Koslowsky,
Loewentheil and Moelis Honored.
YONKERS,
NY – The Greyston Foundation, a pioneer in social enterprise that creates jobs
and provides integrated programs that move individuals toward self-sufficiency,
celebrated the culmination of the its 30th anniversary year at its
2013 annual benefit on May 22 at X20 Xaviar’s on the Hudson. The event raised
more than $455,000, a record for Greyston.
Special
honorees at this year’s benefit were former Board Chairman Jeffrey Koslowsky,
Managing Member of Indigo Asset Management and Chief Financial Officer of
Advocate Brokerage in Scarsdale, and Sandy Loewentheil and Ron Moelis,
co-founders of L+M Development Partners.
L+M
Development recently partnered with Greyston to open a new, $32 million
multifamily housing development in Yonkers with 92 modern, energy-efficient
apartments for local families.
(L-R):
Kyle, Jeff, Denise and Sam Koslowsky celebrate the Greyston Foundation’s
recognition of the contributions of Jeff Koslowsky as the former chairman of
the Greyston Foundation Board.
As
Chair, Mr. Koslowsky led Greyston through a financial restructuring that has
transformed the organization and enabled it to grow and invest in the Yonkers
community. As a result of his efforts, the Bakery has grown in the past two
years and now exceeds $10 million in sales annually while increasing Greyston’s
workforce by 50%.
The
Greyston Foundation provides jobs for the hard-to-employ at a commercial
bakery. The Greyston Bakery has annual
revenues of $10 million. This money is
used to support a wide array of programs and services including affordable housing,
a nationally-accredited child care center, HIV health services, job training
and placement and a vibrant community gardens program.
The
Bakery provides 4 million pounds of brownies a year for Ben & Jerry’s
popular Chocolate Fudge Brownies and Half Baked ice cream flavors. A new
partnership with Whole Foods ships brownies to stores across the United States
with a percentage of the proceeds supporting women around the globe with micro
loans through the Whole Foods Foundation.
In addition, the brownies are also featured in products sold by Shake
Shack.
Greyston
Bakery’s motto is “We don’t hire people to bake brownies; we bake brownies to
hire people.” Its unique hiring practice
is that anyone is welcomed to come to the factory and apply with no questions
asked about former employment or qualifications. Jobs are given out on first-come,
first-served basis.
Bernie
Glassman, a Zen Buddhist priest who founded Greyston Bakery in 1982 to produce
quality, locally-made brownies, attended the benefit.
Steven Brown, President and CEO of the Greyston
Foundation, Janet DiFiore, Westchester County District Attorney, Ruth Suzman,
member of the Greyston Foundation Board and Gloria Mirrione, Member of the
Greyston Foundation Board, congratulate Jeff Koslowsky, Managing Member of
Indigo Asset Management and CFO of Advocate Brokerage, who was honored for his
work as the former chairman of the Greyston Foundation board of directors.
Other
notable guests included: Robert Astorino, Westchester County Executive, Janet
DiFiore, Westchester County District Attorney; Tim Idoni, Westchester County
Clerk; Chuck Lesnick, President, Yonkers City Council; Sue Gerry, Yonkers
Deputy Mayor, and Chris Johnson and Michael Sabatino, Yonkers City Councilmen.
At
the end of the evening Jeff Koslowsky announced the kick-off of a new
Scholarship Fund for Greyston’s Child Care Center. Named after Greyston’s long-time director
Sarah Brown, who recently retired, the fund will provide critically needed
support for hard-working parents who can’t afford child care. Thanks to the generosity of the Gary Saltz
Foundation, all pledges made at the benefit will be matched dollar for dollar.
The
$455,000 raised that evening is the most money ever raised for the Greyston
Foundation. It will be used to continue the Foundation’s work helping the
people of Yonkers.
