Greyston | Wide Open Dreams Premiere Event | Q&A Panel — Transcript

Premiere event and Q&A panel for Wide Open Dreams by Greyston Foundation, highlighting open hiring and employee stories.

Key Takeaways

Open hiring is a transformative, inclusive employment practice with significant social impact.
Greyston Foundation has a long-standing commitment to workforce inclusion and community development.
Collaborations with companies like Ben & Jerry's amplify the reach and impact of Greyston's mission.
Storytelling through documentaries helps raise awareness and support for inclusive hiring.
Community and corporate sponsorships are vital to sustaining Greyston's initiatives.

Summary

Joe Kenner, president and CEO of Greyston, welcomes viewers to the Wide Open Dreams premiere event.
Greyston is known for its open hiring policy, a no-questions-asked approach to workforce inclusion.
The organization has a 40-year legacy of impact through employment and community support.
The event features a documentary showcasing employee stories and the impact of open hiring.
Panelists include Paulina Jascowitz, a film student and event producer; Shawna Swanson, an employee featured in the film; and Cheryl Pinto from Ben & Jerry's.
Ben & Jerry's partners with Greyston by using their brownies in ice cream and supporting inclusive hiring.
Proceeds from the event support Greyston's job training and development programs.
Sponsors such as Verizon, Saffron Road, The Westchester Bank, NBC Universal, and Advocate Brokerage are acknowledged.
Technical support information is provided for attendees during the virtual event.
The event aims to promote the replication of Greyston's open hiring model nationally and internationally.

Chapters

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

Well, good evening, everyone. I see a lot of folks are logging on now, and right on time—punctual. I love it. My name is Joe Kenner, president and CEO of Grayston. I just want to welcome everybody to tonight's premier event of Wide Open Dreams. We are so excited about this event tonight, and I'm so proud of the team that we have pulled together to make this event possible. So, I'm going to give folks a couple of minutes to get online and get logged in.

Speaker A

dreams we are so excited about this event tonight and i'm so proud of the team that we have pulled together to make this event possible so i'm going to give folks a couple minutes to get uh online and get logged

Speaker A

But I just want to welcome everybody. I get a box of Kleenex and some brownies and get ready for a great show tonight. Give folks a couple of minutes to get logged on, pouring in, which is great.

Speaker A

thanks to everybody for taking the time to join us tonight uh you're truly in for a treat um and what i'm so excited about is the number of new folks that have joined us tonight to learn a little bit

Speaker A

Thanks to everybody for taking the time to join us tonight. You're truly in for a treat. And what I'm so excited about is the number of new folks that have joined us tonight to learn a little bit more about Grayston.

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but we are also known for an incredible way of bringing people into the workforce and it's called open hiring which is a no questions asked policy and you'll see the impact that a policy like that an inclusive hiring approach

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Grayston is truly a remarkable organization. You're going to learn a little bit about Grayston and our employees tonight. But for the new folks, we're known for the amazing brownie inclusions in Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

Speaker A

but it's quite an impactful story it's quite a compelling story and we're just excited to share this with you tonight um in addition to open hiring tonight's proceeds will go to support grayston's efforts in the whole inclusive hiring movement to see the

Speaker A

But we are also known for an incredible way of bringing people into the workforce, and it's called open hiring, which is a no-questions-asked policy. And you'll see the impact that a policy like that, an inclusive hiring approach like open hiring, the impact it can have on an individual, family, and the beauty of open hiring.

Speaker A

impactful activities and initiatives that we've been doing here for many years we are 40 years at this and the impact the stories and just the hope that we've seen through so many of our employees has just truly been incredible so

Speaker A

And again, we'll talk about this more later on tonight, but there are many Shaunas out there, and tonight we're just hearing one story.

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your hand paulina so everybody can see you uh shawna swanson she is the star of the show and an amazing employee and somebody we're really proud of and my partner in crime in the ben and jerry's side cheryl pinto she is the lead for global

Speaker A

But it's quite an impactful story. It's quite a compelling story, and we're just excited to share this with you tonight.

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saffron road the westchester bank nbc universal and advocate brokerage we truly appreciate the support you've given us tonight we could not have done this event without you i want to give a big thank you to the team here who's pulled this together the

Speaker A

In addition to open hiring, tonight's proceeds will go to support Grayston's efforts in the whole inclusive hiring movement to see the open hiring model replicated not just here in Westchester County, New York, but also across this country and even internationally.

Speaker A

issues from an i.t standpoint tonight we're going to be putting some information in the chat so that you can reach out to someone but you can either email zoomhelp grayston.org or you can call 914-758-7929 and again we'll put this information in

Speaker A

And this will also support our job training and job development efforts at the Grayston Employment Opportunity Center. So your money is going to go into some impactful activities and initiatives that we've been doing here for many years.

Speaker A

wow so was that incredible or what um that really threw me off my moderator game but uh two things i wanna one one welcome everybody back uh to the panel um it's i'm still blown away this is now my

Speaker A

We are 40 years at this, and the impact, the stories, and just the hope that we've seen through so many of our employees has just truly been incredible.

Speaker A

and unbelievable work uh what you put together and i don't think we get the true appreciation of it on zoom so and i was watching the numbers here tick up as we were watching the documentary and so we want

Speaker A

So, I'm excited about tonight. I do want to give an introduction to our panelists. If they can just wave their hands as I introduce them: Paulina Jascowitz. She is also a student who has produced this event for us tonight, Wide Open Dreams. Wave your hand, Paulina, so everybody can see you.

Speaker A

really watch it in the way that i know you want it to be shown so that will be provided at the end of tonight's panels but kudos to you paulina and the team for putting this together and shauna what can i say

Speaker A

Shawna Swanson, she is the star of the show and an amazing employee and somebody we're really proud of.

Speaker A

but a lot of the credit must go must go to people like you people like alvin and simona and so many of your colleagues that have made it happen not just for yourself but for your family so we are proud of you so on behalf of

Speaker A

And my partner in crime on the Ben and Jerry's side, Cheryl Pinto. She is the lead for global values light sourcing at Ben and Jerry's.

Speaker A

you are and uh paulina we're going to start with you just introduce yourself and then shawna and then cheryl okay hi everyone i hope you enjoyed the film so um my name is pauline kevich i'm a film student from westchester community

Speaker A

So, awesome panelists that we have here tonight, and we're going to have a great conversation after the showing of this documentary.

Speaker A

everyone to know that the whole group was working very hard on it and i again i hope that that you enjoy it so yeah thank you thank you shauna sean we can't hear you can you hear me now here we go okay

Speaker A

But I want to say a big thank you to our sponsors, in particular Verizon, Saffron Road, The Westchester Bank, NBC Universal, and Advocate Brokerage. We truly appreciate the support you've given us tonight. We could not have done this event without you.

Speaker A

grayson and to work with the film crew it was awesome thank you so much thank you and cheryl uh hello everybody so uh i'm here representing ben and jerry's and um as joe said before his partner in crime

Speaker A

I want to give a big thank you to the team here who's pulled this together—the Grayston team, the development team, our board for their support, and the staff that's joining us tonight as well.

Speaker A

basically all we do and it's just such a humbling experience to have seen this film again and uh so i too like you joe i've been thrown off my horse and so i need to compose myself as well my

Speaker A

I want to say a big thank you to all of you. And for folks, if you're having any issues from an IT standpoint tonight, we're going to be putting some information in the chat so that you can reach out to someone.

Speaker A

i mean i just am amazed at the legacy that has continued so just really excited to be here and thank you for inviting me you guys are not doing a good job of helping me keep it together here

Speaker A

You can either email [email protected] or you can call 914-758-7929. And again, we'll put this information in the chat for you if you have any issues from an IT nature.

Speaker A

of this and all the work that pauline and the team put put into this but now you get to see it and live in color like how do you feel sorry we're all falling apart don't worry about it

Speaker A

But we're going to get ready to show this event. So again, grab a box of Kleenex, get some brownies, and enjoy the presentation of Wide Open Dreams.

Speaker A

and where i am now and i still have a ways to go but i i have hope you know and i have definite you know and i'm just i'm happy it was so important to make this video and there's so many shaunas and so many

Speaker A

Wow, so was that incredible or what? That really threw me off my moderator game, but two things I want to—one, welcome everybody back to the panel.

Speaker A

are coming in so many people are just giving you a virtual hug kiss thank you anyway covet hug kiss and everything people are just loving uh they're so proud of you so i just want you to know that i mean they're just pouring in in

Speaker A

I'm still blown away. This is now my third time seeing this documentary, but it was truly a great piece of work put together by Paulina and the team at SUNY Westchester County Community College.

Speaker A

bakery in yonkers like how did this all come together like what made you uh what inspired you to do this so i heard about grayston last semester with my first semester at the college um and i come from poland i've never

Speaker A

So, Paulina, I want to say to you and the team, this was an incredible job you guys did and unbelievable work, what you put together.

Speaker A

i knew that i want to make this film i was inspired by the fact that grayson is a place you know that is willing to give a chance to anyone and i believe that everyone deserves a chance at life no matter what the past

Speaker A

And I don't think we get the true appreciation of it on Zoom. I was watching the numbers here tick up as we were watching the documentary.

Speaker A

story of the film um she inspired me and she's a magnificent strong woman and i i love her during the whole production we really got together well it was it was a fun experience and yeah she didn't give up and as a female

Speaker A

So, we want to make sure that folks truly appreciate this in its true form and the professionalism that you guys put into this.

Speaker A

didn't tell all that much was the story between our two organizations grayston and ben and jerry's can you just give us uh a little history on how that relationship came about yeah i'm happy to so uh probably just over 30 years ago uh

Speaker A

So, we're going to make this available on YouTube for, I guess, 24 hours or so so that folks can watch it again and really watch it in the way that I know you want it to be shown.

Speaker A

like this but ben being um a social justice warrior at heart and believing in the power of doing business um in a different way i think they were just like two kindred spirits that must have just connected and the electricity must have gone off

Speaker A

So that will be provided at the end of tonight's panels. But kudos to you, Paulina, and the team for putting this together.

Speaker A

and to this day still have not had a whoopie pie but that was actually what this was meant to be so um they sent whoopie pies up to vermont and they tried to make these ice cream sandwich cake things

Speaker A

And Shauna, what can I say?

Speaker A

think it's just it's been so extraordinary because there is this strong commitment from ben jerry's it is um a company that's um has in its heart and soul and dna about link prosperity and ben and jay were not kidding when

Speaker A

Too often, we get a lot of credit for what we do here, and it's valid. We're very proud of the work. We're proud of the people that come through the bakery, that come through our foundation.

Speaker A

but i think part of the beauty of the relationship is that as ben and jerry's crew grayston also grew and so it really is um it is this extended family and even now today as we consider as we continue to expand and grow and

Speaker A

But a lot of the credit must go to people like you, people like Alvin and Simona, and so many of your colleagues that have made it happen not just for yourself but for your family.

Speaker A

yeah i think back on how ben and bruni the stories they must have shared and the laughter and and also just the the vision that they had to be able to continue to plow forward with this because i'm sure there were a lot of detractors

Speaker A

So, we are proud of you. So on behalf of Grayston, I just want to say to all of you, great job. Thank you so much.

Speaker A

off and to continue to support it and so uh and so we're here today yeah i had the chance to meet ben and jerry but one of my biggest regrets was i never got the chance to meet bernie

Speaker A

Okay, so let me pull it together here and have our panelists introduce themselves. If we could just take one or two minutes to just say who you are.

Speaker A

you shauna because you had some great quotes tonight my cries for help wasn't working they kept my family together and there's now no question mark for tomorrow and then you made a big push for open hiring shawna like why is open hiring so important to

Speaker A

Paulina, we're going to start with you. Just introduce yourself, and then Shauna, and then Cheryl.

Speaker A

circumstances which brought us to a point where we're unemployed and searching and being told no um we i mean there isn't anything out there even social services which is a great thing but sometimes it just doesn't work out

Speaker A

Okay. Hi, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the film. So, my name is Paulina Kevich. I'm a film student from Westchester Community College, and I was a director and producer of this film.

Speaker A

family and when you don't have any opportunity there's nothing you know and and with the thought of possibly it was so close that i was going to lose my children i was going to have to separate them and

Speaker A

But again, I wouldn't be able to share the story without the whole team that I really wanted to thank here.

Speaker A

ripped away just because no one believes in you no one believes that you deserve an opportunity because you don't have experience i mean some people just don't have it but you got to get the experience in order to have it

Speaker A

I know they joined, so I want everyone to know that the whole group was working very hard on it, and I again hope that you enjoyed it. So, yeah, thank you.

Speaker A

this is for open hiring you know just a little bit you know at a time everybody just three positions depending on the size you know you can add or take whatever but there's a big need for opportunity for employment i mean we

Speaker A

Thank you. Shauna, we can't hear you. Can you hear me now?

Speaker A

see prostitution you don't want to see all these things i mean some people don't even want to see people receiving um social service help give them the opportunity say yes you know help them to be self-sufficient help them to be able

Speaker A

Here we go. Okay.

Speaker A

but because i had a gap in my employment didn't mean that i couldn't do a job you know it didn't mean that i was lazy i mean i had all the energy in the world i just didn't have anywhere to direct it

Speaker A

I'm Shauna Swanson. I'm the lead operator for the PM shift at the Grayston Bakery, and my honor to be in this video.

Speaker A

the world it's so important it's so important i'm honored to be a part of grayson every day is a great day at grayson every day is a great day and i'm just like it's unreal that i'm sitting here

Speaker A

Working along with Paulina and the film crew was awesome. I'm so grateful for the opportunity with Grayston and to work with the film crew. It was awesome. Thank you so much.

Speaker A

it was high my anxiety was super high and and just being there changed me in so many ways it kept my family together yes but it changed me it changed my my view on on people you know i i feel like people do care

Speaker A

Thank you. And Cheryl?

Speaker A

give that opportunity to change things you know when the more people we have that think that way the world could be a better place more people can do good things you know you'll see less of the crime because there's more

Speaker A

Hello, everybody. So, I'm here representing Ben and Jerry's, and as Joe said before, his partner in crime.

Speaker A

so much this is the film crew thank you this is my favorite poster yes thank you sean i want to encourage folks to send some questions in the chat we are getting a few now so i'm going to start to go to

Speaker A

Because I get to enjoy this extraordinary privilege of working with folks like Shauna and Joe and the team to be able to support this work.

Speaker A

going through this whole exercise in this whole project so what impact the experience had on me you mean yeah um i mean a lot i learned a lot throughout the whole process that the production it was actually my first bigger

Speaker A

And I'm just one cog in a huge machine that sort of buys the brownies, and that's basically all we do.

Speaker A

their hearts like i said before and and the best effort to make this this film happen and um i think at some point it had an impact on all of on all of us getting to know those personal stories

Speaker A

And it's just such a humbling experience to have seen this film again.

Speaker A

in our real life that deserve that their stories deserve to be told um yeah and as a director i guess is my responsibility to do it well and and i hope to continue on on that filmmaking journey but

Speaker A

So, I too, like you Joe, have been thrown off my horse, and so I need to compose myself as well.

Speaker A

ask this question of cheryl and then i'm going to get to some of the audience questions but cheryl if folks wanted to try the ben jerry's flavors with our brownies in them which flavors would they go to so as i mentioned chocolate fudge

Speaker A

My mascara was running. I had to fix things up.

Speaker A

flavors and innovation so all i can say is you never know what other new flavors uh the brownies will turn up in and uh they're just it's a delight the fans love them the comments we get from our fans when

Speaker A

Shauna, so you were right about having a tissue. It was just extraordinary, and I've got goosebumps.

Speaker A

doing good so we're getting a lot of questions in regards to the open hiring model how to scale how to get involved and shauna you gave the best public service announcement in terms of the impact that it has on

Speaker A

So, I guess what I'd like to say is just for Bernie and Ben, who started this, I mean, I just am amazed at the legacy that has continued.

Speaker A

thankful that we do have six partners um the body shop being one of the rhino foods being one of the giant eagle being another partner that are practicing open hiring or open hiring in some form but we need more we need more folks to

Speaker A

So, just really excited to be here, and thank you for inviting me.

Speaker A

at grayston but to send an email to info at grayston so that we can give you more information on how you can connect to our graystone employment opportunity center to see this model replicated and three i would say there is also a little

Speaker A

You guys are not doing a good job of helping me keep it together here.

Speaker A

to all the folks here in westchester county uh we're very proud of the fact that you know we've provided almost over 11 million dollars in impact here in southwest shockers because of the employment work that happens at the bakery because

Speaker A

[Laughter]

Speaker A

and in terms of the next steps with this documentary what you want to do with it of course so once again i hope everyone enjoyed it and our next our plan is to submit this film to many festivals in the country and also

Speaker A

So, I want to start with you, Shauna. So tonight was the first time that you got a chance to see the documentary.

Speaker A

shauna's and grayson's story is is really worth to share share with the world and and others and inspire other people so yes that's the plan to to share with others throughout many film festivals but we would we need

Speaker A

Oh, yes.

Speaker A

donation would be highly appreciated and and will bring us closer to to the point where we would like to be um so yes that's that's our plan and we hope to to get to show this film with with other people

Speaker A

How do you feel? I mean, we were talking earlier about the many hours that went into the production of this and all the work that Paulina and the team put into this.

Speaker A

photos which are kind of cool too and the trailer so yeah that's all i wanted to share i guess again you oh you did an amazing job so thank you to you and the team paulina for pulling us together

Speaker A

But now you get to see it and live in color. Like, how do you feel?

Speaker A

your count words and shauna anything that we have not said uh that you want to say to the folks that saw this film tonight i hope you have a better understanding for um the need for open hiring for giving

Speaker A

Sorry, we're all falling apart. Don't worry about it.

Speaker A

moved if you can to yourself be a part of the solution to get people employed say yes and cheryl party words from our ben and jerry's partners well again just um it's been such a privilege to be working with grayston for all these

Speaker A

It's amazing. I'm grateful.

Speaker A

that graystone provides the strength is really with those who actually say yes and put their names on the list it's i mean that is the power that is what unlocks it so grayson is sitting here and putting your name on the list is what unlocks

Speaker A

all of this and so again we're going to continue to push for open hiring and sean you are so eloquent that again it just is it's it's um inspiring and heart-wrenching at the same time which is the best feeling right because you

Speaker A

just feel so alive and so again thank you so much and uh looking forward to what we can do together thank you so thank you to you paulina cheryl shauna especially for uh being with us tonight and we hope that this does not uh end

Speaker A

the folks journey with grayston uh continue to join us on this journey uh as i said go to graystone.org to sign up for our newsletter find out how you can get involved in supporting our programs obviously donate to our programs the

Speaker A

workforce development programs that support the work that's happening here at the foundation and we want you to be a part of us and we want you to be a part of this journey so that we can write more stories like

Speaker A

this paulina's going to be doing a sequel she doesn't know it yet but she's going to do a sequel for us but we also want to make sure at the end we're going to have a survey so please

Speaker A

complete the survey for us at the end of this and as i said we will have this posted uh on youtube so it'll be available afterwards but i just want to thank once again our sponsors verizon saffron road westchester bank nbc

Speaker A

universal and advocate brokerage corporation for your support for this evening but i really want to thank you shauna paulina cheryl and really all of our employees who actually do the work and you create the stories that we talk about

Speaker A

and it's your success that we championed and it's uh the success of others who want that same opportunity for someone to say yes to so we so appreciate you and uh we're looking forward to all the new folks and all the current folks

Speaker A

continuing to join us on this journey this open hiring journey thank you so much have a good evening

Topics:Greyston FoundationWide Open Dreamsopen hiringinclusive hiringemploymentBen & Jerry'sworkforce inclusiondocumentaryjob trainingcommunity impact

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the open hiring policy promoted by Greyston?

Open hiring is a no-questions-asked employment policy that allows individuals to be hired without traditional barriers, promoting workforce inclusion and providing opportunities to those who might otherwise be excluded.

Who are the key panelists featured in the Wide Open Dreams event?

The panelists include Joe Kenner, CEO of Greyston; Paulina Jascowitz, a film student and event producer; Shawna Swanson, an employee featured in the documentary; and Cheryl Pinto, lead for global values sourcing at Ben & Jerry's.

How does Ben & Jerry's collaborate with Greyston Foundation?

Ben & Jerry's uses Greyston's brownies as inclusions in their ice cream products and supports Greyston's mission by promoting inclusive hiring and participating in events like the Wide Open Dreams premiere.

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