Press release:
Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc., will speak about "Building the Ice Cream Empire" on Wedesnday, Sept. 25 at Genesee Community College.
His keynote presentation is in conjunction with GCC's Wolcott J. Humphrey Symposium on Leadership and Community Life.
The event will be in the Stuart Steiner Theatre from 5 to 7 p.m., with an ice cream reception to follow. Tickets are $25 and may be reserved online at http://bit.ly/GCCHumphrey/.
Greenfield is also the president of Ben & Jerry's Foundation and co-author of "Ben & Jerry's Double Dip: Lead with Your Values and Make Money, Too." He's known for famously questioning, "If it's not fun, why do it?"
Along with his partner Ben Cohen, they parlayed that humorous attitude and a socially responsible business model into an ice cream empire.
Greenfield will give insights into how Ben & Jerry's went from a storefront venture in a converted Burlington, Vt., gas station in 1978 to an ice cream brand known around the globe for high quality and funky flavors like Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, and Half Baked.
Ben & Jerry's became a desirable commodity purchased by Unilever in 2000 for $326 million. As a wholly-owned subsidiary, Ben & Jerry's retained autonomy in how it's run. It has become the first wholly-owned subsidiary to earn B Corp Certification. B Corps are committed to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
Greenfield will share the promises and pitfalls of a "values-led" business.
His talk honors the late Wolcott J. (Jay) Humphrey III, one of the region's foremost civic leaders and a strong proponent of leadership development. When he died suddenly in 2001, Humphrey was president of Pavilion State Bank (now part of Five Star Bank). He also served on the GCC Board of Directors.
Each Symposium has brought speakers with a national or regional reputation to Genesee Community College to discuss various facets of leadership. Past speakers have included: Syracuse University Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim; Paychex CEO Thomas Golisano; Dr. Donna M. Fernandes, president of the Buffalo Zoological Society; William Hudnut III, former U.S. Representative; Paul S. Speranza, chairman of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and vice chairman, general counsel, and secretary of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.; and Fred Grandy, television star, radio personality, former CEO and Congressman.
