Page 51 - Jan 2019 MM

Giving Back
while moving ahead
Some companies make philanthropy a high priority
Doing good while doing business comes naturally to some companies. Many exhibitors at AmericasMart choose to make philanthropy a strong tenet of their corporate missions. Here’s a look at just a few.
Improving quality of life
While traveling to Nicaragua, Elizabeth Thomson and
Jerry Wang began rethinking the direction of their business careers. “What if what we were good at could have a positive impact on the world?” says Thomson.
In 2015, they started the social enterprise Nica Life Jewelry, wanting to establish fair wages for local artisans. “The jewelry styles combine the outdoorsy, laid-back lifestyle of Nicaragua’s beaches with U.S. Boho. Artisans sold their work to tourists, but we knew that there would be more buying power in the
states,” she says. They sell their items wholesale in the Southeast and California, online and from a retail shop in Grant Park (Atlanta).
A full-time manager hires and trains local artisans who are paid
a fair wage for their work. It allows them to better feed and clothe their families working from home, instead of in the coffee fields for very low pay.
Nica Life also funds scholarships to English schools for local children, with the intention of giving them access to the country’s best paying jobs in the tourist trade. “We’ve had production troubles due to the recent civil unrest. We held a volunteer event in Atlanta, and were touched by the women who came to make jewelry and send the wages to our artisans,” she says. “Day-to- day, we’re finding ways to make it work, because it’s so incredibly rewarding, and we believe in the long-term impact.” >
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