This entrepreneur has stepped up to help during two global crises — here’s what he’s learned
Why It Matters
Along with the rest of the world, Canada is facing some major challenges as we recover economically from the pandemic. Unemployment is at a high, experts say homelessness rates will rise, and small businesses are fundamentally threatened. Corporations with the means to do so have a responsibility to contribute to recovery.
Prior to the Syrian refugee crisis of 2015, Jim Estill — founder and CEO of Guelph-based Danby Appliances — had always taken a more traditional approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). As he explains it: “Basically, there’s a certain amount of money you need to keep to run a business, and I would donate everything above that every year.”
But during both the Syrian refugee crisis five years ago and today’s COVID-19 pandemic, Estill has felt a need to take things a step further.
In 2015, after watching the migration crisis unfold in Europe, Estill decided to personally sponsor 50 refugees, offering them jobs at Danby Appliances for a stable financial base as they transitioned to life
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