Technician
tuesday october
27 2009
Raleigh, North Carolina
Shoes for TOMorrow inspires students Company donates shoes for every pair purchased Heidi Klumpe Staff Writer
Blake Mycoskie, the founder and chief shoe giver for TOMS Shoes, spoke in Stewart Theatre Monday about the success of his company, which has delivered more than 140,000 shoes to needy children across the world. The business is built on the motto “one for one,”–the idea of giving away one pair of shoes for every pair purchased. Mycoskie got the idea after a chance meeting in Argentina. “The truth is, when I had the idea, it was just a concept, something to try out,” Mycoskie said. “I didn’t decide on shoes. Shoes decided on me.” Other unpredictable factors came together to make TOMS Shoes a success. “When I look back at how things happened, why things happened– someone was definitely looking out for me,” he said. According to Mycoskie, his first contacts with businesses seemed ineffective. “After a week, not a single person had called me or e-mailed me back,” he said. “But, in life, sometimes you just have to show up.” His doggedness paid off, especially when a feature in The Los Angeles Times netted 2,200 orders in a single day. “I had the Web site set up so that every time I got an order, I got an e-
Erica heller/Technician
Chief Shoe Giver and Founder of TOMS Shoes Blake Mycoskie spoke in Stewart Theatre on the movement he started just off of selling and then giving away shoes. Mycoskie conveyed how passion is what markets his shoes and what has made his business into what it is today.
mail,” he said. “My BlackBerry screen froze, and it vibrated so much, it died.” To further complicate matters, Mycoskie only had 150 pairs of shoes at the time. However, according to him, the nature of his venture made success inevitable. “The idea of giving is an incredible business strategy,” he said.
By not being a non-profit organization, his work is more sustainable and less subject to the whims of the economy or investors. Also, people are naturally attracted the idea of making a difference. “Customers become your marketers,” he said. “You don’t even have to worry about advertising.” “When you’re doing something re-
ally good, and the purpose is higher than yourself, you’re going to attract amazing talent,” he said. Mycoskie’s work now spreads across two continents, creates jobs in other countries, gives children the chance to go to school and helps prevent many foot-related diseases. Matt Woodward, a sophomore in applied sociology, chairs the Union
Activities Board’s Issues and Ideas Committee, which invited Mycoskie to campus. “We heard it from a lot of students about who Blake was, what his business was,” Woodward said. The committee thought the event would be a great way to raise awareness about social entrepreneurship, according to Woodward. “Social entrepreneurship is when you have a business and use the revenue to give back,” he said. Woodward applied this philosophy to the event itself. For the first time, the committee sold tickets, an idea they took from Mycoskie’s own business plan, the idea of “selling a product to give back,” Woodward said. Attendees bought more than 350 tickets, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting Stop Hunger Now, a movement that, like TOMS, Woodward hopes proves contagious. “I hope more students find a way to connect their passions to help others,” he said. “At least one person left inspired to make a positive change.” Students can get involved with Mycoskie’s work through the TOMS Shoes Club, which formed at the beginning of this semester. Ashley Chorda, a senior in communications, was part of the effort to start the group and to spread the TOMS story. “It would be cool if everybody knew about TOMS,” she said, “and you could see people wearing them all over campus. Right now, we’re getting kickstarted with Blake being here.”
Going ‘green’ slated to pay dividends Investments in sustainability expected to reduce costs and return dividends in the long run Nick Tran Staff Writer
jonathan stephens/Technician
The Howling Cow brand of N.C. State ice cream began is being sold at the Bragaw C-Store for $4.50 a pint beginning this week.
Howling Cow cream ‘moo’ves to C-Store Bragaw C-Store sells pints of Howling Cow ice cream to benefit research Amber Kenney Deputy News Editor
Howling Cow, which produces dairy products directly on campus, is now selling ice cream by the pint in the Bragaw C-Store. Howling Cow is the brand of ice cream served in the Emporium CStore and the Creamery in D.H. Hill Library. Carl Hollifield, the business manager for the department of food, bioprocessing and nutrition science, said the sale of ice cream in pints came in response to a high demand. “There was a demand for a consumer-friendly package,” he said. “Before now, we have only had the cases of four-ounce containers and then the three gallon.” Many students, including Charles Jennings, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, are excited to have the ice cream in the C-store. “I [will] purchase ice cream from the C-store,” he said. “I like ice cream, and I’d like to support the University.” The price tag of a pint of ice cream is set at $4.50, but Ryan Taylor, a fresh-
man in biological sciences, said that will not stop him from purchasing the product. “I will absolutely buy the ice cream,” he said. “It is really good ice cream, and the price is competitive.” According to Hollifield, the ice cream sales will go directly to research and academics. “We have one of the foremost dairy processing centers in the United States,” he said. “We use the profits to keep updated machinery in our dairy so the students have access to the best equipment and equipment they will see in the real world.” Hollifield said the ice cream, which was recently a popular treat at the N.C. State Fair, is a way to get the Howling Cow brand name out to the public. “Students don’t realize that the milk in the dining halls comes from the same place [as the ice cream], right here on N.C. State’s campus,” he said. “We are trying to up brand recognition through shops, just like we do with State Fair activities. We need to get the word out about the fresh, local nature of the products.” The Bragaw C-store is the only Cstore selling the ice cream in five flavors. Hollifield said, if sales grow as planned, sales will expand to other C-stores and up to 16 flavors will become available.
With scientific reports saying the environment is deteriorating every day, environmental sustainability has become a high priority. The government, as well as independent corporations, are quickly spending millions of dollars to design cleaner sources of energy, take advantage of renewable resources and produce eco-friendly products. The obvious benefits are improved health and global conditions, but the question from a business perspective is whether all the money being invested in “going green” is a wise financial decision. Crystal Tsang, a freshman in biological science, said the investment is absolutely worth it. “If we’re paying so much money now to maintain landfills and dumps, it will only go up in the future,” Tsang said. “By increasing efforts in recycling and more efficient products, it will cut future costs before they are too great to manage.” Erin McMurtrie, a junior in chemistry, said she felt similarly on the long term monetary benefits of recycling. “Reusing is obviously something everyone can do to get more for their money,” she said. “Recycling may not be very financially effective in the short run, but will save money on land and property required for landfills later on.” “In the future, once landfills are
full and we have no place to put trash, Did you know? it will cost a lot more money to figure out what to do with all of it,” McMurBragaw is the largest fully LED-lit residence hall in the country. trie said. Students have identified other means of saving money and even source: David Dean, outreach turning a profit by increasing suscoordinator for University Sustainability Office tainability. Daniel Farrell, a junior in biological engineering and computer science and which going green can pay you back. “The University is paid by recycling a member of the Quad Area Council sustainability committee, said cutting utilities based on how much recycosts is as feasible as simple as turning clables are collected,” he said. “Right now it is not enough to pay for the off your lights. “Energy efficient light bulbs pay for University recycling program and the themselves within two years and last extra costs have to be covered by state for even longer,” he said. “As the cost appropriations, but as the cost of maof technology goes down, the ability terials goes up, the amount the Unito pay off the investment increases.” versity is paid for recyclables should also go up.” “As for trash, now As for energ y, that we’re fined for Dean said despite throwing away trash, the large costs for it is smarter to recythe changeover to cle. Landfills are an more efficient LED incredible cost; you lighting, the new need to buy proplights should pay erty, equipment and for themselves in labor, and a lot of six years. these small costs can NCSU is the first be cut by recycling,” university to use Farrell said. “Having LED lighting and to rebuild the enviDaniel Farrell, junior in Bragaw Residence ronment will incur biological engineering Hall is the largest an even larger cost.” fully LED-lit resiNathan Dahlberg, a freshman in philosophy, identified dence hall in the country. “We have 66 percent savings on our solar energy as a great way to collect dividends through increasing sustain- monthly electric bill compared to traditional lighting, Additionally, they ability. “Installing solar panels costs a lot, are guaranteed to last longer and emit but in the long run they more than pay less heat, which allows us to save on for themselves,” he said. “If individu- our electricity bill for cooling. They als do it, they can even start selling also require less maintenance, reducing costs further and allowing those power back to utilities for profits.” David Dean, outreach coordina- resources to be devoted elsewhere,” tor for the University Sustainability Dean said. Office and Office of Energy Management, said there are many ways in
“As the cost of technology goes down, the ability to pay off the investment increases.”
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