So my husband went to Home Depot this weekend and like any good Samuel Adams drinker, he was wearing his “Just Brew It” t-shirt.
The woman who helped him complimented him on his shirt and asked whether he works at Sam Adams. He said, “no, but my wife works closely with them on their philanthropy program.”
She said: “Oh, Brewing the American Dream?”
He said: “Yeah, do you know it?”
Today is Patriot’s Day in New England, a perfect day to celebrate news that another revolution is storming the country. We are thrilled to share that the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine, among others have been spreading the word about the expansion of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Program. This philanthropic initiative provides small food, beverage, and hospitality businesses with micro-loans, access to business coaching, and opportunities to showcase their products.
This month the program formally expanded its Loan Fund from five New England states to small brewers nation-wide, and to food and beverage and hospitality entrepreneurs in Ohio, Greater Lehigh Valley PA, and the five boroughs of New York City.
This week I facilitated a panel at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship conference on how corporate social responsibility can fuel business innovation. We had a rock star panel with Amy Skoczlas Cole (eBay’s Head of Environment and Director of eBay Green Team); Eve Callahan, (Umpqua Bank’s SVP, Corporate Communications); and Kris Bowring (Best Buy’s Senior Director, Home Management).
We had a dynamic conversation about how each of these companies are being intentional about creating disruption in their cultures and challenging the status quo. They are doing this not because it’s fun and easy (we learned quite the opposite), but because ultimately their work will not only fuel their business and create new growth opportunities, but also positively impact society. From “real” community banking; to a sustainable shipping box; and a best-in-class electronics recycling initiative, we had a powerful session.