Move Over Lobster Roll, Get A Real Taste of Boston

Live Like A Local guided tours gets people out of the Back Bay 
and into JP, Roxbury & Dorchester 

If you’ve ever visited Boston only to ask a local their advice on where to go, what to see, and what to do, Roxbury native Collin Knight has the answer for you. 

The former New York City tour guide and actor brings his perspective and expertise to tourists through the lens of what it’s like to “Live Like A Local,” during his unique guided tour experiences. Knight created Live Like A Local tours two years ago, with the goal to get people off the beaten path downtown, and instead have them experience the art and culture of Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and Dorchester. 

Tours include, Walk With A Local, A Bite And Drink With A Local, Snack Like A Local and Grub Like A Local and range in price from $35 to $125, and 1.5 to 4.5 hours. The tours focus on the neighborhood’s history while also supporting the local businesses that make up the vibrant community he calls home. Knight wants to bring tourism to these neighborhoods and help the business owners right in his backyard. 

“I can take you to get the best cocktail, Jamaican beef patty, empanada and IPA around. Forget the lobster roll, come taste authentic food from different cultures -- West Indian Roti, Ethiopian and Latin American cuisine,” says Knight. “These tours are for out of towners, new to towners, suburbanites and city dwellers who want to get a flavor for what Boston is really like -- there’s a lot that might surprise you.”

While current social distancing protocols have temporarily sidelined his business, Knight is encouraged that bookings will pick up again soon. The businesses and cultural institutions featured on his tours including breweries, museums, restaurants and distilleries, will need the support more than ever.  

The self-proclaimed craft beer geek also hopes to bring more people of color into local breweries, an industry known to be predominately white. Knight hopes to serve as a bridge to break down barriers, open the breweries up to their communities, and expose people of color to the craft beer scene.  

“I don’t think that black people know that they are welcome. I want to help change that,” says Knight. Knight recently joined the Mass Brewers Guild’s diversity and inclusion committee and is a member of the trade association. The Mass Brewers Guild is the state’s trade association that exists to protect and promote the interests of craft brewers across the Commonwealth. 

“I love craft beer, food and history – and being able to bring all these things together is my passion. People may not know about the really rich brewing history that these neighborhoods have,” says Knight.  “I love telling these stories and showing people another side of these communities.”

Tours are limited to groups of five to adhere to health and safety guidelines, and are completed on foot. This helps tour goers work up an appetite while also following social distance recommendations. Masks will also be required while not eating or drinking. Chartered tours will resume once the state allows groups of 10 or more to congregate. 

“Supporting local has never meant so much. We all need to do our part to ensure that our favorite small and family-owned businesses come out strong on the other side of this health crisis,” says Knight. “If I can play a role in making that happen, all the better.” 

To book a tour, or to learn more about Live Like A Local Tours, visit livelikealocaltoursboston.com or call, (617) 286-6577.

Blind Hiring: An Experiment in Craft Beer Inclusion

By: Dani Babineau
CEO and Co-Founder
Redemption Rock Brewing Co.

How do we make craft beer more inclusive?

This is a hot button issue in the craft beer industry - maybe the hottest buttonest one. The Brewers Association is making inclusion and diversity a priority, with the creation of a subcommittee on diversity and inclusion and the appointment of Dr. J. Nikol Beckham as Diversity Ambassador. It’s a regular topic on social media, too, whether it’s a high-profile thinkpiece or an example of what not to do. But it’s a work in progress; data shows small increases in the percentage of female and minority craft beer drinkers in recent years, and it’s a complex challenge (strike that - opportunity) that, seemingly, most breweries haven’t figured out yet.

That includes us. But increasing inclusion in craft beer is important to us. Our home city of Worcester is wonderfully diverse, and we’re here to support and represent the community as it exists today. 

But we know that it isn’t enough to smile and say “all are welcome” - increasing diversity and being more inclusive needs to be an intentional and proactive effort focused on identifying and removing barriers. And it needs to be authentic, not resorting to pandering or tokenism. We don’t know the exact recipe to make this happen, but we thought a good place to start would be trying to increase the representation of women and minorities on our own team.

So when we started hiring our taproom staff last year, we tried something new to us: blind hiring.

Blind hiring aims to reduce implicit biases is the hiring process by removing names, gender, race, and other demographic information from job applications during the initial consideration phases. It’s been around since the 1970s, most famously in the world of classical music, and often successfully leads to greater diversity in hiring. So we thought we’d give it a try.

Here’s how we did it:

For applications, we wanted no resumes and no cover letters. Instead, we posted an eight-question questionnaire on our website. Jen, our events director, collected, blinded, and organized the submissions for the hiring team.

The questionnaire was less focused on professional experience and more focused on the qualities we sought in employees. Were they passionate about the industry? Did their values align with ours? Were they focused on their professional growth and improvement? And were their answers thoughtful and specific?

After reviewing and scoring these responses, we trimmed the original applicant pool of 28 people down to 14.

Round two: a live interview...sort of. To continue maintaining anonymity, we conducted live individual chats with the applicants through a Skype chat -- all text based. These questions focused more on professional experience and career ambitions, but we still didn’t quite dive into their full resume. Instead, we wanted to get a sense of their skills and perspectives rather than career pedigree.

Finally, we reviewed and scored the chat transcripts and selected our top eight candidates. These candidates were invited to meet with us for a final, in-person interview. We finally got to reveal to ourselves who had made it to the final stage.

And this is where it gets interesting. The initial candidate pool of 28 applicants was 50/50 men and women. The final eight? All women.

To us, that’s a pretty successful experiment. 

Mind you, we did nothing to tip the odds in the female applicants’ favor. Our hiring team was 75 percent male, and the identities of the candidates were completely unknown until the final eight were selected. All we did was remove the identities of the applicants. Who’s to say how it would’ve turned out in a traditional hiring process?

We also learned a lot about the blind hiring process itself and saw areas to improve. Our initial candidate pool was still overwhelmingly white and straight. We also wondered, with so many written responses, how applicants’ whose first language is not English were affected. These are issues we’ll work to address and improve before the next hiring round.   

In the grand scheme of improving diversity at Redemption Rock and the brewing industry, this is a baby step - just one experiment that worked pretty well for us and might work for other breweries. But there’s still a lot of work to be done.

This feature is a part of a the MBG’s Inclusion & Diversity Success Story Series with the goal to share best practices, recruitment strategies, and event & program ideas that members can bring home to their breweries. Does your brewery or business have a story that they’d like to share? The MBG’s Diversity Committee wants to hear it! Reach out to MBG Executive Director Katie Stinchon at katie@massbrewersguild.org for more information.

Pint of Change: Women Tap into Leadership Roles in Male Dominated Industries

Women Attorneys of Verrill

Studies show that women make up only 29% of brewery workers across the country. In ancient civilizations, and even Early America, brewing beer was traditionally a woman’s job, but it’s clear that today the industry is predominantly male. Initiatives like the Pink Boots Society have helped raise awareness, but big steps are still needed to create gender equality within the community. The legal industry has faced a similar challenge. The American Bar Association reported that women made up only 32% of attorneys nationwide in 2008. Statistics have improved only slightly since then with 36% of attorneys being women at the end of 2018, showing there is still a great deal of progress to be made to close the gender gap in the industry as a whole, especially in leadership roles.

Although progress is occurring slowly, change has happened in the legal industry through recruiting initiatives, family-friendly policies, mentoring programs, and sensitivity trainings. Firms that are providing more flexibility and support for career advancement for all are leveling the playing field for all, regardless of gender. 

Verrill is a law firm that’s proving change is possible. The firm was recognized as one of the top ten law firms in the country for gender equality by the National Law Journal in the 2018 “NLJ 500 Women’s Scorecard,” in addition to being named a 2017 Law360 Ceiling Smasher and ranked in Law360’s 2015 and 2016 Glass Ceiling Reports. 

Today, Verrill’s Executive Board is majority-female, with Boston-based partner Regina Hurley elected to the role of Chair this year. In addition, many of the firm’s practice group and committee chairs and senior administrative team are women. Rare within the industry and beyond the average for comparably-sized firms, 40% of the firm’s partners are women.

A Word of Advice

Several of Verrill’s women in leadership have provided the following advice to inspire female brewers at- or striving to be at the top, and those seeking to achieve gender equality within their own brewery:

Tawny Alvarez, Chair of Breweries, Distilleries & Wineries Group: “I have a quote that I look at daily: ‘It’s not easy, but nothing of value is.’  Every time inappropriate comments are made or people assume I’m a legal assistant, I tuck those moments away and they drive me to work harder and to arm myself with tools that will assist me in proving to others (and sometimes myself) that I am a competent attorney, advocate, advisor, and litigator.  In addition, don’t be afraid to share your experiences with other people.  Remembering that you are (unfortunately) not the only woman who is experiencing some of these bias statements and actions or attempting to knock down walls in the industry. When you acknowledge this and discuss your experiences you will find yourself with a support system of peers as well as women you will become committed to mentoring and sponsoring so that women continue to advance within the industry.”

Regina Hurley, Partner and Executive Board Chair: “Creating a culture of equality starts from the top. Building a diverse and inclusive workplace starts with truly listening to your employees and adapting training, policies and programs as needed to make all feel welcome.” 

Gretchen Johnson, Director of Marketing: “Being female in a male-dominated workplace has challenges, but it’s important to remember that you have a unique voice and value to add. With competition in the brewing community increasing, women are a growing target market for the craft beer industry –your fresh perspective is even more significant.”

Lisa LaMarche, Director of Accounting: “Don’t aspire to leadership for leadership’s sake. Instead, visualize success for yourself and the company, and then follow that vision with confident authority. Those who share that vision will join you, support you, and follow your lead. That is what makes you a leader.”

Michele Pattenaude, Director of Human Resources: “Recognizing the need for many employers to pursue larger-scale awareness and sensitivity, we launched a new initiative last year that complements one of our core values – mutual respect. The initiative goes beyond addressing the #metoo phenomenon and is a proactive approach to building upon the expectations of true respect, inclusion, safety and trust in all interactions. It’s through initiatives such as this and our proactive approach and commitment to incorporating equality and inclusion that helps our firm stand out as a great place to work for all.” 

Jacqueline Rider, Partner and Chair of Diversity Committee: “It’s not enough to invite women and other diverse candidates to join your firm or business. They must be provided with the opportunity for success and leadership through development, mentorship, and sponsorship. Your commitment to these diversity and inclusion efforts must be authentic.”

This feature is a part of a the MBG’s Inclusion & Diversity Success Story Series with the goal to share best practices, recruitment strategies, and event & program ideas that members can bring home to their breweries. Does your brewery or business have a story that they’d like to share? The MBG’s Diversity Committee wants to hear it! Reach out to MBG Executive Director Katie Stinchon at katie@massbrewersguild.org for more information.

Roca and Dorchester Brewing Co. helping young men of Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan leave the streets and go to work

This story originally appeared in the Boston Business Journal

By Laura Newpoff – Contributor

Aug 9, 2019

A few years ago, Denzel Florvil found himself fresh off a stint in prison and full of uncertainty about his future. He had no car, no high school education and no confidence that he could successfully interview for a job.

Then came Roca, the nonprofit which for three decades has used its “relentless outreach” model to help the highest risk young men stay alive, out of jail. 

As with most of the young gang- and street-involved men Roca recruits each year, Florvil was “a work in progress” from the start - rough around the edges, unready, unwilling and unable to even show up. After several starts and stops, Florvil’s hard work helped make him a candidate for Roca’s Bridge to Success program, which subsidizes employment for the first 80 hours at one of its many partner businesses. 

Matt Malloy, Dorchester Brewing Co. co-founder and CEO, decided to give the nearby resident a chance and hired Florvil to work on the packaging line for 20 hours per week.

“I didn’t want to know his background. I take people at face value,” Malloy said. 

Roca Boston and Dorchester Brewing Co. are partners in the Lewis Family Foundation’s Jobs Action Tank, which supports key community organizations through its goal to place 700 young people from Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan into full-time jobs earning at least $38,000 in annual income by the end of 2020.

Carl Miranda, the site director at Roca Boston, said one of the strengths of its longstanding program with partner businesses across Massachusetts is that employers can always turn to the nonprofit for assistance with Roca participants.

“Denzel had some hiccups here and there,” said Rajon Brooks, Roca Boston’s employment manager. “Instead of firing him or writing him up, the employer can use us as their support network. For someone like Denzel, it may be easier hearing constructive criticism from me as opposed to the employer trying to redirect him.”

Roca works with men aged 17 to 24 with a previous history in jail, with gangs, in violent street activities or drugs. Miranda describes it as focusing on a small group of young people with an incredibly disproportionate impact on violence in the city: those who need relentless outreach because they are not ready, willing, or able to participate in any other programming available. 

The “relentless” part of Roca’s four-year intervention model means not taking “no”’ for an answer. Roca youth workers knock on doors and show up wherever a young man is, whether that’s at his girlfriend’s house, a local hangout or prison to get them to engage in the program. 

The program helps young men through building relationships for the purpose of behavior change, engaging businesses and institutions as partners, offering stage-based life skills, educational and employment programming and performance-based management that rigorously tracks data and evaluates outcomes.

In 2018, Roca served 942 young men, and was able to keep 78% of them engaged in the four-year model. 88% of graduates had no new arrests and 66% held jobs for six or more months, an impressive outcome given the many challenges young people at Roca face and a 26% unemployment rate in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan. While 76% of young adults in the nation go back to jail within three years of release, young people at Roca are re-incarcerated at a much lower rate of 33%. 

‘Part of the family’ 

Dorchester Brewing’s Malloy said the partnership with Roca is in keeping with their goal of supporting the neighborhoods of Boston and their people, no matter their background. A side benefit is it will help his company with an ongoing challenge of trying to build a high-quality diverse staff.

“We’re very much about hiring locally and trying to give people a chance,” Malloy said. “Very often, people in Dorchester still get redlined and the neighborhood is featured on the news for violence. But it’s wonderfully diverse, which is why I moved here.”

He said Florvil has thrived at Dorchester Brewing Co. In early July, Florvil celebrated his one-year anniversary at the brewery, where he works full time and was recently promoted.

Brooks called the partnership a “win-win.” Roca was able to find employment for one of its men and the brewery was able to hire someone with a diverse background from its neighborhood. 

He said Florvil now has a car, pays rent at an apartment and is working toward completing his high school education. “Education typically leads to employment, but this happened the other way around,” Brooks said. 

Florvil said, “the job has allowed me to focus on my education.” 

Florvil is considered a success story, but Miranda stresses that Roca allows for failure in its model.

“Many young men are going to struggle, and the best partnerships understand there will be challenges and they can turn to us for support,” he said. “We incorporate that so when men stop showing up or don’t follow through, we don’t just give up on them. That’s the time we chase them more.”

Interested in getting involved, or have a successful partnership story to share that focuses on hiring young people from Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan into full-time jobs? Visit the Lewis Family Foundation’s job page for more information.

The vision of the Lewis Family Foundation is that young people from Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan live in and reinvest their service, capital, and intellect to ensure that their neighborhoods continue to thrive and are places of opportunity and access.

Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer with The Business Journals Content Studio.

This feature is a part of a the MBG’s Inclusion & Diversity Success Story Series with the goal to share best practices, recruitment strategies, and event & program ideas that members can bring home to their breweries. Does your brewery or business have a story that they’d like to share? The MBG’s Diversity Committee wants to hear it! Reach out to MBG Executive Director Katie Stinchon at katie@massbrewersguild.org for more information.

Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials Can All Find A Home in Our Breweries

By: Maureen Fabry, head brewer and owner of CraftRoots Brewing Co., board member of the MBG

CraftRoots co-founder and taproom GM, Robin Fabry, has always had a strong drive towards outreach to seniors. She regularly bring beer tastings to Cornerstone At Milford, a senior residence nearby the brewery.  Robin takes a personal interest in making sure that as beer lovers age, they remain in touch with the social benefits that come from sharing a well-crafted pint of beer with friends old and new.  

Milford has a tremendously vibrant Senior Center which hosts a variety of programs: educational workshops, personal fitness classes and enrichment opportunities including off-site field trips. When they approached CraftRoots about hosting their Men's Group for a field trip, she was thrilled. 

"We planned to make a day of it and walk them through the entire brewing process from grain to glass,” says Robin. “We did an in depth tour of the brewing equipment and followed with a beer tasting paired with lunch. It was a great afternoon."

Their visit began with brewer and co-founder Maureen Fabry teaching about the local craft malt and hops she brews with and explaining the brewing process but it didn't take her long to realize that the group of fifteen retirees had as much knowledge to share with her as she did with them. Their range of work experience was broad---a food inspector for the US government, a professional musician, and even a former Anheuser-Busch employee who schooled her on the quite liberal policy for on-the-job "sensory analysis" back in the day.

The significance of the craft beer movement was front of mind for this group and they were definitely beer savvy. "Nearly all of the guys had experienced drinking iconic beer styles like pilsner and Kolsch in the homeland where they originated. It was very cool. This group was sophisticated in their knowledge about beer and were even early adopters of the NE IPA style," laughed Maureen. 

Boomers didn't grow up on craft beer like Millenials and some Gen Xers have, but their openness to exploring new beer styles and brands and linking them with new experiences can be just as strong as the later generations. In many ways, Boomers have passed into a new life phase reminiscent of young adulthood in their drive to experiment and explore. As they retire from careers and the drive for productivity, they have newfound freedom to venture out and enjoy building relationships with new breweries and their brands. 

This feature is a part of a the MBG’s Inclusion & Diversity Success Story Series with the goal to share best practices, recruitment strategies, and event & program ideas that members can bring home to their breweries. Does your brewery or business have a story that they’d like to share? The MBG’s Diversity Committee wants to hear it! Reach out to MBG Executive Director Katie Stinchon at katie@massbrewersguild.org for more information.