PEOPLE IN THE KNOW

Chris Mittelstaedt
Sustainable Business Wonk

CRED BS/BA Kogod ’91. Sold mom’s backyard-grown garden produce to neighbors when he was 10

LIVELIHOOD Founder, CEO & Chief Banana of The FruitGuys—delivers fresh produce to offices as a way to replace junk food in break rooms, as well as organic produce for home delivery

INTERESTS Exercise, family, fruit, small business, sustainable agriculture, crafting the perfect sentence that when read tastes like an O’Henry Peach

FOCUS Creating a business that has a positive influence on people, ideas and the planet. Inspiring creative problem solving. Laughing at himself regularly

RECENT AWARDS The INC Top Small Workplaces award, 2011

LAST BOOK YOU READ The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.  (Did you know that BF was one of the earliest advocates for a healthy work environment and convinced his fellow print shop workers to stop drinking beer when on the job!)

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT? “An unusually loud ‘BANG!’ or sometimes a person screaming:  ‘HEY YOU! WAKE UP!’”

HOBBIES Wearing a banana suit in public. Juggling. Thinking really loudly when playing Quakers Meeting with his kids

ARE YOU A WONK? “If the definition of WONK is ‘Wearing Only Natural Knits,’ then no. But if it means thinking deeply about what you do every day and what meaning it has on a broader scale, then yes. I'm constantly thinking about (and tweaking) how we make the values and beliefs we hold as a company translate into our actions for positive change.”

ADDITIONAL LINKS
 The FruitGuys
The FruitGuys Almanac