tradeworks custom products

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.

After looking at the reclaimed parallam beams in our warehouse for the last 7 months I finally got around to following through on the reclaimed wood work bench I envisioned when Saul Good moved into share space with Eclipse Awards. Parallam is a recycled wood building product that Eclipse used to reinforce the ceiling to add strength for the green roof top deck on top of the building. It looks really cool, layers upon layers of in line wood grains, now playing the role of table top in our production space. It was just last week when I dropped into see our friends at Propellor Design, a local Strathcona Green Zone business that designs and builds rad lighting fixtures and furniture using eco materials, when I mentioned this project and they kicked down a super simple design that we bagan to work with. Besides scoring a design we also got a few boxes of reclaimed bamboo and nice hardwoods for our hand turned pens by Tradeworks Custom Products.

Building capacity & walking the talk

I hired Shane, one of the Eclipse production staff, to help turn the plan into action and after a day's work our new table is sorted! We're using it as our new and improved assembly benchy for our sustainable corporate gift and gift basket business. Not only does this new additon keep in line with our other green building and warehousing initiatives but also adds capacity to help meet growing demand for sustainable corporate gifts in Vancouver, BC. The new work bench has a lower shelf which we're using for our recycled gift boxes which frees up a bunch of space in our shelving for more the local organic gourmet food products we use in our gifts. With added production capacity we're gearing up for the Christmas and holiday gift season.

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.

Last fall I was contacted by Omicron, a leading architectural firm in Vancouver that specializes in sustainable design.  They were looking for client appreciation gifts to give out at Christmas and wanted something inline with their values, gifts that were locally sourced and filled with products that would be easy to share in an office environment.  I put some gifts together with local artisan and organic gourmet products and made my way down to their office in Downtown Vancouver.  As I sat in the reception area waiting for the meeting, thinking through my pitch, it hit me that I was off the mark.  The perfect gift was sitting right in front of me, not in my samples but in a informative display sitting in the corner.

Telling your story to build your relationships

Giving gifts are all about building relationships.  If one wants to say more than thank you, one really needs to understand their story, what a company is all about, and build those values and differentiators into the gift experience.  This is a powerful way to give things that are memorable, keeping you and your company top of mind for time to come.  So sitting in the corner was a display made from pine recovered from the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic we're facing here in BC.  The light coloured wood has distinctive blue streaks through the wood, a reminder of the train left by these infectious insects.  Taking a closer look I realized the story that Omicron was telling through the installation, that their architectural firm utilizes locally sourced materials and uses them efficiently and with attention to detail and design.  Aware of environmental issues and materials challenges, the firm makes the most out of what's available.  With a custom woodworking shop up my sleeve and a stack of mountain pine beetle sourced from a previous project I knew then and there that I needed to revise my pitch to best tell their story.

Organic chocolate truffles

Need I say more.  Made locally on Bowen Island, my chocolatier makes absolutely the freshest and tastiest artisan organic truffles this side of Switzerland.  We came up with the idea to fill these pine beetle boxes with amazing chocolates, easy to share and enjoy around the office.  The Omicron graphic design team came up with a fantastic card that included a chocolate map so people would know what they were tasting.  The box was made from mountain pine beetle wood and manufactured by Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry living in Vancouver's downtown eastside, working to build confidence and self esteem.  For more info on Tradeworks please see a previous post, Tradeworks Custom Products and FSC certification.

You know it works when...

It's all about building long term relationships built on quality and service, that's what Saul Good is all about.  Not only in how I help my clients build relationships with their clients and employees but also in how I'm building my business.  I know it's all coming together when I receive testimonials this one I got the other day from my friends at Omicron:

"We had the pleasure of working with Saul Good Gift Co. for our 2008 client holiday gifts.  When we initially contacted Saul Brown we did not have a predetermined idea and he patiently worked with us to find a wonderful option that met all of our needs.  When the boxes arrived they were perfect; his attention to detail exceeded our expectations!  We have no hesitation recommending Saul Good Gift Co. for their creative, sustainable gifts and fabulous, friendly service."

Working with Omicron reinforced rule #3, to always like your customers.  It was easy in this case and flowed naturally, helping them appreciate their clients through thoughtful gifts that tell a story and build relationships.  Values based relationship development, that's where the value is truly created.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a leading international organization that's developed comprehensive standards for sustainable forestry.  They work with the entire supply chain in the forest products industry, from wood lots to product manufacturers, to ensure chain of custody assurance that the wood and fibre used in products came from a sustainabily managed forest.

Working with Ecotrust Canada - FSC group

Over the last year I've been working with Orrin Quinn at Ecotrust Canada, helping Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, attain FSC chain of custody certification.  The Ecotrust program helps organizations get FSC certified, providing assistance with the process and contacts to source FSC lumber.  Orrin has been great to work with and I recommended him to various furniture manufacturers that are looking at going FSC.  The price of FSC lumber is more expensive but the value is in assurance of environmental responsibility and the story that comes with it.  The first FSC certified product that Tradeworks produced was in partnership with Saul Good and Eclipse Awards, making red cedar picture frames for BC Hyrdo Power Smart.  The wood came from Iisaak Forest Resources, a First Nation's owned forestry company in Ucluelet, BC.  It's been really exciting to work with all these companies and social enterprises, making sure that everyone get's what they need and finding ways to communicate the values and story behind these amazing products.

Custom FSC certified product manufacturing

Saul Good is an official distributor for Tradeworks and we're happy to help companies develop custom FSC wood products.  FSC products are a great way to support sustainable forestry, a much needed framework to protect our natural resources and work with communities for a long term solution to natural resource use in the forestry sector.  I know Orrin is keen to work with more companies as well so if you're interested in getting your business certified please let me know and I'll be happy to put you in touch.

When given the opportunity to move my business and share space with Eclipse Awards, a leading crystal and glass awards business in Vancouver, BC, I jumped at the chance.  Eclipse has been active working on the Strathcona Green Zone, a hub of sustainable business in the Downtown Eastside, by building green roofs and doing green renos in one of Canada's poorest postal codes.  It definately was a step up, having been running Saul Good out of my house for the last 2 years, and an exciting opportunity to not only scale up our operation but also create a culture for collaboration between businesses, finding ways to work together for mutual benefit.  As I moved in and started to set up shop I was faced with some purchasing decisions.  Did I go green or go home?

Green shelving

I scored some leftover LEED green shelving from Arpac, Vesta particle board shelves made from 100% recycled and reclaimed wood without any added formaldehyde.  Apparently these were leftover from a recent job doing shelving for MEC, membership in the co-op has it's privilages!

Reclaimed wood table & work bench

The next item on the list is a work bench, used to assemble gifts and store empty gift boxes.  Using materials leftover from the Eclipse green reno I'm working with Tradeworks Custom Products to custom manufacture a work bench made from reclaimed parallam beams, originally used to reinforce the ceiling for the green roof.