Be all that you can be

“Be all that you can be.” [1] Does that sound familiar? It was one of the many Army slogans used during the 80s thru the early 2000s.  When it comes to the article, The Funding Gap, for organizations (whether social enterprises or ventures) to be all they can be doesn’t always translate into dollars and cents.  Although the temptation to shift one’s mission to receive some investor dollars, there are larger payoffs for these organizations who focus upon social support.  Their impact can change the decisions made by other organizations but, more importantly, it has significant impact upon the mission they promised. 

For example, the Greyston Social Enterprise’s mission is: “Greyston is a force for personal transformation and community economic renewal. We operate a profitable business, baking high quality products with a commitment to customer satisfaction. Grounded in a philosophy that we call PathMaking, we create jobs and provide integrated programs for individuals and their families to move forward on their path to self-sufficiency.”[2] Not only does Greyston wish to be all they can be, but they also want the best for their employees and their families!  Through their combination of contract manufacturing baking and open hiring, anyone from any background or past has the opportunity to be employed. 

A milestone within the Greyston bakery was its B-Corp certification in 2008.   I do see why this would be a great marketing opportunity, but at the same time with this certification the bakery can join the conversation and work amongst other businesses with similar values.  At this stage in the game, Greyston is responsible for upholding various parts of their enterprise to make it all it can be.  In their recent 2015 impact report, the bakery does have some areas to work on BUT when it comes to community impact, they definitely exceed the minimum score (96 out of 32) [3].  But is that all that’s in it for the enterprise?  Not necessarily.  Through their achieved successes and certifications, Greyston can directly align itself with other social entrepreneurs who are making just as much of an impact or maybe more in their communities but also apply the “concepts of social entrepreneurship [;] conscious capital and sustainability.” [4] Greyston Enterprise has been fully capable to leverage its assets in order to achieve these concepts but I would argue that their relationships pushed the bakery to success.  One noteworthy example is the relationship between Ben Cohen (Ben and Jerry’s) and Bernie Glassman (Greyston Bakery) that started in 1987.  Not only does this relationship still exist, but it has leveraged both businesses to be more impactful through social good.  The bakery started as a small brick and mortar bakery, but now it stands at $17M community enterprise. The bakery and long-known ice cream manufacturer has an interdependence that gives those in need a second chance and set a stage for linked prosperity; “which creates benefits out of business decisions made.  So all along the value chain there is prosperity.” [5] In simple terms, everyone wins! Within this particular model, not only can the community change, but the business and its products.

It’s remarkable that over the course of a couple of decades, a for-profit bakery can be housed within the non-profit enterprise of Greyston can stand still on solid ground but also climb up the rope of social innovation with its two hands.  I’m curious if this model can be adopted within the Pittsburgh area to tackle unemployment problems as well as creating more opportunities for those in need. Please watch the video below to understand the benefits of giving communities second chances. 

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogans_of_the_United_States_Army#2006_to_2015

[2]http://greyston.com/about-greyston/mission-history/

[3]https://www.bcorporation.net/community/greyston-bakery-inc/impact-report/2015-01-09-000000

[4] http://greyston.com/join-the-movement/

[5]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oLfB3tIyHM