Socially Responsible Businesses – How Tea, Ice Cream, and Vegetables Do Good

Tue, 03/06/2018 - 4:05pm

When: February 21, 2018 at Downtown

Local business owners talk about how socially conscious business practices – from environmental sustainability to hiring practices to community partnerships – are part of their business identity and their bottom line.

The panel includes Rob Hess from Go! Ice Cream, Phillis Engelbert from The Lunch Room and Detroit Street Filling Station, and Aubrey Lopatin from Arbor Teas. This discussion is be moderated by Rishi Moudgil, Executive Director of GreenLight Fund Detroit and Founder of the Center for Social Impact at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. 

More about the panelists:

Rishi Moudgil is the founding executive director of GreenLight Fund Detroit. Previously he was the founder and managing director of the University of Michigan Center for Social Impact at the Ross School of Business and previously led U-M’s Nonprofit and Public Management Center. He has coached, advised, and funded multiple social enterprises and nonprofit boards, and was a management consultant for large educational institutions.

Rob Hess is the founder and head ice cream maker of Go! Ice Cream, a small-batch ice cream store and soda-fountain in downtown Ypsilanti where everything is made from scratch. Go! Ice Cream's social mission was born out of a mixture of Rob's unique career path in the arts and public institutions, his lifetime love of cooking, and the creative, passionate, engaged citizens of Ypsilanti. The company has hosted a multitude of events in support of local nonprofit organizations, each featuring ice cream concoctions tailored to the spirit of the cause.

Phillis Engelbert is co-owner, with Joel Panozzo, of three vegan restaurants in Ann Arbor: The Lunch Room Diner & Canteen, The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe, and Detroit Street Filling Station. With those businesses she engages in fundraising for area nonprofits, social justice activism, and the hiring of people in recovery and returning citizens. The mission of The Lunch Room is to prepare high-quality, nutritious vegan food, and to demonstrate the breadth and versatility of plant-based whole foods. When possible, The Lunch Room uses local and organic produce, makes everything from scratch from fine ingredients, and emphasizes environmental sustainability.

Aubrey Lopatin is the co-founder of Arbor Teas, an Ann Arbor-based online retailer of organic, loose-leaf tea. She strongly believes that businesses can (and should) have a positive impact on their community and stakeholders including customers, employees and suppliers. Arbor Teas is a family-owned organic tea company. Its daily mission is to find the world's most fantastic organic teas and herbs and deliver them to its customers as sustainably as possible