State of Social Enterprise in Central Ohio Fifth Annual Report
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State of Social Enterprise in Central Ohio Fifth Annual Report August 6, 2019 Photo by Matt Reese By the numbers* The Heart of Furniture Bank Five years. Ninety-eight social A snapshot of this year’s 11 Fearless leader: Steve Votaw, President featured social enterprises How it works: Furniture with a Heart, enterprises. a furniture thrift store, and Downsize One big impact. with a Heart, a professional mover and 1,000 downsizing service, donate 100 percent The number of families What is a social enterprise? What 1,099 of their proceeds to Furniture Bank of receiving furniture that does it do? How is it different Total employees Central Ohio. Furniture Bank, funded were supported through from, say, “regular” enterprise? in part by its two social enterprises, the profit from Furniture It’s a question we hear regularly provides free furniture to central Ohio with a Heart at SocialVentures, and here’s families and individuals struggling how we answer the query: Social with poverty and other significant life enterprises are businesses that challenges. intentionally integrate social impact as a non-negotiable #EasyToUnderstand: Diamond, seven months pregnant, has been component of their business sleeping on the hard floor throughout her pregnancy. She already models through the people they $59.7 has two small children and lives on a very modest income. Needing furniture, especially beds for the kids and herself to make the rest employ or the social missions they Million generated support. It’s a good definition, but of her pregnancy easier, Diamond and her family came to Furniture in revenue perhaps lacking a little something Bank and selected beds, dressers and housewares. “This could not in gravitas or soul. have come at a better time,” she said. She was excited to finally have a place to rest her head, and now she and her entire family benefit from Truth is, there are nearly as many a good night’s sleep in their new beds. definitions of social enterprise in central Ohio as there are social enterprises (yes, there really are 98). But for this, our fifth anniversary year, we wanted to $33.5 move beyond the notion of Total payroll social enterprise as something in millions to define or explain. It’s time we help policymakers, politicians, venture capitalists, loan officers, investors, and the general public move beyond definitions and give them something that’s #EasyToUnderstand. Easy to get 49% behind. Easy to support. Easy to fund. And what’s #EasyToUnderstand? The simple truth that social enterprise is about people. It’s about serving people. Helping people recover. Lifting people up. Growth in total employees on For the 11 social enterprises featured in this payroll in the past three years fifth anniversary year—and just about every other social enterprise contributing to the social-enterprise economy in central Ohio— *All figures from 2018 fiscal year. people are the common denominator. The secret sauce. It’s the focus on people that puts the social in social enterprise. So the next time someone asks you about social enterprise, just tell them it’s #EasyToUnderstand. It’s about people. Matthew Goldstein, founder and Lisa Hinkelman, founder and CEO of Ruling Our Experiences CEO of Besa Photo by Matt Reese Photo by Matt Reese 1 | #EasyToUnderstand | The State of Social Enterprise in Central Ohio | Fifth Annual Report #EasyToUnderstand | The State of Social Enterprise in Central Ohio | Fifth Annual Report | 2 Finding a fair chance Spotlight: At a glance Columbus social enterprises serve up Hot Chicken Takeover CleanTurn second chances 779 employees Fearless leader: Joe DeLoss, provided with supportive founder, owner, head fryer employment since 2012. The HCT story: Hot Chicken Takeover has three restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, serving Nashville- inspired hot chicken, and aims of Fairhaven Lawn to create a sense of belonging, 75% Care/Patriot Pride engagement and enthusiasm at Painting employees advanced every location. HCT’s first out-of- to other employment positions. market restaurant is on the menu Ninety-six percent found for 2019 in Cleveland. housing. How they do it: By providing fair- chance employment to men and women who typically struggle with access to employment, Number of particularly those impacted by 99 Freedom a la Cart incarceration, homelessness, employees, almost all of whom Just as social enterprise has its own unique Among them: legal services, a savings-match program, resume addiction, or another symptom of are human trafficking survivors, language and vocabulary, so too does writing, financial coaching, cash advances, housing and poverty. who participated in paid Second Chance employment. Several transportation support, and more. These supportive workforce training : Before Columbus social enterprises operate benefits don’t simply help the employees, they help #EasyToUnderstand over the past businesses that provide what is HCT, too, creating more loyalty and less turnover coming to work for Hot three years. alternatively called Second among employees. In fact, in 2018, the average Chicken Takeover, Shannon Chance or Fair Chance HCT employee’s tenure was approaching 600 was incarcerated for four years. employment. Or, as days. During her incarceration, she many Columbus social aligned with mentors, resources, For other employers, supportive entrepreneurs call it, and developed a strong plan for of Supportive Employment. employment informs their business and customer service decisions. Eddie Rapp, her future. When she re-entered 60% Hot Why supportive? Because director of Fairhaven Lawn Care and the community, she secured Chicken Takeover’s 140 organizations such as Patriot Pride Painting, explains.:“We employment with HCT following employee workforce CleanTurn, Fairhaven may send four guys to mow because a referral and introduction from required Fair Lawn Care/Patriot we want them to get more hours so Kindway, a community partner Chance employment Pride Painting, and the income they receive can help them supporting re-entry in Central consideration in 2018. Hot Chicken Takeover become self-sufficient. Most other Ohio. Within her first six months, don’t simply provide companies that don’t look at the mission Shannon earned four promotions jobs to those with first would only send two guys because within the restaurant and was significant obstacles to sending four hurts the bottom line.” positioning herself for a role on finding employment; they build support structures around those Supportive employment looks a little different for HCT’s administrative team. Now, employees to try to ensure both different social enterprises. It includes different nearly four years later, Shannon short- and long-term success. benefits, different training programs, and produces supports the leadership team as a variety of different results, but like social a critical contributor and business Hot Chicken Takeover, for enterprise itself, the impact it has on employee is manager. “We choose to judge example, provides a bevy #EasyToUnderstand. people on their future, not their of both conventional and past.” unconventional benefits to ensure that its second-chance employees have the best chance Nancy, CleanTurn Adam, Patriot Pride Painting for success. Photo by Matt Reese Photo by Matt Reese 3 | #EasyToUnderstand | The State of Social Enterprise in Central Ohio | Fifth Annual Report #EasyToUnderstand | The State of Social Enterprise in Central Ohio | Fifth Annual Report | 4 Felice’s story #EasyToUnderstand Tackling Trafficking #EasyToUnderstand in action Social enterprises fight injustice with Felice is the production manager at Eleventh Candle Co. It’s been quite a promotion for the human trafficking Profits donated employment, philanthropy, and empathy survivor, who just two years ago had just begun working in by Roosevelt the company’s warehouse. When Felice was hired, it began $33,438 Coffeehouse toward fighting human Every time someone drinks a latte at Roosevelt Coffeehouse, 100 percent of the profit goes to organizations fighting human the rebuilding of her life, starting with securing her own trafficking, unclean water, and hunger. And the coffeehouse-that-could’s mission is catching on. In the past year, Roosevelt apartment for the first time. Now, she’s helping other co- trafficking, providing clean water, and opened a new location at Gravity in Franklinton and launched Roosevelt Coffee Roasters, generating more opportunities to workers rebuild their lives. helping the hungry in 2018. tell the Roosevelt story and to generate revenue and profit. People understand and appreciate that their purchases are a part of something bigger (Roosevelt places impact flyers on every coffee table at the coffeehouse). So while profit sharing may be Eleventh Candle Co. founder Amber Runyon says stories difficult to conceptualize, funding 1,000 Christmas meals through Faith Mission or building a basketball court with Love Does like Felice’s are why she does what she does. “The beautiful with a fraction of your purchase is #EasyToUnderstand. of Freedom a la Cart part about all this is that I get to watch this firsthand. It’s Like Roosevelt, Freedom a la Cart and Eleventh Candle Co. serve survivors of watching people get keys to their cars for the first time. 85% employees stayed human trafficking. But the Freedom and Eleventh approaches incorporate both People getting apartments for the first time at 35 or 36. out of the criminal justice system after supportive employment structures, workforce training, mentoring, and other services. In