Refoundry is an innovative business model & program to train formerly incarcerated people to refurbish and repurpose discarded materials into one-of-a-kind home furnishings.

Robert Safian, Managing Editor of Fast Company will host a converstation on the intersection of business and the prison industrial complex, and how this new program is an exciting solution in an incredibly difficult and pregnanable situation.

with…

Cisco Pinedo, renowned eco-furniture designer, founder of Cisco Brothers & co-founder of Refoundry

Thomas Safian, founder of the beloved Nova Zembla & co-founder of Refoundry

Stanley Richards, Senior Vice President, The Fortune Society & the first formerly incarcerated person named to the NYC Board of Corrections

doors open at 6:30p; conversation at 7p -- celebration to follow at 8pm

All proceeds go directly to Refoundry.

Voting with your dollars, your ticket purchase is a wonderful contribution. It helps to begin & fortify this new business model.

Robert Safian is editor-in-chief and managing director of the influential, award-winning business magazine Fast Company and its digital and live-event affiliates. He oversees all editorial operations and plays a key role in guiding the enterprise’s advertising, marketing, and consumer-engagement efforts. Under Safian’s leadership, Fast Company has received numerous accolades, including the highly coveted 2014 National Magazine Award for Magazine of the Year. Named Editor of the Year by Adweek in 2009, Safian has also served as an executive editor for Time and Fortune and headed Money as its chief editor for six-years.

Under Safian’s direction, Fast Company has garnered a reputation for highlighting the “new” in business, consistently offering a fresh and honest take. By presenting stories of the people behind innovative business thinking, it gives hope to millions of workers, entrepreneurs, and leaders that meaningful change is possible.

Stanley Richards has worked in the Criminal Justice field for over 25 years. His work with inmates started while incarcerated in a New York State prison, where he worked as the inmate Director of Pre-Release. Stanley’s professional experience began in 1991 at The Fortune Society, where he initially worked as a Counselor. He is a graduate of Medaille College, and also a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow, having completed the Developing Leadership To Reduce Substance Abuse program. Additionally, Stanley has completed Columbia University’s Institute for Non-Profit, School of Business Management, Executive Management Program.In 2014, Stanley was named a White House Champion of Change and was honored for his commitment to helping formerly incarcerated individuals re-enter society with dignity.

After earning a Masters in Literature in 1991, Thomas Safian moved to Los Angeles and started picking up furniture out of the garbage, refurbishing it, and selling it in weekly sales called Avant-Yard. Retailers started purchasing product, and before long he had a factory in South Central, Los Angeles with more than 30 employees. In 1998 Tommy moved back to New York, resettling in Brooklyn, where he opened a retail store, Nova Zembla. Known for its distinctive merchandise and excellent value, the store was featured in many publications, and in 2009 was voted Best Furniture Store in NYC by Citysearch users. When Tommy announced he was closing the store the following year (in order to raise his son), customers lined up every day for two months for their last chance to purchase Nova Zembla product. Many of Tommy’s customers and vendors were so impressed with the way he ran his business, they hired him as a consultant, and for the last four years Tommy has been a consultant and advisor to socially responsible businesses and ventures.

Francisco Pinedo is a leader in the furniture industry with a focus on social and environmental impact, Cisco’s expertise and advice is sought after by top manufacturers, retailers and designers, as well as by many civic leaders. Born in Mexico, Cisco moved to South Central Los Angeles in his early teens, and had to drop out of school to work to help support his mother, father and siblings. Working his way up in the upholstery trade, Cisco and his wife Alba opened their own shop, Cisco Brothers, in 1990. In the wake of the Los Angeles riots they moved the business to the blighted Western Corridor to support the community in which they grew up. Honored by Rebuild LA, the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and many other civic organizations, Cisco has become a recognized trendsetter in the upscale upholstery market. He has won accolades for his commitment to keep his manufacturing in the United States, and in the community where most of his employees live. Cisco Brothers’ LA Design Center became an anchor for the revitalization of the once decrepit Western-Slauson intersection, and won many architectural and community awards, inclusing the prestigious Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence. Cisco also co-founded META (Making Education the Answer), a not-for-profit that provides mentorships and scholarships to Hispanic youth in Southern California. Always looking to innovate, Cisco led the industry in using environment-friendly raw materials in production, and in incorporating salvaged materials in his case goods line. With six retail stores in California, and with plans to open more, he has also helped set new trends in retailing. His 50,000-sq.ft. showroom in Highpoint, NC attracts top retailers and designers from across the country.

THE FOUNDERS OF REFOUNDRY
Tommy and Cisco met in 1995, when Cisco became a partner in Tommy’s manufacturing business. They have been close friends and colleagues for the past two decades.