TRASHY GOODS SPOTLIGHT PARTNER: GREYSTON BAKERY/OPEN HIRING®

A tribe. A community. A village. Whatever you call it, collaboration is one of the keys to our success, (and also one of the favorite things about what we do!) We love nothing more than singing the praises of the partners with whom we share support, services, and synergy. 

Today’s TRASHY GOODS Spotlight shines on our fantastic fulfillment partner, Greyston Bakery and its groundbreaking Open Hiring® Program. General Manager/President, Kevin McGahren, sat down with us to discuss the company’s commitment to human potential, the importance of teamwork, and, of course, his favorite brownie. 

Visit www.greystonbakery.org to learn more about the incredible work (and brownies!) that Greyston creates. 

A HIRING REVOLUTION POWERED BY BROWNIES 

In Yonkers, New York, Greyston Bakery is quietly leading a hiring revolution. Known for crafting the rich, fudgy brownies tucked inside Ben & Jerry’s ice creams and also sold nationally, Greyston’s innovation extends far beyond the kitchen. Through its pioneering Open Hiring® program, the bakery offers employment to anyone who wants a job — no interviews, no resumes, no judgement, and no questions asked.  

The model, developed in the 1980s by its founder, aeronautical engineer-turned-Buddhist monk, Bernie Glassman, was a response to the poverty and unemployment Glassman observed in his community. The program challenges traditional workforce practices by removing barriers that often prevent marginalized individuals from finding steady work. Instead of judging candidates by their past, Greyston hires based on a single qualification: the desire to work. Benefitted by training and creating a means to support people and families, it’s a bold experiment that unlocks human potential and has yielded powerful results, offering a second (or first) chance to thousands — and sparking conversations nationwide about what equitable employment really looks like. 

A CHAT WITH GREYSTON BAKERY’S GENERAL MANAGER/PRESIDENT, KEVIN McGAHREN 

Can you describe the importance of partnerships to Greyston and Open Hiring®? 

We’re always striving to expand our employment base to enable more individuals to take advantage of our Open Hiring® model.  While we’re primarily focused on growing our core brownie business, we are proactively exploring other means of creating more Open Hire® job opportunities for our local community here in SW Yonkers. Partnering with other like-minded organizations, like Trashy Goods, is a good example of an avenue we’re pursuing to add more job opportunities (i.e. external 3rd party logistics services). 

Can you talk about the role of teamwork and collaboration in your organization? 

The combination of these concepts is the bedrock upon which our culture here is built. In an organization where all new hires are trained on-the-job by existing employees, it is critical that everyone be committed to paying it forward on a daily basis. One key to fostering a collaborative and supportive environment is ensuring everyone is always well-grounded on the objectives and progress of the company (e.g. via the full sharing of all financials at monthly meetings with all) as well as their own role in impacting results (and therefore their own and other’s job security). It’s a way of working that is not only encourages transparency, but it also brings us all up. 

What’s in store for the Open Hiring® program? 

We want to grow our overall business by adding new products and new customers, plus by investing in marketing and advertising. Secondarily, we’re looking to expand into other sources of revenue that might augment the number of jobs we have to offer the community. For example, we are looking to do more work like the 3rd party fulfillment services we’re handling with Trashy Goods. We’d also love to partner with other companies to create wonderful joint gifts like the ones we do with Grace Farms, where we pair our delicious brownies with their fantastic coffee and tea…a match made in heaven. (We also handle the fulfillment - win/win!) 

What’s your favorite brownie flavor? 

Espresso, hands down!