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  • April 2021 (Revised April 2021)
  • Teaching Plan
  • HBS Case Collection

Nehemiah Mfg. Co.: Providing a Second Chance

By: Brian Trelstad and John Masko
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:8
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Abstract

Teaching Plan for HBS Case No. 320-008. In 2009, Dan Meyer and Richard Palmer, two veterans of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, founded Nehemiah Manufacturing to build FMCG brands while providing jobs to Cincinnati, Ohio’s beleaguered urban core. Two years later, the pair made their first “second-chance” hire of a convicted felon, a successful experiment which would grow to define the company. By 2019, Nehemiah’s factory floor, as well as several supervisory and management positions, would be staffed by ex-offenders. With a robust net of social support services and a non-profit foundation for training peer companies in how to hire second-chance employees, Meyer and Palmer advocated using second-chance hiring to decrease turnover and create staff loyalty. This case deals with the challenges and opportunities associated with growing a manufacturing company while prioritizing a social mission, and enables students to evaluate the potential of second-chance hiring programs.

Keywords

Social Entrepreneurship; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Employment; Human Capital; Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Social Marketing; Mission and Purpose; Prejudice and Bias; City; Urban Scope; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Ohio; United States

Citation

Trelstad, Brian, and John Masko. "Nehemiah Mfg. Co.: Providing a Second Chance." Harvard Business School Teaching Plan 321-133, April 2021. (Revised April 2021.)
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About The Author

Brian L. Trelstad

General Management
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Related Work

    • April 2021 (Revised April 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    Nehemiah Mfg. Co.: Providing a Second Chance

    By: Brian Trelstad and John Masko
Related Work
  • Nehemiah Mfg. Co.: Providing a Second Chance By: Brian Trelstad and John Masko
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