It was a long time in the making, but the inaugural edition of the Richmond Caring Companies program is now underway. Over the next five months, and with a little help from Volunteer Richmond staff, a diverse group of businesses will each develop and implement an employer-supported volunteer program. This will culminate on June 18 with the first annual Richmond Day of Caring, during which participating businesses will be matched with local non-profit organizations to complete a service project. As a special series on our blog, volunteer writer Benjamin Yong will be following Misty Mountain Specialties as the Richmond-based company makes its way through the program. For the first entry in the series, Ben spoke with Misty Mountain Operations Manager Moushtak Estepho on why it's important for a business to embrace a culture of caring.

As is the case with many businesses taking part in the new Richmond Caring Companies (RCC) program, there isn't just a singular reason why Misty Mountain Specialties decided to join RCC, which kicked off with its first workshop on January 26.

Interest for an employer-supported volunteer program came from all levels in the organization, said Misty Mountain Operations Manager Moushtak Estepho.

“We do a lot of donations and things like that. We have scholarships we support but wanted to be more active and [create] a culture at the company where we give the opportunity to not just employees, [but] maybe their families as well,” said Estepho.

“We get a lot of clients that want to do something, too.”

Misty Mountain, a wholesaler of fresh produce (mushrooms, exotic greens, wild berries) since 1997, first heard of the program through one of the Caring Companies' partners, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Estepho said that even before that, however, he'd already had discussions with his business partner and Misty Mountain President, David Lee Kwen, about starting something. But being a small company of about 15 to 18 employees, where a respite from the workday is uncommon, finding time to plan was an issue – during the two-hour workshop, the notification light on Estepho’s BlackBerry kept flashing away.

“There’s so many things going on, even a short meeting like this we have e-mail and texts coming in like crazy.”

That’s why he said RCC fit the bill perfectly, calling the first workshop informative and a “good start.” Logistically, there are still lots of things to be worked out, like picking a non-profit to work with, developing policies and procedures around volunteering, and deciding how scheduling will work. These topics are all going to be addressed in the upcoming sessions spread out over the next four months.

 

From left: Misty Mountain Specialties Operations Manager Moushtak Estepho with VRIS Executive Director Elizabeth Specht, VRIS Program Coordinator Ian Chian, and Richmond Chamber of Commerce Chair Lisa Wong after the first Richmond Caring Companies workshop, held at the Sandman Signature Hotel Vancouver Airport on January 26.

 
Estepho said Misty Mountain wanted its interaction with Richmond to go beyond the traditional one-way format.

“There’s a lot of focus on companies that are involved in the community and sometimes the easiest thing is just to give money and that’s it,” he said. “[We want to] find out where the money’s going and what’s happening. What are the needs of the community?”

Beyond that, he added it just makes good business sense.

"[We want] to create team camaraderie and build a stronger bond between employees.”

The people at Misty Mountain already know a thing or two about volunteering, even if there isn’t yet a formalized system in place at work. In his free time, Estepho volunteers through the church he regularly attends.

“Personally I know a lot of other employees that do that too, so each one is kind of involved on their own.”

Stay tuned for part 2 of The Making of a Caring Company, coming in March!