Op-Ed By Ron Rivers
New Jersey Star-Ledger, Oct 29, 2018
Earlier this month, Gov. Phil Murphy presented a comprehensive vision to grow and restore confidence in New Jersey's economy. Central to the governor's plan is raising wages for Garden State workers -- a noble idea.
As the founder and owner of a small business here in New Jersey, I not only understand the importance of paying workers a living wage, but I put that value into practice every single pay period.
At my company, Love2brew, we pay all of our employees at least $15 an hour - and it works.
I founded Love2brew in 2011 to share the joy of home-brewed beer and winemaking with enthusiasts across the country. My team entered the home-brew industry with an understanding that a high level of service and customer support would set us apart from our competition. As most small-business owners know, the quality of services offered creates loyalty to the products you sell.
Since our founding, we learned that the best retention and performance came from team members who were earning at least $15 an hour. We saw this in their enthusiasm, focus and overall willingness to go the extra mile for every customer we serve. With that lesson learned, all Love2brew employees now make at least $15 an hour. We see this as a critical component to meeting and often exceeding our customers' expectations of excellent service. Simply put, paying a living wage assures our team a level of personal and economic stability that translates into a passion for our purpose.
At Love2brew, the results speak for themselves as our customers have been coming back for over seven years. ...
Ron Rivers, 34, is the founder and CEO of North Brunswick-based Love2brew Homebrew Supply and the founder and executive director of OurSociety.org.
Copyright 2018 Ron Rivers