'Do Right' Business

"You do right because it’s the right thing to do." These words from our founder, Ted Castle, are what we use as a guiding principle at Rhino. We carry this mission into everything we do, but one of the biggest areas of opportunity is in our hiring practices. In conversation with HR Generalist Lorri Miller and People Program Manager Ariella Pasackow, we got into the details of Rhino’s hiring strategy. Lorri summed it up best when she said, “We try to bring in people that are looking to make … [Read more...] about Growing Your Workforce with New Americans, People in Recovery and Post-Incarceration

Rhino Foods has been actively hiring refugees and new Americans for over thirty years.  We know that diversity and the inclusion of people from all backgrounds is a powerful way to grow our business and support the local community.  Currently, new Americans from Bhutan, Bosnia, Congo, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, and Somalia make up 37% of our workforce. With waves of immigration through the 1800s and 1900s, popular culture believed that America was a melting pot where immigrants arrived, … [Read more...] about Honoring Eid al-Fitr with Company Holiday

The decision to create the non-profit Rhino Foods Foundation has been in the making for over five years. As we began to see our efforts in spreading Rhino Foods’ Income Advance Program to other businesses materialize, we became more dedicated to the idea of a foundation. Since our program’s inception a decade ago, we’re not only seeing impact in Vermont, but nationwide, along with encouraging partnerships developed with the FINRA Foundation and Filene Research Institute. Since inception, we’ve … [Read more...] about The Newest Rhino: Rhino Foods Foundation

Reflecting on being thankful this holiday season, I obviously think about owning Rhino Foods. What started out as a way to make some money on the side, while being the assistant coach of the UVM hockey team, has turned into a 37-year journey. My wife, Anne, and I opened Chessy’s Frozen Custard at the Champlain Mill in Winooski, Vermont, because I loved eating frozen custard and Anne had been waitressing for several years (sounded like a good idea at the time). I am grateful for making it through … [Read more...] about Thank You for 37 Years of Dough, Family, and Partnership

America is struggling with its diversity – race, religion, lifestyle choice, economic class. Every day in the media, we see one group arguing their point of view and another group arguing back.  It exposes people’s fears of losing what is important to them and their sense of what is fair and just. The arguments over immigration ask Americans to think about who should be included in our nation’s story and future.  It can bring up ugly stereotyping and collective amnesia that unless … [Read more...] about Building a more Inclusive Culture with Diwali and Ramadan

Ted accepting the Hal Taussig Award in New Orleans Governments can only do so much to address societal inequities; it requires individuals and businesses to get involved to create a more equitable, diverse and inclusive society.  We know there is strength in numbers and Rhino Foods feels it is the best way to address society’s challenging problems, which is why we became a Certified B Corporation in 2013.  The B Corp community, made up of over 2600 companies in 150 industries in 60 … [Read more...] about 2018 B Corp Annual Hal Taussig Award Winner