cc  >> As we begin, I'd like to  extend thanks to our partners  in supporting this course.  The UW Office of Corporate  Relations.  The UW College of Engineering  for their technical support.  And financial support from the  Marion Ewing Kauffman Foundation  which is committed to achieving  academic education in  entrepreneurialism.  Additionally, we thank our media  partners, Wisconsin Public  Television and their University  Place crew for taping today's  lecture.  Today I am thoroughly delighted  to introduce our guest  Nancy Christy, co-owner  of Meaningful People,  Places and Food.  Meaningful People, Places and  Food is a consulting firm  that's based here in Madison,  Wisconsin, and it provides  professional advice, research  and analysis in creative  services to food related  businesses.  Nancy is a native of New York  and she attended college in Ohio  and began her career in  restaurant work in 1972 here in  Madison.  Along with her business partner  Andrea Craig, Nancy started the  acclaimed Wilson Street Grill in  1987 and Kennedy Manner in 1992,  and that may be a familiar venue  for some of you as it sits on  the corner of Wisconsin Avenue  and Langdon Street.  She established Meaningful  People, Places and Food in 2002. 

 Well, so many of us living and  eating here in Madison knew of  Nancy's work as a restaurateur  through the marvelous food and  venues that she has created.  What she has become particularly  celebrated for is her creative  approach to inclusionary  employment practices,  or developing systems that  her business ventures,  as well as her clients, can use  to employ challenge populations.  These employees include those  that are impacted by chronic  mental illness, physical ability  challenges, as well as  homelessness and other social  and medical matters.  Nancy became nationally known  for her approach to inclusionary  employment through stories that  were printed in USA Today and  other publications, as well as  her wildly successful  Wilson Street Grill was able  to share the vast majority  of their staff, many of them,  a third of them impacted  by mental illness.  Yet under her leadership they  function beautifully  and quite profitably.  Since establishing her  consulting practice, Nancy has  had the opportunity to share  similar business models  with Hospice Care,  St. Mary's Care Center,  Epic Systems.  And she is currently working  with WARF to work on the food  service and employment model for  the Wisconsin Institutes for  Discovery which we've talked  about here in class in the 1300  block of University Avenue.  So there is no question in our  mind that Nancy Christy is an  entrepreneur, but how she has  succeeded in developing business  models that integrate solutions  to social matters is what really  makes her work truly brilliant.  And I've asked Nancy to share  her thoughts on how she does  that with us today.  Now our format here today is  going to be just slightly  different. 

 I've asked that we enjoy a  conversation with Nancy Christy  this afternoon.  Instead of actually hearing a  lecture from her.  And we're going to start by  seeing a video that talks about  her enterprising ideas  as they apply to  the Wilson Street Grill.  So we'll begin with that  17-minute video now.  You can start to develop your  questions from that and Nancy  will be happy to take them  immediately after.  >> We value work.  We know there is dignity  in a job.  Economic importance of a stable  workforce.  The convergence of these factors  brings us to the recognition of  the opportunities offered by  employing people with  disabilities.  In the state of Wisconsin, there  are approximately 600,000 people  with disabilities. 

 One in five people in this state  are either diagnosed with or  self-report having a disability.  It is one of the fastest growing  populations in the state.  These disabilities include  physical limitations,  communicative difficulties,  developmental disabilities and  mental illness.  They vary widely in severity.  But very few render the people  who have them completely  dysfunctional.  75% say they want to work.  Tom Dickson, the head of the  Wisconsin Division of Vocational  Rehabilitation sees the obvious  opportunity for employers.  >> Well, I think employers are  finding out that they cannot  find workers in adequate numbers  who are trained and capable of  doing of the jobs that need to  be done, number one.  Number two, just in terms of  taxes paid, in terms of Social  Security dollars paid out, in  terms of productivity generally,  These people can participate.  People with disabilities  want to and can participate  in the economy. 

 Their purchasing power goes up  dramatically when they enter the  workforce.  And so they're able to purchase  things and that helps keep the  economy going.  So there are a wide variety of  ways in which this is a positive  step in the right direction both  for employers and for people  with disabilities, as well as  the general public.  >> Employing people with  disabilities requires a high  level of commitment.  But it need not be intimidating.  And the rewards are substantial.  A diverse workforce makes for a  meaningful work environment.  It inspires loyalty and reduces  staff turnover.  It makes people feel hopeful.  Nancy Christy, the owner of the  Wilson Street Grill where a  third of the workforce are  people with disabilities, says  their success has helped us  define our own sense of success  in business. 

 >> I think people want to do a  good job and have a job to do.  So I think very often people  with disabilities take  tremendous amount of pride in  accomplishing a task well done.  And I think for an employer  taking it, seeing somebody learn  to do a job well done is both  personally gratifying and from a  business standpoint it's  wonderful.  >> Many of the strategies for  employing people with  disabilities are rooted in sound  management practices.  And Dickson says employer fears  can be dispelled by knowledge.  >> Number one, people fear  what's the cost of this?  Is this accommodation going to  cost me a great deal of money?  For the most part the statistics  show that accommodations average  less than $500 per person with  a disability who goes to work.  And in a lot of cases, far less  than that.  Secondly, you don't need to  think esoterically about every  piece of assistance for someone  who has a disability.  Sometimes the answers are  relatively simple and don't cost  any money at all really, they  just take a little creativity  and willingness to change how  you approach the job itself.  Another thing they worry about  is, hey, what happens if this  person is a lousy worker,  or won't work. 

 What am I going to do?  Am I allowed to fire them?  I won't be able to get rid of  them.  Well, that's not true.  You're allowed to require that  the person can produce like  other workers or you can get rid  of them.  So that's kind of an unfounded  fear.  I think the other thing is just  that we don't know people with  disabilities so most employers  have not necessarily had  relationships with people who  have disabilities, have not been  involved with them socially and  so there's a human reaction to  that that needs to be overcome  as well.  >> In other words, it's finding  the right job for the person  as much as finding  the right person for the job.  And it's maximizing people's  abilities.  By emphasizing flexibility in  scheduling, job duties and  responsibilities, a good manager  puts workers in a position to be  successful and, in the long run,  increase their productivity.  For some employees, like  Kristina, this is not always a  linear progression.  She started slowly. 

 Made some progress, then slid  back.  In a different situation, she  may have had to quit, but at the  Grill she was able to continue  working as a back wait before  regaining her stability and  returning to work as waitress  and hostess.  >> I had been very depressed  when I first started and could  not work more than a couple  hours a day.  Maybe a few times a week.  And I found it challenging  to come to work every day.  But I wanted to after I knew  that I was getting support and  trust and respect that people  have given me here.  The reason I stay and I've  stayed for three years, I've  been working for three years,  I stayed because of the support  and the family and the growth.  But not only that, it's been  very challenging.  It's each step that I go has  challenged me to do better and  to progress as far as my growth  and professionalism and also  growth as a human being and  being part of society.  >> Gonna be a superhero... 

 >> Me? Always a superhero!  >> It's highly unlikely Roger  will ever work in the front of  the house, yet what he has  accomplished is truly  remarkable.  >> Ready to start with the  bread.  >> Roger was nearly nonverbal  when he started working at the  restaurant six years ago.  Nobody expected much.  He was given very simple  repetitive chores.  Moving an item from one place to  another.  Not a full job exactly.  More like a piece of a job.  And then he'd be taught a piece  of another job.  And unexpectedly he blossomed. 

 Says owner Christy now,  you don't know what's inside  somebody waiting to be tapped.  >> When Roger came to us,  he came to us with the idea  of seeing how ill somebody  could be and still work.  And our expectations  were extremely low.  And right now he is the heart of  the restaurant.  He has just continually grown  in what it is that he  accomplishes here,  his loyalty to the restaurant  and his interactions  with other employees.  >> Roger now forms bread, cleans  spinach, roasts tomatoes, and  engages his fellow workers in  conversation.  >> Say, Josh?  >> Yeah?  >> Is the bread in there?  Come over here I'll show you.  >> In many ways he is the spirit  of the restaurant,  and he is loyal to a fault.  Manager Tracy Ferguson has been  known to come in to open the  building on holidays so Roger  can do a couple hours of work.  Roger has moved from an  institution to a group home  to his own apartment. 

 Says Christy,  "He's amazed all of us."  Part of Roger's success  is his support system.  Mike Edwards helped Roger get  his job.  >> Michael Edwards, hello.  I haven't seen you in about a  year and a half.  >> Most communities you'll find  at least one or two agencies who  are committed to giving priority  to supporting people with  disabilities in their employment  in normal places, regular places  of work.  And often those agencies will be  the same who, the same agencies  that provide assistance with  housing, or advocacy,  or everyday living skills.  And those agencies employ social  workers who are paid and trained  to provide direct support to  both employers and to employees  at the workplace.  >> The support system for Karen  and Doug is Jody, their job  coach.  She comes to work with them each  day and guides them in their  duties.  Both have clear limits on what  they can do. 

 They too benefit from the type  of job carving that worked with  Roger.  Jobs are broken down into the  piece that they can handle  successfully.  But what they do do are the hard  jobs.  Washing the dishes, cleaning the  bathrooms, the important jobs,  jobs that not every employee  wants.  Karen and Doug love their work.  And Jody?  Well, Jody is just one of the  staff.  Ronnie's support system  includes his psychiatrist  Dr. Richard Arneson.  Dr. Arneson is a loyal customer  of the Grill who occasionally  would bring his patient Ronnie  to the restaurant as part of his  therapy.  Soon the relationship grew to  include Ronnie's employment.  David Murray is a meticulous  worker. 

 You must make sure he's focused,  but once set on task, he will  perform at a very high level.  On a personal level, David's  mother sees a dramatic change in  her son's life as a result of  his employment.  >> Well, I think the biggest  thing was some structure to his  day.  His life prior to this job was  sitting or walking, smoking,  staring into space, doing  nothing.  So, the whole structure  of the day began to center  around this job.  It still does now.  He goes to an off-the-square  club for lunch then he comes  here.  He's now got structure to his  day.  Then one thing fed on another.  He now has contact with people. 

 He didn't have that before.  It didn't hurt one single bit  that he got a certificate of  achievement from this restaurant  hanging on his wall.  And, of course, the whole  family, everyone in the  healthcare system was saying,  this is great, we have something  where we can praise him now.  And that I think feeds on itself  just as when you become ill you  have a vicious circle of things  going bad until you just give  up.  Which he had totally done.  Now I think he's slowly  rebuilding.  >> Chuck's job hasn't changed  in the years he's been at the  restaurant.  He washes dishes.  Sometimes two shifts a day.  He's also learned to put them  away. 

 He's not delicate.  But the staff developed a new  process of bringing the dishes  in the dish room that reduces  the likelihood of breakage.  Like so many of these employees,  working at the Grill is an  important part of Chuck's  wellness clearly visible to his  parents.  >> I think the most important  facet of his personality that  I've noticed is he now has  responsibility and confidence.  That confidence is so good to  see.  Just having a job has made his  life enormously better.  >> And having money.  >> Yes.  >> Where he's not dependent  on us, or the state,  or the community.  >> There are so many restaurant  jobs that are tailor-made for  people with disabilities. 

 Cindy and Janice will clean the  front of the house, prepare the  back of the house for service  and serve as back wait staff.  The diversity of the workforce  creates a stimulating work  environment.  It enhances the sense of team.  It encourages personal growth by  allowing all employees to admit  to their own disabilities and it  heightens feelings of personal  responsibility and looking out  for one another.  It can be quite prideful,  and it can be fun.  >> I remember when I first  started working here I didn't  really know Roger and you'd see  him out back sitting in the lawn  kind of mumbling to himself.  And at first I was almost kind  of scared and if I had just seen  him somewhere I would have  thought here is a person who  doesn't have a lot to offer, or  maybe is kind of just cut off  from everything but once you get  to know him, he's incredibly  bright, incredibly intelligent.  He has his issues and his  problems.  Very humorous.  But he totally enriches the work  environment, and I can't imagine  not having him around now. 

 So it's amazing what that does.  >> It's a sense of belonging and  that you actually make a  difference.  There are certain things that  you do as certain employees when  you come in every day that are  really special for them and they  notice when you're not there.  Or if they can't work that day,  they notice.  It's more it's a team so if one  player is not there, it makes a  little bit of a difference.  >> I would add to that that we  all have limitations, personal  limitations, and working with  people whose limitations are  already defined allows you to  deal with your own limitations  in a better form.  In a very safe form.  Everybody's safe here.  We're not afraid to do things  wrong.  There's support no matter what  happens. 

 >> For all employees then,  working in an environment  that includes people  with disabilities  expands one's view of life.  >> It's a two-way street.  Customers come in with  disabilities and know that  they're appreciated here  and also working here.  >> I think that respect for the  human being, any human being,  regardless of their abilities or  disabilities is part of the  basic philosophy here and that  makes it truly rewarding to be  here.  >> And I would say too this work  environment doesn't allow you to  be too selfish.  You really have to work at  relationships and there's no  real room to be upset  or bickering with people.  You have to work together  to solve issues.  And everyone has their moment  of me this, or me that, but you  quickly have to get over it to  make this sort of environment  work and it's really rewarding  in that sense.  >> Tracey Ferguson manages this  diverse group and has found  that for her, it is actually  easier than managing a workforce  that does not include people  with disabilities.  >> The people who work here  who do have disabilities are  just highly motivated to work. 

 This work so important to them.  Which makes it much easier to  manage someone who is motivated  to work and excited to go to  work every day, than someone who  is just working to make some  money.  And not really caring as much  about their job.  >> They care about their jobs  and ultimately they care about  each other.  >> There are just really strong  bonds formed between the people  who work here with disabilities  and the people who do not have  disabilities.  >> Hiring people with  disabilities then is smart  business and it is a vital  component of a stable, loyal  workforce.  It is an effective hedge against  a tight labor market and high  employee turnover rates.  And it is very rewarding.  >> This is the point at which  community and business intersect  and it's mutually beneficial.  >> And this, ladies and  gentlemen, is Nancy Christy. 

 Please join me in welcoming her.  [APPLAUSE]  >> Hi, everybody.  >> Nancy is a friend of mine,  and I will certainly regard her  as such as we go through this  afternoon and share a  conversation with her.  And as I mentioned, we're  prepared to take your questions  right away and, of course, I'll  be looking for your hands so I  can pass off the mic to you  so we can hear your questions.  But as we get started, a lot of  movement and inspiration  certainly in this story that we  just saw about what you did at  the Wilson Street Grill.  But I'd like to back up a little  bit because I know that we have  some students in this room that  are also interested in food and  the restaurant business.  And so tell us a little bit  about what drew you to working  with food and becoming a  restaurateur.  >> Well, I was an art history  major and I was always  interested in food, and found  myself just gravitating to it.  So I took a job as a pastry chef  and then as a chef and just felt  like that's where I wanted to  be.  So I did a lot of work before I  decided to open a restaurant. 

 Actually even managed and  consulted for them.  >> And so was your first  opportunity to really own your  own enterprise here in Madison  then Nancy?  >> It was.  What happened was that I was  particularly interested in why  restaurants were failing.  And my business partner and  myself kind of decided why don't  we take a failed restaurant and  see if we can turn it around  using all of our ideas and  values before we really start to  consult for other people.  So use it as a report card  almost for our ideas.  >> And was the Wilson Street  Grill your first?  >> It was.  And it had had three failed  locations before we went in  there.  So it really was going down the  tubes.  >> Describe that for me.  When you say three failed  locations, three different  restaurants that had been at  that location had failed?  >> Yes. 

 >> In the past.  But they weren't yours?  >> They weren't ours.  But they were three separate  owners and three separate  failures.  And actually the people who  owned the building were getting  ready to turn it into office  space.  And we said wait a minute.  >> So Wilson Street Grill  started in 1972.  And I see some hands that are  starting to go up so I'm going  to start moving into the crowd.  At what point did you start to  realize that inclusionary  employment practices could be  something that you could do?  >> Well, actually as we set out  to open the restaurant, one of  my desires was to have a really  inclusive workforce.  And I didn't exactly know what  that was going to look like,  but it was just a personal value  and I thought we're going to  approach that in some way.  So it was right from  the beginning. 

 >> Excellent.  We've got a question here.  If you could introduce yourself.  >> Hi, my name's Jeremy.  I was wondering if you could  talk more about what  specifically it is that you  think makes a restaurant  succeed or fail.  Because I think that more than  most restaurants usually fail  when they first try to open one.  >> Jeremy, you're right about  that.  I think the figures are that 90%  of restaurants fail within the  first five years that they're  opened.  I think what happens is that  people go into the restaurant  business because they're  interested in food or service or  they think they're glamorous,  or something like that.  And they're extremely strenuous  businesses. 

 The profit margins are small and  it's as though there are a  million moving parts and you can  just, it's like a strainer.  You can just watch pieces fall  through.  So they require a tremendous  amount of scrutiny and  discipline to run well.  And they have to be  conceptualized properly.  And I think one of the other  things is that sometimes  restaurateurs don't pay as much  attention to management.  Management is really an  important function.  >> We have another question over  here.  >> Sure.  >> Hi, my name is Ali.  Can you talk more about training  the disabled employees and some  of the challenges you faced. 

 And, in addition, for the  nondisabled employees.  I know you said that they seemed  to be inspired by these people  but some of the frustrations  that they might face.  >> That's a great question.  First of all, what we found was  that by having an environment  where you linked what people did  to their strengths was  successful for our employees  with disabilities as well as  without disabilities.  That's number one.  Number two is that nobody was  scared to say what they weren't  good at.  That was true for people with  disabilities as well as for  people without disabilities.  So we were able to approach how  they were taught in a way that  fit what their issues were.  So that's the other thing.  And then we were willing  to pull jobs apart to their  least common denominator,  and allow somebody  to thrive even if all they did  was cut lemons. 

 So what happened was  that this ended up,  and I didn't know that this  would be the case at all,  but it ended up that it allowed  everybody to be very  forthcoming about their own  learning style,  and for us to tailor the process  to that style.  And everybody ended up thriving  in that environment.  It was very interesting,  including our managers,  incidentally.  We had some managers that were  very good with social  interaction and some managers  that were very good  with numerical issues.  And so we just split up  those tasks.  And it seemed like it worked.  >> It sounds like you were  really identifying what kinds of  assets people bring.  And recognizing that different  people bring different assets.  The second part of Ali's  question had to do with the  challenges that perhaps  the more able employees faced  in acclimating to working with  those that were vulnerable.  >> When people came to the  restaurant to apply for a job,  first of all, that was in an  interview, that was the first  thing that they were told. 

 This is what we do.  And so they could decide, is  this something I want to embark  on or isn't this something I  want to embark on.  And then if it was something  that they wanted to embark on,  they got all the support for  learning how to get comfortable  with those things.  And yes, there were times  when people had to compensate,  I think, in this video,  you probably saw a woman named  Carrie saying,  "At first I was scared."  Or I didn't know or any of those  things but what they also knew  was if they were compensating  for somebody in a particular  time, if they needed something  somebody else was going to be  there to compensate for them.  Does that answer your question?  >> We have a question over here.  >> Hi, my name is Mariel.  I was wondering, you mentioned  that you went to a location  that had two previous failures.  >> Three.  It had three failures.  >> Oh, three. 

 I feel like that's a pretty big  risk to take on.  How did you come to the decision  that that was what you were  going to do?  >> I think you're right.  You know, in retrospect,  it was really a big risk.  At the time,  I guess what I felt was  that my own instincts were  that that restaurant needed to  be reconceptualized, that it  hadn't been conceptualized  properly.  And that it could work.  And having been in the  restaurant, having had many jobs  in the restaurant business  before I did that, I thought  this was the place to try.  Now here's one of the things  that we, that mitigated some of  the risk.  And that is that we didn't have  to put in a new restaurant.  In essence, a restaurant  had been put in there.  So what we needed to do was  to remodel it to make it  an aesthetic place. 

 But we didn't have to buy  all the restaurant equipment.  And as a matter of fact, we  chose to develop the menu around  what was in the kitchen already  so as a way of almost recycling  what had been there.  So that mitigated the risk  somewhat.  Yeah?  >> What do you look for in  disabled people when you hire  them?  Like what characteristics do you  look for?  >> Boy, that's another good  question.  Well, many of the employees with  disabilities that came to us,  came to us first through an  agency, actually.  So what we were able to do is  assess, would this be a good fit  to have this person work with  us.  But I think what we were looking  for is people that wanted to  work.  That was their--  They wanted to work, not because  somebody said, you should work,  but because they wanted to work.  And I think with that we figured  okay, we can figure out a way to  make that happen.  Another thing that you may find  interesting is you saw the woman  Kristina, who said she had been  so depressed when she came to  us. 

 What she didn't say and she has  always allowed me to say this is  when she came to us,  she was so depressed that  she could work 15 minutes a day.  That was it.  And not only that, but my  agreement with her was that she  was so depressed that she  couldn't even call in sometimes  and say I'm too depressed to  work.  So we created a system around  her if she came, fine.  And if she didn't come, that was  fine.  Until she started to stabilize.  And in which case each time  she stabilized in a place  and wanted to do something else,  we negotiated a different  agreement.  Okay, well now you can work an  hour a day, but if you  can't come, you have to call.  And so we worked in that way.  But it was all driven by her  desire to want to work even when  her depression was so intense. 

 >> Kind of building off that,  did you anticipate that working  would be such a great therapy  for people with disabilities?  And then what do you think it is  that really helps them become  more comfortable with the job?  >> You know, your first part of  your question is no, I had no  idea that it was going to act in  any kind of therapeutic way at  all.  And remind me again, I got  focused on your first part.  >> What ways do you think  worked best as therapy?  >> Oh, well, the reason I think  that it is so therapeutic,  is that your question?  Is that all of the sudden  you're, I mean, people who have  questioned or have allowed their  disability to be a big deal,  all of the sudden they're  participating and they're doing  something that's worthwhile, and  they're doing it worthwhile  with a group of people.  And I think all of the sudden  that has a life of its own.  And I'm going to share one other  thing with you that really was  a surprise to me.  Which was that our employees  without disabilities started  coming forth to us and saying,  I've been dealing with  an eating disorder;  I've been dealing with this;  I've got this going;  I've got that going.  And I think what happens is that  you have an environment where  you don't have to be scared  of that.  And all of the sudden people  start thriving in a situation  like that.  >> Hi, my name's Michael.  Financially, I was curious  as to if you compensated people  differently based on their  tasks. 

 You stated that one of the  people with disabilities only  could put the bread in the oven  at first and then they  progressed higher, but did the  people without disabilities get  paid more to compensate that  they had to maybe step up and do  more work sometimes and fill-in  for the people  with disabilities?  >> Those are all good questions.  With very few exceptions,  everybody got paid--  I mean, obviously managers  and so forth got paid more.  And it was the manager's job  ultimately to compensate  for people that were having  a hard time with a disability,  or whatever.  What we found was  that everybody helped.  And in terms of people being  paid, only two, Karen and Doug,  were paid on a different scale.  Everybody else was paid at least  minimum wage.  And people ask me this  all the time.  And there are tax deductions  for hiring people  with disabilities.  We never did that.  And we never did it primarily  because everybody worked. 

 It just seemed silly,  and so we never did that.  Yeah?  >> Hi, I'm Alexa.  I'm wondering, who is your  target customer at the  restaurant, and have you  faced any challenges  with customers due to your  unique processes that you have?  >> Our target customers were  the people that worked  and lived in the Capitol Square.  And we have a very good  customer base.  And I'm going to share  one other thing with you.  And that is, that somehow  the attitude we had towards our  customer, I mean, towards our  employees,  which was to value them,  ended up translating from  our employees to our customers.  I mean, there was,  we had a long-standing  and strong commitment  from our customer base.  Tons of repeat customers and  we didn't suffer from--  We just had  a good customer base.  So that was number one.  And number two, most people  didn't know for the majority of  the time the restaurant was open  that we had this hiring  practice. 

 It was not something  that we told people about.  It was much more personal.  And I'll share with you this.  After the USA Today piece  came out,  a catering customer of ours  called me on the telephone  and said that he had read about  us when he was California  in USA Today, and he had been a  customer for eight years or so.  And he said,  I have no idea that you  hired people with disabilities.  You have such high standards.  And I remember thinking,  oh, that kind of stung,  having to do with the idea  of thinking that people  with disabilities  mean you have low standards.  Those two things,  that's a misconception.  But actually when people  did learn about our hiring  practices, people were very  touched by it.  >> Nancy, we have a question  back here. 

 >> Hi, I'm Kayla, and I was  interested in knowing how you  train yourself to approach  situations with the workers with  disabilities?  >> Boy, you guys are asking good  questions.  I didn't have any training.  And I did have the fortune  of having people I could call  if things seemed hard.  We ended up doing a lot of work  with Yahara House, which is a  support system for people with  mental illness.  We called them a couple of times  when we needed advice.  But other than that, we just  instinctively went about it.  >> Before we transition into  another area, I've got one last  question on this.  And then we're going to share  with you another video about  some of the more recent work  that Nancy has been involved in.  >> I was wondering, you talked  about how you worked with some  of your disabled employees  to make a different schedule  or have separate contracts.  Didn't that hurt your business  financially?  >> No, it didn't hurt it. 

 What I can say to you  is what we did, is we put  a lot of effort.  I don't know how many of you  have worked in restaurants.  But you are probably familiar  with the fact that there is  this constantly resolving door  of people coming and going,  and all of that kind of stuff.  And what we did is we  transferred all of that energy  to the front of trying to  accommodate people.  And mentor them.  And we didn't have that kind of  turnover.  People stayed at our business.  So it really, it was just  a matter of saying, okay,  this is what we do.  We're going to work on the front  half rather than having to keep  retraining people.  >> So you may still have some  other questions about the Wilson  Street Grill experience but we  have another shorter video to  share with you that talks more  about Meaningful Places  and Food. 

 Meaningful People, Places  and Food, and specifically  a project that Nancy has been  working on with an organization  that you have all actually seen,  undoubtedly.  It is located directly across  from Granger Hall.  It's called Porchlight.  And they serve homeless  in the Madison area.  >> Porchlight Products  is a business model.  A microenterprise that brings  together individual elements of  a local, sustainable food-based  economy.  It advances the concept of  intentional hiring.  In this model, people with  disabilities, including  developmental disabilities,  and those transitioning  out of homelessness,  and pioneers development of  a workable and reliable source  for locally grown, good food  to meet the existing  and growing restaurant demand  for artisan products.  All three components must be  strong, independent of each  other, while at the same time  working together seamlessly.  All three partners in the  enterprise benefit. 

 But most importantly, it brings  everybody to the table.  >> I find this project to be  really, really important for the  development of my farm.  >> I think it's getting  everybody who's making a  difference in their own way.  >> I think feeling and wanting  to give more back to the  community itself, I believe that  this project is something that  benefits everyone involved.  >> John Hendrickson operates a  20-acre organic family farm  near Madison.  He is growing tomatoes, garlic,  onions, pumpkins, and beets  for Porchlight.  >> Based on my farm still being  in really early development  stages and trying to find its  niche, find its markets.  In order to succeed as a farm,  you know, most farms have a  relatively easy time growing  product.  Obviously there are challenges  especially if you're doing it  organically from year to year.  But to succeed ultimately  you need to be able to sell your  product and sell it at a price  that is profitable and  sustainable for you as a farmer. 

 So to have partners that are  aware of those issues and care  about your business  as an entity, as a partner,  is really crucial.  And it's meant a lot to me to be  able to develop relationships  with Porchlight and with the  Porchlight customers to find  homes for the products that I  want to grow.  >> Farm-to-table is perhaps the  most easily understood component  of a comprehensive sustainable  food system.  But John, nevertheless,  understands the interdependence  of all three legs of the stool.  >> If we don't have the farm  in business and profitable,  we won't have the farm.  If we don't have a way to get  product, raw product into the  system, we need that processing  piece.  There is a tremendous market  right for now for local and  sustainably produced foods and  most people immediately think  about farmers' markets and  community supported agriculture.  But in order to have this  movement in the food system  to become more complete  and more sustaining,  we need to have other avenues.  We need processing.  We need to get products to the  consumer in different ways. 

 And if this can involve people  to help people get training and  get back into the workforce and  into society at large,  then that's a tremendous  additional benefit.  >> Not only is this like a  professional project that I'm  very interested in, there's also  a personal element to it because  I really care a lot about the  planet.  And so connecting with a local  farmer to sell us their specific  produce and then bringing it  back to the population that I  work with, these wonderful  people that I work with in the  building who I can work with  them, help train them, give them  job opportunities, help build  their skills and hang out with  them is like, it's a really good  day.  And then on top of that  then connecting to the local  restaurants, this beautiful  circle, that I think every  community should do.  Which it feeds everybody in a  beautiful way.  And I'm really honored to be  part of this project.  >> Jennifer is kitchen program  manager at Porchlight,  the largest single nonprofit  supplier of low-income housing  in Dane County Wisconsin.  She oversees Porchlight clients  and workers from supported  employment agencies who are  creating artisan products from  the local ingredients.  >> I think Porchlight, just our  whole mission is to us as  people.  And get people off of the  streets and hopefully, whether  it's helping them build their  skills just to live every day  in a better way, or to go out  into the community or work in  the in-house industry projects  that we have, it all just fits  perfectly together. 

 >> Cynthia Mansfield, at 51,  had been declared by the state  too disabled to work.  Battling depression and homeless  she was directed to Porchlight  by a relative.  >> I loved it.  I loved working.  I like the feel of the kitchen.  My kitchen is my favorite.  I feel like I'm reborn again or  something.  And I feel like I'm needed  and wanted and appreciated.  I really like that feeling  because when I'm not there  I feel lonesome and sad, and  can't find nothing else to do.  >> What I saw in her was  that she really was willing  to go that extra mile  to make a difference. 

 And she helped me out, and  she just was there all the time.  And that showed me something  about her.  And why she was really a perfect  pick for this.  And so I'm very happy to have  her.  >> Tami Lax owns Harvest and the  Old Fashioned restaurants in  Madison and has a long-standing  commitment to both local farmers  and inclusionary employment  practices.  >> It's a really beautiful  complement to what we already  do.  And I think it's a positive  thing for us, for customers,  for the community.  And it also gives us another  tool to educate people.  I mean, we aren't here to  directly educate people but it's  the subtleties of saying, oh,  well this cracker was produced  by, and a lot of people will be  really interested and want to  know the whole story.  And that's fantastic because  that gives us a formal platform  to go one step further  with the information about it. 

 >> Lax says supporting a diverse  workforce puts her in a good  spot, in her words.  Even if it's not hands on.  And the artisan products  give her invaluable help  in extending the harvest.  >> When we want to use, for  example, a tomato-based item in  the off-season which is 9-10  months out of the year, to have  something that was actually  picked and processed during the  peak of season and, you know,  saved and preserved here, I feel  much more comfortable serving  something like that.  The same things with the jams  and jellies for next door.  Just to have something that is a  local product, picked in it's  height peak of season,  and the best of the best,  and being able to use that  year-round, it doesn't get    any better than that.  >> Porchlight products ties the  disabilities communitiy and  agricultural community with the  popular restaurant culture.  Creating a three-legged stool  of sustainability  It combines intentional demand  for local produce and  intentional hiring to provide  high quality artisan products  for restaurants.  It is a new model for employing  people with disabilities  including developmental  disabilities by creating a  demand for their services rather  than solely trying to force a  supply of workers on businesses.  The role of employees with  disabilities is now one of  solving a problem as opposed to  the perception of being a  problem, by helping preserve  family farms and helping the  local economy. 

 >> I'm going to invite Nancy  to come back up on stage.  She's kind of taken this concept  full-blown, beyond just one  organization, that being  the Wilson Street Grill.  And if I understand the business  model correctly here,  and please just so that we  can understand it together,  what you've done is you've  worked with an organization,  in this case Porchlight,  to help them help their guests,  in this case they happen to be  homeless clients,  learn skills so that they can,  as an organization, purchase the  food, purchase the product that  will be created or developed  into food by the clients of the  nonprofit.  And then they sell that to the  local restaurateurs  like Tami Lax?  Correct?  >> That's correct.  >> You recently finished  your work with Porchlight.  Tell us a little bit about  the cycle and how long it took  for that organization to be able  to help itself in doing that.  >> Well, we got a Madison  Community Foundation Grant  to help Porchlight create this  social enterprise.  And I would say  we worked with them for a year  to create systems,  hopefully strong systems,  so that they could, and  some initial products and  initial customers, and then they  took the project and have been  moving with it ever since.  And then we moved it to a second  location and were working with  the Multicultural Center  on Park Street to create their  three-legged stool so they too  can do training artisan  production, intentional  purchasing of food from local  farms and teaching their  constituents skills.  >> And that is the Multicultural  Center, as you mentioned,  on South Park Street. 

 A completely different client  base.  >> Completely different client  base.  >> From that of Porchlight.  And in fact, many of the folks  there, I know I've participated  in a variety of programs there,  are bilingual or perhaps Spanish  speaking only so there are all  kinds of other interesting  opportunities and challenges  in working with that group.  >> There are and we are just  assembling that workforce.  We're just getting ready.  We've actually found our  customers.  We've developed some of our  products and we're getting ready  to hire there.  >> Okay.  I'm just again looking out to  make sure that I've gotten  anybody who has a question. 

 I know some folks had hands up  before that I wasn't able to get  to, and we're happy to take your  questions.  I have to wonder, as I was  watching these videos earlier,  is there something about working  with food that makes this  special?  I kind of am saying this as I'm  somebody who just learned how to  cook.  There's almost a healing power  or something that's very  instinctual and base  to who we are.  Do you think that's true?  >> I do, Jeanan.  I think that food is a very  primal need of ours,  and we all kind of have these  memories of food  having to do with our childhoods  or at times something  that was important to us  surrounding food and it does  seem to resonate.  And as you were talking about  the clientele at the  Multicultural Center, one of the  things I'm hoping is to actually  learn something about some of  those cultural heritage foods.  >> Truly a give and take.  You know, this is a course on  entrepreneurialism, Nancy, so  the $60,000 question is, can you  have a social mission like this  in a business enterprise and  actually make a living at it?  >> I mean, the Wilson Street  Grill is an example.  We won any number of business  awards over the years.  Our numbers exceeded the numbers  and the ratios of other  restaurants and the fact that we  were in business for 15 years  and actually would have been  still in business had they not  taken our property to build  the Dane County Courthouse,  I think is some indication  that the answer is yes. 

 >> Hi, my name is Gina.  Kind of going off what youe said  before, obviously, you see  your employees kind of grow  and adapt and learn new things,  for the ones that have left,  have you seen a huge change in  the way they do their own things  in their lives?  >> Do you mean primarily our  employees that didn't have  disabilities?  >> That did have disabilities.  >> That did have disabilities.  Well, one of the saddest things  for me was when the restaurant  closed as a result, as I said,  of the building of the  Courthouse that many of my  employees who had been working  couldn't get jobs.  And it was one of the things  that really propelled me to  continue this work in other  venues, because it's just really  hard for people with  disabilities to get jobs.  And so that wasn't a happy  ending.  >> Hi, I'm Sarah, and I was  wondering, you're doing this in  Madison, do you have any plans  of doing this sort of thing in  other cities like Minneapolis or  expanding it across the nation  because it seems like a pretty  good business plan for other  cities as well.  Not just Madison.  >> Well, I think you're right.  We've been, when we came up with  the model of the three-legged  stool, we tried to do the same  thing with that model that we  did with the Wilson Street Grill  in a way, which is to keep  testing it, keep refining it and  then to make it available to  anybody who would like it. 

 But, yes, we think it's  definitely something that could  be used in any number of places.  I just came back from Italy  where they showed the Porchlight  video at a conference there with  the idea of letting people know  that these things are out there.  >> Hi, I'm Kelly.  Do you see any opportunities for  people with disabilities to be  working in any other industries  or sectors besides restaurants?  I know you talked about the  culture value of food but maybe  something in arts and crafts or  office jobs or something.  >> Absolutely.  When the restaurant first closed  I spent a lot of time trying to  see if I could help other  businesses integrate people with  disabilities into their  workforce.  And it didn't, not necessarily  restaurants.  It wasn't tremendously  successful just because business  people are very busy and unless  it's something you want to do,  you know, you just have so many  other things to think about.  And towards that end, it's why I  started to do this other work,  which intentionally hires people  with disabilities right from the  get go rather than trying to  convert other businesses,  you know, get them interested.  But, yes, by all means I think  wherever there's jobs that can  be broken down and a commitment  to it, it's something that can  happen. 

 Yeah?  >> Hi, I'm Teddy.  Have you thought about maybe  going back into the industry to  maybe start your own restaurant  again?  And with the values that you  have instilled?  >> I think I'm too old.  >> Never.  >> I miss being in the  restaurant business.  I really miss it.  As a matter of fact, when I just  look at all you guys I think how  many students I worked with,  and I just miss it.  But I can't see going back  that way at this point.  >> Hi, my name is Dylan.  I was wondering, I know you  talked about the risks  you generally face  when starting a business.  Are there any sort of  extra risks that you had to face  in hiring disabled people?  >> That's a really good question  and it was asked of me all the  time. 

 No, there are no extra  insurances or any of those  things.  And I'll tell you a funny story  which is in 14 years of hiring  people with disabilities  never once did we have  a discrimination suit  or an accident.  But we were sued once.  And we were sued once  by an employee who sued us  for discriminating against  the class of glamorous people.  And because we told her,  in order to serve food  that she would have to  cut her fingernails.  And so, we had to go  to the EOC for that.  [LAUGHTER]  >> I was wondering  about your consulting business,  how do you go about getting  customers?  Do they come to you more  or do you have to reach out?  >> And do you mean right now,  do you mean...  >> Yeah, the whole  three-legged thing.  >> The three-legged stool,  people have come to us.  >> All right, I know everybody  joins me in thanking you, Nancy,  certainly for being here with us  today as well as for all of the  work that you are doing on  behalf of our community. 

 Thank you.  >> It's been a real pleasure.  (applause)