Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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experts, it offers a Second Chance Playbook & Workshop, and hosts an annual Second Chance Summit. Martin advises, "The Second Chance Playbook is a great place to start." It's a free video series addressing legal, insurance, and human resource issues that employ- ers consider when implementing Second Chance Employment. "The Playbook video series has the information most businesses need to get started," she says. Second Chance Employment provides a way for businesses to offer each other advice and insight. Martin notes that the foundation will debut more ways for employers to connect and share ideas later this year. "With the right policies and practices in place, Second Chance Employment is possible at almost any business," she says. Other food companies that have followed in the footsteps of Dave's Killer Bread 's Second Chance Employment practices include Drive Change, Brooklyn, N.Y.; POP! Gourmet Foods, Tukwila, Wash.; Greyston Bakery, Yonkers, N.Y.; and Together We Bake, Alexandria, Va. The latest Second Chance Summit took place in New York City in May 2016. Making a Pledge for Second Chances Dave's Killer Bread's fan base is sizeable. They have 534,000 Facebook fans, 12,000 Twitter followers, and more than 8,000 on Instagram. Hoping to capitalize on this online force, the company has set a goal to gather 10,000 signatures of people pledging to sup- port companies employing people with criminal backgrounds. All the breads feature the Pledge to Support Second Chances on the packaging. Dan Letchinger, vice president of marketing, shares that as of the end of April, they've collected more than 1,700 signatures from people across the nation who are voicing their support for com- panies to become Second Chance Employers. "We're excited to see this response," he adds, "Anyone who believes in the power of second chances can show their support by going to daveskillerbread.com." Another movement has caught on across the country: Ban the Box is discouraging companies from asking job applicants if Second Chance Employment Many business owners don't know what a second chance can mean to a person just out of prison, so the Dave's Killer Bread's website show- cases employee-partners who have turned their lives around. One such person is Wilhelm Mutz, a self-identified six-time felon hired in 2011. "He views his position with the company as more than a job, and he calls it his shot at redemption," says Gina Delahunt, director of human resources. Since joining Dave's Killer Bread, Wilhelm has embraced the leadership training and advancement opportunities offered by the company, and today is production manager, supervis- ing key bakery operations at BreadQuarters. "With the stability his job at Dave's Killer Bread provides, Wilhelm says he's been able to focus on his life outside of work, including his wife and his love of outdoor pursuits like rock climb- ing, surfing, and snowboarding," Delahunt says. "The confidence and stability provided by a job where they do not have to hide their past and can earn a living wage has built a foundation for real, lasting change in their lives," Nash adds. By encouraging people with criminal backgrounds to tell their stories throughout the community, "it's their way of giving back and feeling a part of something bigger in their lives," he continues. "It's giving people a chance to begin a 'career journey,' not just a ' job.'" Spreading the Word In 2015, Dave's Killer Bread started a non-profit foundation. Genevieve Martin, executive director of the foundation, explains, "After 10 years successfully employing people with criminal back- grounds, Dave's Killer Bread was ready to share its experience and expertise, as well as collaborate with other Second Chance Employers to encourage businesses to expand employment opportu- nities to people with criminal backgrounds." The foundation offers a series of programs for organizations interested in employing people with criminal records. Designed with input from re-entry, criminal justice, business, and human resource Loaves are seeded all the way around. SUMMER 2016 137