buying out the Coach family and making the two companies one company. Now, Miles was amazed at the leather baseball glove and how over time, the leather of the baseball glove becomes more flexible, softer, and more supple. He attempted to mimic that leather in his own leather of wallets and handbags. Through attempting to mimic this, Miles ended up creating leather that was stronger, softer, and more flexible.
Now, he also found ways to color the leather. Little did he know that leather itself actually holds color incredibly well. Now, it wasn’t until Miles’ wife suggested to him that they not only make wallets and bags for men but they start creating accessory bags for women. Now, this is when their company really boomed. As the company grew more and more successful, Miles and his wife hired sportswear and fashion designers to add more creative elements to their bags making them even more successful and growing into the famous Coach bags we see around the US today. This is Jentzen, and this was your fun fuel for today’s episode.

Romy:
Very nice. Thank you, Jentzen. Let’s transition. Please meet Rebecca Smith from Better Life Bags. Welcome, Rebecca to the podcast.

Rebecca:
Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Romy:
Now, let’s talk about what Better Life Bags is.

Rebecca:
We make custom leather and fabric handbags. We manufacture them here in Detroit, Michigan, actually in a little city called Hamtramck which is surrounded by Detroit on all sides. We hire women who have barriers to traditional employment, and they work here in our workshops. Some of them work from their homes. Whatever their specific need is, we try to work with them in that. Then, our customers go on to our website, and they customize and design their own bag. Then, we make it to order for them here and shop.

Romy:
Social enterprise at its finest. We’ll come back and dig in. Let’s let listeners know where we’re doing this interview.

Rebecca:
Right now, I’m actually in our workshop. If you hear background noise, it’s a working manufacturing studio. Pretty small, I’d say 1600 square feet. Actually, big to us. We just moved from a 700 square foot space into this space. It feels enormous. We’re right here in Hamtramck. We’re cutting leather, we’re cutting fabric, we’re sewing, we’re shipping, and all today.

Romy:
For those who might not have some knowledge about the community and the neighborhood of Hamtramck within Detroit, would you mind giving us a feel of the demographics because, in my opinion, it’s incredibly unique.

Rebecca:
Yeah, it’s super diverse. I believe it is Michigan’s most diverse city. I’ve heard other people say that it’s actually one of the most diverse cities in America. Forty years ago, it was 90% Polish immigrants. Then, over in the past, I don’t know, twenty years or so, there’s been a high influx of immigrants from Yemen, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia. It’s a melting pot of cultures.
This is the first stop for immigrants to land, get their feet on the ground, and then after a few years, they’ll move out to the suburbs and the second generation of immigrants will grow up in the suburbs. We have highly first generation immigrants here in our little city. Twenty-six languages are spoken at my kids’ school. You see them in English. It feels like a different country. It’s only two square miles. It’s very small. It’s just an interesting place to be. Amazing food, for sure, because everyone is bringing their authentic recipes. Then, they’re opening restaurants here. It’s a really fun place to be.

Romy:
If you’re not familiar with Hamtramck, those are your lists, and you’re going to have to make a journey in. Check it out. It’s just a stop worth having. Thanks for that anchoring to your place. Now, would you take us on a journey of how this all started and it will probably lead to the reason why you and your husband are actually living in Hamtramck.

Rebecca:
About seven years ago, I was pregnant with our first child, and I decided to make myself a diaper bag. My grandpa had taught me to sew when I was really young, and I’d lost the art of it. My mom had bought me a sewing machine for my birthday that year maybe to spark something up again. I had the time, so I decided, “Let’s try it.” I had a friend help me make my first diaper bags. We went to the fabric store, we picked out the fabrics I wanted, came home, and created my very own diaper bag that fit my style and to match my son’s nursery.
I posted pictures of that bag on Facebook. Some friends and family commented, “You should sell these. I would buy one of them. You should open an Etsy shop,” which Etsy had just come on to the scene about that time, and I had never heard of it before, but after doing some exploration, I realized anyone can open an Etsy shop, and you just have to have an email address, and you can start selling things that you make on Etsy. I had nothing lose. I thought it would be a fun hobby of mine that I could sew bags as I enter this new season of motherhood.
Opened an Etsy shop. We named it Better Life Bags even way back then because my brother had introduced me to Kiva, the microloan company at Christmas that year. He had given us a $25 Kiva gift card which, at first, I thought was the worst Christmas gift you could ever give anyone because I had to turn around and give that money away. It’s $25 that you can’t have. You have to go and loan it to someone. I hopped on the site and I’m looking through all these profiles of people who are raising money in third world countries to open a grocery store, to buy more sheep, and I was just addicted to the whole concept. I thought it was so cool.
I decided, these bags that I’m selling on Etsy, I can donate a percentage of them and give more and more loans through Kiva. We named it Better Life Bags in the sense that these bags would be helping make someone’s life better by your purchase. I sent a picture of, it’s usually a woman, sometimes a man that that loan was going to go help with the bags. The customer was receiving a bag, and then a picture, and a story of the person through Kiva. That was the original intent. It seemed very easy to me and just ought to be a simple, little hobby.
About six months later, my husband decided to move us to Michigan. We were in Savannah previously, Savannah, Georgia. He had been overseas in the military, just developed a real love for Muslim culture and Muslim people, and just thought it would be really cool to raise our kids and our family in a really diverse neighborhood, a place that has a need that we can really get grounded in, and invest in. Somehow, he heard about Hamtramck, Michigan. We had never visited before.

Romy:
Oh my goodness.

Rebecca:
I just said, “Let’s go.” I think I was in this newborn fog. I didn’t realize what I was saying yes to. We packed up everything and moved to Michigan to this very different city that I never had in my life lived in anything remotely close to it. I grew up in suburbs, in middle-class America. To be in a low-income city with so many different cultures, it was a real culture shock. I really desired to have friends with people with different cultures, but it was very awkward and hard.
My first friend that I made, she was from Yemen. Her name was Nadia. She spoke no English. I spoke, obviously, no Arabic, but we both knew how to sell. We spent our first evening together in my basement sewing a bag, one of the bags that I sold on Etsy. We had a good time. We didn’t have to speak each other’s language to sew. That’s a universal language.

Romy:
I love this.

Rebecca:
That’s how we spent our first night together as friends. About three years into living here, the business, some bloggers caught wind of it. Someone with about three million Pinterest followers pinned one of my bags on the Pinterest, and things just went crazy. I couldn’t keep up anymore. It was too busy to do during my kids’ nap times. I had two kids then at that point, and I couldn’t keep up.
I called my friend, Nadia, that I had spent time with in the basement sewing. She has gotten much better at English as the years had gone by and I said, “I need help. Can you sew all the insides of these bags, also all the outsides, and we’ll put them together twice as fast?” She was really excited about it. I started going to her house once a week and dropping off fabric, and picking up the bags that she had done the week before. Then, the same thing the next week, drop off and pick up. I’d bring my kids, and we would stay, and we would hang out every week, and just really deep into our friendship at that point. I pay her bag, per piece.
Eventually, she got so good at the insides that I said, “Here, I’ll teach you the outsides too,” and she was doing the whole bag, and we went even faster at that point. I’d say about six to eight months into this routine, she met me at our weekly drop off and picked up, and she said, “I got to show you something.” She leads me upstairs to her kids’ bedrooms and for the first time, she had bought her kid’s bunk beds; whereas before, they were just sleeping on the floor. She has four children.
Her husband works at a gas station and does his very best to make ends meet, but it’s never really enough. This extra income in their family was allowing them to buy things that I consider necessities, but they had never been able to afford before like a dining room table. Like I said, bunk beds. They got their first couch. I started to see really the difference that a job could do for her. She’s unable to get a job outside of her home because she’s a Muslim woman because she’s very conservative Muslim woman I should say. In her culture, it’s not easy to go out and get a job amongst mixed genders, but she could sew inside the comfort of her home, and she has four children. Getting the job outside of the home is impossible in that way too.
We now have about sixteen employees. All of them have some barrier to employment whether it’s culture, language, education, kids. The Better Life Bag aspect of it switched from sending money to someone overseas that I would never meet to investing deeply into the lives of my neighbors and the people in our city.

Romy:
Wow. I just want to make a comment here. You’ve hit on something that is not talked about very often. Often, we talk about the barriers to employment to be maybe former criminal records or past drug use. You come over one level or go over, I guess, one neighborhood and their barriers are languages, education, and potentially culture. I think a lot of people don’t think about that; and yet, it does prevent. It’s amazing.

Rebecca:
Yeah, the unexpected barrier to employment because definitely, wouldn’t we say if we hire women with barriers to employment, you think ex-con, people who are trying to enter back from the prison system, but there’s a whole gallery of women that have different barriers to employment.

Romy:
Right. Sometimes, it can just be got some children at home that you have to talk about as got to be some type of employment that you can sneak into the cracks of motherhood.

Rebecca:
Absolutely, yes.

Romy:
You’re up to sixteen employees now. Some are in your workshop, and some stay at the home as you told us in the beginning.

Rebecca:
Right. We let them choose. Our newest seamstress that we hired is from Afghanistan. She’s an asylum seeker to the States. She is free and able to come to the workshop every day to work. She spends Mondays through Thursday in the shop with us which is really fun just to get to see her and interact with her on a daily basis. Then, our other seamstresses do about 90% of the bags in their homes. Then, they come into our shop once a week for a couple of hours, and they use our industrial sewing machines to finish up any leather work. Then, they pick up their next batch for the week.

Romy:
Let’s stay on this social mission of employment. What else are you noticing that changes with the women after they’ve been with you for a season? What other subtle things do you tend to notice?

Rebecca:
I think one of the unexpected things that even I didn’t see coming is we have so many different cultures represented in our sixteen employees. We have African-American, we have Bengali, we have Yemeni, we have Afghani, we have white American, and to see all of that interact on a family level, I think, is really unique. I actually remember their first day that our African-American women started work. Some of our seamstresses were actually a little bit afraid. They had never interacted, or talked, or been in the same small space with people that were not from their country. To see that stereotype be overcome and to see them say hi to each other, and hug, and share a meal together is just really, really cool and something I would never have anticipated would be a result of this type of social enterprise.

Romy:
It’s reminded me of some of the work we’ve done in other countries where this Christian Jewish and Muslim, and finding this common denominator whether it’s cultural, or religion, or whatever, you could fill in the blank. If the hearts, I’d like to say, are graceful enough to take the time to find that common denominator, now, you’ve got something to build on together. There’s always something in here. We’ve got motherhood. We’ve got similar, perhaps, reasons why they have barriers. Then, yet, they’re all coming together around producing a product. It’s just really, really great.

Rebecca:
Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. Challenging but a lot of fun.

Romy:
Yeah, I’m just imagining, you’ve got to have a lot more patience because there’s translations going on, right?

Rebecca:
Yeah, a lot can be lost in translation for sure. Even quality translations on what our customers in America are expecting their product to be, quality-wise. It was a huge jump that we’ve had to make with every new seamstress. They are in quite a training period before we start shipping out their products. Not good or bad but quality expectations are different in various countries than they are in America. That’s been interesting. Sometimes, I joke with my husband that things would have been so much easier could I just kept sending money overseas but anything that is hard is always worth it, in my opinion. I won’t change anything for sure, but sometimes, that seems so much easier, in fact.

Romy:
Let’s go to your husband for just a minute. When I met Neil, I was so taken aback at his heart. He had gone overseas, served in the war, and instead of coming back, just like “I got to get home. I got to get away from this,” he came back with a burden in his heart to serve the culture and moves his whole family from Savannah to Hamtramck. I just was struck by the burden of his heart to help a group that’s very different from him. It’s not just he’s a man, and these are women. There was differences in where he grew up, differences in religion, yet, he was so burdened to serve. I was just so struck by that.

Rebecca:
Yeah. He’s an incredible man. We would not be here if it weren’t for him. I would not have the guts to move out of something I was comfortable to me and move into a new city. I would not have had the guts to keep going with the business when it seemed too big, or too scary, or too hard if it weren’t for his cheerleading a lot behind the scenes. He definitely doesn’t get enough credit outwardly for the success of the business or even the ideas, the social enterprise ideas behind it. He has definitely been the visionary behind it. He has been the servant behind it.
He stayed home with our kids as a stay-at-home dad for at least a year and a half while I got things off the ground. Now, we share parenting duties and all of that, but he has put a lot of his dreams and a lot of his wishes on hold for the business and helped us really get that going. Yeah, he’s definitely the lifeblood behind it.

Romy:
All right. Big shout out to Neil.

Rebecca:
Yeah, this goes to you. I love you, Neil.

Romy:
Let’s transition here to the bags themselves, these amazing bags. Could you just start to describe your product itself?

Rebecca:
Yeah. They’re leather and fabric combination bags. Some of our bags can be made with all leather, but none of them can be made with just fabric. There’s leather somewhere on every bag. Everything is custom and made to order. Our website is interactive. You go on our website, and you pick a style of bag that you really like. We have over forty-five fabrics and three leather colors that you can click on, and see them pop up on this white sketch of a bag, and all sorts of combinations. I haven’t sat down and do the math to think about how many actual combinations of bags you could create on our website, but you’re essentially creating a one-of-a-kind piece. Then, it’s made to order with about a two to three-week turnaround time.
As we...]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1549Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:00:39 -040035:32falsefullRomy interviews Rebecca Smith with Better Life Bags in Hamtramck of Detroit. Hear the incredible story of how she launched a business of making custom handbags hand-sewn by local women who had previously had cultural barriers to employment. Rebecca shares how she grew, used social media, and created dynamic relationships with her now 16 employees~Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Detroit Horse Power#48Detroit Horse Power founder and equestrian, David Silver, is interviewed by Romy. Learn about the passion for children behind the vision and the expansive potential impact of this great social enterprise!

 

Full transcript

Romy: Let’s get started. David, will you first tell us about Detroit Horse Power? Then, we’ll dive back into the history.

David: Sure. Detroit Horse Power is a nonprofit I started to expand opportunities for kids who live in the City of Detroit by teaching them valuable life lessons through riding and caring for horses. Our long-term goal is to combine this powerful youth development opportunity with vacant land revitalization by building a new urban riding center on some of Detroit’s vacant land, the unused space in the city. We’ve experienced significant population decline over many decades, and it’s left a real burden on communities and turning that burden into a community asset. It’s a really exciting opportunity for our long-term plans.

Romy: That’s good. Right out of the gate, we got two really cool social missions. Here we go, the youth development with caring for horses and rehabbing the vacant land. I know you’ve got a background in horses because we’ve talked a lot. Will you take us back to how this evolved?

David: I grew up as a competitive horseback rider in Westchester, New York. The sport I grew up riding in is called Three-Day Eventing which is actually an Olympics sport. I was fortunate to have a supportive family and a horse of my own. We were able to get a lot of training, traveling, and competing, and setting goals, and working hard to achieve them. It wasn’t until later, I ended up taking a bit of a break from horses to make the most of my college experience. I went to Dartmouth.

Then, I moved to Detroit in 2012 through Teach for America. As I was seeing the tremendous needs for our kids in the City of Detroit who have so many obstacles stacked against them whether it’s unstable neighborhoods or families moving around a lot or not able to meet kids’ needs, I saw a real important need for more safe and enriching space outside of school that are giving kids skills that set them up for future success.

All of this was going on while space I had from my childhood experience with horses allowed me to reflect on the powerful ways horses have shaped who I am today. Things like the confidence that comes with riding, responsibility for another living being, and perseverance to not give up when things get hard. There’re so many powerful life lessons that horses can teach us. It became a natural next step for me to combine this powerful background in my story with my passion for expanding opportunity for Detroit to use.

Romy: That’s good. Before we go further into the social mission, what made you think about staying in Detroit to do it because there’re not horses walking around the city?

David: It’s a unique opportunity. First of all, I feel very fortunate to have been placed in Detroit. I didn’t know very much about the city, and I don’t have any family in Michigan, but I feel a very strong connection with the City of Detroit and the hardworking people who are doing incredible things to build a strong future for residents.

What became the most compelling opportunity, in my mind, is horses combine the research-based therapeutic effects for at-risk youth, among other populations, in need with a large space requirement. They’re big animals, and they take up a lot of space. In most cities, that would be a deal breaker because most cities don’t have large amounts of open space for a large riding center. In Detroit, that actually really matches a big need that’s going to help...]]>Detroit Horse Power founder and equestrian, David Silver, is interviewed by Romy. Learn about the passion for children behind the vision and the expansive potential impact of this great social enterprise!

 

Full transcript

Romy: Let’s get started. David, will you first tell us about Detroit Horse Power? Then, we’ll dive back into the history.

David: Sure. Detroit Horse Power is a nonprofit I started to expand opportunities for kids who live in the City of Detroit by teaching them valuable life lessons through riding and caring for horses. Our long-term goal is to combine this powerful youth development opportunity with vacant land revitalization by building a new urban riding center on some of Detroit’s vacant land, the unused space in the city. We’ve experienced significant population decline over many decades, and it’s left a real burden on communities and turning that burden into a community asset. It’s a really exciting opportunity for our long-term plans.

Romy: That’s good. Right out of the gate, we got two really cool social missions. Here we go, the youth development with caring for horses and rehabbing the vacant land. I know you’ve got a background in horses because we’ve talked a lot. Will you take us back to how this evolved?

David: I grew up as a competitive horseback rider in Westchester, New York. The sport I grew up riding in is called Three-Day Eventing which is actually an Olympics sport. I was fortunate to have a supportive family and a horse of my own. We were able to get a lot of training, traveling, and competing, and setting goals, and working hard to achieve them. It wasn’t until later, I ended up taking a bit of a break from horses to make the most of my college experience. I went to Dartmouth.

Then, I moved to Detroit in 2012 through Teach for America. As I was seeing the tremendous needs for our kids in the City of Detroit who have so many obstacles stacked against them whether it’s unstable neighborhoods or families moving around a lot or not able to meet kids’ needs, I saw a real important need for more safe and enriching space outside of school that are giving kids skills that set them up for future success.

All of this was going on while space I had from my childhood experience with horses allowed me to reflect on the powerful ways horses have shaped who I am today. Things like the confidence that comes with riding, responsibility for another living being, and perseverance to not give up when things get hard. There’re so many powerful life lessons that horses can teach us. It became a natural next step for me to combine this powerful background in my story with my passion for expanding opportunity for Detroit to use.

Romy: That’s good. Before we go further into the social mission, what made you think about staying in Detroit to do it because there’re not horses walking around the city?

David: It’s a unique opportunity. First of all, I feel very fortunate to have been placed in Detroit. I didn’t know very much about the city, and I don’t have any family in Michigan, but I feel a very strong connection with the City of Detroit and the hardworking people who are doing incredible things to build a strong future for residents.

What became the most compelling opportunity, in my mind, is horses combine the research-based therapeutic effects for at-risk youth, among other populations, in need with a large space requirement. They’re big animals, and they take up a lot of space. In most cities, that would be a deal breaker because most cities don’t have large amounts of open space for a large riding center. In Detroit, that actually really matches a big need that’s going to help build a strong foundation for all of the Detroit to have a strong future. Where this wouldn’t be possible hardly anywhere else in the country, horses are uniquely positioned to address two persistent problems for the City of Detroit.

Romy: Yeah, and oh my gosh, there’s so many questions I want to ask you right now because I know we’ve been talking about the need for places to store houses here too, but let’s stay on the social mission for a minute and this therapeutic piece with the kids. You’ve already done some pilots. You’re not officially open the way you want to be yet because of some ordinances and we’ll talk about that in a minute, but you’ve done some pilots, and what’s the progress or the types of things you’d like to see that the youth would experience when coming through working with horses?

David: We’ve done two pilot programs so far. Last summer, we launched with two five-day summer camps that brought a total of 18 kids from the city out to existing horse barns outside Detroit. Like you said, it’s not how we’d like to be doing things long term. Transportation becomes a big barrier to our work, but it’s the best way we can, at this point, show the interest and the impact of horses for kids in Detroit. These experiences have been really powerful, even in the short span of time because this is not something that’s regularly afforded to our kids in Detroit. The excitement, and the enthusiasm, and the recognition that this is a really special opportunity is very clear.

Then, we start to talk about the social and emotional growth that participants experience and given that it’s a pretty short time horizon, but even in the camps we did last summer, we saw a tremendous amount of self-confidence that comes with overcoming fears. A lot of our kids have not been around horses or other farm animals before and there’s a lot of anxiety that comes with these new kinds of experience, not unlike approaching a new academic topic and being really intimidated. Do I have the skills? Am I talented enough to do this? With the right kinds of support and with the natural talent that our kids in Detroit bring to the table, they can really thrive.

By the end of the week, we had everybody riding independently. Some were trotting and doing posting trot independently which is not a small feat when you’ve only ridden four times. We just have such talented kids in the City of Detroit, and I’m really excited for what the future holds. This year, we’re going to be growing to six weeks of pilot programs with a total of 75 participants as we continue to build out measurements or how powerful this can be for our kids and demonstrating what we can do in the future.

Romy: There’re some institutions that do have some measurements specific to horse therapy, right?

David: Yeah, there’s a great work being done in the field of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, which is not particularly what we’re doing. That involves having a trained mental health professional that’s helping a client achieve some therapeutic goal but there’s great work being done and best practices that we’re able to incorporate into our work. As well as really wonderful urban riding programs that are already working in other cities. You see Philadelphia has two programs. Los Angeles has about a half dozen. There’s one in Hartford, Connecticut. It’s not currently available for Detroit’s youths, and that’s what we’re working very hard to make possible.

Romy: That’s so neat. There’s a whole different language around this; I realize as you started to say “equine” and some of the other pieces that horse enthusiasts would really have down there. Sorry if I messed that up a little bit. What about the land? Let’s just go and tackle that piece for a second. Will you fill us in about maybe how much space that you need for boarding horses and riding them? What kind of space are you looking for and what issues? Let’s share with the listeners what’s happening with the ordinances and how you’re leading that?

David: We are looking for 15 to 20 acres of open space that’s located in the community that supports horses as part of the neighborhood’s future. We are looking to be close to kids because transportation is a barrier in Detroit and we need to look at the environment, things like soil contamination that could be harmful to horses is a big concern. We are going through site selection right now and have about a half dozen sites that we are highly interested in, and we’re working with city officials to explore those opportunities.

The biggest hurdle though is, like you said, the city ordinance as it stands now prohibits horses and all other “livestock” in the city limits. You’re allowed to bring them in now for up to 48 hours, and there’re certain exceptions carved out for circuses and laboratory research as it turns out but there’s been a movement for the last few years to create a new urban livestock ordinance. This was actually first in the conversation around the 2012 Urban Agriculture Ordinance.

Animals were a bit more controversial, and they really needed to pass regulation to give firm legal standing to urban gardens which have been proliferating in Detroit for decades, but there are people keeping animals right now, chickens, goats, honeybees. They’re doing it because they want to make productive use of vacant land, and they want to be connected to where their food comes, and they want the educational benefits of the powerful lessons we can teach our kids through these amazing animals.

The city is getting close to releasing a draft of a new Urban Livestock Ordinance, which I’ve been actively involved in. The ordinance is going to focus on smaller animals; thus, chickens, goats, rabbits, and honeybees with other animals like horses able to be approved on a case-by-case basis which makes sense to me given the large scope of our proposal and the many different considerations for keeping happy and healthy horses in an urban environment.

Romy: I know this discussion about agriculture, and horses and livestock in the city have been ongoing off and on for a while, but it seems like when you joined up here, you had a hand in raising it and elevating it a little bit because I noticed, there’s a lot of talk about it. Maybe tell us a little bit more about what specifically you’ve been doing.

David: I would say that I feel fortunate to have joined the process and the many people who are very dedicated to this issue, and feel fortunate that I joined at a really important time because this has been in development for a number of years, and the city is looking for creative solutions that take the burden of vacant land and turn it into something valuable that increases opportunity for residents.

A large scale horseback riding proposal had not been on the table. City officials have reacted very positively to what we’ve shared. Certainly, there are very legitimate concerns about nuisance, about odor, about pests, about runoff, about animal welfare, about regulatory burden, but all of those can be easily addressed, and I’ve actually written a 30-page urban horse care best practices report which I share with city officials.

My role is real to provide our elected officials with the information they need to make an informed decision to let them know that horses can provide a powerful benefit to our kids and our communities, and to stand in solidarity with the great folks that are doing this work and advocacy.

Romy: That probably ties in rally nicely to the next part as we transition into what the enterprise model might be once it gets going. Part of, I guess, the sell of the concept of the city is about the residents here are boarding horses outside of the city, right?

David: Right. As I’ve gotten to know the Metro Detroit horse community, people have tended to fall into three broad categories. Either they’re living in and around Detroit and they board their horse quite far away, up to 50 miles away that they’re commuting on a daily basis which is a huge burden on them, and their time, and their money, or they can’t stand that commute and they’ve moved further out into more rural areas of Michigan to be closer to their horse, or they’re living in Detroit because they care about the city and want to be a part of it through vitalization but they’re disconnected from their passion.

Creating a new opportunity for people to keep their horses at a high quality and conveniently located facility is a really exciting opportunity to combine this powerful youth impact with filling a market need. By addressing this gap for boarding services, we can increase our financial sustainability so that if there were some disruption in philanthropic support for Detroit Horse Power, we would still be able to keep the lights on and keep our doors open, and keep serving youths because we have a study base of earned income that keeps us afloat.

Romy: That’s so smart. I personally know quite a few folks who put their horses out by places that I live. I live outside of the border but yeah, there’s a lot of people who complain about the commute and would love something like this. It’s got to be part of the south of the city, and they’ve got to be [inaudible [00:13:22]. I think that would be a good thing to keep more residents here locally.

David: Right. You’ve seen Mayor Duggan has defined his mayoral term about whether the city is going to shrink its population or whether it’s going to start growing. The city needs to think strategically about different ways to make Detroit a destination. It already has many wonderful attractions coming into downtown and downtown Detroit is becoming a thriving and more expensive place to be, but much of the city remains as it has been. It’s still struggling with the resources or investment that it needs to thrive. Creative solutions like an equestrian facility should be able to attract residents to come or to stay, as well as new forms of investment that can come around this really attractive place to be.

Romy: There’re obvious distribution and employment it creates and vendors around it that aren’t here right now. As you said, unless it’s a pop-up type of event, right?

David: Yeah.

Romy: Would you say since you started this concept, you and I connected, I don’t know, a couple of years ago, maybe a year and a half ago, how has the reception been as you’ve gone out and talked about this because I can just imagine for those folks who know Detroit to think about that and Detroit is really both exciting and thinking, “How in the world would that happen here?” but how has the reception been when you’ve gone out to try to raise some capital around this?

David: The support we’ve gotten has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve been very grateful for particularly folks in the Michigan horseback riding community who this really resonates with because they already know horses are good for people, and they have some connection to the City of Detroit. Using horses to benefit kids in this city is a natural thing for them to get involved with. They’ve been overwhelmed with the support of volunteers, of people willing to let us use their horse barns, or their horses, or their equipment, and also the donations that make our programs possible at this point.

Then, broadly speaking, there are many Detroiters who their have themselves a connection to horses because of a lot of times family connections in the south or have always dreamed of having access to these exciting opportunities. We’ve been building quite a broad coalition of folks that want to see horses be a part of a stronger future for Detroit.

It’s been about a year since, I think, we met at the end of the Build Social class. This is a relatively new organization. We incorporated, and we receive tax-exempt status in April of 2015. We’ve been growing quickly, and we’re fortunate to receive initial small grants and donations that allowed us to launch last year, and since then have fully funded out Summer 2016 programs, and are currently raising money to expand our impact with an afterschool pilot which will launch in the fall of 2016, and continue through spring 2017 as we begin to demonstrate what a year-round program would look like.

Even though we don’t have horses in Detroit yet, it’s very important for us to be collecting those stories and narratives, as well as the data we’re able to collect on the impact this can have for our kids. That’s been a big point of feedback we’ve gotten from some of the large philanthropic stakeholders who are supporting Detroit is they’re very excited about this idea, and they want to see a track record of demonstrated impact to get involved in a big way. We are very dedicated to proving how powerful horses can be for our kids through these pilot programs. I’m very excited to see where this is going.

Romy: How are you taking which kids get to be in the program when there are so many here?

David: We got started last year with two community partners. The first was Alternatives for Girls which is a terrific nonprofit in Southwest Detroit who took a bit of a gamble on us. We hadn’t done any programs before but were willing to. They believed in what we were doing and how this could really impact their girls. That program was really wonderful.

The second program was with former students of mine actually from Burns Elementary and Middle School on the west side of Detroit. That was doubly meaningful for me because I had left teaching to start this new social venture and that was a very difficult decision for me because my kids were always what had made teaching so important. To include them in this new work that I’m doing now really meant a lot.

Those two stakeholders helped us pick which students got to participate in our camps. Like I said, I’m very grateful that they believed in our work in our first year. As we’ve begun to show how much kids enjoy and benefit from these programs, the interest from new community partners has been really overwhelming as we look ahead to our 2016 program. We’ll be working with Alternatives for Girls and Burns again this year, as well as adding two new community partners, but there’s a list of probably a half-dozen organizations that I would love to be working with, but we just don’t have the capacity at this point. We’re looking forward to growing in the future because there certainly is a really high demand.

Romy: Yeah, I could just see this program, something Detroit really needs, desperately needs. I’m sure almost every community, now that I say that out loud, could really use a program like this. I’d like to do it for myself.

David: To back off that, like I said earlier, I feel very fortunate that I got to grow up around horses. It’s something that I consider a real privilege in my childhood. Being able to pass it on to kids who don’t have the same advantage as I grew up with is very important to me on a personal level. The work we’re doing now is directly tied to what horses have meant to me in my life.

Romy: David, just for the people who don’t know the terminology of the Three-Day Olympics, will you tell us what that was that you did and what part of your life you did that in?

David: Sure. Three-Day Eventing, it’s an Olympic sport. It’s a horse triathlon. The first part is dressage which is fancy horse dancing. It’s]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1539Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:53:58 -040035:22falsefullFormer Olympic equestrian and founder, David Silver, shares his brave and compassionate vision to make change for the Detroit youth and residents with his social enterprise, Detroit Horse Power.<br />Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Eastern Market in Detroit#47 Eastern Market Corporation in Detroit interviewed by Romy on location!  Learn about one of the oldest open-air farm markets in the United States and discover the grand plans for the expansion of food entrepreneurialism from start to scale! Romy speaks with Christine Quane about the history and expansion efforts that will sustainably serve a community!

 

 

Full transcript

Romy: Welcome to another episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise. This is Romy and today we will be listening to my interview with Christine Quane of the Eastern Market Corporation.

The Eastern Market is one of the oldest open-air farm markets in the United States. Actually, it may be the oldest, but it’s so much more than that. They’ve been incredibly innovative and observant to the needs of the neighborhood and the entrepreneurial vendors that set up shop there. As you will learn they’re building out and entire food business ecosystem that will really help the food entrepreneurs move from concept to micro-business and then all the way through into scale.

Let’s begin with our fun fuel for this episode.

Jentzen: Hey guys, this is Jentzen and here is your fun fact for this episode.

The Eastern Market is well known for collaboration and trade of food and beverage products. I found this historical collaboration on wine.

The act of cultivating wine involved the Mediterranean people from Barbarism due to the fact that they began to use barrels and bottles for the first time. They also began to work together with each other to find ways to ship and trade wine. This is how wine came to be in France. In the nineteenth century, almost all wine vines in France were destroyed by a disease called Phylloxera, which sucked the juices out of the wine vines. Soon after it was discovered that American vines were immune to Phylloxera, so the French obtained wine vines from America and began to make a hybrid wine with the remaining French vines that had survived. This is the wine that forevermore comes out of France.

Romy: As I listen to that fun fuel story, I’m amazed at how some products and services come to be. It’s so funny, we forget. There’s always some sort of collaboration in there.

Please meet Christine from the Eastern Market Corporation. Know that because this place was so booming and busting we had to go all the way downstairs and find a cellar area to do the interview so you’ll hear a little bit of an echo, but it’s just part of being on the scene in Detroit.

I’m sitting here with Christine Quane of the Eastern Market Corporation, and I’m really excited to have Christine she is such a great spokesperson for the Eastern Market. She has...]]> Eastern Market Corporation in Detroit interviewed by Romy on location!  Learn about one of the oldest open-air farm markets in the United States and discover the grand plans for the expansion of food entrepreneurialism from start to scale! Romy speaks with Christine Quane about the history and expansion efforts that will sustainably serve a community!

 

 

Full transcript

Romy: Welcome to another episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise. This is Romy and today we will be listening to my interview with Christine Quane of the Eastern Market Corporation.

The Eastern Market is one of the oldest open-air farm markets in the United States. Actually, it may be the oldest, but it’s so much more than that. They’ve been incredibly innovative and observant to the needs of the neighborhood and the entrepreneurial vendors that set up shop there. As you will learn they’re building out and entire food business ecosystem that will really help the food entrepreneurs move from concept to micro-business and then all the way through into scale.

Let’s begin with our fun fuel for this episode.

Jentzen: Hey guys, this is Jentzen and here is your fun fact for this episode.

The Eastern Market is well known for collaboration and trade of food and beverage products. I found this historical collaboration on wine.

The act of cultivating wine involved the Mediterranean people from Barbarism due to the fact that they began to use barrels and bottles for the first time. They also began to work together with each other to find ways to ship and trade wine. This is how wine came to be in France. In the nineteenth century, almost all wine vines in France were destroyed by a disease called Phylloxera, which sucked the juices out of the wine vines. Soon after it was discovered that American vines were immune to Phylloxera, so the French obtained wine vines from America and began to make a hybrid wine with the remaining French vines that had survived. This is the wine that forevermore comes out of France.

Romy: As I listen to that fun fuel story, I’m amazed at how some products and services come to be. It’s so funny, we forget. There’s always some sort of collaboration in there.

Please meet Christine from the Eastern Market Corporation. Know that because this place was so booming and busting we had to go all the way downstairs and find a cellar area to do the interview so you’ll hear a little bit of an echo, but it’s just part of being on the scene in Detroit.

I’m sitting here with Christine Quane of the Eastern Market Corporation, and I’m really excited to have Christine she is such a great spokesperson for the Eastern Market. She has helped us so many times here. This conversation is so rich it’s almost going to be hard to narrow it down. We’re going to have to come back for part two and three of the Eastern Market.

Today we want to give you listeners a feel of what the Eastern Market is in Detroit. It’s one of the oldest farm markets, as you’ll learn from Christine, and they’re doing some really cool things in exploring business and moving it forward.

Christine, will you start by giving our listeners a real broad view of what the Eastern Market even is?

Christine: The Eastern Market, we are going to be celebrating our 125th year, this year. We like to say that we are the oldest and largest public market in the country. We might share that title with one or two others, but we don’t know about them, so I think that we are the oldest and largest coming up to 125 years.

A brief history of this place, the market was run out of the city of Detroit’s Park and Rec department up until about 2006. That’s when the non-profit Eastern Market Corporation was formed. We signed a management agreement with the city of Detroit to be the [market [00:03:52] operations of the market. Since that time, we have leveraged this place to foundations, to other corporations, and other sponsors that have helped us rebuild and renovate the structures of the sheds in the area.

We were signed on by the city to manage the operations and to renovate the property, and we’ve done that. What my boss and President Dan Carmody has realized is that this place is so special that we could be doing so much more in the food sector. He is a visionary, a creative man who got the attention of a lot of the Kellogg Foundation, [Karski [00:04:34] Foundation, of others to support different ways that we could leverage this place to increase food access, to increase economic development. THat’s what we’ve been doing since he got here in 2007.

It’s an exciting place; we’re changing all the time. We’ve moved much more than just renovating sheds and managing market operations. Although, that’s the bulk of who we are, we have gotten into a lot of other things.

Romy: How big, Christine, is the layout of the place? Our listeners can probably hear; we’re down in a basement setting right now to try to find a quiet cubby to talk because this place is bustling with activity. If we go upstairs, what is the acreage of this? Some of it’s open, and some of it’s being renovated, right?

Christine: Right. The campus itself is about 14 acres. I think it’s five acres of sell-able space under five structures we call sheds. We have two of those shed buildings are indoors, and the other are open air. Between our two closed sheds, shed three and shed five, is shed four. That structure was built in the 1940’s during World War II and our next project. We hope to enclose that shed, make it open air in the nicer months but be able to be closed during the winter months as it is the main connector between our two other sheds. It will be a market hall. Above that, we looked at about 40 living spaces on top of the market. It’s a very exciting project, and that’s something that we hope to be starting in the next 18-24 months.

Romy: Would that be food vendors staying in there primarily?

Christine: It would operate just like our other market sheds on the main floor and then it would be mixed use residential housing above.

It will be interesting to see 40 different units smack dab in the middle of a market that can attract anywhere between 50-100,000 people. On a flower day weekend to 40-50 in the height of a summer day here. I think there are probably at least 40 households that would want this experience. It’ll be crazy, but it’ll be great.

Romy: This is such a destination place. I’ve spent the last 25 years in the Detroit area. Even before that, you hear about the Eastern Market from everywhere. It’s iconic and people from the suburbs and hours away, for those of you who don’t live near Detroit, will travel down on weekends.

Let’s talk about some of the histories before we go the future and what’s happening now. We know restaurateurs will come down and chefs, very early, meet deliveries. Will you give the listeners a flavor of some of that?

Christine: Eastern Market is multiple markets. The main market that the Eastern Market was founded on is our wholesale market. That runs between midnight and 6 AM, five days a week during the growing season. The growing season for the state of Michigan, for fruits and vegetables, starts around Father’s Day and goes to the end of November. With the warmer weather, we’ve had growers that’ve been here up until for first or second week of December still selling a product.

The history of the market, farmers from all over the Southeast, Michigan, Ohio, Canada, would bring their goods to Detroit. They would come to the market, jobbers, they called them back then, would set up shops around Eastern Market that then buy from these farmers and then distribute horse and buggy, then eventually in cars and then in trucks, to the neighboring places. Whatever was left over for the end of the week was then open to the public on Saturday. That’s how our Saturday market started.

Over the advent of distribution centers, and for grocery and retail, we have seen our wholesale market and the viability of that shrink a little bit as we have been on the outside of supply chains for retail and grocery. However, one of the things that make us really unique here, in Southeast Michigan, is that we do still have a great number of independent retailers that the reason they’re here is because of Eastern Market, and the reason Eastern Market still exists is because of them.

It’s a very symbiotic relationship. We like to say, here at the market, that we’ve all been eating local, before eating local was cool, because these retail grocery stores bought this product because it had an incredible shelf life, it had just been harvested the day before, higher quality as far as taste and flavor and yield. They knew they had a superior product.

Nobody really valued, at that time, that it was local or regional or what it did to the economy. It was just a better product. With being able to differentiate their stores on high quality produce allowed them to stay in business over the years. There’s a big difference between apples that are coming over in a truck over the Rocky Mountains versus ones that are grown here in Michigan. As far as shelf life and value and flavor. That’s why we continue to have a market here and the wholesale market. That continues to be a premium.

Now as we move into featuring farmers, and farmers are rock stars now, we had to see the demand for local food in the retail establishment has even been growing over the years. It’s a trend that’s not going away. When I say it’s trend, its not fad in the sense that people are getting burnt out, it just continues to grow.

That’s our wholesale market. Our Saturday market is 52 weeks a year, so we’re here every Saturday in the winter as well. We condense down into two sheds, but we do still have a great array of actual produce that is here. Some of it are things that are grown in greenhouses, in Leamington in Canada and things that are grown in greenhouses here in Michigan. A lot of it, too, is coming from dealers that are buying on the world market. This is a public market, not a farmers market. It’s an access point for fruits and vegetables for the city of Detroit. It very important that we still have lemons and limes and bananas for folks as well as produce all year around. We do have that, and it continues to go.

We also added, in 2011, a Tuesday market, which is like a smaller, scaled down version of our Saturday. It’s mostly in shed two. It’s a great open air market. We do a lot of fun programming on Tuesdays to attract people down here. It’s a fun market.

We also launched a Sunday market. We just finished up our second year of our Sunday market. We like to think of Sunday market as, if Saturday is food with a little bit of stuff, Sunday is stuff with a little bit of food. It’s Artisans. It’s your soaps and your fun stuff like that. We do a lot of fun programming, too, on Sunday. That market is growing year over year. We have the Derby Girls that come out. We have all sorts of fun things on Sundays.

We have our infamous Flower Day weekend, which attracts over 100,000 people. Which is a crazy event, but that’s super fun. It’s part of so many people in Southeast Michigan’s tradition to come down here for that day. It’s just what they do. Moms, grandmothers, it’s just a big family event, and everybody comes down it’s a point of tradition. It’s the kickoff to their summer.

Romy: It’s so beautiful too. It’s so beautiful to see that vibrancy of colors and the smells. It’s amazing.

Christine: Probably my favorite Flower Day moment is just when the sun rises because we’re here at [5:00] in the morning, to see the sunrise and the sheds explode in color is incredible. Just to see the vibrancy of everything and everyone. It just starts to come alive in those early morning hours. That’s my favorite time.

Romy: How many core employees and staff do you have, just within the Eastern Market, to pull of what you’ve said so far?

Christine: We have around 18 full-time staff members and then we have our customer service support team, they’re our security force and customer service support. We have about 10-15 of those guys as well. One of the things that’s really important for people to understand is that it’s very safe here. We have a lot of folks that are walking around that keep their eyes and ears open for any kind of trouble. If we’re here on a Saturday all of us have a radio; we’re all on the same frequency. We are constantly monitoring that. I don’t think this place would be busting with 60,000 people if it weren’t really safe.

Romy: It’s melting pot if you come down here. It’s not just the employment that creates, but the Eastern Market is surrounded by blocks, almost a fence of business around it that also benefit from all the foot traffic.

Christine: The market itself is about 14 acres, but the Eastern Market district is about 37 acres, and we are an authentic working food district in the city of Detroit. We’re at about 90% capacity of those food businesses. There are a lot of these produce houses that have been here for as long as the market has been here. Multi-generational produce houses that continue to distribute produce to restaurants and other retailers and food service outfits all over Michigan. We have Wigley’s Meats and corned beef manufacturers that have been making corned beef here for years and years.

There’s a lot of interesting food businesses that are kind of under the radar here for years and years and years. They are growing and expanding. Their need for more land and their need to grow has begun to put a challenge on the Eastern Market because we like to maintain those food businesses here. If they go away, then the character of this place changes. We want to keep them in the Eastern Market District. We may want to move them just a little bit north of us, but we want to be able to back fill food businesses in those businesses places.

We have about 25 food businesses that either want to come into Eastern Market or are looking for land to expand. It’s a great problem to have, but it’s a challenge that we’re working on right now.

We just completed a stake holder analysis of the neighborhood for a strategic plan for 2025. We asked the residents and the businesses what they wanted to see for Eastern Market in the next 25 years. We want to keep it a working food district. We want it to grow. It’s an exciting place; it’s exciting places for business.

We also just completed, for those of you not familiar, the Dequindre Cut is a rails-to-trails bike path that was expanded. It used to go from the Detroit riverfront all the way up to Gratiot Avenue. Now it runs alongside the east side of the market with an access point to the market. It’s a great path, and it improves accessibility to the market. It connects to Midtown, and it’s a great addition. That path is going to spur on more retail, more people who are going to want to live in this area, so we need to manage that for us. We want to make sure that it doesn’t become gentrified, it doesn’t lose it’s authenticity. These are things that we really are trying to make sure that we maintain a good solid balance going forward.

Romy: One of the things that I noticed, the fundraising efforts and all the strategic growth around the Eastern Market, something that struck me so much is that you guys are acutely observant about what’s happening around you and paying attention. Not just capturing the information once and moving forward, but my sense is that there’s this ongoing paying attention. I see, we talked about this earlier, that you guys are not waiting to collect every possible piece of information before you take a step, you’re just going and gathering the information then.

Christine: I would say that we’re like a 747, that we’re building as we’re flying. It is, it’s crazy. What we get to do, it’s a great job to have; we get to take chances. When we get a grant, it’s based on an idea that we think we’re going to be successful with, but we’re not 100% sure and that’s the beauty of a grant. We get to take these great chances to see if we can create a program that can work, that can sustain itself over the years.

Considering that we continue to get these grants, from the state of Michigan, from the US government, they see that we’re actually being successful. They wouldn’t continue to grant us money if we didn’t do what we said we were going to do.

It’s a great opportunity to learn, to make improvements.

One of the things that we’re really starting to do now is that we’ve gone out, we’ve created these programs, now it’s time to double back and say, “Are they really meeting the objectives that we really set out to do.”

In some cases, it didn’t do what we thought it was going to do, but it ended up doing something unexpected and great and still worth while. Take our Farm Stamp program. We started that program as a food access program and a way to get produce into different neighborhoods. We call it our farm stamp or mobile pop-up market. In that program, we have about 20 sites that we visit in the summer. One-third of those sites are corporate sites, one-third of those sites are hospital sites, and one-third of those sites are neighborhood sites.

That program started out of the back of my bosses Subaru and had migrated into three veggie vans, a bus hauling food all over...]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1533Thu, 31 Mar 2016 16:40:29 -040040:44falsefullEastern Market Corporation in Detroit interviewed by Romy on location! Learn about one of the oldest open-air farm markets in the United States and discover the grand plans for the expansion of food entrepreneurialism from start to scale! Romy speaks with Christine Quane about the history and expansion efforts that will sustainably serve a community!Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Assemble Sound of Detroit Artist Collaboration#46Assemble Sound with Garret Koehler 

Listen in as Romy interviews Garret Koehler about newly launched Assemble Sound in Detroit. Garret and his founder team share how they began to catalog music and how they created a central collaboration space in an old abandoned church.

Full transcript here:

Romy: Welcome to another episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise. This episode is another inspiring story of someone identifying a need and doing something about it. Today you’ll meet Garret Koehler of Assemble Sound. As you will learn, Garret observed that the local music artists of Detroit were not easily collaborating, and in many cases leaving town to find places to produce music elsewhere.

He discovered quickly that there’s an enormous amount of talent in the Detroit market, and was able to come up with a concept to bring them all together. By the way, all of the music you hear on this podcast show, from the openers, all the transition sounds, and the songs we play at the end are all from Detroit artists, curated by Assemble Sound.

One more thing that I think is just really sassy is that they bought this old abandoned church and renovated it into this amazing collaborative space. It dramatically adds to the flavor of Assemble Sound when you’re there. I went there for this interview. Before we move too far, let’s see what Jentzen has prepared for us, as a fun fuel for this episode.

Jentzen: Did you know that Jacopo Peri was considered the first composer. Peri wrote the first ever opera song in the late 15th century called Daphne. Now Daphne was written for John Adams to sing, and John Adams was one of the leading figures in the contemporary opera world. Just to be clear, this is not the same John Adams who was the Second U.S. President.

Now since no music had survived from ancient Greece, Peri had to take his best guess at how music should sound. Now this story spoke to me because I feel that Assemble Sound is playing a similar role in reviving Detroit music.

Romy: Thanks, Jentzen. Interesting info for sure. I want to thank personally everyone who has been submitting guesses for the mystery sound, sending questions into the mailbag. You make the show more interesting. If you’d like to support us on Patreon, please go to our website and click the Patreon link. We have some great supplemental content there for you.

Okay. Let’s meet our guest of the episode. Garret Koehler.

Garret, will you tell us, at a real high level, first about Assemble Sound.

Garret: Yeah, I can do that. First of all, I’m just super happy to be asked to do this, and to be part of this conversation that you guys are having on an ongoing basis. I know that the conversation is high level, and you’ve had some great people on. I think that I speak for the whole [inaudible [00:02:43] community when I say that we’re just humbled and excited that you even think that were interesting or worthy to be a part of this podcast.

As far as what Assemble Sound is, it’s essentially an initiative in Detroit to more effectively connect musicians here to each other, both across genres and within genres, and then to take that more connected community, and the city of Detroit community musicians and connect it to the broader music loving world, is what we like to say. That includes listeners, who love music. It includes purchasers of music, whether they’re editors at film houses in L.A., who are trying to pick songs for a movie or a TV show, or producers at an ad agency in New York, who are trying to pick music for a commercial.

Our goal is to connect really the community here and then...]]>Assemble Sound with Garret Koehler 

Listen in as Romy interviews Garret Koehler about newly launched Assemble Sound in Detroit. Garret and his founder team share how they began to catalog music and how they created a central collaboration space in an old abandoned church.

Full transcript here:

Romy: Welcome to another episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise. This episode is another inspiring story of someone identifying a need and doing something about it. Today you’ll meet Garret Koehler of Assemble Sound. As you will learn, Garret observed that the local music artists of Detroit were not easily collaborating, and in many cases leaving town to find places to produce music elsewhere.

He discovered quickly that there’s an enormous amount of talent in the Detroit market, and was able to come up with a concept to bring them all together. By the way, all of the music you hear on this podcast show, from the openers, all the transition sounds, and the songs we play at the end are all from Detroit artists, curated by Assemble Sound.

One more thing that I think is just really sassy is that they bought this old abandoned church and renovated it into this amazing collaborative space. It dramatically adds to the flavor of Assemble Sound when you’re there. I went there for this interview. Before we move too far, let’s see what Jentzen has prepared for us, as a fun fuel for this episode.

Jentzen: Did you know that Jacopo Peri was considered the first composer. Peri wrote the first ever opera song in the late 15th century called Daphne. Now Daphne was written for John Adams to sing, and John Adams was one of the leading figures in the contemporary opera world. Just to be clear, this is not the same John Adams who was the Second U.S. President.

Now since no music had survived from ancient Greece, Peri had to take his best guess at how music should sound. Now this story spoke to me because I feel that Assemble Sound is playing a similar role in reviving Detroit music.

Romy: Thanks, Jentzen. Interesting info for sure. I want to thank personally everyone who has been submitting guesses for the mystery sound, sending questions into the mailbag. You make the show more interesting. If you’d like to support us on Patreon, please go to our website and click the Patreon link. We have some great supplemental content there for you.

Okay. Let’s meet our guest of the episode. Garret Koehler.

Garret, will you tell us, at a real high level, first about Assemble Sound.

Garret: Yeah, I can do that. First of all, I’m just super happy to be asked to do this, and to be part of this conversation that you guys are having on an ongoing basis. I know that the conversation is high level, and you’ve had some great people on. I think that I speak for the whole [inaudible [00:02:43] community when I say that we’re just humbled and excited that you even think that were interesting or worthy to be a part of this podcast.

As far as what Assemble Sound is, it’s essentially an initiative in Detroit to more effectively connect musicians here to each other, both across genres and within genres, and then to take that more connected community, and the city of Detroit community musicians and connect it to the broader music loving world, is what we like to say. That includes listeners, who love music. It includes purchasers of music, whether they’re editors at film houses in L.A., who are trying to pick songs for a movie or a TV show, or producers at an ad agency in New York, who are trying to pick music for a commercial.

Our goal is to connect really the community here and then connect that community to people outside of Detroit who love music.

Romy: Cool. If you listen to the very beginning of this episode, the music as our opener on this podcast is here from Assemble Sound. How did you originally connect all this together, Garret?

Yeah. This is a project that really found its genesis a little over a year ago. I’d been doing shows in the city, putting on shows as sort of a promoter, and I guess you’d say an organizer in the music space. We had done a pretty show with a couple of different bands. It was Passalacqua, it was Tunde Olaniran, Flint Eastwood, and a bunch of DJs around it. After the show, it was primarily Flint Eastwood that sat down with me, Flint Eastwood’s Jax Anderson and Seth Anderson and brother is a songwriter behind the group. We were talking about Detroit and the state of the music scene here, and there is, I think, an overwhelming feeling amongst the music community that this is a city that is sort of inexplicably rich in its music output.

It’s almost like no one knows why Detroit has been able to put out such great music for so many years, not just within one genre, but across so many genres. This is really an amazing place to make music. It’s a really difficult place to find sustainability as a musician. The story over time has been the great musicians from the city, essentially after Motown left. Motown was the end of the ’50s and then by ’72 Motown moved out to L.A.

After Motown had left, some of the major labels had offices here but for the most part with the downsizing of the industry, which really climaxed in the early 2000s, you had all the majors shut down their offices in Detroit, and you really didn’t have an industry presence here. What you saw was … Since Motown left, most of the major artists who have been from Detroit have found success in other cities. It made sense, I think. Think about Jack White, and him really blowing up and defining garage rock in Detroit. But he set up his Third Man Records in Nashville.

You think of Eminem, who still lives outside the city and built his whole career here. But Shady Records is based out of New York. I think it’s great for the city that both of those institutions exist and sort of represent Detroit in both national and New York. But I think it does speak to this pattern that we’ve seen in the city when it comes to musicians who really build their craft here but then have to leave to find really sustainability.

Flint Eastwood, when I sat down with him at the table, the conversation really became, is there a way we can keep them from leaving, from going to L.A., from going to Nashville, from going to New York, and the short answer was, we’re not sure. But we thought the one thing that we know to be true about the scene that we think would be a starting point would be to address the fact that the music scene in Detroit, though being very rich, is very fragmented.

You have a lot of artists across genres, doing really amazing things, musically, but they’re sort of working in isolation from one another. You have all of these different people excelling in their own genres, but they’re not working together, they’re not necessarily sharing knowledge, and the idea was could we create an environment that facilitated artist development simply by creating a space that convened musicians, that convene them to be creative, that convene them to learn together.

We committed, I think, during that moment of let’s do this and decided to call it Assemble Sound at the time, I was doing shows behind the brand name Assemble. I decided let’s focus Assemble’s mission and make it all about music, let’s make it really targeted. What we did is we said we’re going to commit Assemble to that broad mission and then obviously the next question is, all right, we’ve got sort of vision at a really high level of what we want to do. But how do we do that? What do we actually do to connect Detroit musicians to each other? The idea was to build a music studio that facilitates collaborative songwriting between musicians across genres in the city, and have that space be small enough to be conducive to recording, but big enough to also double as a community space, a space where we could bring musicians in for album preview listening sessions where you all sit down and listen to sort of the rough mixes for a new album, and you can all give feedback on it.

The idea was really a space that holds musicians out of their home studios, out of their practice spaces, not permanently. They’re still going to work in their home studios. You don’t need to go to a multimillion dollar studio anymore to make music. But a space that had a community that incentivizes people to get out of their home studios and then sent them back into the studios a little bit more informed and more connected. I think that we’re still waiting to see what the impact of a more connected music community in the city could mean. But I think the underlying potential of creating a big music community across a genre that sort of works in concert with one another is huge because the music industry has been one of the most complicated industries in the world for so long. But actually, it might be the most simple industry when you just reduce it to its most simple form, which is people making music and building an audience and that they’re trying to do it sustainably. They’re usually trying to figure out a way to monetize their relationship with their audience.

If music and the industry are just about creating and building an audience, the question is how do you build an audience. Most of the time you build an audience by finding outlets for your work. In the digital age, outlets for your work can just mean other musicians who are tweeting about your work, or sharing your work on any sort of social media outlet or taking your work and remixing it and posting it on a digital distribution channel like SoundCloud. It’s like you start to leverage each other’s audiences to build each other’s audiences up.

Historically, it’s been a much more top to bottom process of just hopefully getting signed to a label who has access to these major distribution channels like radio, who can push out your music to the masses, but music reaches the masses in a very different way. It’s a much more egalitarian way, democratic way. I think that we can sort of leverage the democratization of both the creation and the consumption of music to sort of create whole new models for developing artists’ talent.

There is both a social mission to what Assemble Sound does in terms of connecting musicians; that’s first and foremost what we’re focused on. But I think there’s also a real economic effect that is always guiding the way that we’re thinking about it. Sometimes I call working class musicians, WCM, how do we create more working class musicians in the city of Detroit. That’s the other thing that we’re focused on. We don’t run the studio like a typical recording studio, as a business. We try to create opportunities for artists in the city by connecting them with licensing opportunities, or essentially placing music in either TV shows or film or commercial advertising. But again we have a catalog of music that instead of just being like any music from around the country we’ll put in this catalog and shop it around to producers; we’re very very focused on building a catalog that ranges from techno to punk, but shares a geography right. It’s all sort of southeast Michigan artists because the idea then is that when you approach the ad agency you can say when you spend money with us on music, you’re directly impacting the creative community that you build your business in.

When you’re talking to an ad agency they’re thinking about, man how do I hire a Michigan grad to come to Detroit instead of going to Chicago. Well, part of that sell is Detroit’s got an amazing arts scene. If you’re an ad agency, I think you actually have a responsibility both to yourself and to your community to invest in the creative community that you exist in. I’m not asking you to do it altruistically. I’m saying one, the music is as good as any music you’re going to get from anywhere else, and two by putting an extra $3000 into an artist’s pocket because you use their song in a 15-second Instagram spot. What you’ve done is given them the money they need to bolster their live show, which is the show that your employee is going to go see on the weekend.

The whole Assemble is very much about building that community, but I think that we’re also conscious of the fact that you need to inject that community with capital to make it sustainable. We oftentimes talk here about closing the gap between capital and creativity within the context of community. I think I gave you a very long explanation, sorry, for the way the genesis of Assemble came in, but it was really about how do we create opportunities for local musicians in Detroit. The hypothesis was what we started with connecting each other. That’s really what we’re focused on is connecting musicians.

Romy: What gave you the idea, specifically, to catalog all artists?

Garret: The idea for the studio actually, Seth, one of the partners, his dream had been to build this studio that facilitate a collaborative songwriting because it was something he and Jax did a lot when they were down in L.A. They said, we go to four or five sessions a week, and we’d be sitting in with artists that we didn’t even know, and we’d be writing together. It was the sort of really an incredible environment where you just had to learn how to find similarities with people you can find similarities with, and it was really motivating. There was this collective sense of momentum.

He just wanted to create that in Detroit where he saw the sort of fragmentation. The original idea was you think we could get foundation funding or make this a nonprofit studio. I just believe there’s still a lot of value in music. I know it intuitively, I think you and all your listeners know it intuitively right, that music it has value. The question is, does it still have monetary value, and it does. That was sort of the realization that I had as we started talking about this was there is still money in music, and we started doing our research, and it became really clear that a lot of the money when you’re not talking about touring, when you’re not talking about live shows, most of the money music is in sync licensing, which is placing music and all the channels that I mentioned earlier, TV, film, advertising.

I actually think that opportunity is only going to grow as more and more content hits the Internet, as more and more content hits the Internet. You see channels like YouTube starting to clamp down on the illegal use of music, as more of these what were just social platforms now try to figure out how to monetize. All of the sudden they’re monetizing on music that if you haven’t got the rights to, you’re illegally making money off something.

I think the opportunities are going to grow in licensing, and we looked at sort of the marketplace for licensing, and we said, there’s a lot of companies who do it really well. But no one’s trying to really target a geography with their licensing revenue. We just thought that it would be really interesting to catalog the music of our geography.

I think Detroit might be unique in that sense. It’s why Detroit, from so many reasons, is the perfect place you’re going to find a whole rock scene here that will challenge anyone’s rock scene in terms of its quality. But then you’re going to go, and you’re going to find a whole techno scene that’s going to challenge any electronic production scene in the world.

The diversity of music you find in the city really makes it conducive to cataloging. What’s cool about Detroit is all of that music is here, and it’s here in really great quality and massive quantity. It was pretty much the first thing we started doing. We got connected with Nicole Churchill, who is now a partner here. She’s brilliant when it comes to the whole licensing in music supervision world. We just started attacking. We met with musician after musician, and we said, your hard drive sitting in the closet that could be making you money. It’s not making you any money when it sits on a hard drive in your closet.

If you don’t want to make money, cool, but if you’re interested in getting this in a catalog and having it pitched, that’s something we can do. We spent pretty much the last year building up that catalog. There’s a lot of overhead just in terms of time with us. Key wording all the music has to be key worded by genre, instrumentation, musical comparisons of bands they sound like. Essentially, anything you might search, if you needed music. You need to be able to type in a keyword, and then it’ll pull up a track in our catalog. There’s a lot of overhead.

What we’re really interested in is creating a software platform that allows artists to keyword their own music in a way that’s appropriate for licensing and then feed that data into our backend catalog. They have access to all the associated front end analytics, so if we’ve got clients, who are searching music and playing stuff on our catalog, the artists who are keyboarding and providing all that music on the back end themselves, also have access to a dashboard that would show them which tracks clients are listening to the most, and it allows them to start to tailor some of their more commercial-oriented creative work towards like what clients actually are listening to. We really are trying to build out a more artist-centric framework for licensing that’s the goal.

Romy: Let’s transition. We’re sitting in a really cool side room of a church that’s been renovated. Let’s touch on the place because you pick this out really thoughtfully around this convening notion, right. Will you give us a tour of that story?

Garret: Yeah, for sure. I think the vision was to convene musicians. It was really to convene musicians around this shared belief in creative collaboration and economic cooperation. The idea that both of those things can be a foundation for success for musicians and for the local music scene that those musicians participate in. We thought where historically have people convened around shared beliefs, in churches right. The cool thing about Detroit is there’s a ton of churches, and there’s a ton of abandoned churches and underutilized churches. I think most of your listeners probably, at this point, are aware of the narrative of Detroit in decades and decades of economic decline, and what that did to the physical landscape of the city in one of the things that anyone who drives through the city realizes that there are churches everywhere.

We realized that acoustically a church would be]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1518Thu, 24 Mar 2016 20:39:42 -040035:38falsefullListen in as Romy interviews Garret Koehler about newly launched Assemble Sound in Detroit. Garret and his founder team share how they began to catalog music and how they created a central collaboration space in an old abandoned church.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Jessica Robinson Intro: Bonfires on the Move#45Bonfires on the Move!  Technology solving mobility issues!

Meet the new host of Bonfires on the Move,  Jessica Robinson.  Jessica and Romy discuss her new segment and the types of guests she will be interviewing. As technology is used to solve mobility issues, Jessica will be bringing front-line trends and fresh ideas to our listeners. Social Enterprise has technology all over it!

 

Full transcript

Romy: So I’m talking today with Jessica Robinson for the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. It looks like we’ve had such popularity with some of the guests that she’s identified, that we’re going to start a regular segment with you, Jessica. That’s what we’re talking about today.
Jessica: Yeah, I’m so excited, Romy. I can’t wait to do this.
Romy: (Laughs) I know. Me, too. Hey, I just thought, we’d let the listeners know how we connected. You and I were guest judges at an event around social enterprise, and we connected there. And then you introduced me to one of our very popular guests from Season 1, from SPLT Fares. Do you want to tell me a little bit about what you were doing at the time?
Jessica: Yes. So, as you mentioned, we met as co-judges, and I was excited to be part of that event focused on social enterprise. But I met Anya, the founder of SPLT, uh, because she had brought her company to Detroit as part of the very first Techstars Mobility program here in the city. And when I met you and heard what you were working on and had been talking to Anya about their vision for her company, it just seemed like a perfect fit, and I had to put you two in touch.
Romy: (Laughs). Yeah, and that was such a gift because she is so great. Her whole team, they’re just tremendous. And then as you and I kept in touch, it seemed obvious that there was a lot of folks that you were identifying around this, using technology to solve mobility issues. And I think you and me just kind of organically said, “Hey, we might have enough content here. Let’s see if we can do a regular monthly episode, huh?”
Jessica: Yeah. I think it’s great. And as I started to think about the types of folks that we could bring on to the show or expose to the listeners here, I just keep getting more excited. There’s just so much happening in the space right now and attention to the way we move and get around here, not just in the US but really across the globe, that this is the perfect timing for this conversation.
Romy: Jessica, I know, just for the listeners, your bio will be online, but could you give them just a little bit of a feel of your background?
Jessica: Yeah, I’d be glad to. It’s, funny when you always try and think of telling your story of how you got to this point because there’s so many bits and pieces of my background that I really see, have brought me into this place right now and just my love for transportation and mobility. I had a chance to work at Zipcar, which is the world’s leading, car sharing organization for a number of years. I started with them all the way back in 2007 when the idea of new mobility solutions and mobility technology was still very early. And I remember many conversations at the time, people laughing or doubting that this would ever change anything here in the US.
So with Zipcar, I did a number of different things, everything from marketing to building the community membership base to, something a little more boring [sounding] but actually really interesting, which was managing parking for the company in San Francisco. And in doing so, I had a chance to get a glimpse at a different side of business, which I think comes full circle in many ways now, and that was working with city officials who were really trying to...]]>Bonfires on the Move!  Technology solving mobility issues!

Meet the new host of Bonfires on the Move,  Jessica Robinson.  Jessica and Romy discuss her new segment and the types of guests she will be interviewing. As technology is used to solve mobility issues, Jessica will be bringing front-line trends and fresh ideas to our listeners. Social Enterprise has technology all over it!

 

Full transcript

Romy: So I’m talking today with Jessica Robinson for the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. It looks like we’ve had such popularity with some of the guests that she’s identified, that we’re going to start a regular segment with you, Jessica. That’s what we’re talking about today.
Jessica: Yeah, I’m so excited, Romy. I can’t wait to do this.
Romy: (Laughs) I know. Me, too. Hey, I just thought, we’d let the listeners know how we connected. You and I were guest judges at an event around social enterprise, and we connected there. And then you introduced me to one of our very popular guests from Season 1, from SPLT Fares. Do you want to tell me a little bit about what you were doing at the time?
Jessica: Yes. So, as you mentioned, we met as co-judges, and I was excited to be part of that event focused on social enterprise. But I met Anya, the founder of SPLT, uh, because she had brought her company to Detroit as part of the very first Techstars Mobility program here in the city. And when I met you and heard what you were working on and had been talking to Anya about their vision for her company, it just seemed like a perfect fit, and I had to put you two in touch.
Romy: (Laughs). Yeah, and that was such a gift because she is so great. Her whole team, they’re just tremendous. And then as you and I kept in touch, it seemed obvious that there was a lot of folks that you were identifying around this, using technology to solve mobility issues. And I think you and me just kind of organically said, “Hey, we might have enough content here. Let’s see if we can do a regular monthly episode, huh?”
Jessica: Yeah. I think it’s great. And as I started to think about the types of folks that we could bring on to the show or expose to the listeners here, I just keep getting more excited. There’s just so much happening in the space right now and attention to the way we move and get around here, not just in the US but really across the globe, that this is the perfect timing for this conversation.
Romy: Jessica, I know, just for the listeners, your bio will be online, but could you give them just a little bit of a feel of your background?
Jessica: Yeah, I’d be glad to. It’s, funny when you always try and think of telling your story of how you got to this point because there’s so many bits and pieces of my background that I really see, have brought me into this place right now and just my love for transportation and mobility. I had a chance to work at Zipcar, which is the world’s leading, car sharing organization for a number of years. I started with them all the way back in 2007 when the idea of new mobility solutions and mobility technology was still very early. And I remember many conversations at the time, people laughing or doubting that this would ever change anything here in the US.
So with Zipcar, I did a number of different things, everything from marketing to building the community membership base to, something a little more boring [sounding] but actually really interesting, which was managing parking for the company in San Francisco. And in doing so, I had a chance to get a glimpse at a different side of business, which I think comes full circle in many ways now, and that was working with city officials who were really trying to grapple with what do we do as civic leaders when we have all of these new companies and startups coming in. They were concerned about risk and what happens to my voters if they get in an accident or what does this mean for meter revenue in my city. Lots of different questions. And I really enjoyed grappling with them together and really being on the forefront of that.
So I was with Zipcar for a number of years, and that actually led me to Detroit. I was working on a new market expansion for the company and had an opportunity to present to the company leaders a list of cities that I thought we should go to next. And much to their surprise, Detroit was one of those cities. And for me, having a chance to step back and look at North America and the places that, there was both the business opportunity but a need, Detroit was one of them that came to mind, for many reasons. And I vividly remember that presentation to the leaders around the big board room. I think our CEO probably dropped his cup of coffee on the floor.
I had a chance to see some things about the city that, maybe others haven’t yet in terms of, both the economic investment that was going on here, but again, also the need given the context with that just the broad geography, how big of a city we are here but also the availability of public transportation and just how car-dependent we are here.
So long story short, apparently I was persuasive enough to convince the company that Detroit was one of the cities that we should expand in along with much larger ones like you’ve seen in Dallas. And I was lucky enough to lead the project. It brought me to the city, and I couldn’t leave. I was here. I started to make really good friends, really good business connections. And I think the second cup of coffee that somebody dropped was when I called my boss and said, “Hey, I’d like to move to Detroit from Portland, Oregon!”
And so there’s a quite a long pause this time on the phone, and we talked through, and it made sense. That’s how I wound up in the motor city. I’ve been here for a couple of years. So again, Detroit’s Zipcar is kind of what brought me to this phase. But I think some of these roots go deeper. Before I worked at Zipcar, I actually had a chance to work in the tea importing, which is a pretty specialized segment of the world. But what I really took from that time was the company I was with was focused on fair trade and organic products. And as a young person in business, what I really learned was that you can have a viable business model but also still do good for people and the planet, and it didn’t have to be an earthy, crunchy type of a thing. It actually could make really strong business sense. So those roots very much have stuck with me throughout all of it.
And so, with those roots in mind, that kind of brings us to today, where I work focusing on innovation within organizations that are very, very large, Fortune 500, but marrying them with startups. So it could be a couple of founders with an idea all the way again to innovation and investment departments at some of the world’s leading brands. And I feel really lucky that I have the chance to see these innovators as early on and starting to piece together exactly what it means to run their business but in mobility, specifically, the impact that they want to have.
It’s a little bit about my background. If anyone is also interested to know, I absolutely love bicycling, and I think that’s a part I can’t leave out. And for me, the bike represents so much. It’s a very simple technology, but it’s been around forever. And I think if you’d think about what the bicycle means to kids, it’s one of our first tastes of freedom. And for me, I grew up in the suburbs where the bike was the first chance I got to kind of leave home and explore on my own. But I started as a bike commuter when I lived in Seattle and really believe in its potential as part of the transportation mobility solutions, for us here in the US and globally for the future. So, don’t be surprised if a bike makes its way, in here and there because I really am passionate about what the bike means.
Romy: (Laughs) That’s so great. As soon as you said that about the bicycle, I was transported back to my first bicycle that I was able to buy I remember with my babysitting money. And to me, it just represented pure freedom to move around. And what a nice circle back around because so many of these mobility issues affect people in this sort of rip-tied way. It can affect their employment. It can affect so many things including things like food access right here in Detroit.
When you talked about your last position there, and you were starting to watch a lot of this innovation, were you surprised Jessica at how many different issues technologies can solve with mobility?
Jessica: Yeah. I think so what’s interesting is entrepreneurs will believe in their technology with such passion. And I think sometimes they’d only see one piece of it. I’ve been really lucky to be involved in a number of different aspects of it. So I can see a little bit more of the system and the pieces all coming together. And I think transportation, you mentioned its access to food, its access to jobs; it ‘s actually a critical piece of our infrastructure and our lives.
And I think about the conversations that I had with people talking about car sharing, and it becomes very personal very quickly. And for some, it means saving for a vacation. For some, it means being able to go back to school. But it’s really easy to forget that in America, the numbers are actually really staggering, that transportation is actually the second largest household expense after the cost of our houses themselves. And it’s, for most people, it’s about a quarter of our income we spend on transportation if we’re in a car-dependent area.
So when you think about technology, it could be something as simple as a car that’s more fuel-efficient. That is a major savings and a major impact. It could be something that encourages us getting to work with co-workers like SPLT. Or it could be something much bigger that. We haven’t even thought of yet. That’s what I love is the overlay of the technology, the personal, and what does it mean for cities and how we plan and think about the future.

Romy: There’s so much that could be done there. I think you’re right that transportation just is in every part of our living and being in today’s world. And the timing and history for us to even be doing this particular show are amazing. And we almost couldn’t have done this ten years ago just because all of the factors weren’t lining up. People now desire to solve social issues. I find everywhere we travel around the globe, there’s such a heart to how people are turning their attention to others even though it appears as (laughs) it’s all about iPhones and my picture in this. I still find this incredible current of people turning their attention to others solving the social issues.
Is there anything that surprised you, Jessica, about what could be solved with, with the technology?

Jessica: I think things that come to mind are the enthusiasm of some of these entrepreneurs. They would probably tell you, no, nothing is unsolvable with technology. But I think that some of those bigger issues that we’re facing. We talked a little bit about household income. And that’s very personal, but you can take it to the other level, the stream of macro and global issues. And one of the things that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, given not just the recent discussions in Paris around climate change and COP21. But just air pollution and something as literally as small air particles, but how big of an impact that has on global health. And I was just reading it’s a crazy number, something like 2 million people a year in Europe and China, they actually die due to complications related to air pollution. And most of the cause of that air pollution is smog, which is really Detroit’s transportation choices.
I’m lucky enough to be here in the US where we have strong regulatory controls. But I think about transportation technology and these innovations that are happening in China and India, where it’s completely business driven, but it’s going to have a massive impact on the people there. So, I am, I guess, a technologist at heart and a hopeful at heart that these technologies can take on these big challenges. I think the flip side is we always have to consider the human impact of that because it’s very easy to prioritize technology, maybe without knowing what it’s going to do or, really have [a clear] grasp of it yet before we launch it out there.
I think about the heads-up displays in cars which make sure that we’re not looking down at our iPhones and cell phones and texting and tweeting while we’re driving. There’s a lot of technology to come, which will hopefully influence and significantly impact that way we’re getting around.

Romy: Yeah. I think I just heard of once; someone told me that they already have the technology to put podcast channels in cars, which really excites me (laughs).

Jessica: There we go. I like that one, too.

Romy: So getting back to some of those things, what are you noticing is maybe trends? Or what are you observing [right] now while we’re preparing the show in early 2016?

Jessica: Yeah. Well, oh my gosh, there’s just so much happening. I mean, literally, as we speak, companies are making announcements left and right at the Consumer Electronic Show out in Las Vegas. And it’s a little, a little bit industry insider but that show really has come to be a place where auto manufacturers of all companies are making their big launches and kind of big statements for the year. So we’ve got that going on. We have the auto show coming here to Detroit just next week.
I’m actually headed out this weekend to a little event called The Transportation Camp, which is part of the National Academy of Sciences annual meeting for their Transportation Research Board. So these are some of the top thinkers in academic jobs around the world coming together to share white papers about the research that they’re doing. But this transportation camp is kind of younger professionals, students who are working with these leaders to say, “Okay, we’ve got the white paper, we’ve got the knowledge, but how are we actually going to put something into action now?” So I’m really excited to go out and be part of those conversations there.
And then I just feel like mobility is in the news every day. It probably is because it’s my world. But there’s crazy things, too, like, we’re still learning about bike sharing here in the US, where instead of owning a bike, you can borrow one, through a program in the city. In Europe, they have cargo bike sharing so that you can, go to your local home construction store and stock up on your home supplies or pick up your kids after school. So I love, getting snippets of what’s happening in other countries and thinking about what that might mean for impact or opportunity here in the US.
It’s funny, a friend just asked me the other day, and he said, “What do you think your top mobility trends are for the year?” And I kind of thought for a minute, and I had a couple. One is data. And, in technology, it’s something we hear a lot about. Everyone wants to be a platform or create access to data as their kind of strategic business model. But I really do think this year in mobility tech; that ‘s going to come to a whole new level. And companies or government or whoever is involved that are thinking about, not just capturing data and kind of using it internally, but leveraging the numbers that the activity is creating to generate new knowledge about where people want to go, what they want to do, what they’re willing to pay, the time, whatever it is, I think data is going to be a big trend for this year.
Related to that is actually a connection between services. We started to see this for a little while between, let’s say, a parking app that can tell you where to park your car, maybe partnered with a rental car. But I actually think this year, the connection is going to come to a lot more between public and private services. We saw an announcement just the end of 2015 that lift the ride sharing. The company had partnered with [Dart] in Dallas to bring the two services together and make it more seamless. I think that’s going to be a big trend this year is a lot of different companies, groups, agencies, talking together probably in the form of data.
Bikes, I threw out just because I’m a chair for the underdog on this one. I actually do think we’ll see, especially here in the US, a lot of more focus on bikes, and bike infrastructure. And we know that in bicycling, feeling safe is a big part of people’s willingness to get out and try biking for the first time. So I’m always [inaudible [00:20:44] with bikes as I mentioned before.
And then, kind of a wild card I throw out is, it’s a little nerdy but, insurance risk, how did we quantify risk in banking? We’re starting to see different kind of ownership models come into play beyond the car sharing or bike sharing that we have today where it might be fractional ownership or lease to own. There’s a company in Africa that I saw that is actually doing kind of the lease-to-own scheme for the motorcycle [lowped], which is quite honestly bringing a new transportation option to people that never were able to afford it before, and they’re actually able to own an asset. So, we’ll see where that goes. A lot of people are looking at that.

Romy: Oh, it’s fascinating. Jessica, I’m so excited that you’re going to be leading this and picking out guests for us. Could we give a feel of some of the profile types that we might be able to get on the show this year?

Jessica: Yeah, definitely. So the more I think about it, the more types of guests come to mind. Certainly I think some folks that we will be bringing on are those entrepreneurs that are at those young companies just getting started out, working on new technologies, whether it’s some new hardware piece that might go into a car or maybe it is a new app that people are looking at using. When I talk to entrepreneurs, what I’m excited about is many of them are solving a personal problem that they encountered or they saw. But what’s really exciting is with the [Global] influence, we have founders here in the US across the world, they have those different life experiences, so they’re solving a different set of problems than the first generation of mobility innovators we’re tackling.
So, you’ve got people solving youth transportation issues, people looking at mobility in one of the original senses of the word, which is kind of physical mobility and, retirees and elder care, and what are, what are those transportation needs. So, I’m looking forward to having a broad set of entrepreneurs that are looking at solving different problems but actually bringing them to market. And I think that’s what’s cool with startups. Every time I have a chance to sit down with the founder, I’m perpetually struck by how quickly they’re able to take an idea and put some pieces into place and...]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1508Fri, 11 Mar 2016 14:48:00 -040030:53falsefullBonfires on the Move!  Technology solving mobility issues! Meet the new host of Bonfires on the Move,  Jessica Robinson.  Jessica and Romy discuss her new segment and the types of guests she will be interviewing. As technology is used to solve mobility issues, Jessica will be bringing front-line trends and fresh ideas to our listeners.…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Hopeful Harvest with Chris Nemeth serving Detroit Food Manufacturing#44

 

Chris Nemeth of Hopeful Harvest

 

Romy interviews Chris Nemeth of social enterprise Hopeful Harvest on Season 2 episode.  Chris gives an important look inside his operation and openly discusses the challenges of launching this type of endeavor and the challenges that arrive when growth happens quickly. Learn about his grand plans, the broader partnership with Forgotten Harvest, and how he has overcome by serving the food entrepreneurs in Detroit.

 

Full transcript:

Romy: Hey, thanks for tuning in. This is Romy. I’ll be your host for this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Today, I’m interviewing Chris Nemeth in Oak Park, Michigan, which is just outside the border of Detroit. Hopeful Harvest is a food manufacturing company that helps food entrepreneurs with some of the “bottlenecks” to production when you’re just starting out. You’ll learn how Chris came up with the idea to begin to use the facility and how he grew so quickly and what some of the barriers are he’s facing today. It’s a very interesting story. Before we meet our future guest, we have a little something called the Fun Facts Fuel.

Jentzen: Hey, everyone. This is Jentzen. I have some fun fuel to spark this episode. Chris from Hopeful Harvest inspired me to check out some history on some of the first types of food manufacturing. Before I tell you what I found, I have a little fun fact about chickens.

Did you know wild chickens naturally produce roughly 15 eggs per year? However, farmers have bred chickens to lay 200 to 300 eggs per year. Wow, fascinating.

Now, back to my fun fuel. Today, I would like to share with you the top 10 most significant inventions in food and drink according to Megan Garber in the September 14, 2012, article in the Atlantic magazine. Okay. Here we go with the top 10. Number 10, the plow. Number 9, grinding and milling. Number 8, selective breeding. Number 7, the process of baking. Number 6, the threshing machine. Number 5, irrigation. Number 4, the oven. Number 3, the process of canning. Number 2, the process of pasteurization and sterilization. The number 1 food and drink invention was the refrigerator. All right. That’s all, folks. Hope you enjoy the show.

Romy: Thank you, Jentzen. I want to give a shout out now to all of our patrons that are supporting us on Patreon. We appreciate you. If you’d like to support us on Patreon, please go to our website for the link to great supplemental content and connections.

All right. Let’s listen in to my interview with Chris Nemeth of Hopeful Harvest.

Welcome, Chris. Would you begin by telling us about Hopeful Harvest?

Chris: Thank you very much. Hopeful Harvest is a for-profit social enterprise that is an outgrowth from Forgotten Harvest, our non-profit. Forgotten Harvest is 1 of the largest fresh food rescue operations in the United States. We have 35 trucks that go out every day, six days a week, rescue fresh, healthy food from over 800 retail outlets. Then, we turn around and deliver that food to over 283 agencies throughout the metropolitan...]]>

 

Chris Nemeth of Hopeful Harvest

 

Romy interviews Chris Nemeth of social enterprise Hopeful Harvest on Season 2 episode.  Chris gives an important look inside his operation and openly discusses the challenges of launching this type of endeavor and the challenges that arrive when growth happens quickly. Learn about his grand plans, the broader partnership with Forgotten Harvest, and how he has overcome by serving the food entrepreneurs in Detroit.

 

Full transcript:

Romy: Hey, thanks for tuning in. This is Romy. I’ll be your host for this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Today, I’m interviewing Chris Nemeth in Oak Park, Michigan, which is just outside the border of Detroit. Hopeful Harvest is a food manufacturing company that helps food entrepreneurs with some of the “bottlenecks” to production when you’re just starting out. You’ll learn how Chris came up with the idea to begin to use the facility and how he grew so quickly and what some of the barriers are he’s facing today. It’s a very interesting story. Before we meet our future guest, we have a little something called the Fun Facts Fuel.

Jentzen: Hey, everyone. This is Jentzen. I have some fun fuel to spark this episode. Chris from Hopeful Harvest inspired me to check out some history on some of the first types of food manufacturing. Before I tell you what I found, I have a little fun fact about chickens.

Did you know wild chickens naturally produce roughly 15 eggs per year? However, farmers have bred chickens to lay 200 to 300 eggs per year. Wow, fascinating.

Now, back to my fun fuel. Today, I would like to share with you the top 10 most significant inventions in food and drink according to Megan Garber in the September 14, 2012, article in the Atlantic magazine. Okay. Here we go with the top 10. Number 10, the plow. Number 9, grinding and milling. Number 8, selective breeding. Number 7, the process of baking. Number 6, the threshing machine. Number 5, irrigation. Number 4, the oven. Number 3, the process of canning. Number 2, the process of pasteurization and sterilization. The number 1 food and drink invention was the refrigerator. All right. That’s all, folks. Hope you enjoy the show.

Romy: Thank you, Jentzen. I want to give a shout out now to all of our patrons that are supporting us on Patreon. We appreciate you. If you’d like to support us on Patreon, please go to our website for the link to great supplemental content and connections.

All right. Let’s listen in to my interview with Chris Nemeth of Hopeful Harvest.

Welcome, Chris. Would you begin by telling us about Hopeful Harvest?

Chris: Thank you very much. Hopeful Harvest is a for-profit social enterprise that is an outgrowth from Forgotten Harvest, our non-profit. Forgotten Harvest is 1 of the largest fresh food rescue operations in the United States. We have 35 trucks that go out every day, six days a week, rescue fresh, healthy food from over 800 retail outlets. Then, we turn around and deliver that food to over 283 agencies throughout the metropolitan Detroit area.

Where social enterprise got it start was that there was a sense of building on the mission that we had with Forgotten Harvest: How can we go beyond what we were currently doing and not only address the problem on a daily basis but begin putting some things in place to fix the problem long term. The idea with social enterprise was to focus on three areas. We were going to focus something with food, something with workforce development and something with product development. My goal was to go basically out and get into the community and find out where the opportunities were and what was needed in the metro Detroit area. I grew up in Detroit so for me; this is also a labor of love because there was an opportunity to get back in and make a difference.

As I talk to a lot of small food manufacturers, businesses, entrepreneurs, government officials, non-profits, for-profit businesses, what I came to understand was that one of the huge differences in Detroit was that when I was growing up, it was all auto industry. Our economy was built on the auto industry, and careers were built on the auto industry. It’s just what you did. Obviously, Detroit has gone through major changes. The reality now is the auto industry is never going to be what it was before. What Detroit has embraced is the entrepreneurial mindset and the idea of we’ve got to create new opportunities, new ventures. Food is one of the areas that’s taking off in metro Detroit.

Being that Forgotten Harvest was a fresh food oriented-type of business, I automatically was drawn to talking to people that were within the food industry. What I found was there wasn’t a lot of support out there for small food manufacturers. They were using church kitchens. They were using basically whatever they could find. A lot of these places were less than desirable. They had to work around the schedules of the facilities. What was available to them was limited. They had to haul their equipment back and forth. It just seemed to me that there was a tremendous opportunity and need there where we could make an impact. We had a warehouse. We had refrigerated storage. We had freezer storage. We had a very rudimentary processing area where volunteers come in and repack fresh food.

As I began to explore it, I got into some conversations with some great local entrepreneurs. One thing led to another. We got into discussions. I started talking to more businesses. Where we decided to go was focused initially on food processing and storage. Basically, what we were looking at when I say processing was very basic, take the fruits and vegetables that they use to make their products and wash it for them, clean it, package it, store it, refrigerate it, freeze it, whatever they needed so that they could then take it and make their product.

One of the small businesses they said you should talk to a friend of ours, Jess McClary of McClary Bros Vinegars. She’s in a situation where she’s growing her product, and she’s running out of space to do it and is looking for somebody to do processing for and maybe more. I got into a discussion with Jess. We decided we would start off with processing. Within a month, we realized that we could do more than just process for her. To make a long story short, over a period of 2 months, we went from just processing to manufacturing her product for.

What’s exciting about it was the phones started ringing. Word got out that we were looking at doing those kinds of things. I joined a lot of local organizations, talked to a lot of people. The interest started to develop to do more and more of this. The other thing that became very apparent to me was that there was a real need for a top-level commercial kitchen in the area. From a Forgotten Harvest and Hope standpoint, we went back; we talked about it, and we said, “Yes, we could build on the facility we have right now. Forgotten Harvest would make the initial investment in the facility, and then we would need a separate entity that would run it and then pay back Forgotten Harvest for the investment that they make.”

We had some discussions and decided that it was probably best to set up a separate operation or for-profit operation. I was also beginning to get some pushback from local processors who were concerned that we had found a niche that we were getting into that could potentially take business away from them. The idea was separate it from the non-profit, make it a legitimate for-profit, run it as a for-profit but always run it with the idea being that it was going to be a social enterprise. We threw around some names, and that’s where Hopeful Harvest came up. After doing some research, we decided that we would set it up as a C corp. The stock would be 100% owned initially by Forgotten Harvest, but we would run it as a separate company.

Along with being the senior director of social enterprise for Forgotten Harvest, I became the president of Hopeful Harvest. Then quite frankly, the sales background and marketing background I have kicked in. We started talking about different businesses. We started growing the business. Before you knew it, we had over 30 clients of all different types of products. While that sounds like a dream, it also can create some challenges because we found out that when you have many different products, there’s a lot of complexities that go along with that. When you’re dealing with start-up businesses or small businesses that are going from cottage to incubator stage and something beyond that, there we have a lot of ups and downs, too.

We were going to do business plans. We were going to do website development. We were going to offer them everything. After helping build a couple of business plans and develop a couple of websites, we realize we were getting spread way too thin, and we had to get focused, and we had to focus on core aspects of the business. The way we addressed that is with partners. The idea was we didn’t have the payroll to take out all this expertise, but there were a lot of people out there, a lot of small businesses out there that had this expertise that was looking for referrals and partnerships. When somebody comes to us, and he says, “Look, I have no idea how to build a business plan. I can set them up with this company, this person. They’ll work with them.” That is a value-added service that we offer, but it does not cost us anything, but it’s helping our client. We’re taking that approach and growing it that way.

Romy: That was a great history and catch-up. What are your products today? Then I know you’ve gotten some clarity. I know from talking to you and many other social entrepreneurs, sometimes clarity comes from space restrictions and things like that, things that you want to do a lot of products and services. What are the few products that you know for sure you’re doing today before we move onto some other things?

Chris: Sure. People didn’t know me [inaudible [00:10:34] because there’s 2 words they say I don’t know, one is no and one is can’t. What I learned early on was that I tried to bring in as much business as I could. If somebody came to us, I said, “Figure out a way to do.” What happened was our initial product line was very extensive. Everything from cakes to cannolis to drinking vinegars, to salad dressings and everything in between.

As I was getting my education, because I really don’t have a food background, what I learned was you have to really narrow your scope and find that sweet spot, those areas where you have like types of products that complement your skill sets and your equipment and that you feel comfortable you can meet the needs of your clients. We went and really began to trim down our commercial kitchen. We have all different types of businesses in there. They come in, they have a license, they use the kitchen. That’s the service we provide, but obviously, that doesn’t put a real strain on our personnel from a skill set standpoint.

What we did from a product standpoint is we’ve decided to focus on a couple of key areas. We focused our salad dressings. We focused our mustards, drinking vinegar, which is a unique product that I can talk about down the road. We do some hot sources right now. Those are pretty much the types of products that we’re co-packing or co-manufacturing at this time. We’ve learned to narrow that down. That helps us from an equipment standpoint; that helps us from a personnel standpoint. Again, it’s just that cold reality that hits you that you can’t be everything to everybody as much as you want to be, particularly as a social enterprise because you’ve always got that in the back of your mind, “How can I help this business, how can I help the community,” but you’ve also got to be realistic in what you can and can’t do. Those are the types of products we’re focused on right now.

Romy: Smart to laser in on a couple and do those real, real well and expand. Chris, you said some commercial businesses will come in and use the facility. Now, are they paying you per time? Or did they pay a monthly rent or membership? Will you just tell us a little bit more about that part of your revenue model?

Chris: Sure, I’m a big fan for my marketing pick, and I’m a big fan of bundling. I like to take like services or someone’s services and package them together. One of the things that I know is that if these individuals are running small businesses if they know every month what something is going to cost them, if it’s a fixed versus a variable cost, it helps them tremendously from a budgeting and planning standpoint. What we do with the commercial kitchen, we have everything in here from raw juices to popcorn. We have someone in here from France that makes lava cakes and everything in between. What we do is we determine how much kitchen time they think they’re going to need and what additional storage they may need. We have the ability here to offer refrigerated storage, freezer storage and secure dry storage.

For example, if a client says, “Look, we’re going to need the kitchen for 10 hours a week, and we’re going to need x amount of storage and we’re going to need this support,” typically it can either be broken down by an hourly rate, so we may say it’s going to be $20 an hour. Or what I like to do is say, “Okay, you’re going to be in here approximately 40 hours. You want storage. Typically, it would cost this amount if it was done ala carte. If we do the whole thing as a bundle, I can give it to you this rate on a monthly basis.” They know, and we’re trying to help these businesses.

If they’re scheduled for 40 hours, and it turns out they need 42 hours or 44 hours, we’re good with that because goodwill is a part of this, too. They know that they were going to pay x amount of dollars for that every month. We get that agreement upfront. They’re good with it. If their business grows and expands, then we can revisit whether we need to raise that rate or change the structure. Or if their business downsizes, we work with them on that.

Another thing that we do that’s unique is what we recognize was when we furnished our kitchen and our space, we tried to focus on equipment that we purchase that is universal to a number of different types of clients. What we found was because of the food background, a lot of these businesses have very specialized equipment. They have certain electrical requirements or water requirements or air requirements. We also work with them from that standpoint, too. That’s unique. There’s not a lot of people that do that. They can bring their specialized equipment in. Our people, when they know their schedule to come in, will make that equipment available to them in a designated room that has everything that they need, they can produce their product and then we’ll take that equipment when they’re done, put it back in storage for them, so they don’t have to haul it back and forth. They don’t have to worry about it from a safety and security standpoint. They love that service. That’s something we’ve learned and customized as we went along.

Romy: It seems like you’ve almost added on this almost concierge level of services that you’re paying attention to these customers. That’s really exciting. Now, that makes sense to me why you’ve picked and mastered the drinking vinegars and some of those elements because those are probably the equipment that you have right now, which is really smart. Is it too early to talk about the branding potential?

Chris: No, not at all.

Romy: Because I know you’re now going to add on another service line. Perhaps you could share some of that, what you’re able to share right now.

Chris: Sure. Yeah, absolutely. This will be part of Forgotten Harvest, but it has Hopeful Harvest tied into this as well. Basically, the idea is along the lines of Newman’s Own. Our concept is Forgotten Harvest is a very well-known name in the metro Detroit area, actually state of Michigan. We deal in fresh food, healthy food and obviously make that available in a lot of food deserts to folks who don’t have that opportunity necessarily to get at that food. What we determine was that, that why couldn’t we take that brand, that Forgotten Harvest brand, identify some partners, co-brand or brand those products, and then talk to local retailers who were very involved with at our boards, so on and so forth popular, about putting those products on their shelves.

What we do basically is we have 14 partners right now. They have certain products that they’re partnering with Forgotten Harvest. It could be a full branding. For example, a company called Mucky Duck is our salad dressing. We have four flavors of Forgotten Harvest salad dressing. They produce [sandwich [00:17:19] now, we’re going to produce, which I’ll talk about in a minute. Then we also have partners that are going to do everything from cookies to salad dressings to [gems [00:17:29] and jellies, so on and so forth. We’re building that right now. We have our partners. They have their special labels that are made that feature Forgotten Harvest item.

The way we work that agreement is that Forgotten Harvest gets 7.5% of net product sales. For that 7.5%, what the client gets is, obviously, the boost in recognition partnering with Forgotten Harvest. They certainly get the philanthropic opportunity to donate back, but also, we’ve agreed to help from a marketing standpoints. We have a whole marketing plan we put in place that we’re going to support and help these products as well. We’re starting off with 14. We’re going to have anywhere from 90 to 150 SKUs, depending on the number of products we have. We’re very excited about this.

I did want to add the other unique part of this is some of these products will actually be made by Hopeful Harvest. We’re making them with our social enterprise, and then any profits will go to...]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1499Thu, 10 Mar 2016 15:47:42 -040041:50falsefullLearn how Chris Nemeth has launched a food manufacturing social enterprise in partnership with Forgotten Harvest to help food entrepreneurs all over the Detroit and broader Michigan area. His organization grew so fast that he encountered unusual barriers which are discussed with candor. Interview by Romy KochanRomy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Mile High Workshop in Denver, Colorado#43Social Enterprise manufacturing in Denver, Colorado

Incredible interview by Romy with Jeremy Katz and Andy Magel of the Mile High Workshop in Denver Colorado.  Listen in on how Jeremy and Andy are provided jobs to those with barriers to employment all while providing critical manufacturing services to the social entrepreneurial community.  The Mile High Workshop has already assisted several businesses with their production and continues to change lives. Be Inspired!

 

 

Full transcription of the interview:

Romy:	Hey, thanks for tuning in, this is Romy and I’ll be your host for this episode on the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Today I’m interviewing Andy Magel and Jeremy Katz of the Mile High Workshop in Denver Colorado. Andy and Jeremy started Mile High Workshop to provide two things…manufacturing for social enterprises and create some employment for those with barriers to the employment. They do woodworking, glass etching and sewing all for the social entrepreneurs in their area. You will learn how they’re structured and what they’re working on now. But before we meet our featured guest, we have a little something we call the Fun Facts Fuel.
Jentzen:	Hey everyone, this is Jentzen and I have some Fun Fuel to spark this episode. The Mile High Workshop inspired me to look into the history of sewing manufacturing. I found a story of the emergence on sewing machines in Smithsonian magazine, July 14th, 2015 issue. The article is by Alex Palmer and he gives us an inside look at the battle of patents over the sewing machine.
	This battle became known as the Sewing Machine War of the mid 1800s. The Singer sewing machine, as we know today, was designed by many different inventors. It was actually Elias Howe who created the original sewing machine concept in 1846. Isaac Merritt Singer came along and made a few changes and the war began. Singer patented his own version in 1951, by then, a bunch of other inventors wanted to join the sewing machine patented war, all laying claim to part of the process. Eventually, a lawyer proposed a unprecedented idea. He proposed that everyone merge their ideas and patents and one license fee mile that they would all share. The very first patented pool was created, ending the sewing machine war of the mid-eighteen hundred.
	This is Jentzen and I will be talking to you next time.
Romy:	We appreciate you. If you would like to support us on Patreon, please go to our website for the link to great supplemental content and connections....]]>Social Enterprise manufacturing in Denver, Colorado Incredible interview by Romy with Jeremy Katz and Andy Magel of the Mile High Workshop in Denver Colorado.  Listen in on how Jeremy and Andy are provided jobs to those with barriers to employment all while providing critical manufacturing services to the social entrepreneurial community.  The Mile High Workshop has already assisted several businesses with their production and continues to change lives. Be Inspired!     Full transcription of the interview: Romy: Hey, thanks for tuning in, this is Romy and I’ll be your host for this episode on the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Today I’m interviewing Andy Magel and Jeremy Katz of the Mile High Workshop in Denver Colorado. Andy and Jeremy started Mile High Workshop to provide two things…manufacturing for social enterprises and create some employment for those with barriers to the employment. They do woodworking, glass etching and sewing all for the social entrepreneurs in their area. You will learn how they’re structured and what they’re working on now. But before we meet our featured guest, we have a little something we call the Fun Facts Fuel. Jentzen: Hey everyone, this is Jentzen and I have some Fun Fuel to spark this episode. The Mile High Workshop inspired me to look into the history of sewing manufacturing. I found a story of the emergence on sewing machines in Smithsonian magazine, July 14th, 2015 issue. The article is by Alex Palmer and he gives us an inside look at the battle of patents over the sewing machine. This battle became known as the Sewing Machine War of the mid 1800s. The Singer sewing machine, as we know today, was designed by many different inventors. It was actually Elias Howe who created the original sewing machine concept in 1846. Isaac Merritt Singer came along and made a few changes and the war began. Singer patented his own version in 1951, by then, a bunch of other inventors wanted to join the sewing machine patented war, all laying claim to part of the process. Eventually, a lawyer proposed a unprecedented idea. He proposed that everyone merge their ideas and patents and one license fee mile that they would all share. The very first patented pool was created, ending the sewing machine war of the mid-eighteen hundred. This is Jentzen and I will be talking to you next time. Romy: We appreciate you. If you would like to support us on Patreon, please go to our website for the link to great supplemental content and connections. All right, lets listen to my interview with Andy and Jeremy of the Mile High Workshop. Romy: First guys, welcome to the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Will you tell us, either Andy or Jeremy, about the Mile High Workshop? Jeremy: Sure, I’ll go ahead and kick it off. Thanks Romy. This is Jeremy and the Mile High Workshop here in Denver Colorado. As it exists today, is an employment and job training program for people who are recovering from addiction, homelessness or incarceration and we create jobs and give them jobs doing manufacturing and production of handmade goods. So, really anything that you can make with your hands, we have capacity for woodworking, we do sewing, we do laser etching, cutting. We do general assembly of jewelry and other things like that and anything that we can create a job doing, we are happy to do that. Romy: Well, and Jeremy, before we go further, are you doing it as a manufacturer or are you selling some of those products yourself? Jeremy: Yeah, we are primarily a contract manufacturers, right now small businesses in Denver who have a product and a brand and marketing and all that will outsource their production to us. So, we do small batch manufacturing and help other small businesses in Denver grow and get off the ground. Romy: And how small will you go Jeremy? A couple items? Jeremy: Officially, we had a hundred dollar minimum order size, but we do manufacturing all across the board, anything from a few items to large projects as well. Romy: Wow, that’s fabulous because that’s probably so hard to find and that’s one of the huge barriers for most entrepreneurs to get in. They can’t find somebody to help them even prototype some items to get launched. Can you take us back through the history of how this idea even came to you, to get right in the middle of the manufacturing space? Andy: Yeah, this is Andy. I’ll kind of fill the back story. We started up as a operation about a year and a half ago and when we started, we really just had the mission of creating jobs and training opportunities for people. We didn’t necessarily know what that would look like. So we started by just launching several businesses that we owned and operated and were trying to use those to create an impact on our community but we quickly realized that the output we were getting in terms of jobs was very minimal compared to what we were putting into them in terms of time and money. I just felt like, we weren’t doing things as well as we possibly could and so we kind of reevaluated what was working and wasn’t working. Well what was working was a relationship that we had started in town with a couple of photographers running a business called Artisan Obscura and they make camera accessories and they had been making them in their garage and were hoping to scale the business and grow it and needed to get out of the actual production side of things. So they partnered with us, brought all their stuff into our space, and taught us how to make their products and we started doing that, we were able to hire somebody to do that, and we kind of became their back-end to their business, which freed them up to be more creative, to develop new products, to sell more, to market more, and they really saw their business grow under that relationship. We also realized that we got to hire somebody and work with them and train them without having to sell anything or market anything and it just really seemed to be a win-win relationship. So we just kind of sought out to replicate that, and so we had a laser etching machine as a part of that relationship and we just started by trying to bring in business for that etching machine and as that grew we added on a wood shop and a sewing shop and didn’t necessarily intend to become what we are today but just kind of followed the opportunities. Romy: It seems like some things just sort of organically popped up at the need and the resources that you had. It seems like you were doing a little bit of organic matching, I would call it there. Andy: Yeah, no that’s absolutely true. I think our first fifteen to twenty customers all happened through a referral and so naturally we found ourselves with a small customer base and demand and so we decided it would be worth pursuing. I think we really operate in this space of mutual need where a small business, if they want to grow, a common bottleneck is capacity in the ability to produce goods. If you’re one or two people, you’re limited in growth just in terms of how much you can physically make and so we can step into that equation and allow a small business to grow and make more than they can produce themselves, and so that’s a win for the small business, but also allows us to hire people through that activity and we don’t have to sell or market that product or be experts in that industry, but we still get access to the employment opportunities they’re generating. Romy: Now in the state of Colorado, are there sort of funding sources or grants from your state to encourage employment? Andy: I think the state of Colorado is an excellent climate to be operating a social enterprise and I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm. There’s a lot of people who are onboard with the concept who are trying new things, who are supporting it in various ways. Financially, in terms of what the state is offering, we, being relatively new are kind of new to that landscape and are just figuring that out for ourselves. So I think, the department of corrections out here is really looking into some unique things and exploring some new ideas, which I’m really excited about, in terms of training and transitional opportunities. Looking at ways to reduce recidivism, and so I think there’s some exciting stuff on the horizon and there’s some access to funding that could become available through those avenues, but right now were a combination of kind of earned revenue and then individual donors that support our cause. Romy: Do you guys have any goals identified about what you’re trying to do in terms of how much comes in through earned revenue and donations, any targets on your mind? Jeremy: Yeah I would say our goal is definitely a hundred percent sustainable revenue stream and we believe we can hit that in the next two to three years. We have already had eight employees that are either currently with us or have gone through and have already graduated from the program. We have about twenty to twenty five clients that our revenue is derived from right now, so things are looking strong. Romy: Wow, that’s really exciting, two or three years? That’s powerful. Are you finding that the fact that you’re creating this employment is helping to make you perhaps a priority in a potential clients mind? Andy: Yeah absolutely. Jeremy: Yeah definitely. I mean, one of the great benefits I think that we can offer to our clients, other than the fact that they are able to manufacture in the United States, which is adventitious and looks good for their customer base, is that they have this whole other branding aspect where they can brand their products as being made at the Mile High Workshop, and we’re working toward branding that name so that its known throughout Colorado that the Mile High Workshop exists to meet the needs of people facing various unemployment, and products coming out of Mile High Workshop are helping to create those jobs. So it’s a win for us and it’s a win for our clients and it’s a win for their customers ultimately. Romy: Yeah and honing in on that, I think often when we are social enterprises, that are, what I call that doing the social staffing where we are typical going after those folks, that as you said have barriers to employment. Are you working with any partner agencies on life skills training or, for example, a lot of times when we’re working with social enterprises that hire folks from homelessness. There’s a certain set of issues that people group experiences like they might have to get their drivers licenses restored, they might need legal aid, they might need financial education. How are you guys handling the issues that come with some of those barrier to employment? Andy: I think there are other variables that come, it’s not a traditional business model, in a sense that were trying to find the best qualified people, we actually want people who aren’t qualified. We want to help them become qualified. So we take time out of our schedule every week to do group meetings and training’s and check-ins. We meet with everyone individually on the clock just as a part of the job, to try and set goals and provide supports. Everyone is an individual and has different needs and so we really try to custom tailor the work that we do to the people that we work with. Jeremy: And as like an add on to that, we have as part of our staff, we have a program director, who’s working on building out, sort of what you could call the life skills curriculum, so, our employees meet with her one-on-one, once a week while they’re on the clock and additionally we have group training sessions where each week there’s a different topic, maybe we cover budgeting, the next time we cover conflict book resolution. How to go out and seek other employment opportunities. Things like that, we really encourage our employees to be looking towards their next step, you know, what is the next opportunity after you’re done working here at the Mile High Workshop, to help with that transition. Romy: Powerful. Empowering as they say. Instead of enabling, right? Andy: That’s it. Romy: How do you guys decide who you’re going to hire. I think we both know you’ve been doing it long enough that there is the group that we want to hire, we see some challenges there, but then there’s also some vetting that we have to do within that category. How have you started to put together a vetting process of who you decide within a certain group? Andy: I think when you’re looking at bringing somebody on board, to me at least, it’s always this combination of, of who’s ready, who can help us? There definitely is, I guess I would say, maybe a minimum in terms of who are able to help for sure. So who can us, who’s ready and then who needs us? It’s definitely not our mission to just hire someone just for the, because they need the opportunity and that were fulfilling our mission that way, so. Jeremy: We look to be intentional about who we are hiring because we know especially, you’re coming out of incarceration, not everybody is ready for a full time job right out, so, we actually partnered to work with transitional housing programs and halfway houses to help pinpoint and refer to us the people that they believe are ready and willing to work hard, and show up to work everyday because we are a traditional business and our employees need to be here everyday, on time and work hard and they do, for sure. Romy: I think for the listeners out there too, it’s important to know that to look around to other agencies like that, because you do need, sort of that expertise interface don’t you find? Andy: Yeah, I think our success rate is dramatically higher when you can partner with another organization and so when an individual is kind of book-ended by good support at work, and that they can go home to a good environment or at least have other positive influences and healthy people in their lives, the likelihood of their success is dramatically higher. Romy: Yeah what a good point, I like that term, book-ended with support, what a great word there. So while we are still on sort of this social mission, do you guys have specific goals in your heads or formally written down that you, man wouldn’t it be great if this is how much employment we created over time. Is that part of your dialogue at all? Andy: Oh yeah absolutely, yeah, me and Jeremy are sitting in our office with a blow chart on the wall, talking about exactly that. Jeremy: Yeah, it’s our roadmap goals. We’ve talked informally about a hundred jobs within three years. Romy: Well that’s a systemic change right there. Andy: Yeah, yeah absolutely. Romy: Out of one business. Could you describe as best you could, because some of the folks don’t have access to maybe get on your website and see some samples of some of the types of products you make for your clients. Jeremy: Yeah, I’ll start in the sewing department. One of our biggest clients is a brand called mission wear, they have some really cool products actually, they take recycled vinyl banners and up-cycle them into handbags, and apparel and things like that so if you ever go to a big festival or event or a one time kind of a show that’s coming to town. Well they always do marketing advertising on these vinyl banners but what are they gonna do with those banners after the festival or event or the show ends. Well this company here in Denver, they collect them all, and they get them donated, and then they bring them to us, all the raw material, along with their handbag design, and then we do all the production for them. They’re pretty successful so, it’s a really cool product that not only is it creating a job but it’s also being environmentally friendly and sustainable with up-cycling. Romy: Wow. What else? Andy: One of our oldest customers is Artisan Obscura, where like I mentioned earlier, they make camera accessories. so, shutter buttons and hot shoot covers and all kinds of just amazing woods and different designs and so we’re able to do those on our laser etching machine and a cool part of that relationship is we not only make their product but we also fulfill their orders. So we ship everything and distribute stuff all around the world for them, so they’ve been a great...]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1480Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:36:14 -040027:42falsefullRomy interviews Andy Magel and Jeremy Katz of the Mile High Workshop manufacturer for social enterprise operations.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2: Veronika Scott of The Empowerment Plan Detroit #42   Veronika Scott Veronika Scott of The Empowerment Plan shares her missional journey of discovering her passion for creating employment for the homeless. She courageously dives into human dignity issues and leads the way for many social entrepreneurs. Get inspired! Read Full Transcript Full transcript of show here: Romy:                 Hey there. This is Romy, and I'll be your host for this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Welcome, today you will hear from the amazing Veronika Scott, who is the founder, CEO, and overall visionary of the Empowerment plan of Detroit. The Empowerment plan is an organization that employs single parents primarily, out of the homeless shelters, to sew and produce the coats that turn into sleeping bags for the homeless. She both has a product that helps the homeless, and hires the homeless. I would truly say, she does far more than just hire. She really pours into their lives. They become family there at the Empowerment plan. Now, before we get too far, let's kick off this episode with a cool, fun fact about coats from Bonfire's team member, Jentzen Mel. Jentzen:              Hey, this is Jentzen, and I have some fun fuel for your entertainment. As I was thinking about this episode, I began to research the history of coats, and found some interesting information on coat manufacturer, Eddy Bauer. Eddy Bauer came up with the idea for his lightweight down insulated jacket after almost freezing to death, steelhead fishing on the Olympic Peninsula. I found this information on Mentalfloss.com, written by Aaron McCarthy. Did you know, at age 21, Eddy Bauer was stringing tennis rackets as an entrepreneur in East Seattle, out of a small shop? His business was growing, and eventually, he gained his own storefront. Here's a short excerpt I found in the article. "The shop might have stayed a small, but successful business if not for a fishing trip Bauer took with his friend Red Carlson, a trapper from Alaska, in January 1935. The pair headed to a canyon in the Olympic Peninsula where they fished for steelhead. That cold, snowy January day, their haul was 100 pounds, and they stripped off their heavy, wool Makina jackets, climbing off the canyon in just their wool shirts and long underwear. The car was a mile away, and the 200-30 foot climb out of the river canyon was steep. As they hiked, Bauer, wet from his bag of fish and sweating profusely, began to fall behind his friend. When he reached to the top of the canyon, he stopped and leaned against a tree to rest. "He was literally falling asleep on his feet, nodding off," Berg says. All that moisture froze in the cold in the snow, and he was getting Hypothermic. He was in a bad way. He realized what he needed was really a breathable, warm jacket, that he wouldn't have to take off when he was working so strenuously in the cold. End of article. We all know Eddy Bauer went on to be one of the most successful outdoor clothing brands, and well-known for his coats. This is Jentzen, and this was your fun fuel for today. Talk to you next time. Romy:                 Cool story. You never know what inspires people. Thinking about inspiration, let's turn our attention back to Veronika. I met her some years ago when she was considering some expansion in her organization and some investment. She's truly a visionary. I want to set this up a little bit. You can go to her website and get the back-story. There're lots of videos there that you can look up and go through, and you might want to because this interview is really picking up and...]]>   Veronika Scott Veronika Scott of The Empowerment Plan shares her missional journey of discovering her passion for creating employment for the homeless. She courageously dives into human dignity issues and leads the way for many social entrepreneurs. Get inspired! Read Full Transcript Full transcript of show here: Romy:                 Hey there. This is Romy, and I'll be your host for this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Welcome, today you will hear from the amazing Veronika Scott, who is the founder, CEO, and overall visionary of the Empowerment plan of Detroit. The Empowerment plan is an organization that employs single parents primarily, out of the homeless shelters, to sew and produce the coats that turn into sleeping bags for the homeless. She both has a product that helps the homeless, and hires the homeless. I would truly say, she does far more than just hire. She really pours into their lives. They become family there at the Empowerment plan. Now, before we get too far, let's kick off this episode with a cool, fun fact about coats from Bonfire's team member, Jentzen Mel. Jentzen:              Hey, this is Jentzen, and I have some fun fuel for your entertainment. As I was thinking about this episode, I began to research the history of coats, and found some interesting information on coat manufacturer, Eddy Bauer. Eddy Bauer came up with the idea for his lightweight down insulated jacket after almost freezing to death, steelhead fishing on the Olympic Peninsula. I found this information on Mentalfloss.com, written by Aaron McCarthy. Did you know, at age 21, Eddy Bauer was stringing tennis rackets as an entrepreneur in East Seattle, out of a small shop? His business was growing, and eventually, he gained his own storefront. Here's a short excerpt I found in the article. "The shop might have stayed a small, but successful business if not for a fishing trip Bauer took with his friend Red Carlson, a trapper from Alaska, in January 1935. The pair headed to a canyon in the Olympic Peninsula where they fished for steelhead. That cold, snowy January day, their haul was 100 pounds, and they stripped off their heavy, wool Makina jackets, climbing off the canyon in just their wool shirts and long underwear. The car was a mile away, and the 200-30 foot climb out of the river canyon was steep. As they hiked, Bauer, wet from his bag of fish and sweating profusely, began to fall behind his friend. When he reached to the top of the canyon, he stopped and leaned against a tree to rest. "He was literally falling asleep on his feet, nodding off," Berg says. All that moisture froze in the cold in the snow, and he was getting Hypothermic. He was in a bad way. He realized what he needed was really a breathable, warm jacket, that he wouldn't have to take off when he was working so strenuously in the cold. End of article. We all know Eddy Bauer went on to be one of the most successful outdoor clothing brands, and well-known for his coats. This is Jentzen, and this was your fun fuel for today. Talk to you next time. Romy:                 Cool story. You never know what inspires people. Thinking about inspiration, let's turn our attention back to Veronika. I met her some years ago when she was considering some expansion in her organization and some investment. She's truly a visionary. I want to set this up a little bit. You can go to her website and get the back-story. There're lots of videos there that you can look up and go through, and you might want to because this interview is really picking up and discussing important issues she's facing today. Both in the form of opportunity and critical human issues that she's thinking through very strategically, so here we go, my interview with Veronika Scott. Veronika:           Hi Romy, I'm really excited to be here. It's always great talking to you about this, and you can find out more about the whole history of Empowerment plan on our site, but it really all started off as a class project in college, while I was studying product design at the college for creative studies, here in Detroit. What started off as designing a product to fill needs in the city of Detroit, really turned into this whole system, and organization built around the coats themselves, and how the coats aren't actually the priority. They're just a way for us to employ the people we want to employ. The coat was what I designed in college. It took me 80 hours to build the first prototype. Weeks of my life learning how to sew, while simultaneously making this coat, because what I noticed when I started the class, and all of us were kind of scrambling around as students, we had no idea how to address a need in the city of Detroit, that was actually something that we could tackle in a semester. What came up constantly was that, here, I see this person on the streets every day, and I want to do something, but I can't. I spent a lot of time in shelters, and I wouldn't say I was volunteering, I just spent time there. The one thing, the one moment that inspired the coat and the entire Empowerment plan, subsequently, was a playground that was turned into a home for somebody. Two people were living inside of a play structure that was covered in tarps and clothes, and this playground, where these two people were living, were 20 feet away from the shelter. That was just the most shocking thing in the world. Why would you build something for yourself, when somebody is literally trying to give it to you for free? I remember just snapping a couple of pictures on my phone, and walking around with some of the people that were in that shelter, and coming back a week later, only to find that the playground had been burnt to the ground in a turf war, and had been completely leveled. The two people that were living inside of it survived that incident, only to pass away a couple of years later, just from being out in the elements for so long. Essentially, that moment inspired Empowerment Plan and the coats, but everything else as well. It's like, why would you do that, why would you even risk your life to make something for yourself? Initially, as a product designer, my way of dealing with it, and figuring out how to address, because it's not the physical need, but it's the emotional need. It's this desire of wanting to take care of yourself. That this person had the pride and the drive to be independent, because when the rest of the world is trying to force them to take handouts and rely on the whims of others for everything that they need in their day to day life, these two individuals tried to take control in the best way possible, and show that they could provide for themselves, even in this small way. The coat was trying to address that emotional need of wanting to be independent, and not feeling like you're worthless because most of the handouts are used by other people, before that person gets it. It makes you feel less than everybody else, to be wearing somebody else's trash. I know that just from growing up. My parents, who are unemployed to this day, still struggle with addiction, and it's something that we still struggle with. Most people assumed that my siblings and I, we didn't have any value, because they didn't think my parents had any value. Even though my parents are very intelligent, driven people, that are in that circumstance for many different reasons, they just kind of looked at them, and then subsequently looked over us. I know what it's like to have to deal with other people's cast away objects, and have people look down at you and think that you're worthless, and all you're trying to do is prove that you're not. That's a really long, hard struggle, so when I started with Empowerment plan and spent time in that shelter, I was the only one of my friends and classmates that actually spent time there, that didn't end up running away because it is a rough shelter that got uncomfortable. This is something that I know, if it weren't for family, we would have been in shelters. We would have had that same experience, so if it can happen to my parents, it can happen to anybody. Homelessness, one, is not a defining characteristic. It doesn't define who someone is; it just tells you that they just don't have a place right now. They don't have a physical place to live, but people all the time, think it defines who that individually is as a person. When starting Empowerment plan, and spending time in that shelter, I knew, because my parents had gotten very close, but them not having a home, or them suffering from addiction, does not define who they are. If it could happen to my parents, it could happen to anybody, and that we're all a lot closer to homelessness than we'd like to think we are. That was the reason I fell in love working in the shelters and spending the time and designing the coat that was initially meant not to feel like someone else's trash, and offer a little bit of warmth, with also giving a little bit of dignity. That's why it grew into something that was just beyond making a coat but hiring a population that would need it in the first place. In a way, it was me trying to deal with and address, what I had gone through growing up, and offer that same opportunity to my own family. Romy:                 That's such a moving story. I think we can all find ourselves somewhere in that history, relating to that. For the folks listening that aren't familiar with your coat, will you tell them the functionality of this coat? Veronika:           The coat now is beautiful. When I first started, they were absolutely terrible, and I really suck at sewing, even to this day, but it is meant just to be, simply a jacket. If you look at it on the streets, you can't even tell it's anything other than just like, a regular winter coat that people walk around with. What makes it different, really two things. There is what looks like a giant, giant pocket that unfolds from the back, that then you can velcro clothes. That you can actually slide your feet into, all the way up to your knees, and velcro the front panels of the jacket to it, and it becomes a sleeping bag. Then there are two clips on the sleeves themselves of the jacket, so that when you're done with the jacket in the winter, and you're done with the sleeping bag part, you can always roll it up and use it as an over the shoulder bag. That's really important, most people deal with theft on the streets, and things like that, that they can wear it physically at all times, even in the summer, and not worry about it getting stolen. The coat itself is actually made with a lot of interesting things too. It's been really exciting to see the materials develop over time. We use recycled discontinued colors from Carhart on the outside shell; we use recycled automotive scrap from General Motors, from their door paneling. I think it's Buick, specifically. We use recycled Buick door panels, that they use as insulation in their cars, that are recycled and reprocessed, and given to us to use as insulation in the coats. Then we use quilted lining, just for extra comfort and warmth on the outside of those layers. I think it's just meant to be a very, very, very durable jacket because it's used in such extreme situations. We've made about 10,000 coats over the last 3 1/2 years. People always ask, do you just distribute in Detroit? We're like, we never just distribute in Detroit. Even the first 20 that I made, half went to Detroit, and half went to Ohio and a couple of other places, but we have actually been able to have those 10,000 coats reach out in 30 states across the US, as well as 6 Canadian provinces, and now New Zealand, Australia, and France, as far as our outreach goes. That's through, just our network of outreach groups. We don't do distribution ourselves. We just partner with the organizations that do it and have the trust and respect on the streets. That way, we've been able to have huge impact and scale at such a small organization, because we want to partner, and because we use it that way, and because we trust that the outreach groups, after we work with them, and Vet them, that they are going to give them to the people thaT really need it. They're going to know better than us, and so that's why we've been able to get our coats across the globe. Romy:                 I'm glad we've transitioned a little bit deeper into the coat, and I want to stay on the coat itself for just a minute before we go back, and talk more about some of the initiatives with the social mission, but the coat itself has such a high, high quality, because of your demand for quality. You got the coat that's going to become part of the enterprise here, and because of the high quality of the coat and the awesome functionality of the coat, people want to buy it. It started out being a donation, and all of the sudden you're starting to get all these demands over the last couple of years from what, like outdoor enthusiasts and everything, and Camel. Can you tell us about this, because this is sort of what started the conversation about potentially selling these, right? Veronika:           Yeah, so what's funny is when I first started, I got a lot of interesting responses to the coats and hiring a couple people from the shelter. It started off with getting hate mail actually because people were like, are you just helping people stay homeless, or those people are not going to work. That's literally quoted from e-mails. Like, those people, those homeless people are never going to come to work everyday. They're never going to make a sandwich, let alone a coat. We had a lot to prove when I started because nobody was doing what we're doing now. Nobody was going to shelters and hiring people. Nobody said that that population and the people that were there had any worth or value, so we were really trying to do a couple of things when I first started was, prove out, hey, we got this coat idea, can we even make it? Can we even produce this [inaudible 00:13:49], because I didn't know how to sew, and I had to find somebody on Facebook that would help teach us, so it wasn't probably the right business choice, but it was never a thought in my mind to make it somewhere else. Hiring the first couple people from the shelter, we had kind of a chip on our shoulder, that we wanted to prove that no, you can hire someone from the shelter. That there are valuable, driven, powerful individuals there, and that they're really the reason the coat has worked out, and gotten to this point. We were just trying to prove those two things, can we hire people from the shelter, and can we make this coat. As we were proving those things, and as we prove them now, we were surprised by the response after that initial first phase, like I said, of not the best and the most happy responses from everybody, when people just saw the coat and didn't understand the system. Then, people started requesting the coat just for the function of it. They wanted to buy one. We would get thousands of orders for the coats for somebody that wanted to purchase one. We had been telling them, because we were making so few, and that the demand in the US and globally, for individuals that are sleeping on the streets, or are in a disaster relief situation, the demand is so high, that every coat that we made needed to go to someone in dyer need of it. That needed this because the situation was really extreme. I cannot tell you how many people we made very angry by saying, no, you can't buy it yet. We're not there, and right now all the coats that we make, need to go out on the streets. We would get e-mails from hunters, campers, fishermen, ice fishermen, a lot of doomsday preppers, but there are people that just wanted to buy the coat, because they liked the coat, and they had no idea about the social side, whatsoever. They're like, I want to buy this coat that turns into a sleeping bag, that's light, and meant to be very, very, very durable, and also, withstand very cold temperatures. They just thought it looked cool, and so, those orders have never stopped coming in. I thought it would just be with waves of press that we had gotten, and then it would die down once people understood more of what we were doing, and frankly, the more effective we've been in hiring and employment, and the more that we've done in the employment space, the more the demand for the product itself, has increased. Not only do those hunting, camping, fishing people want to buy a coat for the functionality, there are those now that want to support the Empowerment Plan, and want to see us grow, and they want to do that through also wearing one of those coats. I'm secretly really excited and thrilled about the idea that there one day could be two people walking down the street and cross paths, and one person could be wearing the coat because they need it, and they have to wear it, because they have nothing else, and one person could have worn the coat because they bought it, and they liked the product, and they thought it was cool, and that these two individuals may walk past each other on the street, and you won't be able to tell who needed it and who wanted it. I think that is one of the most exciting things for me, just thinking about from a dignity standpoint, and a respect standpoint, and pride. I think that's something that I'm really excited about really trying to see if we can achieve. Romy:                 Veronika, what was your focus on making a quality product? Veronika:           We focus a lot on the quality because this can't just be a good product for people on the streets that's free. It can't just be looked at as, "Oh, that's a good product for, oh homeless people made it, oh this is good enough." That's not how I feel like a product designer. The product needs to stand on it's own. The product needs to be good, no matter what. That person that didn't pay anything for it, and couldn't afford it, needs to have just as good of quality as somebody that can afford something like that. Quality has been a big thing. We've actually, over the last nine months, have had a true focus on lean manufacturing. We've had a lean specialist come in that used to work with Toyota and Ford, and the Government, doing tanks, he came in to help us set up our system, because we're not a typical production facility. Our whole focus is learning, and just having this work place that makes you feel warm and comfortable, and supported, because everything else in the world may be chaos around you, but I want to feel like when you come into work, that at least in this space, it's not. It's not chaotic; we're there to help. For me, that was like, how do we do that, while fostering the creativity of our work force? How do we hear ideas from the team on the floor that's making the coats everyday, and hearing that, and listening to them, and improving the coat that way. It's about bringing that out through manufacturing. It sounds weird, but being able to share ideas, and innovate together as a team, is really important. That innovation isn't just me in a corner, trying to design new coats because I am not that good. I am not that good at all of this. I think the only reason the coat is where it is now, is because of that, is because of the whole team innovating together, and because the people are everyday making it, are...]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1469Thu, 25 Feb 2016 15:32:51 -040040:40falsefull   Veronika Scott Veronika Scott of The Empowerment Plan shares her missional journey of discovering her passion for creating employment for the homeless. She courageously dives into human dignity issues and leads the way for many social entrepreneurs. Get inspired!   Ending Song curated by Assemble Sound is titled Have Mercy by Eryn Allen Kane.…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursS2 – Announcement #41            Season Two Announcement for the Bonfires of Social Enterprise Podcast!   Listen in and hear about the upcoming changes and guests for Season Two. Lots of fun! ]]>            Season Two Announcement for the Bonfires of Social Enterprise Podcast!   Listen in and hear about the upcoming changes and guests for Season Two. Lots of fun! ]]>http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=1446Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:54:50 -040006:20falsefull            Season Two Announcement for the Bonfires of Social Enterprise Podcast!   Listen in and hear about the upcoming changes and guests for Season Two. Lots of fun!Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Robert Egger + LA Kitchen#40 For The Love of Social Enterprises! Bonfires Got a Boost from Robert Egger The Bonfires of Social Enterprise concludes its series of stories inspired by Romy’s recent trip to Los Angeles, and her visit with attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata, of the Sustainable Law Group. This, the final of three episodes, is about the LA Kitchen, which is founded and led by Social Enterprise cheerleader, and community kitchen pioneer, Robert Eggerr. Egger ran the DC Central Kitchen for 24 years. “Neither Food Nor People Should Ever Go To Waste.” Egger discusses California being a central hub for food, with a rich resource of people whose talents are going to waste. Egger is passionate about the LA Kitchen being a place where people of all ages and food get second chances. He and Cecily Zapata, who is co-chair of the Board of Directors of the LA Kitchen, say that the doors are open to training the culinary arts and food preparation to those who society would rather not talk about that include, but are not limited to, drug addicts, former inmates, and the homeless. He and Romy compare notes about how societies around the world, including America, have a caste system, either openly expressing a prejudice or veiled feelings about those who are seldom acknowledged in public. You’ll also hear more about Egger’s goal to have the LA Kitchen become an influence on public policy not only in Los Angeles but cities around the U.S. Egger also expresses his passion for bringing back the culture of neighbors helping a neighbor that our country had, in large part, because farms were family owned and operated. Robert, Cecily and Romy discuss the social value of this and other topics related to food. Cecily Jackson-Zapata is of counsel with the law firm that helps Robert Egger with a variety of legal issues. She also serves secretary of the Social Enterprise Alliance. Romy Gingras is the CEO and founder of Gingras Global, LLC which specializes in social enterprise assessment and development services, and Gingras Global Groups, L3C which offers investment tools for impact investors. Gingras currently serves as the chairperson of the Detroit regional chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance and has established the standard for judging the efficacy of social enterprise businesses. When you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website For The Love of Social Enterprises! Bonfires Got a Boost from Robert Egger The Bonfires of Social Enterprise concludes its series of stories inspired by Romy’s recent trip to Los Angeles, and her visit with attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata, of the Sustainable Law Group. This, the final of three episodes, is about the LA Kitchen, which is founded and led by Social Enterprise cheerleader, and community kitchen pioneer, Robert Eggerr. Egger ran the DC Central Kitchen for 24 years. “Neither Food Nor People Should Ever Go To Waste.” Egger discusses California being a central hub for food, with a rich resource of people whose talents are going to waste. Egger is passionate about the LA Kitchen being a place where people of all ages and food get second chances. He and Cecily Zapata, who is co-chair of the Board of Directors of the LA Kitchen, say that the doors are open to training the culinary arts and food preparation to those who society would rather not talk about that include, but are not limited to, drug addicts, former inmates, and the homeless. He and Romy compare notes about how societies around the world, including America, have a caste system, either openly expressing a prejudice or veiled feelings about those who are seldom acknowledged in public. You’ll also hear more about Egger’s goal to have the LA Kitchen become an influence on public policy not only in Los Angeles but cities around the U.S. Egger also expresses his passion for bringing back the culture of neighbors helping a neighbor that our country had, in large part, because farms were family owned and operated. Robert, Cecily and Romy discuss the social value of this and other topics related to food. Cecily Jackson-Zapata is of counsel with the law firm that helps Robert Egger with a variety of legal issues. She also serves secretary of the Social Enterprise Alliance. Romy Gingras is the CEO and founder of Gingras Global, LLC which specializes in social enterprise assessment and development services, and Gingras Global Groups, L3C which offers investment tools for impact investors. Gingras currently serves as the chairperson of the Detroit regional chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance and has established the standard for judging the efficacy of social enterprise businesses. When you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=358Fri, 25 Sep 2015 11:56:09 -040026:25falsefullFor The Love of Social Enterprises! Bonfires Got a Boost from Robert Egger The Bonfires of Social Enterprise concludes its series of stories inspired by Romy’s recent trip to Los Angeles, and her visit with attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata, of the Sustainable Law Group. This, the final of three episodes, is about the LA Kitchen, which…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: A Visit to LA’s Downtown Women’s Center#39 Bonfires LA-Downtown Women’s Center Made by DWC – A Few Steps off Skid Row The Bonfires of Social Enterprise continues its series of stories inspired by Romy’s recent visit to LA, and her visit with attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata, of the Sustainable Law Group. Joe Altepeter, Director of Vocational Education and Social Enterprise at the Downtown Women’s Center, or DWC, explains how the Downtown Women’s Center is helping Los Angeles’ homeless women and explains why the organization set up workshops and numerous vocational, medical and mental health programs, and housing operations in Skid Row. Skid Row is one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world as it has one of the largest populations of impoverished persons, in the world, and many movies and TV shows have been made there or have depicted the life of people who live there. In this episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, Joe provides extensive descriptions of the social enterprise operations of the DWC, called MADE by DWC. “MADE by DWC was created by the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) to break the cycles of chronic unemployment and homelessness by empowering women to discover talents and develop skills through vocational opportunities, and generate economic and social capital to support programs at DWC.” “MADE by DWC works to empower homeless and low-income women to overcome barriers to traditional and non-traditional employment, cultivate local and sustainable product design and creation, and build community in downtown Los Angeles.” You can find MADE by DWC products in higher end shops in Los Angeles, including Bloomingdales; three Hudson Newsstand locations within the terminals of LAX, or the Los Angeles International Airport; as well as the beautifully appointment shops on Skid Row. Both Romy and Cecily enthusiastically talk about the sunny, cheery layouts of the boutiques and coffee shops. The space of these MADE by DWC shops draws people who would have never thought about visiting Skid Row, pay a visit, and draws customers from nearby office buildings. Jackson-Zapata is of counsel with the law firm that helps Urbane + Galant with a variety of legal issues. She is currently serving as secretary of the Social Enterprise Alliance. Romy Gingras is the CEO and founder of Gingras Global, LLC- which specializes in social enterprise assessment and development services, and Gingras Global Groups, L3C, which offers investment tools for impact investors. Gingras currently serves as the chairperson of the Detroit regional chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance. Joe Aletepeter currently serves as the chairperson of the Social Enterprise Alliance of Los Angeles. Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Bonfires LA-Downtown Women’s Center Made by DWC – A Few Steps off Skid Row The Bonfires of Social Enterprise continues its series of stories inspired by Romy’s recent visit to LA, and her visit with attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata, of the Sustainable Law Group. Joe Altepeter, Director of Vocational Education and Social Enterprise at the Downtown Women’s Center, or DWC, explains how the Downtown Women’s Center is helping Los Angeles’ homeless women and explains why the organization set up workshops and numerous vocational, medical and mental health programs, and housing operations in Skid Row. Skid Row is one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world as it has one of the largest populations of impoverished persons, in the world, and many movies and TV shows have been made there or have depicted the life of people who live there. In this episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, Joe provides extensive descriptions of the social enterprise operations of the DWC, called MADE by DWC. “MADE by DWC was created by the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) to break the cycles of chronic unemployment and homelessness by empowering women to discover talents and develop skills through vocational opportunities, and generate economic and social capital to support programs at DWC.” “MADE by DWC works to empower homeless and low-income women to overcome barriers to traditional and non-traditional employment, cultivate local and sustainable product design and creation, and build community in downtown Los Angeles.” You can find MADE by DWC products in higher end shops in Los Angeles, including Bloomingdales; three Hudson Newsstand locations within the terminals of LAX, or the Los Angeles International Airport; as well as the beautifully appointment shops on Skid Row. Both Romy and Cecily enthusiastically talk about the sunny, cheery layouts of the boutiques and coffee shops. The space of these MADE by DWC shops draws people who would have never thought about visiting Skid Row, pay a visit, and draws customers from nearby office buildings. Jackson-Zapata is of counsel with the law firm that helps Urbane + Galant with a variety of legal issues. She is currently serving as secretary of the Social Enterprise Alliance. Romy Gingras is the CEO and founder of Gingras Global, LLC- which specializes in social enterprise assessment and development services, and Gingras Global Groups, L3C, which offers investment tools for impact investors. Gingras currently serves as the chairperson of the Detroit regional chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance. Joe Aletepeter currently serves as the chairperson of the Social Enterprise Alliance of Los Angeles. Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=349Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:11:54 -040026:38falsefullBonfires LA-Downtown Women’s Center Made by DWC – A Few Steps off Skid Row The Bonfires of Social Enterprise continues its series of stories inspired by Romy’s recent visit to LA, and her visit with attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata, of the Sustainable Law Group. Joe Altepeter, Director of Vocational Education and Social Enterprise at the Downtown…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Urbane + Gallant, Bonfires, L.A.#38 Combating Human Trafficking Through Jobs at Urbane + Gallant Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcaster Romy Gingras and Cecily Jackson-Zapata, Of Counsel with Sustainable Law Group, P.C. and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Social Enterprise Alliance, visited with the co-founder of men’s apparel company, Andrew Park of Urbane + Gallant . This men’s apparel company’s mission is to inspire men to combat global human trafficking. Urbane + Gallant is found on the web at www.urbaneandgallant.com Park talks about why modern-day slavery became his cause, and what it has to do with defining masculinity. As you listen to his conversation with Gingras and Jackson-Zapata, you’ll hear him express how he wants to atone for other men’s complicity and profiteering in human trafficking. Jackson-Zapata is of counsel with the law firm that helps Urbane + Galant with a variety of legal issues. She is currently serving as secretary of the Social Enterprise Alliance.  Romy Gingras is the CEO and founder of Gingras Global, LLC- which specializes in social enterprise assessment and development services, and Gingras Global Groups, L3C, which offers investment tools for impact investors. Gingras currently serves as the chairperson of the Detroit regional chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance. When you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Combating Human Trafficking Through Jobs at Urbane + Gallant Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcaster Romy Gingras and Cecily Jackson-Zapata, Of Counsel with Sustainable Law Group, P.C. and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Social Enterprise Alliance, visited with the co-founder of men’s apparel company, Andrew Park of Urbane + Gallant . This men’s apparel company’s mission is to inspire men to combat global human trafficking. Urbane + Gallant is found on the web at www.urbaneandgallant.com Park talks about why modern-day slavery became his cause, and what it has to do with defining masculinity. As you listen to his conversation with Gingras and Jackson-Zapata, you’ll hear him express how he wants to atone for other men’s complicity and profiteering in human trafficking. Jackson-Zapata is of counsel with the law firm that helps Urbane + Galant with a variety of legal issues. She is currently serving as secretary of the Social Enterprise Alliance.  Romy Gingras is the CEO and founder of Gingras Global, LLC- which specializes in social enterprise assessment and development services, and Gingras Global Groups, L3C, which offers investment tools for impact investors. Gingras currently serves as the chairperson of the Detroit regional chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance. When you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=317Sat, 12 Sep 2015 01:03:45 -040020:38falsefullCombating Human Trafficking Through Jobs at Urbane + Gallant Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcaster Romy Gingras and Cecily Jackson-Zapata, Of Counsel with Sustainable Law Group, P.C. and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Social Enterprise Alliance, visited with the co-founder of men’s apparel company, Andrew Park of Urbane + Gallant . This men’s apparel company’s…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Downtown Youth Boxing Gym Detroit#37 Detroit’s Place For Champion Kids The Downtown Youth Boxing Gym On this episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global we visit the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym in Detroit, Michigan. Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program executive director Jessica Hauser tells the story of the program. She tells why founder, Coach Kahli Sweeney started the boxing gym and chronicles its incredible growth in popularity and its move to much bigger facilities in downtown Detroit. The program has its fans and supporters including athletes like Tahir Whitehead of the Detroit Lions, and a couple of “stars” and Detroit natives, Madonna, and Eminem. Romy and Jessica also explore why Kahli decided that boxing was the best way to attract kids, from the ages of 7 through 18, to his gym. They also discuss how the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program helps boys and girls achieve academically and learn life skills. Much to the delight of Romy Gingras, she also learns about the business and fundraising skills that the kids are encouraged to develop. Previously the Youth Program could only accommodate 65 children when it was based in a former carwash. Now it’s in a much larger place that was once a book bindery building, and more of the 500 children on its waiting list can now be accepted into the program. So, put up your dukes and string up the gloves and listen to this episode. Then, please share it. When you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global, please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Detroit’s Place For Champion Kids The Downtown Youth Boxing Gym On this episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global we visit the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym in Detroit, Michigan. Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program executive director Jessica Hauser tells the story of the program. She tells why founder, Coach Kahli Sweeney started the boxing gym and chronicles its incredible growth in popularity and its move to much bigger facilities in downtown Detroit. The program has its fans and supporters including athletes like Tahir Whitehead of the Detroit Lions, and a couple of “stars” and Detroit natives, Madonna, and Eminem. Romy and Jessica also explore why Kahli decided that boxing was the best way to attract kids, from the ages of 7 through 18, to his gym. They also discuss how the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program helps boys and girls achieve academically and learn life skills. Much to the delight of Romy Gingras, she also learns about the business and fundraising skills that the kids are encouraged to develop. Previously the Youth Program could only accommodate 65 children when it was based in a former carwash. Now it’s in a much larger place that was once a book bindery building, and more of the 500 children on its waiting list can now be accepted into the program. So, put up your dukes and string up the gloves and listen to this episode. Then, please share it. When you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global, please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=311Wed, 09 Sep 2015 01:52:32 -040030:17falsefullDetroit’s Place For Champion Kids The Downtown Youth Boxing Gym On this episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global we visit the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym in Detroit, Michigan. Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program executive director Jessica Hauser tells the story of the program. She tells why founder, Coach…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Marion Janner United Kingdom#36 Marion who has mental illness and her support dog Buddy   Founder of Star Wards and Wardepedia The Bonfires of Social Enterprise talked to the North London based, one-woman dynamo, behind the social enterprise called Star Wards. Marion Janner and Bonfires-lady Romy Gingras, talk about how mental healthcare providers throughout the United Kingdom have come to embrace Star Wards as a benchmark for creating positive workplaces for health care practitioners, and patients. Currently, Star Wards is funded by a group of charities that are devoted to its mission. They include British-based Comic Relief, The Allen Lane Foundation, London’s Department of Health, to name but a few. Marion Janner says she’s in debt to The Guardian Newspaper, which, last year, named it as one of nine mental health-related charities in its annual Christmas charity appeal. Listen in as Romy and Marion talk about a Guardian article, “The Buddy Effect, Improving mental health treatment, one pet at a time.” Buddy isn’t just Janner’s dog, but Star Ward’s chief mascot, and honorary editor of Star Wards’ online wiki called Wardepedia , a free resource of positive ideas for change for inpatient mental health wards. Marion Jenner credits Henry Stewart, the founder of London-based business training company called Happy for validating her positive approach to empowering mental healthcare-inpatient service providers to make the changes they need to keep staff and patient morale up. A better work environment for mental health care practitioners gets better outcomes for patients. We hope you enjoy listening to this podcast. Please help us learn a little bit more about you. Take our quick survey here or more information on this an the other Bonfires podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Marion who has mental illness and her support dog Buddy   Founder of Star Wards and Wardepedia The Bonfires of Social Enterprise talked to the North London based, one-woman dynamo, behind the social enterprise called Star Wards. Marion Janner and Bonfires-lady Romy Gingras, talk about how mental healthcare providers throughout the United Kingdom have come to embrace Star Wards as a benchmark for creating positive workplaces for health care practitioners, and patients. Currently, Star Wards is funded by a group of charities that are devoted to its mission. They include British-based Comic Relief, The Allen Lane Foundation, London’s Department of Health, to name but a few. Marion Janner says she’s in debt to The Guardian Newspaper, which, last year, named it as one of nine mental health-related charities in its annual Christmas charity appeal. Listen in as Romy and Marion talk about a Guardian article, “The Buddy Effect, Improving mental health treatment, one pet at a time.” Buddy isn’t just Janner’s dog, but Star Ward’s chief mascot, and honorary editor of Star Wards’ online wiki called Wardepedia , a free resource of positive ideas for change for inpatient mental health wards. Marion Jenner credits Henry Stewart, the founder of London-based business training company called Happy for validating her positive approach to empowering mental healthcare-inpatient service providers to make the changes they need to keep staff and patient morale up. A better work environment for mental health care practitioners gets better outcomes for patients. We hope you enjoy listening to this podcast. Please help us learn a little bit more about you. Take our quick survey here or more information on this an the other Bonfires podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=305Fri, 04 Sep 2015 16:02:06 -040028:15falsefull  Founder of Star Wards and Wardepedia The Bonfires of Social Enterprise talked to the North London based, one-woman dynamo, behind the social enterprise called Star Wards. Marion Janner and Bonfires-lady Romy Gingras, talk about how mental healthcare providers throughout the United Kingdom have come to embrace Star Wards as a benchmark for creating positive…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Owen & Abbey#35 Creating Tables and Accessories from Reclaimed Lumber from Detroit and other Michigan Cities Kimberly Watts shared her story that takes the phrase, “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” to a whole new level. She explains how she added table maker and social entrepreneur to her impressive resume that includes more than 25 years in marketing, operations and financial development. She’s the owner and chief sander, wood carver and hole driller of Owen & Abbey. Watts tells Romy Gingras why she decided that she needed to take on the role of woodworker after an unhappy shopping experience for a table. Now she makes tables and an assortment of home furnishings from wood reclaimed from deconstructed homes in Detroit and Pontiac. Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global, sat across the very first table Watts created from reclaimed wood. She explained where the name Owen and Abbey came from, and the personal experiences that brought her to a new career as a social entrepreneur. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]> Creating Tables and Accessories from Reclaimed Lumber from Detroit and other Michigan Cities Kimberly Watts shared her story that takes the phrase, “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” to a whole new level. She explains how she added table maker and social entrepreneur to her impressive resume that includes more than 25 years in marketing, operations and financial development. She’s the owner and chief sander, wood carver and hole driller of Owen & Abbey. Watts tells Romy Gingras why she decided that she needed to take on the role of woodworker after an unhappy shopping experience for a table. Now she makes tables and an assortment of home furnishings from wood reclaimed from deconstructed homes in Detroit and Pontiac. Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global, sat across the very first table Watts created from reclaimed wood. She explained where the name Owen and Abbey came from, and the personal experiences that brought her to a new career as a social entrepreneur. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=301Wed, 02 Sep 2015 00:39:00 -040021:09falsefullCreating Tables and Accessories from Reclaimed Lumber from Detroit and other Michigan Cities Kimberly Watts shared her story that takes the phrase, “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” to a whole new level. She explains how she added table maker and social entrepreneur to her impressive resume that includes more than 25…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Catherine Johnson#34 Catherine Johnson, Assistant Director of the University of Michigan Center for Social Impact Catherine Johnson came home to Michigan, from Portland, Oregon, to take an important job. She’s the assistant director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Social Impact, which is “housed” at the Ross School of Business. This episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, with Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global, explores the campus-wide interest in businesses that have a social impact. Johnson and Romy discuss how Michigan graduate students, who are getting degrees in a wide variety of disciplines, participate in the Center for Social Impact programs and competitions. The concept of social impact is attractive to those pursuing degrees in law, social work as well as an MBA at the world famous Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor. Catherine Johnson and Romy Gingras also briefly touch on what it’s like to be working within the realm of Social Enterprise, even though many of their colleagues and associates didn’t understand their attraction. They feel like they are the pioneers of social impact consulting services, as both women have vast experiences in the field, both here in the United States, and abroad. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]> Catherine Johnson, Assistant Director of the University of Michigan Center for Social Impact Catherine Johnson came home to Michigan, from Portland, Oregon, to take an important job. She’s the assistant director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Social Impact, which is “housed” at the Ross School of Business. This episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, with Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global, explores the campus-wide interest in businesses that have a social impact. Johnson and Romy discuss how Michigan graduate students, who are getting degrees in a wide variety of disciplines, participate in the Center for Social Impact programs and competitions. The concept of social impact is attractive to those pursuing degrees in law, social work as well as an MBA at the world famous Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor. Catherine Johnson and Romy Gingras also briefly touch on what it’s like to be working within the realm of Social Enterprise, even though many of their colleagues and associates didn’t understand their attraction. They feel like they are the pioneers of social impact consulting services, as both women have vast experiences in the field, both here in the United States, and abroad. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=294Thu, 27 Aug 2015 19:15:55 -040019:38falsefullCatherine Johnson, Assistant Director of the University of Michigan Center for Social Impact Catherine Johnson came home to Michigan, from Portland, Oregon, to take an important job. She’s the assistant director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Social Impact, which is “housed” at the Ross School of Business. This episode of the Bonfires of…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Buckets of Rain Detroit#33 Feeding Detroit’s Food Deserts and Shelters Find out about Nine-year-Old non-profit organization Buckets of Rain. Its home base is Traverse City, Michigan. From August 20th through Sunday, August 23rd downtown Traverse City is flooded with voices, all singing one song for the benefit of Buckets of Rain, This Land is Your Land. Skellenger is leading the sing-a-long. He told Romy that after singing the same song, for about 1,000 times, he can hardly see straight. Skellenger and Romy met at a Buckets for Rain urban garden in the Highland neighborhood of Detroit, earlier this summer. If you listen carefully, you may hear the sound of the intermittent windshield wipers going across the glass of Skellenger’s truck. Romy and Chris had to dash into it during a summer storm, as they were talking amongst the raised bed vegetable garden, planted in what was the parking lot of an abandoned building. Skellenger started Buckets of Rain as part of his mission work to feed hungry people in Africa. The name of the organization comes from an irrigation device that he and a colleague device to help capture rain and irrigate arid land so that food can be grown. He tells the tale of why he set up shop in Detroit, in some of its most blighted communities, which do not have grocery stores or access to fresh fruits and vegetables. These areas are called Food Deserts. Skellenger and Gingras also talk about the impact the garden is having on nearby residents and a handful of homeless shelters run by the Detroit Rescue Ministries. You are listening to a unique episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, as the emphasis is on the Social and not the enterprise. That’s because Buckets of Rain, as of this time, has no definitive plans to transition from its status as a non-profit organization. Hence, fundraising efforts are ongoing. If you’d like to know more about the Woodie Guthrie-inspired sing-along in Traverse City from August 20th through the 23rd, you’ll find more information on the Buckets of Rain Website. If you’re nearby you should see if, after singing “This Land is Your Land” for about 1,000 times Chris Skellenger can tell the difference between a beet and a parsnip. Meantime, don’t forget to take the Bonfires of Social Enterprise poll on our home page. We need to gather that “natural data” about who is listening and downloading our stories. It won’t take but a minute of your time. Here’s where you can find us, and Gingras Global. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Feeding Detroit’s Food Deserts and Shelters Find out about Nine-year-Old non-profit organization Buckets of Rain. Its home base is Traverse City, Michigan. From August 20th through Sunday, August 23rd downtown Traverse City is flooded with voices, all singing one song for the benefit of Buckets of Rain, This Land is Your Land. Skellenger is leading the sing-a-long. He told Romy that after singing the same song, for about 1,000 times, he can hardly see straight. Skellenger and Romy met at a Buckets for Rain urban garden in the Highland neighborhood of Detroit, earlier this summer. If you listen carefully, you may hear the sound of the intermittent windshield wipers going across the glass of Skellenger’s truck. Romy and Chris had to dash into it during a summer storm, as they were talking amongst the raised bed vegetable garden, planted in what was the parking lot of an abandoned building. Skellenger started Buckets of Rain as part of his mission work to feed hungry people in Africa. The name of the organization comes from an irrigation device that he and a colleague device to help capture rain and irrigate arid land so that food can be grown. He tells the tale of why he set up shop in Detroit, in some of its most blighted communities, which do not have grocery stores or access to fresh fruits and vegetables. These areas are called Food Deserts. Skellenger and Gingras also talk about the impact the garden is having on nearby residents and a handful of homeless shelters run by the Detroit Rescue Ministries. You are listening to a unique episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, as the emphasis is on the Social and not the enterprise. That’s because Buckets of Rain, as of this time, has no definitive plans to transition from its status as a non-profit organization. Hence, fundraising efforts are ongoing. If you’d like to know more about the Woodie Guthrie-inspired sing-along in Traverse City from August 20th through the 23rd, you’ll find more information on the Buckets of Rain Website. If you’re nearby you should see if, after singing “This Land is Your Land” for about 1,000 times Chris Skellenger can tell the difference between a beet and a parsnip. Meantime, don’t forget to take the Bonfires of Social Enterprise poll on our home page. We need to gather that “natural data” about who is listening and downloading our stories. It won’t take but a minute of your time. Here’s where you can find us, and Gingras Global. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=284Fri, 21 Aug 2015 23:09:19 -040027:27falsefullThis episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise emphasises the social. Listen how faith-based and big corporations are helping Buckets of Rain feed shelters.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Give Lyrics#32 Dig the Music.Support a Movement. Make Money 24/7. April Woodard is the winner of this summer’s Start Up Weekend in Detroit, where she met Bonfires host Romy Gingras. Woodard won for presenting her latest business enterprise, called Give Lyrics. Native Detroiter, Woodard has been a part of the urban music scene for many years, as a promoter, marketing strategist and an artist representative. She’s the founder of the company, Digital Lungz and is an expert in audio and video technology. April shares with Romy the genesis of her idea for Give Lyrics. April says she created it because she’s a music fan. One of the first things she does when she goes to a concert is look for “the merch,” the T-shirts, posters, and other swag, that she can buy. But, Woodard saw a need for fans to express themselves with unique art on their apparel, and she also saw a great way to give back to the community as a whole. Give Lyrics will partner with the social-responsibility programs of music labels, and cause marketing, philanthropic programs launched by artists. Portions of each sale will go to these causes. The design of music art and purchases, of the merchandise, will be made through her new website, which is still in development. Rock-Concert goers of all ages will understand why the Give Lyrics idea is an award winning one, as April and Romy talk about how T-Shirts get passed down from generation to generation. How many of us have concert paraphernalia that we just cannot bear to throw out, or give away? If you’re a rap fan from way back, from old school, through to today you probably have seen April at performances, or have read quotes from her in Detroit area publications such as The Examiner or, you’ve read her posts on Tumblr. Bonfires Website ]]> Dig the Music.Support a Movement. Make Money 24/7. April Woodard is the winner of this summer’s Start Up Weekend in Detroit, where she met Bonfires host Romy Gingras. Woodard won for presenting her latest business enterprise, called Give Lyrics. Native Detroiter, Woodard has been a part of the urban music scene for many years, as a promoter, marketing strategist and an artist representative. She’s the founder of the company, Digital Lungz and is an expert in audio and video technology. April shares with Romy the genesis of her idea for Give Lyrics. April says she created it because she’s a music fan. One of the first things she does when she goes to a concert is look for “the merch,” the T-shirts, posters, and other swag, that she can buy. But, Woodard saw a need for fans to express themselves with unique art on their apparel, and she also saw a great way to give back to the community as a whole. Give Lyrics will partner with the social-responsibility programs of music labels, and cause marketing, philanthropic programs launched by artists. Portions of each sale will go to these causes. The design of music art and purchases, of the merchandise, will be made through her new website, which is still in development. Rock-Concert goers of all ages will understand why the Give Lyrics idea is an award winning one, as April and Romy talk about how T-Shirts get passed down from generation to generation. How many of us have concert paraphernalia that we just cannot bear to throw out, or give away? If you’re a rap fan from way back, from old school, through to today you probably have seen April at performances, or have read quotes from her in Detroit area publications such as The Examiner or, you’ve read her posts on Tumblr. Bonfires Website ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=278Tue, 18 Aug 2015 20:49:29 -040024:39falsefullDetroit music scene pro, April Woodard is the winner of this summer's Detroit StartUp Weekend contest. That's where she met Romy Gingras, of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcast. Romy and April talk about her award winning idea, called "Give Lyrics."Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Pivot Point#31 Upcycling People and Things Romy Gingras, the host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcast, visited Tim Adams, in Midland, Michigan. Midland is the home of a new program of the 1016 Recovery Network, called Pivot Point. Adams is 1016’s director of recovery enterprises. He and Romy talk about all the services Pivot Point provides those who want to recover from substance and alcohol abuse. Pivot Point provides classroom training, peer support and job-skills training. The job training comes from a shop that accepts donations of used washing machines, clothes dryers and other household appliances. That’s the social enterprise portion of Pivot Point — Upcycling stuff and keeping them out of landfills, or the side of the road and helping to train people who are considered unemployable. One can say that this Midland, Michigan storefront is “upcycling” both people and things. You can find out more about the Pivot Point via the organization’s Facebook page, or by visiting the website of its parent organization, 1016 Recovery Network. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]> Upcycling People and Things Romy Gingras, the host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcast, visited Tim Adams, in Midland, Michigan. Midland is the home of a new program of the 1016 Recovery Network, called Pivot Point. Adams is 1016’s director of recovery enterprises. He and Romy talk about all the services Pivot Point provides those who want to recover from substance and alcohol abuse. Pivot Point provides classroom training, peer support and job-skills training. The job training comes from a shop that accepts donations of used washing machines, clothes dryers and other household appliances. That’s the social enterprise portion of Pivot Point — Upcycling stuff and keeping them out of landfills, or the side of the road and helping to train people who are considered unemployable. One can say that this Midland, Michigan storefront is “upcycling” both people and things. You can find out more about the Pivot Point via the organization’s Facebook page, or by visiting the website of its parent organization, 1016 Recovery Network. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=273Wed, 12 Aug 2015 03:16:56 -040024:50falsefullUpcycling People and Things Romy Gingras, the host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcast, visited Tim Adams, in Midland, Michigan. Midland is the home of a new program of the 1016 Recovery Network, called Pivot Point. Adams is 1016’s director of recovery enterprises. He and Romy talk about all the services Pivot Point provides…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Garage Bands – Field Notes#30Field Notes and Tips – A Series of Special Lessons from The Bonfires of Social Enterprise This is another of an occasional podcast by the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, and Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, that’s filed under Field Notes and Tips. In this episode, Romy talks to social enterprise owners who worry about being a small enterprise and wonder when they can take off and grow their business, and hire more people. In previous Field Notes and Tips, Romy discusses the perils of wanting to do too much of the social part of your business and not enough of the enterprise, in Bait of the New Grape. What Are Bonfires, and why collecting data isn’t scary. We encourage you to please listen to this episode and share it, and, when you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>Field Notes and Tips – A Series of Special Lessons from The Bonfires of Social Enterprise This is another of an occasional podcast by the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, and Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, that’s filed under Field Notes and Tips. In this episode, Romy talks to social enterprise owners who worry about being a small enterprise and wonder when they can take off and grow their business, and hire more people. In previous Field Notes and Tips, Romy discusses the perils of wanting to do too much of the social part of your business and not enough of the enterprise, in Bait of the New Grape. What Are Bonfires, and why collecting data isn’t scary. We encourage you to please listen to this episode and share it, and, when you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=267Fri, 07 Aug 2015 19:50:00 -040015:21falsefullField Notes and Tips – A Series of Special Lessons from The Bonfires of Social Enterprise This is another of an occasional podcast by the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, and Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, that’s filed under Field Notes and Tips. In this episode, Romy talks to social enterprise owners who worry about being…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Bonfires-Los Angeles, A Preview#29A Short Podcast to Preview Upcoming Episodes Recorded in L.A.   This is a short podcast from The Bonfires of Social Enterprise, a preview of upcoming episodes about Romy Gingras’ visit to Los Angeles. Romy discusses the inspiring social entrepreneurs whom she met at the invitation of Cecily Jackson-Zapata of the Sustainable Law Group. Jackson-Zapata is the a director of the L.A. Kitchen, and Vice Chair of the Sustainable Enterprise Alliance of Los Angeles. Romy also had the chance to talk with Andrew Park of men’s clothier Urbane and Gallant as well as L.A. Kitchen founder and director Robert Egger. Be sure to check out our updated podcast feeds! Listen to Romy and Cecily co-interviewing Andrew Park of Urbane + Gallant, and talk about their experiences visiting Skid Row and the Downtown Women’s Center. Hear their conversation with the L-A Kitchen’s Robert Eggers. ]]>A Short Podcast to Preview Upcoming Episodes Recorded in L.A.   This is a short podcast from The Bonfires of Social Enterprise, a preview of upcoming episodes about Romy Gingras’ visit to Los Angeles. Romy discusses the inspiring social entrepreneurs whom she met at the invitation of Cecily Jackson-Zapata of the Sustainable Law Group. Jackson-Zapata is the a director of the L.A. Kitchen, and Vice Chair of the Sustainable Enterprise Alliance of Los Angeles. Romy also had the chance to talk with Andrew Park of men’s clothier Urbane and Gallant as well as L.A. Kitchen founder and director Robert Egger. Be sure to check out our updated podcast feeds! Listen to Romy and Cecily co-interviewing Andrew Park of Urbane + Gallant, and talk about their experiences visiting Skid Row and the Downtown Women’s Center. Hear their conversation with the L-A Kitchen’s Robert Eggers. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=261Wed, 05 Aug 2015 00:56:08 -040004:20falsefullA Short Podcast to Preview Upcoming Episodes Recorded in L.A.   This is a short podcast from The Bonfires of Social Enterprise, a preview of upcoming episodes about Romy Gingras’ visit to Los Angeles. Romy discusses the inspiring social entrepreneurs whom she met at the invitation of Cecily Jackson-Zapata of the Sustainable Law Group. Jackson-Zapata…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Cecily Jackson-Zapata#28 Two Sustainable Business Consultants Rapping About Social Enterprise Los Angeles Attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata Joins Romy Gingras on Bonfires In This Episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy Gingras and Los Angeles based attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata rap about the business of consulting and advising social enterprise businesses. You’ll be able to listen into a conversation between two colleagues and hear them compare notes about the struggles and scenearios that they share. Romy explains that this was supposed to be a practice recording for upcoming podcast production sessons. But, we at Flatlands Avenue Productions enjoyed the banter so much we convinced her to let us share it with her podcast subscribers. To find out more about Cecily Jackson – Zapata please click here. To learn more about B-Corps please click here. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Two Sustainable Business Consultants Rapping About Social Enterprise Los Angeles Attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata Joins Romy Gingras on Bonfires In This Episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy Gingras and Los Angeles based attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata rap about the business of consulting and advising social enterprise businesses. You’ll be able to listen into a conversation between two colleagues and hear them compare notes about the struggles and scenearios that they share. Romy explains that this was supposed to be a practice recording for upcoming podcast production sessons. But, we at Flatlands Avenue Productions enjoyed the banter so much we convinced her to let us share it with her podcast subscribers. To find out more about Cecily Jackson – Zapata please click here. To learn more about B-Corps please click here. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=250Tue, 28 Jul 2015 22:49:00 -040017:49falsefullTwo Sustainable Business Consultants Rapping About Social Enterprise Los Angeles Attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata Joins Romy Gingras on Bonfires In This Episode of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy Gingras and Los Angeles based attorney Cecily Jackson-Zapata rap about the business of consulting and advising social enterprise businesses. You’ll be able to listen into a conversation…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Play-Place for Autistic Children#27 Sterling Heights, Michigan Non-Profit Brings Community Together The Bonfires of Social Enterprise visited the non-profit social enterprise The Play-Place for Autistic Children. Host Romy Gingras talked with Shell Jones, who is President and CEO of this facility located in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Jones shared what inspired the idea for Play-Place and her goals for the future. The facility is meant to be a safe place where children and their parents are free to play, relax, and relate to those who understand the challenges of living with and raising a child on the Autism spectrum. Romy gained an understanding about the various revenue streams this social enterprise is developing, and the services they provide. Shell Jones says she looked for a place that would encourage social involvement of her son who is on the Autism Spectrum near where she lives. But, she came to the realization that the teaching by play concept place that she desired wasn’t available. So, she set out to create a special place that caters not only to the kids, but also to all members of their families. Bonfires host Romy Gingras explores the commercial and union enterprises, teachers and social scients who are donating time, treasure and talent to build The Play-Place for Autistic Children. Shell Jones can be reached via The Play-Place for Autistic Children’s website Facebook page, and on Twitter For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]> Sterling Heights, Michigan Non-Profit Brings Community Together The Bonfires of Social Enterprise visited the non-profit social enterprise The Play-Place for Autistic Children. Host Romy Gingras talked with Shell Jones, who is President and CEO of this facility located in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Jones shared what inspired the idea for Play-Place and her goals for the future. The facility is meant to be a safe place where children and their parents are free to play, relax, and relate to those who understand the challenges of living with and raising a child on the Autism spectrum. Romy gained an understanding about the various revenue streams this social enterprise is developing, and the services they provide. Shell Jones says she looked for a place that would encourage social involvement of her son who is on the Autism Spectrum near where she lives. But, she came to the realization that the teaching by play concept place that she desired wasn’t available. So, she set out to create a special place that caters not only to the kids, but also to all members of their families. Bonfires host Romy Gingras explores the commercial and union enterprises, teachers and social scients who are donating time, treasure and talent to build The Play-Place for Autistic Children. Shell Jones can be reached via The Play-Place for Autistic Children’s website Facebook page, and on Twitter For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=241Sat, 25 Jul 2015 20:46:19 -040026:39falsefullSterling Heights, Michigan Non-Profit Brings Community Together The Bonfires of Social Enterprise visited the non-profit social enterprise The Play-Place for Autistic Children. Host Romy Gingras talked with Shell Jones, who is President and CEO of this facility located in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Jones shared what inspired the idea for Play-Place and her goals for the…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Elvis & Kresse, London#26 Elvis & Kresse Make Beautiful Things Out of Discarded Fire Hoses The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras talks with Kresse Wesling, who, with her love, Elvis (James) Henrit own Elvis & Kresse. Kresse says she upcycles instead of recycles. She and Romy talk about why she works with discarded fire hoses and where she first found them. Elvis & Kresse has become well known for their sturdy belts, wallets, luggage and other products. The company donates 50% of their profits to fire fighter related charities in the UK. Romy and Kresse talk about the pros and cons of working with family; the tons and tons of fire hoses that get discarded and her hopes to expand her company, one day, to North America. They also touch briefly about how Kresse met Elvis in Hong Kong. Kresse Wesling has been honored by the British monarchy for her work with social enterprises. In 2012 Kresse was awarded by Queen Elizabeth II the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire: an honor given to a person by the Queen for a particular achievement. Sources : Canada Gazette http://www.gazette.gc.ca/ and The Financial Times of the UK http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13d9b906-50f1-11e2-9623-00144feab49a.html#axzz3gTkqJpMe For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]> Elvis & Kresse Make Beautiful Things Out of Discarded Fire Hoses The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras talks with Kresse Wesling, who, with her love, Elvis (James) Henrit own Elvis & Kresse. Kresse says she upcycles instead of recycles. She and Romy talk about why she works with discarded fire hoses and where she first found them. Elvis & Kresse has become well known for their sturdy belts, wallets, luggage and other products. The company donates 50% of their profits to fire fighter related charities in the UK. Romy and Kresse talk about the pros and cons of working with family; the tons and tons of fire hoses that get discarded and her hopes to expand her company, one day, to North America. They also touch briefly about how Kresse met Elvis in Hong Kong. Kresse Wesling has been honored by the British monarchy for her work with social enterprises. In 2012 Kresse was awarded by Queen Elizabeth II the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire: an honor given to a person by the Queen for a particular achievement. Sources : Canada Gazette http://www.gazette.gc.ca/ and The Financial Times of the UK http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13d9b906-50f1-11e2-9623-00144feab49a.html#axzz3gTkqJpMe For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=231Tue, 21 Jul 2015 19:12:28 -040027:58falsefullElvis & Kresse Make Beautiful Things Out of Discarded Fire Hoses The Bonfires of Social Enterprise with Romy Gingras talks with Kresse Wesling, who, with her love, Elvis (James) Henrit own Elvis & Kresse. Kresse says she upcycles instead of recycles. She and Romy talk about why she works with discarded fire hoses and where…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Detroit Ento#25Don’t Step on That Bug! They’re Making Food & Medicine Out of Them! Detroit Ento is a a research and development firm that is doing research on all the things humankind can do with bugs, from crickets to meely worms to maggots, and more. Really. It’s about creating protein rich powders and other products from insects. The Bonfire of Social Enterprise’s Romy Gingras visited Detroit Ento’s Anthony Hatinger, while he was working on the garden Detroit Ento created, smack-dabb in the middle of Detroit. To quote insectsarefood.com “According to the Entomological Society of America insects generally contain more protein and are lower in fat than traditional meats. In addition they have about 20 times higher food conversion efficiency than traditional meats. In other words they have a better feed-to-meat ratio than beef, pork, lamb or chicken.” Hatinger and Gingras discussed the potential for profit and the job creation aspects of Detrot Ento, while insect products for food and medicinal purposes are being researched and produced in Detroit. Look for a Detroit Ento LLC Facebook page in the near future. To contact the firm email Hatinger at hatingan@gmail.com. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for listening! ]]>Don’t Step on That Bug! They’re Making Food & Medicine Out of Them! Detroit Ento is a a research and development firm that is doing research on all the things humankind can do with bugs, from crickets to meely worms to maggots, and more. Really. It’s about creating protein rich powders and other products from insects. The Bonfire of Social Enterprise’s Romy Gingras visited Detroit Ento’s Anthony Hatinger, while he was working on the garden Detroit Ento created, smack-dabb in the middle of Detroit. To quote insectsarefood.com “According to the Entomological Society of America insects generally contain more protein and are lower in fat than traditional meats. In addition they have about 20 times higher food conversion efficiency than traditional meats. In other words they have a better feed-to-meat ratio than beef, pork, lamb or chicken.” Hatinger and Gingras discussed the potential for profit and the job creation aspects of Detrot Ento, while insect products for food and medicinal purposes are being researched and produced in Detroit. Look for a Detroit Ento LLC Facebook page in the near future. To contact the firm email Hatinger at hatingan@gmail.com. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for listening! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=213Thu, 16 Jul 2015 03:05:18 -040023:21falsefullDon’t Step on That Bug! They’re Making Food & Medicine Out of Them! Detroit Ento is a a research and development firm that is doing research on all the things humankind can do with bugs, from crickets to meely worms to maggots, and more. Really. It’s about creating protein rich powders and other products from…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Bamboo Detroit#24Exploring a Collaborative Workspace In Downtown Detroit The Bonfires of Social Enterprise visits with Bamboo Detroit,a business incubator site in a historic Detroit building. Romy talks about why this place has a more “homey” feel to it than other businesses like it, with Bamboo Detroit’s “Community Lady’ Amanda Lewan. Despite it’s name, Detroit Bamboo isn’t an exotic Asian restaurant. It’s a L3C company, located at 1442 Brush St, Suite 200, in downtown Detroit near the corner of Gratiot and Brush. On the web Bamboo Detroit lives here. According to the online sources there are many benefits to working in a business incubator, which started becoming prevalent in some areas of the country in the 1970s and 1980s. These benefits include sharing basic operating costs; administrative assitance; and least but not last, comradship amongst your fellows who work in the same space. Romy Gingras finds out why Bamboo Detroit was born, and what inspired it to be open 24 hours/7 days a week. The interview also explores why this work cooperative offers open workspaces and other amenities, and the types of small businesses that are attracted to work space. In addition Romy and Amanda talk about the types of events that Bamboo organizes and what is behind the scheduleing of these events. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>Exploring a Collaborative Workspace In Downtown Detroit The Bonfires of Social Enterprise visits with Bamboo Detroit,a business incubator site in a historic Detroit building. Romy talks about why this place has a more “homey” feel to it than other businesses like it, with Bamboo Detroit’s “Community Lady’ Amanda Lewan. Despite it’s name, Detroit Bamboo isn’t an exotic Asian restaurant. It’s a L3C company, located at 1442 Brush St, Suite 200, in downtown Detroit near the corner of Gratiot and Brush. On the web Bamboo Detroit lives here. According to the online sources there are many benefits to working in a business incubator, which started becoming prevalent in some areas of the country in the 1970s and 1980s. These benefits include sharing basic operating costs; administrative assitance; and least but not last, comradship amongst your fellows who work in the same space. Romy Gingras finds out why Bamboo Detroit was born, and what inspired it to be open 24 hours/7 days a week. The interview also explores why this work cooperative offers open workspaces and other amenities, and the types of small businesses that are attracted to work space. In addition Romy and Amanda talk about the types of events that Bamboo organizes and what is behind the scheduleing of these events. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=207Mon, 13 Jul 2015 19:35:43 -040013:32falsefullExploring a Collaborative Workspace In Downtown Detroit The Bonfires of Social Enterprise visits with Bamboo Detroit,a business incubator site in a historic Detroit building. Romy talks about why this place has a more “homey” feel to it than other businesses like it, with Bamboo Detroit’s “Community Lady’ Amanda Lewan. Despite it’s name, Detroit Bamboo isn’t…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: SPLT Rideshare#23 Romy Gingras, host of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, introduces us to the team behind a brand new app,SPLT Rideshare. Splitting Fares. She met them through an organization called Techstars Mobility, which is mentorship driven business incubator, with locations in cities throughout the U.S. Romy’s venture into the field found her in Ford Field, the Detroit home of Techstars, and SPLT Rideshare. You can sign up for the app, which is available for both iOS and Android. here: It’s born from a handful of premises including: you want to know who you’ll be sharing the small space of a car ride with; you want them vetted; you want to avoid having to buy your own car in the future because you’re a millenial and you live in a city. We hope you enjoy Romy’s round table discussion with SPLT founder and CEO Anya Babbitt, co-founder and COO Matt Farris, CTO Yale Zhang and the director of product development Ben McMillan. The Bonfires needs some data! Please take our brief survey For more information on our other podcast episodes please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Romy Gingras, host of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, introduces us to the team behind a brand new app,SPLT Rideshare. Splitting Fares. She met them through an organization called Techstars Mobility, which is mentorship driven business incubator, with locations in cities throughout the U.S. Romy’s venture into the field found her in Ford Field, the Detroit home of Techstars, and SPLT Rideshare. You can sign up for the app, which is available for both iOS and Android. here: It’s born from a handful of premises including: you want to know who you’ll be sharing the small space of a car ride with; you want them vetted; you want to avoid having to buy your own car in the future because you’re a millenial and you live in a city. We hope you enjoy Romy’s round table discussion with SPLT founder and CEO Anya Babbitt, co-founder and COO Matt Farris, CTO Yale Zhang and the director of product development Ben McMillan. The Bonfires needs some data! Please take our brief survey For more information on our other podcast episodes please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=186Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:28:35 -040029:45falsefullRomy Gingras, host of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, introduces us to the team behind a brand new app,SPLT Rideshare. Splitting Fares. She met them through an organization called Techstars Mobility, which is mentorship driven business incubator, with locations in cities throughout the U.S. Romy’s venture into the field found her in Ford Field, the…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Field Notes- Taking The Bait#22 This is another podcast by the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, and Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, that’s filed under “Field Notes and Tips.” We hope you enjoy listening to Romy Gingras'”Bait of the New Grape.” In this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy talks about business owners, who focus on social goals, trying to do too much with the resources they have. In the case of those who run social enterprises, the bait of doing even more “good” or fulfilling more of the needs of their clients, with the hours and money they already have can be irresistable. Unfortunately, spreading yourself too thin can be disasterous, and can bankrupt your business. Romy discusses how to stay focussed and organized as you work toward your primary objectivies, while acknowledging that creative people often get tempted to bite off more than they can chew. Check out previous Field Notes:What Are Bonfires She also explains the need for collecting data, and takes the fear out of the term, Natural Data We encourage you to please listen to this episode, and share it, and, when you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> This is another podcast by the Bonfires of Social Enterprise, and Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, that’s filed under “Field Notes and Tips.” We hope you enjoy listening to Romy Gingras'”Bait of the New Grape.” In this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy talks about business owners, who focus on social goals, trying to do too much with the resources they have. In the case of those who run social enterprises, the bait of doing even more “good” or fulfilling more of the needs of their clients, with the hours and money they already have can be irresistable. Unfortunately, spreading yourself too thin can be disasterous, and can bankrupt your business. Romy discusses how to stay focussed and organized as you work toward your primary objectivies, while acknowledging that creative people often get tempted to bite off more than they can chew. Check out previous Field Notes:What Are Bonfires She also explains the need for collecting data, and takes the fear out of the term, Natural Data We encourage you to please listen to this episode, and share it, and, when you have the chance, please take some time to fill out the short survey found on the Bonfires Website Get Social with the Bonfires of Social Enterprise crew here: Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=172Thu, 02 Jul 2015 19:49:44 -040012:10falsefull"The Bait of the New Grape," is part of a series of "Field Notes and Tips", presented by The Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Romy talks about entrepreneuers taking the bait of wanting to do more to help their customers or clients. But, unforunately, they sacrifice the time and cash they need to keep their current businesses going.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: City Girls Soap#21 Goat farming in Pontiac. It’s about making products with that milk, using the goats to eat the overgrowth of a previously vacant lot to restore the landscape to it’s native messa-plain state. But more importantly, it’s about building a social enterprise while cuddling up with a kid or two! In this episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy Gingras visits with City Girls Soap and talks with co-founder Amy McIntire and one of her United Way funded summer interns at the urban goat farm and soap factory. This social enterprise aspires to not only provide training to urban area students about entrepreneurship,and raising farm animals, but ultimately the owners of City Girls Soaps want to raise a barn and make it an art and cultural center for Pontiac. Socialize with us! Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Goat farming in Pontiac. It’s about making products with that milk, using the goats to eat the overgrowth of a previously vacant lot to restore the landscape to it’s native messa-plain state. But more importantly, it’s about building a social enterprise while cuddling up with a kid or two! In this episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy Gingras visits with City Girls Soap and talks with co-founder Amy McIntire and one of her United Way funded summer interns at the urban goat farm and soap factory. This social enterprise aspires to not only provide training to urban area students about entrepreneurship,and raising farm animals, but ultimately the owners of City Girls Soaps want to raise a barn and make it an art and cultural center for Pontiac. Socialize with us! Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=148Fri, 19 Jun 2015 03:22:25 -040018:34falsefullGoat farming in Pontiac. It’s about making products with that milk, using the goats to eat the overgrowth of a previously vacant lot to restore the landscape to it’s native messa-plain state. But more importantly, it’s about building a social enterprise while cuddling up with a kid or two! In this episode of Bonfires of…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Field Notes & Tips – Natural Data#20 logo for Bonfires of Social Enterprise’s Field Notes and Tips This is the first of a series of “Field Notes & Tips,” from Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global Group, and the host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcast. In this episode Romy takes the stress out of gathering data that some impact investors and funders often request from social enterprises, and other types of businesses. Romy is developing this series of podcasts from a list of frequently asked questions that she answers over and over again. If you’re an entrepreneuer, a small business owner, or somebody considering changing your career path we encourage you to listen to this and all the episodes of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise. You’ll find that what you once felt was the intimidating details of business can be managed. Romy’s here to tell you that you can do it! If you’d like to read more about Romy’s Notes from the Field, buy her books! For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for listening! Please share this podcast with your friends and colleagues! ]]> logo for Bonfires of Social Enterprise’s Field Notes and Tips This is the first of a series of “Field Notes & Tips,” from Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global Group, and the host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcast. In this episode Romy takes the stress out of gathering data that some impact investors and funders often request from social enterprises, and other types of businesses. Romy is developing this series of podcasts from a list of frequently asked questions that she answers over and over again. If you’re an entrepreneuer, a small business owner, or somebody considering changing your career path we encourage you to listen to this and all the episodes of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise. You’ll find that what you once felt was the intimidating details of business can be managed. Romy’s here to tell you that you can do it! If you’d like to read more about Romy’s Notes from the Field, buy her books! For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for listening! Please share this podcast with your friends and colleagues! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=142Fri, 12 Jun 2015 17:45:29 -040016:10falsefullThis is the first of a series of “Field Notes & Tips,” from Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global Group, and the host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise podcast. In this episode Romy takes the stress out of gathering data that some impact investors and funders often request from social enterprises, and other types of…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Kicks 4 Kids Foundation#19 How A Teacher Provides Athletic Shoes for Children The Kicks for Kids Foundation Romy visits her friend Chekeita Jones in Pontiac, Michigan. Ms. Jones is a teacher and talks about what inspired her to create the Kicks 4 Kids Foundation, which gives brand named sneakers for needy children. Romy and Chekeita talk about the impact this social enterprise makes on the children who get the sneakers. They also talk about the street sense of the kids and what this foundation needs to grow and expand its mission. It’s amazing what one teacher can do and how far reaching her efforts have been. Please share the link to this podcast to friends and family members, and to the teachers in your life. To donate to the Kicks for Kids Foundation please go to http://www.kicks4kidsfoundation.org/ For more information on other episodes, or podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]> How A Teacher Provides Athletic Shoes for Children The Kicks for Kids Foundation Romy visits her friend Chekeita Jones in Pontiac, Michigan. Ms. Jones is a teacher and talks about what inspired her to create the Kicks 4 Kids Foundation, which gives brand named sneakers for needy children. Romy and Chekeita talk about the impact this social enterprise makes on the children who get the sneakers. They also talk about the street sense of the kids and what this foundation needs to grow and expand its mission. It’s amazing what one teacher can do and how far reaching her efforts have been. Please share the link to this podcast to friends and family members, and to the teachers in your life. To donate to the Kicks for Kids Foundation please go to http://www.kicks4kidsfoundation.org/ For more information on other episodes, or podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=133Wed, 03 Jun 2015 04:43:13 -040019:58falsefullHow A Teacher Provides Athletic Shoes for Children The Kicks for Kids Foundation Romy visits her friend Chekeita Jones in Pontiac, Michigan. Ms. Jones is a teacher and talks about what inspired her to create the Kicks 4 Kids Foundation, which gives brand named sneakers for needy children. Romy and Chekeita talk about the impact…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Lips & Hips#18 A Place for and by the Sisters From “Sista Suppers,” to business skills training, Romy Gingras, host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise, talks about what inspired Lips & Hips founder, Detroit’s Yodit Mesfin Johnson, to roll up her sleeves and, “create a space where girls and women could dream, plan and do what they are supposed to do. Lips & Hips is a company focused on women’s personal leardership development.” This is part of a series of interviews produced by Flatlands Avenue Productions, LLC, with Gingras Global. Gingras Global is a Limited Liability Company located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company was formed in 2011 by founder and current Managing Partner, Romy Gingras. Gingras Global is a social enterprise reporting and standards development firm. All products and services are directed to sustainability and best practices. Additionally, Gingras Global Groups, L3C was formed in 2014 to serve the Impact Investing Communities. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Check us out on Twitter here Thanks for your listening support! ]]> A Place for and by the Sisters From “Sista Suppers,” to business skills training, Romy Gingras, host of The Bonfires of Social Enterprise, talks about what inspired Lips & Hips founder, Detroit’s Yodit Mesfin Johnson, to roll up her sleeves and, “create a space where girls and women could dream, plan and do what they are supposed to do. Lips & Hips is a company focused on women’s personal leardership development.” This is part of a series of interviews produced by Flatlands Avenue Productions, LLC, with Gingras Global. Gingras Global is a Limited Liability Company located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company was formed in 2011 by founder and current Managing Partner, Romy Gingras. Gingras Global is a social enterprise reporting and standards development firm. All products and services are directed to sustainability and best practices. Additionally, Gingras Global Groups, L3C was formed in 2014 to serve the Impact Investing Communities. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Check us out on Twitter here Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=127Mon, 01 Jun 2015 19:06:17 -040019:47falsefullFrom "Sista Suppers," to business skills training, Romy Gingras talks about what inspired Lips & Hips founder, Yodit Mesfin Johnson, to roll up her sleeves and, "create a space where girls and women could dream, plan and do what they are supposed to do. Lips & Hips is a company focused on women's personal leardership development." For more information on other podcasts please visit us on:<br /> <br /> Bonfires Website <br /> <br /> Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page<br /> <br /> Twitter @BonfiresPodcast<br /> <br /> Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog<br /> <br /> Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at:<br /> <br /> Gingras Global Website<br /> <br /> Gingras Global Facebook<br /> <br /> Twitter @GingrasGlobal<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Thanks for your listening support!Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Karen Buscemi-Detroit Fashion#17 Creating the Building Blocks for Detroit’s First Fashion District Thank you for listening to this fascinating story of a fashion writer turned job maker and social enterprise entrepreneuer trying to build a workforce pool for Detroit’s Garment and Fashion Industry. Meet Karen Buscemi, (boo-SHE-me) as she tells the story of the Detroit Garment Group. DGG is in the process of creating Detroit’s first-ever Garment District in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, The Governor’s Office, and Michigan Economic Development Corporation, with DGG as the project lead. Karen Buscemi is the founder of cut and sewn manufacturer Detroit Sewn She also wrote for the now defunction Styleline Magazine which celebrated Detroit fashion. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]> Creating the Building Blocks for Detroit’s First Fashion District Thank you for listening to this fascinating story of a fashion writer turned job maker and social enterprise entrepreneuer trying to build a workforce pool for Detroit’s Garment and Fashion Industry. Meet Karen Buscemi, (boo-SHE-me) as she tells the story of the Detroit Garment Group. DGG is in the process of creating Detroit’s first-ever Garment District in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, The Governor’s Office, and Michigan Economic Development Corporation, with DGG as the project lead. Karen Buscemi is the founder of cut and sewn manufacturer Detroit Sewn She also wrote for the now defunction Styleline Magazine which celebrated Detroit fashion. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=122Fri, 29 May 2015 01:44:27 -040028:08falsefullRomy Gingras' Bonfires Podcast features Karen Buscemi, who is working to create Detroit's first ever Garment District.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Build Institute-Detroit#16 Training The Next Gen of Detroit’s Business Owners The Build Institute of Detroit is the focus of this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Host Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global, talks about programs, that over 450 business owners have taken, at the Build Institute in Detroit. Institute co-founder April Jones Boyle serves on various advisory boards that work to bring business and jobs to Detroit. She’s also co-owner and investor in the restaurant Gold-Cash-Gold. Romy and April talk about the passion that Institute students have for their city. They speak of the value of the contacts that students make at Build, and the networking opportunities that they get access to when they enrol in Build Institute. To listen to a previous podcast featuring April Boyle from Gold Cash Gold, which is in a former pawn shop visit bonfiresofsociaenterprise.com. Please also visit http://buildinstitute.org/ to find out more about signing up for the programs. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]> Training The Next Gen of Detroit’s Business Owners The Build Institute of Detroit is the focus of this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Host Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global, talks about programs, that over 450 business owners have taken, at the Build Institute in Detroit. Institute co-founder April Jones Boyle serves on various advisory boards that work to bring business and jobs to Detroit. She’s also co-owner and investor in the restaurant Gold-Cash-Gold. Romy and April talk about the passion that Institute students have for their city. They speak of the value of the contacts that students make at Build, and the networking opportunities that they get access to when they enrol in Build Institute. To listen to a previous podcast featuring April Boyle from Gold Cash Gold, which is in a former pawn shop visit bonfiresofsociaenterprise.com. Please also visit http://buildinstitute.org/ to find out more about signing up for the programs. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page Twitter @BonfiresPodcast Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: Gingras Global Website Gingras Global Facebook Twitter @GingrasGlobal Thanks for your listening support! ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=104Thu, 14 May 2015 16:25:45 -040022:24falsefullTraining The Next Gen of Detroit’s Business Owners The Build Institute of Detroit is the focus of this episode of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise. Host Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global, talks about programs, that over 450 business owners have taken, at the Build Institute in Detroit. Institute co-founder April Jones Boyle serves on various…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Welding Artisan Center Part 2#15Bonfires of Social Enterprise host, Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global and Gary Hendrickson of the Welding Artisan Center discusses issues social enterprises and other businesses have when trying to get space in the city of Detroit including: mass transit; buying real estate in Detroit; reentry of released inmates to the workplace; the three tiered structure of Welding Artisan’s training program, and preserving the graffiti on the outside of the building. Find out more about this podcast by going to To inquire about opportunities for training at the Welding Artisan Center please visit their website here ]]>Bonfires of Social Enterprise host, Romy Gingras, of Gingras Global and Gary Hendrickson of the Welding Artisan Center discusses issues social enterprises and other businesses have when trying to get space in the city of Detroit including: mass transit; buying real estate in Detroit; reentry of released inmates to the workplace; the three tiered structure of Welding Artisan’s training program, and preserving the graffiti on the outside of the building. Find out more about this podcast by going to To inquire about opportunities for training at the Welding Artisan Center please visit their website here ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=98Mon, 11 May 2015 03:04:31 -040028:57falsefullRomy and WAC's Gary Hendrickson discuss the challenges of acquiring graffiti filled surplus property from the City of Detroit, and the extensive training the Welding Artisan Center gives to it's students.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Andrew Goldberg: Bonfires Need Attorneys#14 Every business needs an attorney, right? In this episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy Gingras hosts Detroit-based attorney Andrew Goldberg who has extensive experience working with entrepreneurs and small business owners. Romy and Goldberg discuss the qualities of the social impact investor and why so many are inspired by the resurgence of downtown Detroit. Romy also discusses how much work needs to be done in the outlying neighborhoods and communities of the Motor City, and why social enterprise businesses are trying to gain traction there. Please tell a friend about www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com and Romy Gingras of Gingras Global ]]> Every business needs an attorney, right? In this episode of Bonfires of Social Enterprise Romy Gingras hosts Detroit-based attorney Andrew Goldberg who has extensive experience working with entrepreneurs and small business owners. Romy and Goldberg discuss the qualities of the social impact investor and why so many are inspired by the resurgence of downtown Detroit. Romy also discusses how much work needs to be done in the outlying neighborhoods and communities of the Motor City, and why social enterprise businesses are trying to gain traction there. Please tell a friend about www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com and Romy Gingras of Gingras Global ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=91Thu, 30 Apr 2015 23:00:14 -040020:51falsefullDetroit attorney Andrew J. Goldberg and Romy Gingras, host of the Bonfires of Social Enterprise talk about the traits of some investors in Detroit.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Impact3 Investment Co Talks With Romy in Detroit#13 Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, known throughout the Social Enterprise scene as “The Bonfire Lady” hosts Jeff Petherick, an impact investor, and partner of the Impact3 Investment Group. Learn more about Patherick’s mission to share Time, Treasure and Talent with Detroit entrepreneurs who are moving into communities that are hardest hit by the Motor City’s bankruptcy. Visit bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com for more stories and please share the link. Romy and Jeff talk about the creation of Impact3s genesis and we find out more about Petherick’s background in the world of finance. For more information about Impact3 please go to the following URL: http://impactt3.strikingly.com/ ]]> Romy Gingras of Gingras Global, known throughout the Social Enterprise scene as “The Bonfire Lady” hosts Jeff Petherick, an impact investor, and partner of the Impact3 Investment Group. Learn more about Patherick’s mission to share Time, Treasure and Talent with Detroit entrepreneurs who are moving into communities that are hardest hit by the Motor City’s bankruptcy. Visit bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com for more stories and please share the link. Romy and Jeff talk about the creation of Impact3s genesis and we find out more about Petherick’s background in the world of finance. For more information about Impact3 please go to the following URL: http://impactt3.strikingly.com/ ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=87Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:27:35 -040026:06falsefullRomy Gingras talks with Impact3 investment about utilitizing it's groups' time, treasure and talent to blend a philantrhopic heart with an investment mentality to grow social enterprises.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Social-Sushi-Detroit#12 Jay Rayford's Enthusiastic About His Social Enterprise Being Housed in Shipping Containers in Corktown Another in a series of great podcasts from Romy Gingras of Gingras Global that you can find at www.thebonfiresofsocialenterprise.com. Romy hears the story of a collaboration between a pop-up sushi caterer, called Social-Sushi, and the social networks that they created, with the goal of reinvigorating Detroit as it recovers from that city’s bankruptcy. A group of Lawrence Tech University and Western International High School students picked SocialSushi-Detroit to house, in part of its project to find inventive ways to reuse abandoned shipping containters, to house, the brick and mortar headquarter of this wandering-networking-bistro. Social Sushi will be based near the historic, and currently, under utilized Roosevelt Park,in the Corktown section of Detroit. While the internal space of the restaurant is expected to be able to seat just 35, Rayford says that the city is allowing the surrounding outdoor area to be used for social functions that feature his world famous sushi, and it’s special dipping sauce. Thank you Jay Raford for sharing your enthusiasm for Detroit. ]]> Jay Rayford's Enthusiastic About His Social Enterprise Being Housed in Shipping Containers in Corktown Another in a series of great podcasts from Romy Gingras of Gingras Global that you can find at www.thebonfiresofsocialenterprise.com. Romy hears the story of a collaboration between a pop-up sushi caterer, called Social-Sushi, and the social networks that they created, with the goal of reinvigorating Detroit as it recovers from that city’s bankruptcy. A group of Lawrence Tech University and Western International High School students picked SocialSushi-Detroit to house, in part of its project to find inventive ways to reuse abandoned shipping containters, to house, the brick and mortar headquarter of this wandering-networking-bistro. Social Sushi will be based near the historic, and currently, under utilized Roosevelt Park,in the Corktown section of Detroit. While the internal space of the restaurant is expected to be able to seat just 35, Rayford says that the city is allowing the surrounding outdoor area to be used for social functions that feature his world famous sushi, and it’s special dipping sauce. Thank you Jay Raford for sharing your enthusiasm for Detroit. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=79Tue, 28 Apr 2015 22:30:51 -040017:29falsefullRomy Gingras talks with Jay Rayford about Social-Sushi, a pop-up caterer that brought a taste for sushi to Detroit's up and comers who are working to rebuild neighborhoods and communities in Detroit.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: His Hands Auto Care#11 Romy Gingras visits this unique garage in Midland, Michigan that is one of the ministries of the Messiah Church. She talks about the social impact of discounted auto service, and finding affordable vehicles for low-income community members. Romy surprises the managers of this garage by telling them that they are, indeed, a Social Enterprise business. Visit His Hands Auto Care on the web here. ]]> Romy Gingras visits this unique garage in Midland, Michigan that is one of the ministries of the Messiah Church. She talks about the social impact of discounted auto service, and finding affordable vehicles for low-income community members. Romy surprises the managers of this garage by telling them that they are, indeed, a Social Enterprise business. Visit His Hands Auto Care on the web here. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=68Fri, 17 Apr 2015 15:33:06 -040025:45falsefullRomy Gingras visits this unique garage in Midland, Michigan that is one of the ministries of the Messiah Church. She talks about the social impact of discounted auto service, and finding affordable vehicles for low-income community members. Romy surprises the managers of this garage by telling them that they are, indeed, a Social Enterprise business.…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Nate Griswold-Inhabitect#10 Traverse City based Nate Griswold, owner of Inhabitect builds green roofs.Romy Gingras visited with Nate in a re-purposed Traverse City landmark to learn more social enterprise aspects of his small business. Social Enterprise is the most rapidly growing business sector in the United States. They are known for employing people who typically have a hard time finding work; educational programs; training programs; reinvesting profits within their communities; adding a new employer base to their regions and fulfilling other social needs. Whether you are looking to make your high rise LEED certified, or your home more energy efficient, you’ll want to know more about vegetation roofing ideas. If you’re a small business owner looking for an inspiring story about doing what you love, in a place you love, you’ll want to hear how Nate, who had an established green architect career in Chicago, made the brave move back to his hometown, Traverse City, Michigan. Find out more at http://inhabitect.com/ You’ll discover how Griswold’s business is sustainable, not only for Michigan, but, for the environment. ]]> Traverse City based Nate Griswold, owner of Inhabitect builds green roofs.Romy Gingras visited with Nate in a re-purposed Traverse City landmark to learn more social enterprise aspects of his small business. Social Enterprise is the most rapidly growing business sector in the United States. They are known for employing people who typically have a hard time finding work; educational programs; training programs; reinvesting profits within their communities; adding a new employer base to their regions and fulfilling other social needs. Whether you are looking to make your high rise LEED certified, or your home more energy efficient, you’ll want to know more about vegetation roofing ideas. If you’re a small business owner looking for an inspiring story about doing what you love, in a place you love, you’ll want to hear how Nate, who had an established green architect career in Chicago, made the brave move back to his hometown, Traverse City, Michigan. Find out more at http://inhabitect.com/ You’ll discover how Griswold’s business is sustainable, not only for Michigan, but, for the environment. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=57Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:11:52 -040020:20falsefullTraverse City based Nate Griswold, owner of Inhabitect builds green roofs.Romy Gingras visited with Nate in a re-purposed Traverse City landmark to learn more social enterprise aspects of his small business. Social Enterprise is the most rapidly growing business sector in the United States. They are known for employing people who typically have a hard…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Gold Cash Gold Restaurant in Detroit#9Gold Cash Gold Restarantula of Detroit Romy shares a great discussion with Chef Josh Stockton and one of the owner/partners April Boyle of Gold Cash Gold, a Detroit restaurant that opened up in what was a vacant pawn shop in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. ]]>Gold Cash Gold Restarantula of Detroit Romy shares a great discussion with Chef Josh Stockton and one of the owner/partners April Boyle of Gold Cash Gold, a Detroit restaurant that opened up in what was a vacant pawn shop in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=53Wed, 25 Mar 2015 22:57:57 -040024:13falsefullcommunity investing, renovation of a famous pawn shop into a great restaurantRomy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Vehicle City Tacos – Part 2#8In part two of Romy’s talk with Vehicle City Tacos she finds out what gourmet dishes are being dispensed out of the food truck, in Flint, Michigan. VCT is owned by Flint enthusiasts who are getting people outdoors, away from their bar stools and TV sets and couches, and feeding them great, locally sourced food. ]]>In part two of Romy’s talk with Vehicle City Tacos she finds out what gourmet dishes are being dispensed out of the food truck, in Flint, Michigan. VCT is owned by Flint enthusiasts who are getting people outdoors, away from their bar stools and TV sets and couches, and feeding them great, locally sourced food. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=44Mon, 16 Mar 2015 20:34:58 -040014:28falsefullIn part two of Romy’s talk with Vehicle City Tacos she finds out what gourmet dishes are being dispensed out of the food truck, in Flint, Michigan. VCT is owned by Flint enthusiasts who are getting people outdoors, away from their bar stools and TV sets and couches, and feeding them great, locally sourced food.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Welding Artisan Center of Detroit #7Welding Artisan Center Interview with Gary Hendrickson An introduction to the social enterprise by co-founder Gary Hendrickson. Businessman Gary Hendrickson and partner, Don Martin, decided to open up a welding training certification center in Detroit to find a way to help the at-risk urban youth gain skilled trade certifications. Learn about the center and gallery that will cater to hobbyists and create a welding pool of talent to support the local infrastructure growth of Detroit. ]]>Welding Artisan Center Interview with Gary Hendrickson An introduction to the social enterprise by co-founder Gary Hendrickson. Businessman Gary Hendrickson and partner, Don Martin, decided to open up a welding training certification center in Detroit to find a way to help the at-risk urban youth gain skilled trade certifications. Learn about the center and gallery that will cater to hobbyists and create a welding pool of talent to support the local infrastructure growth of Detroit. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=33Fri, 06 Mar 2015 15:59:56 -040015:40falsefullWelding Artisan Center Interview with Gary Hendrickson An introduction to the social enterprise by co-founder Gary Hendrickson. Businessman Gary Hendrickson and partner, Don Martin, decided to open up a welding training certification center in Detroit to find a way to help the at-risk urban youth gain skilled trade certifications. Learn about the center and gallery…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Vehicle City Tacos – Part 1#6Vehicle City Tacos – Part 1 An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the founder about his hip and energetic food truck renovating the community of Flint, Michigan. Dan discusses the origin of the idea and business model. This is part one of a two part introduction. ]]>Vehicle City Tacos – Part 1 An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the founder about his hip and energetic food truck renovating the community of Flint, Michigan. Dan discusses the origin of the idea and business model. This is part one of a two part introduction. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=20Mon, 02 Mar 2015 04:30:47 -040010:24falsefullVehicle City Tacos – Part 1 An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the founder about his hip and energetic food truck renovating the community of Flint, Michigan. Dan discusses the origin of the idea and business model. This is part one of a two part introduction.Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Bonfires of Social Enterprise Intro: Romy Gingras#5Bonfires of Social Enterprise Intro: Romy Gingras Storytelling by Romy Gingras about the Social Enterprise activity in Detroit and broader Michigan. Romy Gingras, Managing Partner, of Gingras Global, LLC and Gingras Global Groups, L3C has been in the financial industry since 1988 and has a passion for efficient, profitable, social enterprises and the impact investors who support them. Listen in on the interesting interviews with some of the burgeoning social entrepreneurs. During many of the interviews Romy takes the time to highlight a concept or note from the field specific to social enterprise. Learn about all of the different elements of a social enterprise and connect to the front lines in this great show.  Visit www.gingrasglobal.com for more information. ]]>Bonfires of Social Enterprise Intro: Romy Gingras Storytelling by Romy Gingras about the Social Enterprise activity in Detroit and broader Michigan. Romy Gingras, Managing Partner, of Gingras Global, LLC and Gingras Global Groups, L3C has been in the financial industry since 1988 and has a passion for efficient, profitable, social enterprises and the impact investors who support them. Listen in on the interesting interviews with some of the burgeoning social entrepreneurs. During many of the interviews Romy takes the time to highlight a concept or note from the field specific to social enterprise. Learn about all of the different elements of a social enterprise and connect to the front lines in this great show.  Visit www.gingrasglobal.com for more information. ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=16Sat, 28 Feb 2015 16:58:31 -040012:10falsefullBonfires of Social Enterprise Intro: Romy Gingras Storytelling by Romy Gingras about the Social Enterprise activity in Detroit and broader Michigan. Romy Gingras, Managing Partner, of Gingras Global, LLC and Gingras Global Groups, L3C has been in the financial industry since 1988 and has a passion for efficient, profitable, social enterprises and the impact investors…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1- Amy Peterson of Rebel Nell, L3C Detroit #1 Interview with Amy Peterson of Rebel Nell, L3C An introduction to the social enterprise making jewelry from the fallen graffiti of Detroit and employing women from the homeless shelter. Learn how Amy began her business along with her grand plans to help homeless women learn the retail business and launch into their own endeavors. www.gingrasglobal.com ]]> Interview with Amy Peterson of Rebel Nell, L3C An introduction to the social enterprise making jewelry from the fallen graffiti of Detroit and employing women from the homeless shelter. Learn how Amy began her business along with her grand plans to help homeless women learn the retail business and launch into their own endeavors. www.gingrasglobal.com ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=14Sat, 28 Feb 2015 15:55:21 -040012:54falsefullInterview with Amy Peterson of Rebel Nell, L3C An introduction to the social enterprise making jewelry from the fallen graffiti of Detroit and employing women from the homeless shelter. Learn how Amy began her business along with her grand plans to help homeless women learn the retail business and launch into their own endeavors. www.gingrasglobal.comRomy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1- Jeff Adams of Artesian Farms of Detroit #4 Interview with Jeff Adams of Artesian Farms of Detroit An introduction to the social enterprise by farmer founder, Jeff Adams.  The interview explores the rationale of the hydroponics business and the social impact of hiring within the local neighborhood of Brightmoor. www.gingrasglobal.com ]]> Interview with Jeff Adams of Artesian Farms of Detroit An introduction to the social enterprise by farmer founder, Jeff Adams.  The interview explores the rationale of the hydroponics business and the social impact of hiring within the local neighborhood of Brightmoor. www.gingrasglobal.com ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=12Sat, 28 Feb 2015 15:42:03 -040012:27falsefullInterview with Jeff Adams of Artesian Farms of Detroit An introduction to the social enterprise by farmer founder, Jeff Adams.  The interview explores the rationale of the hydroponics business and the social impact of hiring within the local neighborhood of Brightmoor. www.gingrasglobal.comRomy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1: Josh York of York Project, LLC#3 Interview with founder Josh York of York Project, LLC An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the MSU junior on his hat making business and heart for the homeless. Josh explains his humble beginnings and growth plans to hire the homeless. Selling hats around the world. www.gingrasglobal.com ]]> Interview with founder Josh York of York Project, LLC An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the MSU junior on his hat making business and heart for the homeless. Josh explains his humble beginnings and growth plans to hire the homeless. Selling hats around the world. www.gingrasglobal.com ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=9Sat, 28 Feb 2015 15:37:03 -040010:23falsefullInterview with founder Josh York of York Project, LLC An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the MSU junior on his hat making business and heart for the homeless. Josh explains his humble beginnings and growth plans to hire the homeless. Selling hats around the world. www.gingrasglobal.comRomy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit EntrepreneursSeason 1- Christian Birky of Lazlo, LLC Detroit #2Interview with Founder Christian Birky of Lazlo, LLC An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the founder, designer, model, and Princeton grad, Christian Birky. Hear the story about the making of a high end men’s T-shirt and how he plans to bring fashion manufacturing to Detroit and reduce the mistreatment of human beings in sweatshops around the world. Learn the connection with returning men from the prison systems. www.gingrasglobal.com  ]]>Interview with Founder Christian Birky of Lazlo, LLC An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the founder, designer, model, and Princeton grad, Christian Birky. Hear the story about the making of a high end men’s T-shirt and how he plans to bring fashion manufacturing to Detroit and reduce the mistreatment of human beings in sweatshops around the world. Learn the connection with returning men from the prison systems. www.gingrasglobal.com  ]]>http://www.bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/?p=4Sat, 28 Feb 2015 15:29:21 -040024:08falsefullInterview with Founder Christian Birky of Lazlo, LLC An introduction to the social enterprise and interview with the founder, designer, model, and Princeton grad, Christian Birky. Hear the story about the making of a high end men’s T-shirt and how he plans to bring fashion manufacturing to Detroit and reduce the mistreatment of human beings…Romy Kochan | Gingras Global | Social Enterprise | Detroit Entrepreneurs