{"id":34696,"date":"2014-12-31T17:30:24","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T22:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.pro\/?p=34696"},"modified":"2018-01-04T15:58:48","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T20:58:48","slug":"2014-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/2014\/2014-review\/","title":{"rendered":"2014: A Last Look at a First-Class Year!"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1999, UncommonGoods <\/a>was founded as an alternative retailer driven by an emerging market for unique, handmade and environmentally friendly designs, as well as a conviction that business could be a force for good in the world<\/a>. And over the past fifteen years, the people behind our efforts\u2014our Brooklyn team, not-for-profit partners, and an array of independent artists and independently minded customers\u2014have been the inspiration and can-do catalysts of our growing business. So, as we look back at 2014, we thought the best way to characterize the year is by profiling a few of the people and partners that made it one to celebrate.<\/p>\n

Reach Out and Read: a Better to Give Success Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through our Better to Give program, UncommonGoods has donated over $1 million to our partner non-profits.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Reach<\/a><\/p>\n

As an independently owned business, we have the freedom to support causes we believe in, helping them to impact the world in a positive way. Through our Better to Give<\/a> program, we make it easy for you to join us in supporting these great causes\u2014with every purchase you make, we’re proud to donate $1 to your choice of one of our non-profit partners. Over the week of Thanksgiving, we increased the Better to Give donation to $5 for those visiting our site through a special email campaign, taking us past the $1 million donation mark<\/a> on Black Friday!<\/p>\n

Our newest Better to Give partner, Reach Out and Read<\/a>, joined us in 2014, and was immediately a popular choice, gaining over 35 thousand customer backers, for a total of more than $35,000 in donations. Reach Out and Read serves more than 4 million children annually, sharing the transformative power of reading with families in need nationwide. As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a>, the program incorporates early literacy into pediatric practice, equipping parents with tools and knowledge to ensure that their children are prepared to learn when they start school.<\/p>\n

With obvious passion for his organization\u2019s work, Reach Out and Read\u2019s Executive Director Brian Gallagher shared some of the ways that Better to Give has benefited their efforts over the past year:<\/p>\n

\"Reach<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe support has allowed us to purchase brand-new books (our favorites include Goodnight Moon<\/a> and Clifford the Big Red Dog<\/a>) and to deliver critical literacy guidance to families in need. With the support of UncommonGoods and others, we have been able to grow our program in 2014, adding our unique early literacy intervention in 287 additional health centers, hospitals, and pediatric clinics nationwide, serving 230,000 more children. UncommonGoods has provided essential funding to keep our program expanding\u2014truly helping us to change pediatrics, change families, and most importantly, change futures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian also commented on some of the benefits of our collaboration beyond the bottom line:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the amazing financial support, the Better to Give partnership has helped educate an entirely new audience about Reach Out and Read\u2014and the importance of early literacy and early intervention. We have seen our social media base steadily increase over the year, and feel certain that many of those fans and followers are UncommonGoods customers. We have also been able to reach shoppers who have a social conscience, and may have chosen to support Reach Out and Read additionally outside of the Better to Give partnership. We are so grateful to have had the chance to align ourselves with such a great brand, and use this platform to help us raise funds and overall awareness of our organization and our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, he sees some important affinities between UncommonGoods and Reach Out and Read that make this partnership a great fit:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love that UncommonGoods is more than just a company\u2014you give back to those in need and you strive to better the world, as we do through our literacy intervention. And based on the amount of support we\u2019ve received this year, your customers are clearly people who also care about literacy and value the early interactions between a parent and a child. We are beyond thrilled with this relationship and look forward to all that is to come as our two organizations continue to work together to effect positive change.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nancy and Walter Warner: a Bigger Jam Session<\/strong><\/p>\n

UncommonGoods promotes the work of more than 600 small, independent makers; 80% of these have 10 people or fewer on their team.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Walter<\/a>Nancy and Walter Warner, Beer Jelly Set<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0Part of UncommonGoods\u2019 long-standing mission is to support the work of innovative, independent makers\u2014artists, designers, craftspeople, and\u2026jelly makers. Each of the 600 makers that we represent has a unique story, and Nancy and Walter Warner<\/a> are no exception. The two former archaeologists moved to Vermont to pursue new ventures: Walt pursuing a career as a cultural resource lawyer, and Nancy launching a business making distinctive, artisanal preserves<\/a>. Their collaboration with UncommonGoods has allowed them to take their craft from cottage industry to a full-steam operation.<\/p>\n

Nancy Warner put her spoon down long enough to reflect on the effect of their partnership with UncommonGoods over the past year:<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with UG has allowed us to grow our business with confidence in 2014. The partnership and the audience UG reaches has helped us more than double our gross sales from the previous year. We thought we were full time before our partnership with UncommonGoods, but teaming up has helped us become job creators: we\u2019ve hired four employees, invested in new equipment, and have quickly outgrown our tiny spot on the town green and are on the hunt for our next home in Vermont.”<\/p>\n

\"Beer<\/a><\/p>\n

She also commented on the esprit de corps between her venture and the UncommonGoods team:<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe we are a great fit with UncommonGoods because the staff there is as excited about our work as we are. True believers in the creative and uncommon process, UncommonGoods has worked with us to develop new flavors like Cabernet & Cracked Pepper wine jelly<\/a>, conferenced with us regularly to be sure we\u2019re on the same page, and supported our use of environmentally-friendly packaging (even though it may cost just a bit more). Most importantly, the UG crew reaches out to us regularly to be sure they understand our process and our limits as small producers of handcrafted items. In some ways, UG feels like an extension of our own team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenesha Phillip on the People Who Drive the Success of UncommonGoods<\/strong><\/p>\n

UncommonGoods is committed to paying a living wage, with hourly team members paid 70% higher than the Federal minimum.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Kenesha<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Kenesha Phillip, UncommonGoods Area Operations Manager<\/em><\/p>\n

UncommonGoods maintains a team of 120 year-round\u2014and 685 seasonal team members in the fourth quarter (2014)\u2014all under one roof in the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal <\/a>in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Keeping all operations in New York and in a common space has been a priority since the company\u2019s founding. And maintaining a great team by paying a living wage, providing opportunities to grow with the company, and valuing the potential of each individual have been essential elements in UncommonGoods\u2019 success over the past 15 years.<\/p>\n

Despite the frenetic pace of our warehouse in December, Area Operations Manager Kenesha Phillip<\/a>\u2014who herself started as a seasonal Team Lead in 2012\u2014took some time to reflect on the character of UncommonGoods\u2019 team:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the recognition of humanity is a really important thing. In the world that we live in now\u2026it\u2019s important that people know that you see them, and that they know they\u2019re valuable, and that\u2019s the most important thing that UncommonGoods does. Tom or Dave<\/a> [company founders] will walk into the warehouse and say that the people closest to the customer are the most important people to the business, and that\u2019s very nice to hear and very comforting and makes people feel appreciated. If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned from being on the warehouse floor, it\u2019s that people give their best effort when they feel like you see them and you value them\u2026they feel like they\u2019re here to help the team accomplish a bigger goal.”<\/p>\n

\"Brooklyn<\/a><\/p>\n

Brooklyn Army Terminal<\/em><\/p>\n

She also commented on the challenges and opportunities that come with the company\u2019s seasonal activity which calls for a high quality team:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe human element here is really important, and something that we fight for all the time. And it\u2019s not an easy thing to do\u2014the bar is raised year after year, and we need better and better people to work for us. But it\u2019s definitely an attraction when you know you can start as a seasonal worker and move into a management role. It helps us hire a strong team and keep a strong team here. I\u2019d worked in retail before, so I know how people are typically paid in retail and what kind of environments they are\u2026[here] it\u2019s just different\u2026we pay people a living wage, and we try to treat people with respect. If you walk over to the warehouse right now, you can\u2019t tell who\u2019s year-round and who\u2019s seasonal. We try to make sure that everyone has a great experience, regardless of whether they\u2019ve been here for a few months or for years. We work together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding UncommonGoods\u2019 commitment to keeping the entire company under one roof in Brooklyn, she observed:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"UncommonGoods<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFor us to be successful as a company, Operations has to go well, but everything else in the company has to go well too. We partner with so many departments every year to make sure that the customer has a good experience in the holiday season. We work with the Merchants\u2026with Customer Service\u2026with Human Resources\u2026to make sure that those things all come down to the customer. So it\u2019s a nice thing having the corporate offices in the same building as the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she discussed the importance of paying a living wage<\/a> for a company\u2014and team\u2014that calls New York home:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very expensive to live here, so people need the wages that we pay<\/a>\u2026and people always ask about it when they return because we do pay such a good wage compared to the Federal level. I know that it impacts the lives of the people that work for us in a significant way, even if it\u2019s for a short time. It\u2019s a significant thing, and it means someone being able to pay their rent. It makes all the difference in people\u2019s living conditions. I know that some people that work for us have a difficult time financially, so it\u2019s important that we continue to do this, and it\u2019s something to be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Always Becoming a Better Business<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a founding B Corp, we’re committed to sustainability. This year we made strides with our highest B Lab score yet.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"B<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We’ve always been passionate about sustainability, and back in 2007 we joined our fellow founding B Corporations<\/a>\u00a0in starting a global movement to redefine success in business. As the official B Corp website<\/a> explains, by earning our certification we’re “voluntarily meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance, Certified B Corps are distinguishing themselves in a cluttered marketplace by offering a positive vision of a better way to do business.”<\/p>\n

In 2014 we showed that we’re still going strong when it comes to sustainability. In fact, we proudly announced<\/a> that our Impact Assessment<\/a> came back with our best score so far: 111.4 points. (That’s 12% higher than our previous score.)<\/p>\n

Many of the improvements we made in 2014<\/a> helped us earn our recertification and earn a higher score than we’d had in the past. We formed a sustainability committee to give employees opportunities to personally impact our sustainability decisions, we implemented composting and better recycling programs, and we improved our vendor relationships.\"UncommonGoods<\/a><\/p>\n

While we are definitely happy with the changes we’ve made and our improved score, we know that working to be a better business is an ongoing process. After our recertification was complete, we sent a representative from our sustainability committee to join other representatives from businesses in the B Corp community at the\u00a0B Corp Champions Retreat<\/a> to bring back advice on how we can continue to grow as a socially responsible company and make a positive impact on the world.<\/p>\n

We’re excited to continue to make positive changes in 2015, to grow and nurture our talented team<\/a>, and to keep building strong relationships with\u00a0our\u00a0Better to Give partners<\/a>, makers and artists<\/a>, and customer community. Happy New Year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the past fifteen years, the people behind our efforts\u2014our Brooklyn team, not-for-profit partners, and an array of independent artists and independently minded customers\u2014have been the inspiration and can-do catalysts of our growing business. So, as we look back at 2014, we thought the best way to characterize the year is by profiling a few of the people and partners that made it one to celebrate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":34868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[40,1057,315,541,1471,31],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34696"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34696"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64786,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34696\/revisions\/64786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}