Voices in W Business The Changing Landscape of Conscious Commerce
ith 2022 now underway and issues of social justice remaining prominent, an increased focus on conscious commerce and investment has become a priority for many. Some individual shoppers have made efforts to avoid the vast digital warehouse of Amazon, shopping in favor of sourced items from businesses that share common values and principles. This more thoughtful approach to commerce leaves the buyer feeling better about their own investment, whether this is buying a stock or purchasing a bag of coffee. On social media, hashtags promoting business principles readily identify aspects of a company that may be attractive to investors, with minority-owned businesses being an area of significant interest this past year for many individual household consumers. The Instagram hashtag #blackownedbusiness has garnered close to fifteen million posts in recent months, and shoppers on many platforms can now easily filter searches to navigate more conscious shopping choices. While minority-owned businesses are not a new phenomenon, the social spotlight on this aspect of our economy has certainly been greatly enhanced in recent times. For some business owners, however, this moniker can be in equal measures a positive tool and simultaneously a difficult label. Bridgton Academy recently connected with some alumni business owners to gain their thoughts on why diversity in business matters and how this topic can sometimes create a tightrope to walk.
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“You need good people around you. It’s not just the plan, it’s the people.” navigating logistics with scott baker ‘81
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cott Baker opened his company, RTD Logistics, in 1986, just twenty-one years old and fresh out of college. “I remember calling my dad and saying that I was thinking about starting a business. It got really silent on the other end of the line. I told him the whole concept of what I wanted to do and I remember him saying, ‘Well, the good thing is that you’ve got nothing to lose!’” Now in its 35th year operating out of the Boston metropolitan area, RTD Logistics is a comprehensive express delivery and logistics services company. Scott, who majored in finance at Boston University, shares that he fell into his business by happenstance. “When I graduated, my dad, who worked in insurance, had connections with some of the ‘big wigs’ in Boston. I remember going to do interviews and job shadow some people that he helped to connect me with. Everyone I talked to when I did those visits did not seem generally happy. I didn’t come away enthused.” “In the midst of that, I met one of my original business partners. We started talking about the idea of starting a business together, with efforts focused on freight consolidation, which seemed like an area that could see growth. That’s how things started, and my company has been around ever since.” Scott, who serves as the Founder and President of RTD, has learned a lot over the years running his business. “I drove and delivered packages every day for the first year. At night, I would come in and run bills and do client outreach. Sometimes, when I got too tired, I would sleep on a cot in my office.” Early on, the office operated from the basement of an old factory in the meatpacking district of Boston. Three decades later, RTD is running strong,
serving clients throughout New England and in various locations nationally. As he began to build the company, Scott soon realized that he would face a number of challenges as a new business owner, including some that were based solely on the color of his skin. “In 1986, the climate for minority-owned businesses in Boston was much different than it is today,” Scott reflects. “I remember working through cold calls and being so glad to finally get a meeting. I’d get to a meeting, knock on the door, and when the potential client would open the door, I could feel them step back sometimes and say ‘woah, this is a minority.’” Scott, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, moved to the east coast shortly before his high school graduation. He recalls the difference in attitude and environment when he settled in New England, describing it as a big uprooting. “You can feel the difference in environments,” Scott reflects. “People have different mentalities and realities. This comes from how they are raised and the values they are taught.” “When you start to sense that feeling, that what you look like may be impacting your pursuit of success, it motivates you to turn towards organizations that can help you to navigate this. That is what led me, even early on, to join minorityowned business groups. I believe that these groups give you more clout, kinship, and mentors who have faced similar struggles of identification. Today, my business is certified by just about every minorityowned agency that there is to be certified by.” “For me, I am a businessman. I want to go out and earn your business because of the quality of service that I provide. I happen
