Mezza Cafe - A Leader in Social Capital(ism)

Something caught my eye as I was leaving a meeting with some friends from Nintex yesterday. This sign:

As we were getting up to leave we walked right past this sign. Have you ever heard of the the “Social Capitalist” award? Neither had I.  However, it was enough of a hook to make me want to find out more about the Mezza Cafe.

I asked the person behind the counter about the sign and what it means. Well, lucky me, the person behind the counter on this day was Natalie Paulsen. She told me that the company that owns the Mezza Cafe is called Pioneer Human Services and they do a lot in the Seattle area for thousands of people – helping them find jobs, helping them contribute something back to the community, and much more. I have not heard of them, but I was intrigued. Natalie went on to explain that the company is great to work for and that they are proud of their Social Capitalist Award.

I did a quick search for Pioneer Human Services and found out that they have been profiled in Fast Company Magazine and highlighted as one of the 43 Entrepreneurs who are changing the world. The article is a quick read and provides a great insight into a company that was founded in 1963 and is still doing great things for the community. They are proving that Corporate Authenticity matters.

I was surprised and happy to see the sign and to see that a company is making outright and public proclamations of their commitment to Social Capitalism. Way to go Mezza Cafe and Pioneer Human Services. You’ve got my vote for the 2009 Social Capitalism Award.

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If you are in downtown Bellevue, WA (Eastside of Seattle – Across the bridge) stop by The Skyline Tower and go in for a cup of joe. While you are there say hello to Natalie (that’s her in the middle picture).

For more information see:
Pioneer Human Services - http://pioneerhumanservices.org/

About The Author:
I have spent the better part of the last 16 years working in various aspects of the ECM space. I spent time at Kofax, Microsoft, FileNet, K2, and most recently Captaris (which was acquired by Open Text in Nov 2008). Prior to that I was a Unix VAR running my own company.