43 SOCIAL IMPACT & SUSTAINABILITY PANEL The Social Impact and Sustainability Panel during Entrepreneurship Week explored how entrepreneurship, whether through non-profit or for-profit enterprises, can help protect the environment, improve our communities, reduce inequality, and support economic growth. Laurie Dawkins, partner of Workplace Talent Solutions, spent nineteen years in the banking industry before venturing on a new path of non-profit with The Literacy Council of Reading and Berks. It was there that Dawkins discovered the untapped resource of immigrants working in entry-level jobs despite having degrees from their native country in business, law, finance, medical, etc. Upon “retiring” in June of 2020, Dawkins became a partner at Workplace Talent Solutions, which endeavors to educate employers on the valuable skills held by this workforce, providing training, and helping to develop their English skills for promotion within the company. Josh Mastromatto (‘13) is a cofounder of the Philadelphia based start-up company, Rego. Mastromatto’s upbringing set the tone for his entrepreneurial drive towards social impact and sustainability, which involved a stepfather who started a painting business for formerly incarcerated individuals like himself. The experience exposed Mastromatto to valuable lessons as he followed in his stepfather’s footsteps by starting a business that helps the community, although in a different way. Rego uses technology to divert bulk waste away from landfills. The technology functions as a networking App to find reusable outlets for bulk goods, such as furniture and other home furnishings that would otherwise be discarded. Scott Woodrow (‘88) began his career in the waste business in 1990 working in various companies, including Waste Management, before founding Sustainable Waste Solutions in 2004. The company dealt with specialty waste that required “assured destruction”, such as pharmaceuticals. As society adopted more sustainable values, Woodrow and his business partner realized they met that desire as a landfill-free company. They rebranded the company, marketing themselves to sustainably-minded companies, ultimately keeping many tons of waste out of the landfill, while also setting a high standard for safety compliance in the industry. Casey Fenoglio is Director of Community Engagement at Tower Health Hospital in Pottstown. Fenoglio focuses on public health and wants to ensure that everyone in the community has equitable access to social and healthcare needs. Fenoglio explained thatsocial needs are met within a community when an individual is completely well. Traditional healthcare needs are typically treated within four walls, such as a hospital or doctor’s office, but Fenoglio’s department expands these walls out into the community, providing programs, such as street medicine where doctors volunteer their time to bring health and behavioral services to the homeless. By providing services to the most disadvantaged in the community of Pottstown, Tower Health is able to help people before they show up at the ER. When asked about some of the challenges associated with having a business focused on social impact, some common themes emerged. Identifying a clear value proposition for a business can be challenging “because you are trying to radicalize an industry,” Mastromatto explained. It is important to balance the impact Rego is trying to make with business metrics that investors require, and that takes time and adjustment. It is challenging for them to educate people on how their model not only positively impacts society, but also produces economic value. Dawkins faced a similar struggle, “We spent a lot of time upfront educating employers on the value of investing in their entry-level employees.” Woodrow explained the challenge of discovering what his waste management company offered their clientele that other competitors did not, such as sustainability and safety, while learning how to market that effectively. Fenoglio emphasized the importance of correcting community perception of healthcare, showing how a focus on social health saves the hospital money by preventing unnecessary emergency room visits from individuals who are hungry, cold or lack primary care. Although all these companies face challenges, knowing that they have a positive social and environmental impact answers the ‘why’ behind the work they are doing. “There is no better feeling,” Fenoglio expressed, “than being a member of the community I work in, serving my fellow community members through my role.” Mastromatto said it “sparked this fury” when the city of Philadelphia refused to take the trash they collected during an organized trash clean-up project in the City. Dawkins knew help was needed when she saw the blank look on foreigners’ faces as she asked them if they intended to get their degree translated in order to obtain a better job. “Working with folks who share a passion to not only do what is good, but figure out what can be better to make the world a better place has been and is an inspiring business path.”
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