We are thrilled to spotlight another one of our outstanding Employment Partners – Diesel Barbershop – for being a Second Chance Supporter. Our Employment Services Coordinator Steven Ingram sat down with Mike Baker at the Bartram Market location to talk about why he supports second chance hiring and here’s what he said:
So, Mike tell me a little about Diesel Barbershop and your vision?
Diesel Barbershop is a high-end Barber shop. We’re not the in and out 15-minute haircut storefront. We are an experience. We are the modern day equivalent of a vintage barbershop. We have arcade games, and we offer free amenities; basically, the red-carpet/hot-towel treatment experience.
What caused you as an entrepreneur to buy into Diesel Barbershop?
So, I left a 25-year career in the corporate world but when I met the Diesel Barbershop people, I fell in love with the company culture and how they treat their employees.
In the past, have you hired someone with a record, or did you give someone a second chance and how did that work out? I certainly have, and really learned this from my mentor who grew a billion-dollar business main based on company culture.
People make mistakes in life and if you learn from those mistakes and people coach you out of those, people can do better next time once they get that next chance.
I am completely comfortable understanding that people have a past. From working with people that have been incarcerated, I’ve learned that as long as we give them a chance, they earn it. They do the work.
I’ve seen that lightbulb go off in people’s heads that if you work for it and grow out of whatever originally got you in trouble, they can have a better life. That’s what I’m all about. Seeing that realization in my employees.
As an entrepreneur and as an employer, yeah, I want to make money of course because I’m a business owner, but if I can walk away 10-20 years from now and look back and say, just like my mentor I helped so many people have a better life because of the company culture that I created; that’s what’s important to me.
How has our Ready4Work client (Hannah) worked out for you? She had a great interview and since hiring her she has really impressed me with her growth in just four months. I’ve already made her a manager, gave her a big raise. She earned it though. She’s worked for it.
I’ve found that Ready4Work creates the expectations for their clients that they will succeed but the important thing is they continue to guide and coach them.
I know that Ready4Work has a lot to do with her success, and I’m coaching her to. I know it sounds cliché, but it really does take a village to make second chances a reality. I would absolutely hire more great clients from Operation New Hope.
For companies that have a track record of second chance employment, opening up this talent pipeline is delivering great benefits. More inclusive hiring is a powerful way to break the cycle of economic hardship, poverty and incarceration that characterizes many American communities. By giving second chance candidates an opportunity, individuals and families strengthen their financial health and communities stabilize. That means a better local economy, which boosts the business climate for all companies. Companies thrive when the communities around them also thrive. Second chance employment is one way that companies can make sure the communities where they operate are flourishing.
Thanks to Diesel Barbershop for supporting second chances and helping our community thrive. Show your support of second chances by visiting Diesel Barbershop for your next haircut and tell them Operation New Hope sent you!
We provide support, life and job skills training for people affected by the criminal justice system and place them in employment that offers a sustainable quality of life.
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1830 North Main Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32206
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