The Marketplace Magazine September/October 2015

September October 2015

Where Christian faith gets down to business

Hospitality with a down-home flavor

Josiah Wedgwood: The potter of God Amish furniture hot online seller

Why support MEDA? Here’s a Top Ten list

1

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 1

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:03 AM

Roadside stand

Wage peace or cure disease?

How much would you give to achieve world peace? More than you contribute to reduce poverty? Which good cause would give you more bang for your buck?

Development writer William MacAskill contends that as desirable as it may be, peace is not the best investment for charitable dollars.

More effective, he believes, is to rid the world of disease.

In his book Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make A Difference he urges generous folk to seek out the most effective ways to invest charitable dollars. At the top of his historic impact list is the eradication of smallpox (around 1977), possibly “the best aid program in history.” How does that compare with, say, achieving world peace? His answer may be hard for peace-loving Mennonites to swallow. According to MacAskill’s tally, the body count of all the wars, genocides and terrorist acts (eg., Cambodia, Rwanda, Congo, 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq) that have taken place in the four decades or so since smallpox was wiped out would total 12 million people. Smallpox, however, claimed up to three million lives a year before it was eradicated, for a total of 60 to 120 million during that period. By his reckoning, getting rid of smallpox saved five times as many lives as world peace would have.

Maybe so, but let’s keep up our peace work anyway.

by Arizona State University. A dissatisfied customer will tell about 28 people. (Consumer Reports) Gotta give. A new law in India requires all large Indian companies to donate two percent of their net profits to philanthropic causes. The new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Act, signed into law in 2014 but only now beginning to be enforced, is the first of its kind worldwide. It is expected to generate some $3 billion annually in corporate contributions.

Some commentators, while applauding the intent of the law, have doubts about its impact in a nation with relatively little institutional response to social and economic issues. Some fear the ruling could lead to forced philanthropy, “tick box” behavior, tokenism or even corruption, and masking of data to avoid having to comply. It is estimated that some 6,000 Indian companies, many of them first-timers, will have to undertake CSR projects in order to comply with the new guidelines.

“The law represents big money in a country with even bigger problems, from open sewers that contrib-

Cover photo of Der Dutchman restaurant courtesy of Dutchman Hospitality Group

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 2

Under 35. Last year MEDA introduced “20 Under 35” awards to recognize an often-unnoticed group of young people who are enriching their communities through their faith, service and entrepreneurial spirit. The program will be repeated this year, says coordinator Ethan Eshbach. “These young professionals are deeply invested in the lives of others and are passionate about making the world a better place,” he says.

One of last year’s honorees, Chris Steingart, owner of QT Webdesigns in Kitchener, Ont., says the 2014 recognition helped his business.

“Clients saw the coverage [that came with winning a 20 Under 35 award] and it reminded them to get in touch [with my business].”

Everence Financial is the official sponsor for this year’s awards.

Recipients will be announced at the MEDA convention, Nov. 5 to 8 in Richmond, Va. Haute at work. We hadn’t heard the term in these parts, though we’ve done it for years. Eating lunch at our office desk, that is. Now there’s a word for it — “al desko.” It’s a play on the Italian term “al fresco,” meaning dining outside. The Oxford English Dictionary added the word last year, but we’re slow around here. That said, it gives a load of new panache to a tuna sandwich. — WK

Viral vitriol. A customer who is eventually satisfied with a product or service will end up telling 10 to 16 people about the experience, according to a 2013 “customer rage” study

The Marketplace September October 2015

ute to one of the highest disease burdens in the world to infrastructure so crumbling that buildings routinely fall of their own accord,” writes Neha Hiranandani in Quartz India.

“Can government-mandated CSR be a social development path for a nation in which over 900 million have a mobile connection but only 600 million (36% of the population) have access to a clean toilet?” asks Ashok Prasad in the Guardian.

2

18/08/2015 8:54:04 AM

In this issue

6

Hospitality with an Amish flavor

Emanuel Mullet’s robust vision for family business continues to flourish throughout Amish Country, where six restaurants feed more than 2.5 million customers every year. By JB Miller

10

God’s potter

12

Top 10 reasons to support MEDA

Wedgwood’s legacy of ceramics and faith. Page 10

Why single MEDA out for your donations? By boosting self-employment and creating robust businesses, MEDA is a great way to share God’s love through economic empowerment.

Departments 2 4 18 20 22

Roadside stand Soul enterprise Reviews Soundbites News

14

Editor: Wally Kroeker Design: Ray Dirks

Amish furniture — hot online

Who would have imagined you could sell Amish-made furniture over the Internet. This Florida couple has tapped into a lively niche market for old-school quality. By Michael Pollick

Volume 45, Issue 5 September October 2015 The Marketplace (ISSN 321-330) is published bi-monthly by Mennonite Economic Development Associates at 532 North Oliver Road, Newton, KS 67114. Periodicals postage paid at Newton, KS 67114. Lithographed in U.S.A. Copyright 2015 by MEDA.

Josiah Wedgwood launched a ceramics empire that still endures 265 years later. He also fought to abolish slavery and pioneered better housing, sanitation and medical care for his employees.

Change of address should be sent to Mennonite Economic Development Associates, 1891 Santa Barbara Dr., Ste. 201, Lancaster, PA 17601-4106.

17

To e-mail an address change, subscription request or anything else relating to delivery of the magazine, please contact subscription@meda.org

On a mission

Companies’ mission statements can be tedious exercises in propaganda and self-promotion — or they can provide an empowering glimpse into the corporate soul. Here are some samples.

For editorial matters contact the editor at wkroeker@meda.org or call (204) 956-6436 Subscriptions: $25/year; $45/two years.

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Marketplace 1891 Santa Barbara Dr., Ste. 201 Lancaster, PA 17601-4106

Published by Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), whose dual thrust is to encourage a Christian witness in business and to operate business-oriented programs of assistance to the poor. For more information about MEDA call 1-800-665-7026.

Web site www.meda.org

Visit our new online home at www.marketplacemagazine.org, where you can download past issues, read articles and discuss topics with others, all from your desktop or mobile device.

3

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 3

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:05 AM

Stock photo © svengine

Finding God in comp class Blueprint pastor pastor Blueprint “Dave is a developer who builds homes. Sometimes he and his partner build entire neighborhoods.... One day Dave and I were talking about the steps a Christian can take in the marketplace, and he asked me how this would play out in his job. It soon became clear to Dave that every building project provides him with the unique opportunity to be a pastor to hundreds of people who work for him — carpenters, plumbers, electricians, architects, engineers and real estate agents, even city officials with whom he has to interface. He decided that from that point on every time he and his partner buy a parcel of land and hire contractors and subcontractors, he will consider them part of his congregation.... He will speak peace over them when they submit their bids. He will fellowship with them while they work for him.” — Ed Silvoso in Anointed for Business: How Christians Can Use Their Influence in the Marketplace to Change the World

Why he stayed Not every job is a bed of roses. Some workplaces are ugly and toxic. Is that sufficient reason to leave? Maybe your calling is to hang in and help change the place, to be the face of Christ, says David Miller of Princeton University. In the video, Going on Vocation, Miller mentions a leading financial institution whose founder was widely known to be a very difficult boss. Miller asked one of the company’s executives, “Why did you stay there all those 19 years?”

The man answered, “Because I could protect my people.”

The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 4

Does God care about “non-spiritual” things like grammar? Someone who thinks so (besides many editors) is Richard Mouw, former president of California’s Fuller Theological Seminary (and one-time MEDA convention speaker).

In a recent issue of Crux, a journal of Vancouver’s Regent College, Mouw explains why God cares about all aspects of culture and creation, from pots and pans to works of art. He quotes theologian-ethicist Lewis Smedes who wrote about his first college composition class where he discovered that God was offended by dangling modifiers.

“If the Maker of the Universe admired words well put together,” Smedes wrote, “think of how he must love sound thought well put together, and if he loved sound thinking, how he must love a Bach concerto; and if he loved a Bach concerto, think of how he prized any human effort to bring a foretaste, be it ever so small, of his kingdom of justice and peace and happiness to the victimized people of the world.

In short, I met the Maker of the Universe, who loved the world he made and was dedicated to its redemption. I found the joy of the Lord, not at a prayer meeting, but in English Composition 101.”

Mouw extends that insight to all manner of daily endeavor. God, he writes, “takes delight in the products and processes of human cultural activity. God cares about well-formed sentences and good music and just social arrangements.”

One can assume that God takes pleasure in a creature who excels at running or pole-vaulting, at meeting a market need with a useful product or service, at designing an agricultural project for tree growers in Ghana that is sustainable, measureable, replicable and scalable. In all these forms of work we can please God and fulfill the divine calling in our lives.

4

18/08/2015 8:54:06 AM

How will you spend 80,000 hours?

Most people have something like 80,000 working hours in their life. If used well, they can use this time to greatly improve the lives of hundreds of people, writes William MacAskill in his new book, Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make A Difference.

Too bad that many people don’t think much about their impact.

“Your choice of career is a choice about how to spend more than eighty thousand hours over the course of your life, which means it makes sense to invest a considerable amount of time in the decision,” writes MacAskill. “If you were to spend just 1 percent of your working time thinking about how to spend the other 99 percent, that would mean you’d spend eight hundred hours, or twenty working weeks, on your career decision. I doubt many people spend this much time thinking about their careers, but it might be worth it.”

Some questions he raises about selecting a career: How do you personally fit with this job?

Will it satisfy and excite you? Can you stick with it for a decent amount of time?

What’s your impact? What influence will you have (resources, money, public platform)?

How does this job contribute to your impact later in life? Does it build your skills and credentials?

Job satisfaction can be critical to impact, writes MacAskill. “If you’re not happy at work, you’ll be less productive and more likely to burn out, resulting in less impact in the long-term.”

He also urges job-seekers not to write off the potential impact of choosing a career in business. Nonprofits, he says, “are not the only effective organizations you can work for.

Most of the incredible progress that humanity has made over the last few hundred years has not been due to the activities of nonprofits but through technology and innovation generally spurred by for-profit companies and governments. If you can find a company that is benefitting many people, or is correcting market failure in some way (such as by developing renewable alternatives to fossil fuels), this might be an effective means to have an impact.”

Stock photo © merznatalia

Confused? Or compassionate?

Here’s a true story we’ve told before, but it’s worth repeating for a new generation: Albert, a Pennsylvania Mennonite who believed strongly in Christian generosity, suffered a stroke. During therapy his doctor wanted to test his cognitive progress. He asked Albert to identify several objects and explain their uses. Holding up a pencil, he asked: “What is this, and what is it used for?” Albert answered promptly, “That is a pencil. It is used for writing.” Then the doctor held up a spoon and asked the same question. Again, Albert answered correctly. Then the doctor reached into his wallet and pulled out a dollar bill. “What is this and what is it used for,” he asked. Albert replied, “That is money and it is for giving away to the poor.”

Later the doctor reported this exchange to Albert’s wife.

“Many of his answers are appropriate,” he said. “But in some areas, like money, he’s still confused.”

“Not at all,” responded Albert’s wife. “For Albert, that is a very appropriate answer.”

Overheard:

5

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 5

“The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.” — Richard Rohr

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:07 AM

Hospitality with an Amish flavor

Emanuel Mullet’s robust family business legacy endures, feeding more than two million customers every year.

85-seat restaurant in Walnut Creek, Ohio. Located in the heart of the world’s largt’s 4:00 a.m., midest Amish community, the February, and Florida’s renamed Der Dutchman peak tourist season. In became extremely popular the darkness Amish men among locals and tourists and women are heading who came to visit Amish to their jobs at Sarasota’s country.

Der Dutchman restaurant.

Although DHG is led Aboard bicycles and threetoday by second and thirdwheelers with flashing lights generation Mullet descento warn pedestrians, they dants, its founder’s influcrisscross driveways and ence remains and is carefulsidewalks. Once inside the The popular buffet table features salads, vegetables and ly stewarded. Born in 1910, restaurant, the employees meats prepared as in an Amish home. in Holmes County, Ohio, busily prepare for the 6 to Amish parents, Emanuel o’clock opening. Some reguthe time doors close at 8:00 p.m. knew poverty from early childhood, lars — workmen and retirees — are already lined up at a side entrance Der Dutchman, Sarasota, is part as the Mullets eked a sparse existo get their serving of breakfast and of Dutchman Hospitality Group tence from their farmstead. Howthe latest news. These early birds are (DHG). The company’s beginnings ever, this oldest of five children was mere harbingers of the more than go back to 1969 when Emanuel Mulendowed with a driving ambition 3,500 guests who will be served by let and two partners purchased an and rarely-matched entrepreneurial

by JB Miller

I

The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 6

6

18/08/2015 8:54:07 AM

zeal — coupled with a goal considering? We try to take of diversification to spread the emotion out of tough his investment risk. decisions.”

Prior to marrying Alma Third-generation memSwartzentruber, Emanuel bers were added about joined her congregation affilthe same time as the iniated with the Conservative dependent members. “We Mennonite Conference. Over recognized we were getting the next years he launched older,” says Mary Miller, numerous enterprises rang“and if the company was ing from mining and overto remain family owned head door manufacturing to we needed to get the next restaurants and retirement generation involved.” Each communities. His business third-generation member success has left an indelbrings deep experience to ible imprint across Holmes board governance. Grandson County and far beyond, Bart Miller has spent over 20 thanks to his entrepreneurial Helping oversee the Dutchman enterprise today are two years in finance and bankof founder Emanuel Mullet’s daughters and sons-in-law: spirit and the nine children ing, and Jeff Miller grew up From left, Bob and Sue Miller, and Mary and Dan Miller. he and Alma reared, many in the hospitality business, Sue Miller is a former chair of the MEDA board of direcwho carry on their parents’ working at Der Dutchman tors, and Dan Miller was a board member for a number legacy in the family-owned in Middlebury, Indiana, a of years. businesses they run. separate sister company.

Currently DHG operates six resToday he’s in charge of operations at grandsons, Bart Miller and Jeff Miltaurants, five bakeries, six gift shops, ler. Two non-family members, Howthe Middlebury campus. two inns, a market featuring allA family council consisting of all ard Brenneman and John Bontrager, natural meats and traditional Amish third and fourth-generation memserve as independent directors. foods, and a distribution company bers, including spouses, was formed Independent directors joined the that supplies their restaurants and a number of years ago. They meet board 15 years ago. “It’s one of the other businesses. Five restaurants every 15 to 18 months, have their best things we ever did,” says Dan are located within 150 miles of the Miller, current board chair. “They are own agenda and often consult with company’s headquarters in Walnut the second-generation members and Creek, Ohio, with the sixth in Sarathe company president during meetAdding non-family sota, just outside Pinecraft, a popuings. They receive quarterly finanlar winter getaway for Amish and cial statements and other pertinent directors, who can ask information and serve in an advisory conservative Mennonites. capacity. “The third generation is One of Emanuel’s strengths committed to maintaining the family the tough questions, was awareness that his children ownership,” says Bart Miller. “Every and their spouses were competent member of the third generation is a was “one of the best business leaders, which reinforced shareholder and is very interested in his belief that he or family memseeing DHG remain in the family and things we ever did.” bers should always have controlling thrive.” interest in any business he invested While the company is family encouraging, objective and somein. While initially Der Dutchman owned, no family members serve had a non-family partner, his interest times resolve something the family in management. The day-to-day can’t.” was purchased by second-generaoperations are left to Mike Palmer, Howard Brenneman observes tion family members in the 1970s, a seasoned hospitality professional along with Emanuel’s interest, which that, “As an outside director it’s who has been president for nine important to understand the vihad been donated to his local conyears. The selection of a non-family sion and strategy and diligently gregation. Today the company is member as leader is unusual for help them carry it out. They are a family-owned and overseen by two many family-owned businesses but very well-run company. We ask the of Emanuel’s daughters and sonsis in keeping with Emanuel’s practough questions, such as are there in-law, Bob and Sue Miller, and Dan tice of identifying competent people businesses they should discontinue and Mary Miller, who serve on the and giving them the tools to succeed and what businesses should they be board of directors, along with two — developing metrics to measure 7

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 7

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:08 AM

progress towards corporate goals and holding people accountable. An integral part of management accountability is general managers’ participation at board meetings. One of three annual board meetings is devoted primarily to strategic planning; during the other two meetings general managers participate and share with other managers what’s working well (or not) elsewhere.

“There is healthy competition between the various general managers but we encourage the sharing of ideas that work,” says Palmer. “We try to build a strong team mentality, so managers can share their successes and help other managers as well.”

brand identity, so the board engaged Margaret Jeschke, wife of Bart Miller, to develop and introduce a Dutchman Hospitality brand and bring consistent visuals throughout the company including the corporate website (http://www. dhgroup.com). Her work was guided by one of Emanuel Mullet’s operating principles — be respectful of the Amish and do nothing that would offend or appear exploitive. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Margaret focused on finding the best representation of simpler times. “The brand is about giving yesterday, nostalgia comfort, what’s true, authentic and respectful of the culture,” DHG restaurants she says. “We focused on are large, expansive fathe beautiful countryside, “They treat us like family,” says longtime waitress Charlene cilities, all with capacity the quilting and beautiful Koehn, shown serving regular customer Mary Ellen Leechford. to host banquets. The food, things that are true largest, Walnut Creek, has seating of Amish country.” larly hectic for the Sarasota location, for 550, plus 500 banquet seats. The The commitment to authentiwhich last Thanksgiving served 2,716 six locations together have a total of buffet meals and 400 carry-out meals. city runs deep, says Jeff Miller, a 4,250 seats. third-generation member. “We don’t Eight thousand whole pies were sold The restaurants are meeting want to exploit the Amish. We talk during Thanksgiving week. The seaplaces for many groups, including about it a lot. Reality TV with Amishsonality allows some staff members service organizations, Bible study themed shows have definitely had an to move between locations, working groups, family reunions, or daily impact on our business.” in the north during the summer and workmen who gather at a communCharitable giving is a core value spending the winter in Florida. ity table. Sarasota resident Angela of Dutchman Hospitality. It’s someAll restaurants offer buffet Bacon comes in at least once a thing that Alma Mullet cared deeply meals in addition to an extensive month for an event. “Der Dutchman about and modeled through a quilt menu. The buffet table reflects the is the best place for special occashop she operated. Ten percent of best of Amish kitchen cooking, sions, it has great home cooking,” after-tax earnings is allocated for featuring numerous salads, vegeshe says. “Today we were here as charitable causes. General managers tables and meats prepared as in an part of a memorial service rememsupport local charities and family Amish home. The buffet and menu bering a friend, and later this month members, including the third generhave evolved with changing dietary we’ll be back for a women in mination, can designate to charities they patterns, offering more salads and istry program. I love coming here.” care about. low-calorie choices than in the past.

Four of the six restaurants are in tourist destinations, so business is The company employs In the early years manageseasonal. The three in Holmes Counapproximately 1,200 employees, ment was fairly decentralized with ty, Ohio, are busiest in summer and with 500 fulltime. It’s estimated that little attention to corporate brand. fall, with Sarasota’s busy time being 60% have some ethnic connection The addition of gift shops and inns winter. Thanksgiving can be particuto Mennonites or Amish. Benefits inhighlighted the need for a stronger The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 8

8

18/08/2015 8:54:08 AM

clude health insurance, 401(k)s, paid vacations, wellness programs and educational scholarships. Opportunities for advancement are supported by internal and external training and a formalized leadership development program. Most of the general managers have been promoted from within.

Charlene Koehn who has worked as a waitress at the Sarasota location since 1982 for two previous owners, appreciates the emphasis on quality, whether it’s the food, facilities or the way they treat employees. “My favorite thing is they treat us like family,” she says. “They recognize that working mothers have commitments to be moms as well, and I appreciate the flexibility they’ve extended to me when family matters need to come first.”

Charlene has developed relationships with many long-time patrons. “I work at making connections with my customers,” she observes. “I realize that I might be the only person some of my customers talk to in a day. I try to bring a smile to their face.” Over the years she has attended customers’ weddings, funerals, baseball games, and has sat and prayed with family members during surgery.

“I might be the

through upgrading and expanding existing locations and growing the catering and bakery business. only person some None of the restaurants are open on Sunday. “We believe our employcustomers talk to in ees should have the opportunity to attend worship services with their a day. I try to bring a families on Sunday,” says Dan Miller.

In the recent past two restaurants smile to their face.” were purchased that had been open on Sunday. “Closing them had a very positive impact on being able to hire about the Amish and Mennonites. help and it had no negative impact Visitors by the thousands come to on the bottom line,” he says. In see the leaves during the fall. deference to its large Amish staff, the As a further encouragement for people to extend their visits, live the- Walnut Creek restaurant is closed on Ascension Day, a holiday observed atre was introduced three years ago by many Amish. at the Sugar Creek location with proBoth families have long conductions throughout the summer and nections with MEDA. Dan and Sue fall. While the shows have Amish served on its board of directors and and Mennonite themes, there is a great deal of vetting before a script is Sue was chair during the 1990s. Her childhood ambition was to be a misapproved. “These shows must align sionary but she later found business with our values and must have a could also be a form of mission. “If message,” Mike Palmer says. “We’re I’m going to be in business I’m going about God’s work; the hospitality business is our ministry and our mis- to do it well,” she says. “MEDA ression.” There is heightened sensitivity onates very well. At MEDA we found people with similar values; it was a to not offend the Amish in either the safe place to tell your story. It’s been script or the promotional material. a tremendous resource for us.”

Emanuel and Alma Mullet’s A guiding company principle enduring principles — respecting the is to not pay dividends. Emanuel sensibilities of local While on a trip Amish and Mento Lancaster, Pa., in nonite people; not the 1980s, Bob Miller paying dividends but was impressed by how reinvesting profits some restaurants had in the businesses; become destinations maintaining family by incorporating inns ownership; and and other activities on charitable giving — their properties. “We continue to guide the wanted people to come work of Dutchman and enjoy our food and Hospitality. When the countryside, but we asked how Emanuel wanted them to stay would respond seeing longer than just one an 85-seat restaurant “I love coming here,” says Angela Bacon, who visits the Sarasota meal,” he says. “So we grow into a company restaurant at least once a month for some event. built the Carlisle Inn serving 2.5 million in Walnut Creek and another one in people annually with revenues in exalways felt profits should be availSugar Creek. After all, we’re in the cess of $50 million, Sue says, “He’d able as capital to grow the company. hospitality business.” The picturbe happy.” ◆ In 2012 the restaurants in Sarasota, esque rolling countryside of Holmes Berlin and Bellville were purchased JB Miller (no relation to the Dutchman Millers) County is a popular destination as part of their growth strategy. recently retired to his hometown of Sarasota, for people who want to learn more Today the focus is on internal growth Florida, after a 24-year career at Everence.

9

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 9

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:08 AM

God’s potter For Josiah Wedgwood faith was more than glaze on clay

C

hances are you’ve encountered his legacy over a scone and spot of Orange Pekoe.

Maybe your china cabinet has an ornate cup and saucer crafted by his descendants. Still, that may not be enough to take the measure of Josiah Wedgwood’s moral and spiritual impact.

Wedgwood (1730-1795) has sometimes been called “God’s potter” for harnessing his skills in socially transforming ways. He launched the great Wedgwood ceramics enterprise that still exists today, was recognized for his tireless work to abolish slavery, and was known for applying his Christian faith to his work life in ways that were unusual then and perhaps remain so today.

Josiah Wedgwood made his

appearance as the Industrial Revolution was coming into play. He was the youngest of many children in an English pottery-making family. By the age of nine he was learning the family trade from an older brother.

By all accounts he showed talent from early on, but tragedy struck when he came down with smallpox.

He survived, but in the process his right knee was so damaged and weakened that he couldn’t work the pedals on the potter’s wheel. Ever resourceful, he turned his attention to other parts of the trade and began experimenting with different kinds of clay and glazes. He continued to refine his craft and develop glazes during an association with Thomas Whieldon, then the best-known potter in England.

By the age of 20 Wedgwood had started his own business. One of his inventions, a green glaze, is still used today. He also invented a cream-colThe Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 10

ored earthenware that met the need for good quality, affordable pottery for the growing middle class.

Innovative to the core, Wedgwood teased out ways to do things better, keeping abreast of new artistic and production techniques.

One lasting innovation was to control the temperature in his kilns so he could achieve consistent results. The pyrometer he invented (and which earned him a Royal Society ranking in 1783) was the industry’s first tool to precisely measure the very high temperatures needed to fire ceramics.

Wedgwood improved efficiency by setting up an assembly line with specialized labor. Rather than each potter making a complete piece, he broke down the process into steps, with each person doing only one step. This allowed potters to excel at their particular step, dramatically increasing the rate of production.

Wedgwood was known to be temperamental about quality. When he walked through his factory, if he saw a piece that did not meet his standards, he was known to smash it with his walking stick, proclaiming, “This will not do for Josiah Wedgwood!”

His pottery factory in Etruria was the first in Britain to use a steam-powered engine.

Wedgwood extended his innovative spirit to marketing. He created the first illustrated catalogues, employed the first traveling salesmen, and pioneered direct-mail sales. He offered money-back guarantees, free delivery and self-service in his shops.

He even set up “buy one, get one

free” sales for his products.

All this, along with new clays and glazes, made his artisanal designs popular across Europe.

One fan was Queen Charlotte, which led to naming his cream-colored earthenware Queen’s Ware. He received numerous commissions from the British royal family as well as from Catherine the Great in Russia.

Besides ceramics, Wedgwood was noted for his efforts to abolish slavery. A key tenet of his Christian faith was that God had created human beings equal and in his own image. Slavery was an egregious offence against this belief, as were many business practices of the day.

He generously lent his talents, as well as his money and the prestige of his company, to eradicating slavery and other forms of injustice.

In 1787 Wedgwood became a founder of the Society for the Aboli-

10

18/08/2015 8:54:09 AM

tion of the Slave Trade.

He asked a member of his staff to design a seal for the society, and the result was a Slave Medallion depicting an African in chains, bent on one knee with hands upraised and pleading, “Am I not a man and a brother?”

“Wedgwood quickly realized the power of the image and so, thinking like a marketer, he began to mass produce it as a ceramic cameo, creating the first logo for a political cause in history,” writes Glenn Sunshine in Christian Worldview Journal. “The cameo took off like wildfire.”

Sunshine quotes abolitionist Thomas Clarkston as saying that men had the cameo inlaid in gold on the lids of their snuff boxes and women wore them on bracelets and hairpins. “At length,” Clarkston said, “the taste for wearing them became general, and this fashion, which usually confines itself to worthless things, was seen for once in the honourable office of promoting the cause of justice, humanity and freedom.”

“The cameo’s impact was huge,” writes Sunshine. “It allowed women, otherwise excluded from the political process, to express their opposition to slavery. The image even crossed the Atlantic and became a staple of the abolitionist movement in America. Ben Franklin said it was the ‘equal to that of the best written pamphlet’ in promoting the cause of abolition.”

Shattered!

Besides fighting slavery, Wedgwood provided his employees with good housing, sanitation and medical care.

Wedgwood came along

at a pivotal point in the Industrial Revolution when manufacturing was being mechanized by coal and steam power. English society was undergoing massive shifts. People had moved from rural areas to new industrial cities. Everything was different. Along with economic disruption came a blurring of what was right and wrong. Employees were mistreated.

Abuse and alcoholism rose.

Fortunately, not all the innovations of the Industrial Revolution

O

ne day Josiah Wedgwood, accompanied by a young apprentice, showed a nobleman through his factory. As they toured, the nobleman kept making profane and sacrilegious comments. Wedgwood was mortified that his apprentice was hearing all this, moreso when the boy began to enjoy the coarse jokes.

At the end of the tour the distressed Wedgwood showed the nobleman an exceptionally beautiful vase. The man, charmed by its exquisite shape and beauty, immediately wanted to buy it. As the man reached for it, Wedgwood purposely let it drop to the floor, where it shattered. The nobleman was furious. “I wanted that vase for my collection,” he said, “and you have ruined it by your carelessness!” Wedgwood answered, “Sir, there are things more precious than any vase — things that can never be restored once they are ruined. I can make another vase, but you can never give back to my helper the pure heart you have defiled by your vile language and sacrilegious talk!” ◆

11

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 11

revolved around new technologies. It became an era for faith-infused businesspeople to flourish in unique ways.

Wedgwood and others promoted the idea that people should discover the dignity of work, and this would mean they not only worked diligently themselves, but they showed up on time and consciously sought to serve their communities.

Wedgwood provided his employees with good housing, sanitation and medical care. He sought to make his factory towns into genuine communities.

What made him outstanding was his progressive treatment of employees, says theologian Charlie Self in the video production Going on Vocation: Exploring work as it was meant to be (reviewed on page 18 of this magazine). He treated them with dignity, gave them decent working conditions, and sought their welfare and education. Industrialists like Wedgwood “were way ahead of their time in understanding that the purpose of work was not merely profit but the well-being of everyone involved and society at large,” says Self.

In a way, it is unfortunate that Josiah Wedgwood is remembered primarily for his enduring product line rather than as an economic reformer, says Greg Forster, a specialist in theology and economics, in the same video.

Why did Wedgwood have money, fame and prestige to lend to the abolitionist cause? Because he had a vision for how daily toil could serve the common good. “He put that into his business practice,” says Forster, “and he built one of the most successful companies of the 18th century, a revolutionary new model of how factories could be run in a way that was both more humane and more productive. It was more productive because it was more humane but it was also more humane because it was more productive. And it became one of the most successful companies of the 18th century and is still today the world’s leading producer of china and porcelain products.” ◆ The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:09 AM

Top 10 reasons to love MEDA Why support MEDA? Because it’s a great way to share God’s love through economic empowerment.

1. It’s the best way to help poor people escape poverty. Eight centuries ago Jewish philosopher Maimonides suggested there were eight levels of giving to help the poor. The highest level was “giving in such a way as to provide employment, so the receiver will not need help again.” By helping people find and create work, MEDA provides a longterm solution to poverty. A handout will get people through a day, week or month, but a job or a business can last a lifetime.

2. There is an urgent need for jobs in the developing world. The developing world needs to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs every day to meet the needs of its growing population. Most of these jobs will be the result of self-employment, as poor people create their own small and micro businesses.

3. We address a serious gap in the developing world. There are lots of aid organizations providing emergency assistance. But only a few address the serious need for poor people to gain access to: • financial services so they can manage their money and start or grow businesses, • markets for their produce, and • long-term investment capital that will help grow the small and medium enterprises that provide these services to the poor.

It is very difficult for poor people The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 12

in the developing world to open a bank account, safely save money, get a loan from local banks, assemble enough quality produce to interest market buyers, or find investors willing to help them buy the equipment and inventory they need to grow their businesses. MEDA works with microfinance institutions, marketing companies and investment funds to develop products that meet these needs. The result? Businesses grow, profits increase, new jobs are created, families are fed, children are educated and communities are enriched.

4. The way MEDA works is sustainable. We believe the best way to help the poor is by developing local institutions and businesses that have, as their goal, becoming independent of North American help. In other words, we don’t want our projects to depend on perpetual handouts from us for survival. MEDA’s goal is to start projects, nurture them as programs, and then “graduate” them to become independent businesses that no longer need us. Like proud parents, we take satisfaction in the growth of independent businesses in places like Ghana, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Morocco and many other countries.

5. We work with — not against — local businesspeople. Aid can unintentionally hurt people in the developing world by disrupting local markets. For example, sending a container of used clothing to a

12

18/08/2015 8:54:11 AM

MEDA’s strategy is to start projects, nurture them into programs, and then “graduate” them into independent businesses that no longer need help. poor country may seem like a generous gesture; after all, we don’t need the clothes anymore, and people overseas need something to wear.

But what if you’re a local clothing manufacturer? What happens to your business when the free clothes show up? You know what will happen — nobody will buy your clothes, you may go out of business and you might need charity yourself. After all, who is going to pay for locally made clothes when clothing is being handed out for free? We don’t harm local businesses. Instead, our goal is to strengthen the local economy.

6. We emphasize results. Just like businesses in North America, the programs we run have to mind the bottom line. Good intentions aren’t good enough — they have to show how they are making a difference.

We call this a business-oriented approach to development.

7. We affirm the dignity and self-worth of poor people. Aid can create dependency. People can begin to see themselves as being unable to help themselves. A Haitian development worker, observing the effect of decades of free aid in that country, said Haitians have come to believe that they “are afflicted with a disease called poverty.” But by receiving a hand up, instead of a handout, their dignity is preserved. They aren’t getting handouts — they’re working to help themselves. They aren’t aid

recipients — they are clients. It’s a business relationship, not a relationship built on charity.

8. We have over 60 years of experience. MEDA has been offering this business-oriented approach to development since 1953. Over the years we have learned many valuable lessons about the best ways to help poor people. Today we share these learnings with our industry colleagues at conferences and through consultancies.

9. Your contribution is multiplied many times. Your gift multiplies in impact seven times on average with other funding sources, including governments and foundations.

10. It’s a way to put faith into action. By supporting MEDA, you’re doing more than just giving money — you’re becoming part of a mission to connect faith and work in a needy world.

Each year generous MEDA supporters help to bring new hope, opportunity and economic wellbeing to millions of families living in poverty in dozens of developing countries around the world.

We are often asked why we do what we do. Our simple answer is that we are compelled by our faith to change lives and save lives by creatively defeating poverty.

We invite you to join us by becoming part of MEDA! ◆ 13 13

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 13

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:13 AM

Marketing Amish-made furniture online Old-school quality is hot, even over the Internet

by Michael Pollick

Herald-Tribune photo by Dan Wagner

J

im Miller and his wife, Linse, have found a unique business niche, one that makes perfect sense when you think of Sarasota as a southern outpost for the nation’s Amish and Mennonite communities.

Miller, a former Mennonite pastor in Sarasota, and his wife have become the largest Internet-only marketers of Amish-made furniture.

Operating as JMX Brands from

offices in east Sarasota, and with no showroom, they are now taking more than $6 million a year in orders that they route to 190 Amish craft shops, mostly furniture makers in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Many of these factories have no telephones or computers, in keeping with the Amish tradition of living simple lives free of technological distractions.

The lack of voice and email

The Marketplace September October 2015

14

communications made it tough for the Millers to set up their business.

But now it helps discourage potential competitors.

Sarasota’s history as an Amish resort dates back to the 1920s and, like many other Florida transplants before them, the Millers were following in their parents’ footsteps when they came to Sarasota in the 1990s.

He had graduated from Goshen College, a well known liberal arts college associated with the Mennonite Church USA, and took a job here as an assistant pastor.

He later moved to another Mennonite congregation as its pastor.

But that was before the Millers found what must be their true calling.

They started their online marketing business in 2003 with just $1,000.

“We had to make money from the very beginning,” Jim Miller said.

After a modest success with handmade mailboxes, they found “this Amish guy who had these lighthouse replicas,” Miller said. “We hit it Jim and Linse Miller relax in their Amish-made Leisure Lawns chairs, constructed of recycled plastic Poly lumber. just right with those

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 14

18/08/2015 8:54:14 AM

hot. lighthouses and sold them like “The e-commerce channel crazy.” is becoming a much more imThat craftsman in Pennsylportant channel for furniture,” vania introduced the Millers to said Larry Thomas, business others. editor at Furniture Today, a “The more success we had, trade publication based in the easier it was for us to conGreensboro, N.C. vince these Amish guys to let “Our research departus have a try,” Miller said. ment estimates that 10 percent JMX operates several websites, but the main one is of furniture sales were done DutchCrafters.com. online in 2014, which is not Toward the end of 2003, an insignificant number. They Everything is hand made, says JMX supplier Alan Milltheir first year, Linse Miller project it could hit 17 percent er (right), whose equipment is powered off the grid. convinced her husband to try by 2020.” dealing in furniture.

JMX made it on three lists to the Northeast,” Miller said.

“We see this beautiful hardwood of the fastest-growing private com“So, we would contract with a indoor furniture. I said ‘Nah, that is panies in the United States last year: specific driver, say Matthew, and not going to work. Nobody would the 2014 Gulf Coast 500, Inc. 5000, Matthew would go to eight different spend that much on indoor furniture and Internet Retail 1000. workshops in Indiana and Ohio and they haven’t seen in person. And it’s In 2012, the company employed do all his pickups and take a full load hard to ship,’” Jim Miller said.

10 people and grossed $2 million. By of furniture out west,” Miller said.

“But she pushed it,” he added.

2014, sales had hit $6 million and the Having shippers they can trust, They made their first furniture and then double-checking everything payroll had risen to 24. sale at the end of 2003 and never For the first quarter of 2015, revby phone from Sarasota is critical. looked back. In 2004, their first full enues were up 70 percent, Jim Miller “You can’t get to California and year online, they did half a million said. say, ‘Oh, this is the wrong stain dollars in furniture sales.

“Nobody in their right mind color,’ or ‘We forgot the leaves for the would expect 70 percent growth to table,’” Miller said. continue,” he said. “We do have While wooden furnishings are The company now has a qualityits core business, JMX is not against assurance team of four people whose some growth projections that are plastics, as long as they are used job is to keep incidents like that from progressive, but they are well short right. In fact, one of their hottest sellhappening, and to straighten out any of that. We are realistic.” ers is a line of heavy-duty lawn furnithat do. ture made from recycled milk bottles.

From the beginning, the Some items, like birdhouses and couple has been making at least one The online business the mailboxes, are what Jim Miller calls trip each year, sometimes more, to Millers created is benefitting not “UPS-able,” meaning they are easily Amish regions in Indiana, Ohio, and only from their own growing sense cartoned up and shipped.

Pennsylvania. of what represents quality and what But for delivering big pieces of These days, they typically arwill sell, but also from two trends: furniture, the couple has found that range for two or three staff members • Each year, more people are their best method is to hire two guys at a time to join them as they meet willing to make a big-ticket purchase with a truck, an approach Jim Miller with their vendors, tour their faconline. calls “blanket-wrapping.” tories and get a feeling for how the • Amish furniture, made in Customers for larger pieces are goods are assembled.

America and emphasizing quality, is told up front that, even after a cusAlan Miller, an Amish man who tom piece is made, they should allow Not all Amish artisans is not related to the Sarasota Millers, extra time for delivery. runs a 30,000-square-foot furniture The logistics folks at JMX will in Dundee, Ohio, supporting are averse to technology, factory put together batches of orders coma payroll of 40. ing from one of their regions and But like most of the roughly 600 but they want some heading for the Northeast or the furnituremakers in his two-county Western U.S. region, he shuns some of the con“We are busy enough that it usu- degree of separation veniences of modern life that most ally doesn’t take any longer than two Americans take for granted, such as electric power supplied by a utility weeks. We always have a truck going from the world.

15

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 15

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:14 AM

company.

He does use electrically powered equipment to make his all-wooden dining-room, living room and office furniture. But the power comes from his own natural-gas-powered generator.

“We have some machinery and stuff like that,” Alan Miller told the Herald-Tribune in a telephone interview. “But everything is hand made.

Everything is made for that specific customer.”

In Sarasota, Jim Miller explained that, in general, it is not that the Amish are averse to technology.

“They are interested in degrees of separation from the world,” Jim Miller said.

The customs for a given Amish community typically are set by the local bishop. There are also variations from church to church.

Alan Miller will talk on a phone, but he avoids going on a computer, ruling out receiving email, let alone

The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 16

selling furniture on the Internet.

To follow up on the telephone interview, Miller provided a reporter with an email address. But emails to him are routed to a service that sends the messages to Miller as faxes, so he reads them on paper, not a screen.

Other Amish craftspeople whose goods are handled by JMX prefer not to have a fax machine, either. In those cases, JMX will send the furniture order to a courier service, which will receive the fax, then hand carry it to the factory.

In some cases, business owners have built a wooden phone booth at the end of the family driveway, so it is neither in the home or the shop.

The owner would typically go to the booth to retrieve messages in the morning, make return phone calls, and then make a second round in the evening before quitting for the day.

“It is refreshing for us as we get to go up there and visit farms and woodshops, to see this sort of other-

worldly style that is off the grid,” Jim Miller said, “where people actually talk to each other in the evenings, or just sit and watch the kids play.”

Alan Miller’s company, Genuine Oak, has been in existence for 19 years. Just three years ago, he began selling some of his production through JMX. “In several cases, including Alan’s, we are very near the top of their customer list or at the top,” Jim Miller said.

Before the Internet, Alan Miller said that his most important way of winning customers was through Amish craft fairs.

The Internet has augmented that old-school approach, he said.

“They get the customers who don’t want to go out and fight the crowd.” ◆ Copyright 2015, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Reprinted by express permission of the HeraldTribune Media group.

16

18/08/2015 8:54:15 AM

On a mission Mission statements can offer a glimpse into the corporate soul

S

ome company mission statements provide empowering peeks into the heart of an enterprise; others are tedious and promotional, little more than propaganda in virtuous garb.

It can be tempting to allow a mission statement to lapse into a bland marketing slogan with plenty of puff but little strategic direction. The good ones, however, are lively and energizing.

Once written, a mission statement can be hard to live up to, and many end up as wishful thinking.

Others serve as a constant reminder of what the company is and why it exists.

We looked at a number of statements. Some were crisp and appealing. A few were yawningly long (one company with a strong global reputation for ethics and competence has a mission statement of more than 600 words).

Here is a sample. Do they make you sit up and pay attention? Are

they something their framers have been able to live up to?

ServiceMaster (cleaning, disaster restoration and insect control) — “To honor God in all we do; to help people develop; to pursue excellence; and to grow profitably.”

Starbucks (coffee) — “To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

Ken Blanchard Companies (management training and consulting) — “To unleash the potential and power of people and organizations for the common good.”

Nike (athletic footwear) — “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

Patagonia (outdoor gear) — “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Panera Bread (restaurants) — “We believe in raising, serving and eating food that is good and good for you.”

Tyson Foods (meat processing) — “To be an honorable and faith-friendly company; to serve 17

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 17

as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to us; to earn consistent and satisfactory profits for our shareholders and to invest in our people, products and processes; to operate with integrity and trust in all we do; to honor God and be respectful of each other, our customers, and our stakeholders.”

Timberland (outdoor outfitter) — “To equip people to make their difference in the world.”

Charles Schwab (brokering and banking) — “To help everyone be financially fit.”

Google (Internet services) — “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

ING (financial services) — “We lead Americans back to savings.”

Dacor (kitchen appliances) — “To honor God in all we do: by respecting others; by doing good work; by helping others; by forgiving others; by giving thanks; and by celebrating our lives.”

What’s your mission — and how do you describe it? ◆

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:17 AM

Reviews

Work as God intended Going on Vocation: Exploring work as it was meant to be. (Video release from Christian History Institute and Vision Video, 2015; two 52-minute DVDs with study guides. $19.99 U.S. To order go to http://www.GoingOnVocation.com)

T

he world would be a much, much better place if churches throughout the land bought this video and showed it to their working members. Even better if all those workers took the message to heart and transformed the way they do their daily jobs.

Disclaimer: I am predisposed to love this video because its message is close to what MEDA and this magazine have promoted for decades — namely, that daily work is a vital arena of Christian mission and a place to express our values.

Going On Vocation uses personal stories of ordinary people at work to show that vocation or calling is about much more than a paid job.

Theologians are joined by a waitress, policeman, stay-at-home father, beekeeper, beautician, business owner, farmer and others to explore how God calls Christians to a life of vocation. You’ll see working Christians who have learned to see their work not as drudgery or obligation but as an opportunity to live out their faith and serve others.

Interspersed among the numerous workplace anecdotes are interviews with religious scholars who provide a biblical view of the role of work in God’s economy.

One prominent voice is David Miller, director of the Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative (who has been a MEDA convention keynoter). Another familiar voice is Nick Ramsing, senior project manager in MEDA’s Washington office, who explains the spiritual foundation of The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 18

MEDA’s work.

A central message of the documentary is that “the diversity of gifts in our communities becomes the way God serves the common good....

As we exercise our gifts and vocations we become, quite literally, the hands of Christ, extended to others.” Wherever we serve others “there’s a space to fulfill Jesus’ second great love commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.”

This belief naturally spills over into workplace competence, since good quality work is also a way to show love.

“If you really love your neighbor you’re going to give your neighbor your best work,” says Gene Veith, author of the book, God at Work.

This holds true for businesses as well as individuals. Greg Forster, program director at the Kern Family Foundation, notes that the church has often done little more than tell successful businesspeople how to spend their money. The bigger picture, however, is that “business can make a profit by mobilizing the power of human work to serve the common good, that work is created to serve the needs of other people and make the world a better place.”

In the modern economic system,

says Forster, “we are all serving strangers all day long with our work and we learn to treat strangers right and to see strangers as beings made with dignity and purpose. That’s why every single person’s job matters, everybody at every stage of every economic transaction has got to be doing his or her job well, or we all suffer.”

He acknowledges that it can be hard to maintain a sense of meaning when technology, insecurity and chaos threaten livelihoods. It isn’t easy to feel called when surrounded by disruption that could result in a job being yanked away. That poses a tremendous challenge to the larger church.

“It’s always been a critically important role of the church,” says

18

18/08/2015 8:54:18 AM

Forster, “to help people understand what God is doing in their world and help people understand the meaning and the dignity that their work has even in a period of big economic change.”

The video acknowledges that the workplace can be rife with difficulty, and representing Christ there is not always a walk in the park. It can be a difficult place to take seriously Jesus’ message of peace. Says Vincent Bacote, a professor at Wheaton (Ill.) College: “If you love your enemy, what does that mean for how you think about competition? What does

Daily work is one way to fulfill the love commandment of Jesus. “As we exercise our gifts and vocations we become, quite literally, the hands of Christ, extended to others.” that mean for how you think about a co-worker who treats you as the enemy?”

Churches would do well to acquire this video for small-group interaction. It’s a good way to reinvent the work week as a place to express values and make a job into a ministry. Watch it and there’s a good chance you will become a better worker, a better employer and a stronger moral force in society.

— Wally Kroeker 19

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 19

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:19 AM

Soundbites

Bye-bye to long hours?

So long to bragging about how busy you are. At least that’s what Lucy Kellaway would have us believe from an article in The Economist. People who took fake pride in being snowed under will have to find new ways to impress as punishing CEO schedules will start to look unhip and inefficient.

The “long-hours culture” is due for an overhaul, Kellaway predicts. “The pressure for change will come not only from lazy millennials averse to hard slog, but from older workers

exhausted by the tyranny of technology.” Among her indicators: “Google in Dublin confiscated employees’ devices when they left the office, and

Uplifting invention You may not know this about elevators. It comes from an interview in Ethix magazine with Randy Wilcox, Otis Elevator Company’s recently retired president for the Americas.

By his account, Otis came into being 162 years ago because of a safety problem. Elevators had been around since Egyptian times, but they could be perilous contraptions. Elisha Graves Otis invented a safety brake which kept an elevator from falling if the hoisting rope broke. “So the company was essentially born out of solving a safety problem,” says Wilcox.

“An elevator is actually the safest form of transportation,” he claims.

“It is even safer than walking down the street.” Moreover, “Safety remains our most important absolute and it is more important than profit.... At Otis if you compromise in safety or ethics you’re much more likely to lose your job than if you miss the numbers.”

Wilcox contends that elevators are environmentally friendly because they are regenerative and can put energy back on the grid.

“A traction elevator has a counterweight and a cab, and whenever there’s an imbalance you’re either using energy to overcome that imbalance, or that imbalance can create energy,” he explains. When the counterweight is heavier than the elevator cab, the movement actually generates electricity. “If you are the only passenger on an elevator going up, you are likely putting energy on the grid. And on a loaded elevator going down, you are also putting energy on the grid.”

So if you are one of those who takes the stairs instead of the elevator, keep doing so — but for the exercise, not to save the environment, says Wilcox. ◆

The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 20

Daimler deleted messages that arrived in the inboxes of staff who were on holiday.”

In the new work economy, “To get your work done by a reasonable hour will not be a sign that you are a slacker, but that you are working efficiently.”

Office productivity will soar: “There will be fewer pointless initiatives and meetings,” writes Kellaway.

“Memos will be shorter.

Performance reviews will be less unwieldy. For most things three bullet points will be enough.”

But not all is lost for Type A folk who need somewhere to use their abundant energy. “Some,” she predicts, “will do aggressive volunteering and compete to change the world more successfully than the next guy.”

Flourish or falter [Business] is a noble calling. Business activity raises individuals and whole populations from idle penury to greatness. By attending to a society’s basic needs for goods

20

18/08/2015 8:54:20 AM

and services, it frees people for other pursuits. By generating wealth for workers, investors, and governments, it liberates individuals and countries from the enslavement of poverty and the tragedy of limited opportunities.

The commercial vitality of a nation largely determines the degree to which other disciplines — art, medicine, and education — will flourish or falter. Indeed, in most parts of the world, business is the very underpinning of civility. — David Olive in Ju$t Rewards: The Case for Ethical Reform in Business

piness depend greatly on the ways in which businesses operate. — John Mackey and Raj Sisodia in Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business

Role of business Business plays a central role in our lives. We are affected more by businesses than by any other social institution. Most of us earn our livelihood and provide for our families by working for companies, and all of us purchase the goods and services companies produce with extraordinary efficiency and ingenuity. The quality of our lives, our health, our overall well-being, and even our hap-

Born in the marketplace Jesus was in touch with the marketplace from the very beginning

of his life on Earth. He was born in a place of business, the stable of an inn (Luke 2:7), and the angelic worship service to celebrate his birth took place in a nearby feed lot (Luke 2:13-14).

Rather than religious leaders, Jesus’ first visitors were employees and small-business owners. They were shepherds (Luke 2:15-20) whom his parents received in the inn’s parking lot. I point this out because the stable was the equivalent of the modern service station — it was used to dispense food (fuel) to the mules and donkeys (vehicles) that rested (parked) there for the night....

He had learned a trade in order to make a living, and this required that he run his shop at a profit. His daily business routine likely included the calculation of the cost of goods and labor, the interplay between supply and demand, the establishment of competitive pricing, the measurement of the potential return on his investment, the estimation of maintenance costs and the replacement of equipment. — Ed Silvoso in Anointed for Business: How Christians Can Use Their Influence in the Marketplace to Change the World

Letter

Disappointing cartoon

Visit our new online home at www.marketplacemagazine.org, where you can download past issues, read articles and discuss topics with others, all from your desktop or mobile device.

“I think you know that I love MEDA and everything you do, and also the magazine, which I usually read cover to cover. Good review (July/ August issue) of the Orie Miller biography; he must have been quite the guy.

“I was a little surprised and disappointed by the cartoon a few pages later on p. 21. ‘...as wide as yer Aunt Tillie.’ Really? This plays into a negative, gender and body-based stereotype in my view. Not helpful in any way (although the point of the cartoon is well taken).” – Sara Jane Schmidt, Winnipeg

21

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 21

The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:22 AM

News

Convention to feature Morning Edition host Popular journalist and radio personality David Greene will bring his engaging warmth and globe-trotting touch to MEDA’s annual convention, Nov. 5-8 in Richmond, Va. Host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, he will speak Saturday evening on “Finding Strength in Adversity: The Stories of Some Downright Courageous Business Owners.”

Theme of the convention will be “Growing Business, Building Community.” Sessions will be held at the Omni Richmond Hotel.

Greene’s assignments have included the White House, Arab Spring in Libya, Chernobyl and Hurricane Katrina. He served for several years as NPR’s correspondent in Moscow, after which he wrote the book, Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey Into The Heart Of Russia.

He will recount stories of entrepreneurs who faced long odds but turned challenges into victories and went on to build successful enterprises with an impact on their communities.

A panel discussion on Friday will feature three business families who view their enterprises as a calling and an integral part of their stewardship.

• Faith and Tim Penner live in Harper, Kan., where Tim is the CEO and an owner of Harper Industries, which manufactures agricultural, hydraulic and turf equipment. Faith works part-time for the business, coordinating new construction, remodeling and interior design projects. The company has grown by five times since its purchase by employees in 1998.

• Ed Shenk is a co-owner (with his wife Christine) of Weavers Hardware Company, Fleetwood, Pa., which operates two retail Ace hardware stores as well as a comThe Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 22

The historic riverfront canal walk in Richmond, Va., site of MEDA’s convention.

mercial sales division in eastern Berks County. His goal is to operate a profitable business that also provides a platform to create positive impact and make a difference in the lives of customers, associates, vendors and their communities.

• Marcus Shantz and his cousin Sheila Shantz operate numerous businesses in St. Jacobs, Ont. Marcus is president of Mercedes Corp., which was founded by his father Milo, uncle Ross, and several private investors in the early 1980s. Sheila, daughter of Ross Shantz, directs market operations at the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market and Flea Market, including vendor relations, property maintenance, customer relations, hiring and training of market staff as well as advertising and promotion.

The panelists will describe the challenge and satisfaction of growing financially successful businesses while pursuing higher purposes and keeping the good of their employees and their communities at the forefront.

Thursday night’s keynote address

will tackle the critical issue of race relations and how it relates to business and Mennonite society. Sociologist and race relations expert James Loewen will bring his unique brand of humor to a speech on “Race Relations: Lies We’ve Been Taught and What To Do about Them.”

Loewen, who holds a PhD in sociology from Harvard University, taught race relations for 20 years at the University of Vermont. He has written extensively on race and American history, including the best-seller Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong. He has been an expert witness in more than 50 civil rights, voting rights and employment cases.

He will focus on ongoing racial challenges, looking at both the history of those issues and some forward-looking strategies for a brighter future.

“He aims to widen understanding of these problems and move toward better race relations in daily

22

18/08/2015 8:54:22 AM

lives, workplaces and communities,” says MEDA convention planner Carol Eby-Good.

The Saturday morning Year in Review and Annual General Meeting will highlight MEDA’s accomplishments of the past year including stories from clients and partners from around the world, as well as reports on MEDA’s finances, investments and future directions.

On Sunday morning former MEDA staffer Joyce Bontrager Lehman will speak on “The Difference Between Us and Poor People.” She has spent 16 years in international economic development including an executive position with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She works as an independent advisor on increasing access to financial services for the billions of unbanked people in developing countries. She also serves on the boards of MEDA and MiCredito, a microfinance institution in Nicaragua that grew out of MEDA’s work there.

A wide variety of professional development and faith/business seminars will be available, including: • Likes, Tweets & Pins – Why Social Media Matters to Your Business • Leadership: From Ego to EQ • Creative Capital to Build Healthy Communities in the U.S. • Healthy Organization, Growing Business • What Do Employers Want?

Skills Today’s Professionals Need • Using Catalytic Questions to Unlock Solutions in Business and the Church • Toward Shalom: The Role of Business in Society • It’s in the Blood: How a Family’s DNA Turned Vision into a Journey for Impacting the World • The Government Giveth, and the Government Taketh Away • American Roots Music Program MEDA staff will present seminars on topics like food security in Africa, unleashing entrepreneurship

in Tanzania and Kenya, and seizing new market opportunities for women in Burma (Myanmar).

A strong menu of regional attractions includes tours featuring Williamsburg, Richmond City and Black

Laurelville conference: living out faith & work A weekend conference on living out faith at work is planned for April 22-24 at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mount Pleasant, Pa. Titled “Faith at Work: Living out Christ’s Heart,” the conference will feature keynote speaker John Pletcher, pastor of Manor Church in Lancaster, Pa., and author of the book Henry’s Glory: A Story for Discovering Lasting Significance in Your Daily Work.

Work and faith are concepts many Christians struggle to integrate, says David Dupuis, Laurelville’s program director. “We know that being faithful requires more than participation in a church and faith community. It is often easy to use our gifts in a church setting.

But, at work? Can we only serve God in church or service-oriented professions? How do we share? Are values such as honesty, trustworthiness and reliability evidence of faith? How do we daily apply biblical principles and engage in faithful living at our workplace?”

As for work ethic, Dupuis notes that Sandi Krakowski, author of “Faith at Work is About the Practice, not the Preaching,” asserts that faith “should make me the best worker anyone ever encounters.” A faithfilled worker, though not necessarily perfect, should be “more faithful, more patient, more honest and the one who shines the most.”

23

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 23

Heritage, Richmond International Raceway, Shirley Plantation, Lavender Fields Farm and various local food experiences.

For more information go to www. medaconvention.org ◆

The conference will probe various issues Christians may face on the job. “When the inevitable conflicts or frustrations arise at work, what is the faith-filled response?

A person’s response to conflict says much about their view of the world,” says Dupuis. “Does a faith-filled worker avoid conflict at all costs? Initiate conflict when the issue is one of justice? Do we model Christ-like behavior in conflict? Are there biblical principles to use in resolving workplace conflict?

“Like so many aspects of our faith journey, we are not alone.

There is support and guidance available in each other. We journey with many faithful men and women who seek to have more meaningful, faithfilled work lives.”

Dupuis says participants will find answers to these questions by hearing how others face the challenge of integrating faith and work and will explore personal challenges in small discussion groups.

For more information and registration go to Laurelville.org or contact David Dupuis at david@ laurelville.org. ◆ The Marketplace September October 2015

18/08/2015 8:54:22 AM

The Marketplace September October 2015

Marketplace Sept Oct CS6 2015.indd 24

24

18/08/2015 8:54:23 AM