social enterprise

Meet Starworks Packaging and Assembly, a fantastic social enterprise providing employment for adults with developmental disabilities in Vancouver, BC. Part of the Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) Starworks generates much of its operating expenses from their pick and pack assembly and fulfillment business. I originally met with Starworks over 3 years ago when I launched Saul Good seeing great potential for a social enterprise partner to take on various fulfillment tasks in our Vancouver gift basket and corporate gift business.

Attention to quality

On our tour we conducted a few spot checks to make sure the corporate gifts looked as per our specifications, all the products we defined were included and the placement of our greeting and story cards were all in the right places. It's no surprise that organizations such as BC Hydro, Finning, Tourism BC and VISA all work with the social enterprise for various fulfillment needs.

Efficient operations

Starworks is fast! They were able to go through 21 pallets of product and fulfill our 750 gift order in just 2 days! They turned our order around very quickly to meet our schedule. Starworks employs a couple production coordinators who manage the assembly teams, ensuring that everyone understands their tasks and is well suited to it. They understand lean manufacturing strategies and develop simple, clear and balanced production between the team members to ensure the production line flows. They definitely know what they're doing and I'm confident in their ability to perform.

Everyone was so friendly!

Both Alex and I had a great time talking with the staff and employees on our Starworks tour. Some of the employees were quite chatty and engaged us in interesting conversations. We got to practice our German and Hebrew which took us both by surprise and left us with the understanding that its a mistake to underestimate the capabilities of developmentally disabled individuals.

Top 3 things we like about Starworks

1. Creates social good with every gift assembled. Starworks creates meaningful employment for adults living with developmental disabilities in Vancouver, BC. The workers were really happy completing their tasks and enjoy their work, even the sometimes tedious and repetitious work of the assembly line.
2. Friendly atmosphere. We felt really comfortable on our tour of their facility and found everyone very personable.
3. Delivery on time. No over promising, Starworks pulled it off, without a hitch!

Looking forward to our next opportunity to work with the team at Starworks!

With the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games fast approaching so are the deadlines for our corporate gift orders for Olympic sponsors and partners. The Richmond Olympic Oval was a logical client for us and our work at Tradeworks Custom Products, the downtown eastside Vancouver social enterprise that uses pine beetle salvaged wood to create sustainable corporate gift and promotional items for our clients. The best gifts are those that tell stories and with the Richmond Oval using pine beetle wood on their extensive wooden roof it was a perfect fit. Besides the gift tags you see pictured to the left we also had blanket boxes made from denim pine/blue pine and engraved with their logo as corporate gifts for digniaties coming to Vancouver for the Games.

Top 3 reasons how sustainable gifts add value to companies

1) Walk the talk - gain legitimacy by integrating your values into your story and communications. If you're a green business and giving out low quality products made in a far off land what does it say about your business and how you value your relationships?

2) Be memorable - it's all in the story. If your building's made from Pine Beetle wood then your gifts should be too!

3) Engage and empower your employees. Working with social enterprises to source products and services for your business can add value on the HR side as well. We're always happy to set up tours for our clients so they can meet the people working hard to improve their lives.

The Social Purchasing Portal (SPP) is a tool that's been designed by Building Opportunities with Business (BOB) to help companies source products and services that address social and environmental issues in Vancouver, BC. In concept its a great idea, with the growth in demand in sustainable purchasing programs in many companies and organizations, the SPP has the potential to link up purchasers with suppliers, creating connections that improve our economy while addressing sustainability issues.

It's working!

Every time I get an order from a new client I ask them how they learned about my business as this is one of the ways I use to see how affective our marketing campaigns are. Although it's only happened once in the last couple years of being listed on the SPP it is working! Last week I was told by a client that they were specifically looking for social and environmentally responsible corporate gift options and found me through the SPP. It has a trickle down affect as the gift that was ordered included wooden packaging made by a local social enterprise that trains women in carpentry living in Vancouver's downtown eastside. The gift was sent to a local community leader in the social enterprise space so it was cool how interconnected the transaction became in our local economy.

Just Potters is a social enterprise that provides training and employment for people living on disability insurance in Vancouver's eastside. Located in the basement of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church. It's a quaint opporation that makes great handmade products and provides a fantastic service to the community. After spending the last month in bed from a back injury I can relate to how it feels to be out of commission. I can only image what it feels like to be injured in the long term and unable to work full time. Part time and casual work offered by Just Potters creates amazing opportunities for people to stay active, be creative and create powerful promotional gifts.

Saying more than thank you

It's clear that gifts with a story are powerful for being memorable, meaningful and building relatinships in the long term. Over the years we've worked with them on a variety of projects and our clients have always had good things to say. Let us add a pound of fair trade organic coffee, artisan hot chocolate or fair trade organic tea to make this a great holiday gift package. The mug you see above can be customized with your branding, slogan, saying or logo. To learn more about social enterprise, the value they can bring to your organization and corporate gift, promotional products and business development programs please feel free to get in touch with us as we're happy to help you however we can.

When it comes to One Planet Catering the first thing that comes to mind is world class. Michael Kraus is best in class, not only as a phenominal caterer but also as someone who truely cares. His goal is to give people a quality dining experience, healthy nutrious and tasty meals to fuel you through the work day. I first met Michael about a year ago when he walked into Tradeworks Custom Products looking for handmade wooden presentation boxes for his locally delivered meals. His style is impecable. Creativity, unbelievable, Michael never ceases to impress.

We are stoked to be working with One Planet closely this holiday season with a line of delicious artisan holiday cookies. These are a little taste of the heavens. Man, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when Michael brought over the first batch. Hand cut and decorated, full of buttery goodness, these are tasty treats for the holidays. Yet again, a great corporate gift for offices these cookies are great as everyone can have a taste, enjoy and think of you. Baked in a European tradition (Michael was born in Germany) there's a taste of tradition that's hard to miss. If you're looking for a quality experince Michael is your go to guy.

Top 3 things we appreciate about One Planet Catering

1. Service - Super reliable and on time

2. Experience - Meals are delivered in beautiful wooden cases filled with wooden serving boxes. Stacked neatly and protected for transportation One Planet presentation is unique in itself. Eating off nice place settings, drinking from glass and eating with silver ware give the food the opportunity to not only be eaten, but enjoyed.

3. Social conscious - Michael wants the world to be a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy. He's always looking for ways for his business to benefit the community as I've seen through his consistant enquires to procure products from Tradeworks, a downtown eastside Vancouver social enterprise that trains women in carpentry.

It's no surprise that Eclipse Awards is leading the space in green sustainable recognition items and awards. Their values for community and the environment ring true through all my interactions with them, not only as my landlord but also as compatriots. Building a community of progressive and innovative businesses that see an opportunity to create social and environmental value, while making money, in the Strathcona Green Zone. This line of awards has been in the works for months and we got a sneak peak into these great items the other week at our open house and green roof mojito party.

In the spring I accompanied Eclipse staff to Las Vegas for the annual Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) trade show and was blown away by all the crappy things people give out to recognize people, their relationships and achievements. We knew there was a better way, not only to give things that look nice but also to do so using recycled and reclaimed materials. The products emerged from there and we talked with the awards suppliers about using recycled materials. Working with local woodshops that salvage wind fall trees in the Fraser Valley, finding Walnut, Maple and Fir trees and turning them into beautiful pieces of art, desk top and wall mounted awards, plaques, picture frames, and business card holders. Some of the woodwork is being done by Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry working to improve their lives in Vancouver's downtown eastside. Adding reclaimed glass from local industry off cuts, sand blasting, etching and laser engraving, Eclipse is producing best in class recognition items that tell a story and share values.

Acting as a sales rep for Eclipse we're happy to be able to offer this great line of green awards through Saul Good.

A month back I had an amazing experience. As Alex and I were delivering gifts into the new Woodward's building we met an amazing woman named Annie. As we rode the elevator together with a dolly full of gifts ready for the new homeowners, Annie asked us if the wooden boxes the gifts were packaged in were from Tradeworks. We confirmed and Annie went on to tell us that she had participated in training programs at Tradeworks and that it had helped her get her where she is today, gainfully employed working construction on one of Vancouver's highest profile developments.

The gifts were a selection of green cleaning products and sustainable lifestyle items destined for the suites of new homeowners, with each gift packaged in a an engraved pine beetle wooden caddy made by Tradeworks Custom Products. As I've been writing about for the last year, Tradeworks is a social enterprise that trains and employs women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Besides gaining tradeskills and work experience the program builds participants confidence and self esteem while preparing the women for careers in the trades.

Walking the talk

Woodward's is a landmark development in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, creating space for not only the privilaged but also providing a range of social housing, for families, single people and also the physically challenged. W2, the community media arts center, will also find home in the Woodward's block. We always thought it was great that Westbank, the developers of the project, wanted to include the wooden boxes from Tradeworks in the welcome gift program for Woodwards but to see that creating employment opportunities for DTES residents is not only a commitment but also a reality was something that really hit home for me. Business is a powerful tool that can improve the world. Gifts can be a lot more than just cool stuff and it feels real good to know the work we're doing is helping to make things better.

I just got back from what may have been the best business conference ever, the Social Venture Institute at Hollyhock on Cortes Island. Besides the breath taking land, mountains, ocean and forests, everything about it was all good. The sessions were first class and their format succinct and relevant. Learning from experts in the fields of branding, social enterprise, social media, strategy, business development, raising capital, basically all the things you need to have together to build a successful social mission based business. World class particpants and up and coming super stars, I feel lucky and privilaged to have been a part of it. Business is a lot more than about making money and this conference proved it. You need to have it together to be successful and profit is only a piece of success.

Top 5 things I loved about SVI

1) Networking - there aren't many places in the world where you can learn from multi millionaires, corporate executives, social justice leaders and budding entrepreneurs while kicking back in a hot tub looking out into Desolation Sound. I met so many amazing people, and not just trading cards, but really connecting, talking and learning from people I know I'll stay in touch with.

2) The Food - Top notch, local, organic healthy tasty living. Enough said. Everything put in front of us was amazing. Nourished mind, body and soul. SVI has it sorted. When the chefs get a standing ovation you know you're in good hands.

3) The Cortesians - It had been a few years since I'd been on Cortes Island while working on my MBA at the Bainbridge Graduate Institue (BGI). BGI has a great campus on this beautiful, quaint and remote island in the North Gulf Islands on the British Columbia coast. All the locals we met were super friendly, down to earth and leaders in so many ways. One of the leading Permaculture design schools is on Cortes - Linnaea Farm.

4) The Land - Beautiful big western red cedars, lush ferns on the forest floor, huckleberries, Sitka Spruce and fresh ocean air. Hollyhock is one beautiful place. Beaches for swimming, in the ocean or a nearby fresh water lake, everything was at our fingertips.

5) The buildings - green buildings left right and center. Inspirational learning spaces for the mind and heart. Besides all things business we nourished ourselves with massage, meditiation, yoga, you name it. Natural building at it's best. Cobb houses, solar power, yurts and modern concrete post beam luxary homes. Did I mention the hot tubs! Damb, this place is a slice of bliss.

Working with social enterprises can be extremely rewarding with benefits on multiple levels.  For the last couple years I've been working with Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.  Working with and representing them with my corporate clients, putting together corporate gifts and promotions, has led me to believe that value is generated in multiple ways.  I recently sat down with Mary Sturgeon of Junxion Strategy, a leading consulting firm focussed on the human dimension of sustainability, to talk about social enterprises. By working with social enterprises, beyond providing training and job experience for marginalized people, genuine value and bottom line benefits are built for the companies that support them.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Many corporations have philanthropic giving programs giving out cash and in kind support to non-profits to help them achieve their missions. This type of philanthropy is important as many organizations rely on this type of funding to keep their programs running. However, a hand out is a hand out, well received and appreciated but not empowering. Social enterprise on the other hand empowers individuals directly working to improve their lives. The skills being learned by the employees in social enterprises makes life better for people, opens up new opportunities and builds confidence and self esteem in people working to improve their lives. In many cases purchasing from a social enterprise is more expensive when compared to conventional products or services but the synergistic value is often greater when compared to a purely philanthropic donation. As long as the values are aligned between the corporation and the social enterprise the relationship and value is worth more than a simple donation. It may cost more in your marketing budget but a company can save money and maximize value when looking at marketing and community relationships/philanthropy together as a whole.

Creators vs. victims

Working in a social enterprise builds confidence and self esteem. Empowering marginalized people to have a sense of control over their lives, feeling good about their work and learning transferable skills that open doors and opportunities. At Tradeworks women living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, one of North America's most marginalized communities, learn carpentry and woodworking skills, opening doors for careers in the trades. Some former participants have gone on to start their own businesses, further education and training in the trades and gainful employment at other companies in the community. As I've said, donations are important and play a role, but donations do not empower people where social enterprise does.

Making people feel good - HR benefits

More and more research shows that people want to work for socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Attracting and retaining top talent is a profitable sustainable business strategy helping to reduce the costs associated with training and turnover. If employees feel good about the work they do and the companies they work for then profitability, efficiency, quality and customer service all improve instep. By working with social enterprises that have values inline with your company and staff you can empower your employees by feeling good about their work and how it contributes to improving their community and environment.

Top 3 tips for working with social enterprise

1) Find a social enterprise operating in your community that you or your employees share values with. Having the values in line is strategic in terms of the benefits and exposure your partnership will produce. Working together for mutual benefit is a strong value proposition.

2) Go on a tour to meet the people managing and working in the social enterprise. Check it out, shake peoples' hands and look in peoples' eyes. The value I've received seeing smiles of peoples' faces has made my work with social enterprise worth it alone. This is also a great way to engage your employees and get them to see the value first hand that their partnership and work together creates.

3) Be patient and do whatever you can to help social enterprises build capacity. Developing working relationships with social enterprises takes time, resources and patience so take it slow, offer your time and expertise and help however you can. Remember and honour the social element of their operations, there's more than a financial bottom line and we must look at social and financial considerations in equilibrium for social enterprise and long term working relationships to work.

The Strathcona Business Improvement Association (SBIA) is hosting it's second annual sustainability summit on April 2nd, 2009, 3-7pm at Chapel Arts, and I'm happy to announce that we've secured Majora Carter as our keynote speaker, a leader in the social justice and social enterprise space.  The event is focused on collaboration, how businesses and organizations can work together for mutual benefit and build sustainable communities.  I'm going to be on a panel with along with Toby Barazzuol of Eclipse Awards, Danielle of Frogfile Office Essentials, Tracy Casavant of Eco-Industrial Solutions among others.  The panel is being facillitated by Anita Burke, a leading systems thinker, so we're bound to have some great questions taking the dialogue a bit deeper.  Besides hearing from some great local leaders Majora is a speaker not to be missed.  Registration is free, sign up today to avoid disappointment: www.strathconabia.com/expo2