We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charles Greenlea. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charles below.
Charles, appreciate you joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?
Team building has been one of the most vital components to the success and growth of ECO-PARADIGM. The process has been very organic and rather unconventional from typical business and human resource strategies. Though it was just me who created the company, it was done with others in mind- particularly graduates of local agriculture and workforce development programs that we help facilitate such as HABESHA Works, Urban Green Jobs and Gangstas to Growers, as well as other bipoc populations seeking gainful opportunities in agriculture and environmental stewardship. Many of our current and previous team members came through these programs. I gotta give a shout out to Chad Adams, who was the first to join. The growth started with him. Last year we posted our first hiring flier to the general public, which led us to some other dynamic individuals who have helped shape the crew. In terms of recruitment process, we do phone interviews to first see where someone’s values are. If there’s alignment, we’ll set up a working interview to see how they move and mesh with the team. If it seems like a good fit, we’ll bring them on and provide on-the -job training along the way. I believe in leading by example, so I make a point to demonstrate through my own actions how I would like others to perform. I don’t really hit people with a lot of dos and don’ts out the gate. Everyone gets an opportunity to show up as their authentic selves, which allows me to make key observations about them and be well informed about how to both stimulate and refine their growth. It’s true that people are like plants and they all have different requirements. The policies we have in place now have been shaped by the people who show up and how they show up. I’m really thankful for the team and culture we’ve been able to create.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I got into agriculture over a decade ago because I wanted to have access to healthy food for myself and my family. I fell in love with the work and how it can positively impact people and communities. Through my experiences, I learned that skilled labor was a consistent issue. Agriculture feeds the body and the soul. and needs a dignified and ethical labor sector like any other industry. We collaborate with other organizations in our local landscape to help address this need. We provide training, consultation, farm infrastructure, seasonal support and maintenance to landholders in the state. Some of our projects include high tunnels, rain catchment systems, irrigation, fencing, raised beds, and cold storage. The goal is to help farmers improve their operations, increase their capacity and returns, and minimize negative impacts on the environment, while providing livable wages to workers to create equitable and just local food and commodity systems. We obviously can’t do this alone, but we feel like we’ve proven a model that we hope to see scaled and replicated in other communities.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Relationships and consistency in service. Some people say money makes the world go ’round, but to me it relationships. How you relate to people and how you do business is what makes someone want to spend money with you or invest in or promote your company. Our credibility comes from the people. If you can give someone a good experience business wise, they’re very likely to spread the word, and that’s really what your reputation is- what others say about you.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
We literally got it out the mud- or soil rather. I took the 1988 Ford F-150 and hand tools I already had and went to work with them. Whenever I got paid, I’d try to invest in another tool or piece of equipment that would allow us to scale by either taking on new scopes or work, or doing what we were already doing more efficiently. Sometimes I’d take a job or project that required something I didn’t have, just to be able to buy it knowing that the return would come on the next job. While this is a slower process than having start up capital, I find it to be a sustainable a method that forces you be very strategic with limited resources. As you grow, it becomes easier to access funding such as loans and grants because you’ve already proven the model.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ecoparadigm.net
- Instagram: @ecoparadigmatlanta
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesgreenlea/
Image Credits
Ragenia Waddada