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Richmond Baking says second-chance hires improved retention and produced leaders
Summary
Barbara Acker told LSCs Talk Justice that Richmond Baking now counts roughly 10% of staff as second-chance hires, that prior to the program the share was zero, and that some hires have been promoted into leadership roles.
Barbara Acker, who leads human resources at Richmond Baking and More Than a Bakery, described recruiting and managing second-chance hires as a process that became a core business strategy. She said the bakery's second-chance hires currently make up "about 10% of our workforce currently," and that many of those hires have been promoted within the company.
Acker traced the work to a personal motivation: "My nephew, we lost him to an opioid addiction at the age of 28," she said, adding that she persuaded company leadership to participate in the Fair Chance Academy. She also recounted hiring a man released after 24 years in prison who later became a leader tasked with supporting other second-chance employees, illustrating how pairing hiring with referrals and retention supports can reshape workplace performance and culture.
