Business for Good
Interview By Maria Buteux Reade
Giving Back to Move the Capital District Forward
Lisa and Ed Mitzen, co-founders of Business for Good, were traveling when I reached out to arrange an interview. The Mitzens kindly suggested I speak with Jasper and Beth Alexander, two professionals who know the restaurant world inside and out. Truer words were never spoken! The Alexanders have run Hattie’s Restaurant, a Saratoga institution, since 2001. They now oversee the restaurants under Business for Good’s hospitality umbrella. Read on to learn more about Business for Good, Hattie’s and another Saratoga staple, the Bread Basket Bakery.
Edible Capital District: First of all, introduce us to Ed and Lisa Mitzen. Who is this magical, munificent duo?
Beth Alexander: Ed and Lisa live here in the Capital District. Ed grew up in Voorheesville, and Lisa in Glens Falls. Each had highly successful business careers. Lisa was in mortgage lending, and Ed co-founded Palio Communications and founded Fingerpaint, a healthcare marketing firm. The Mitzens have always been committed to supporting their local communities in meaningful ways and found themselves in a fortunate position. So they established Business for Good in 2020.
Describe Business for Good’s mission.
Jasper Alexander: Basically, Business for Good (BFG) believes there are a lot of incredibly talented people in our region who don’t have equal access to opportunities for growth, such as funding, institutional knowledge, or connections that help a person achieve the next level. BFG aims to invest in people facing racial, economic or social challenges and erase those barriers that impede growth or success. BFG accomplishes these objectives through venture philanthropy, entrepreneur support and impact giving.
Explain this concept of venture philanthropy.
JA: Across its portfolio, BFG serves its communities in a variety of ways, including investing in local businesses, serving as conscientious employers, and returning all profits to local charitable causes, to name a few.
Such as?
BA: BFG has donated more than $6 million in grants over the past two years, focusing on a diverse range of causes, including: food insecurity, education inequity, domestic violence, housing instability, social injustice, mental health and animal rights.
What businesses are in the BFG family of companies?
JA: The Bread Basket Bakery on Spring Street from founder Joan Tallman in July 2020. Joan was ready to retire after 40 years, and when it became apparent that this bakery was important to the community, Ed offered to buy it and keep it flourishing. And that’s exactly what happened.
BA: Joan is a phenomenal woman who started this quintessential small-town bakery. Whenever I walk in there, I feel like I’m walking into my grandma’s house—it always smells like Christmas! Beautiful specialty cakes, in addition to breakfast sandwiches, soups and amazing baked goods are among the many delicious options on the menu.
So how did the two of you get involved?
BA: I had come to know Ed because we both served on the board of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Ed called me in the winter of 2021 and said he had just purchased the historic Lombardo’s restaurant in Albany and thought it would be a perfect spot to open another Hattie’s. But Hattie’s, like many restaurants, was struggling in the pandemic. So Ed then offered to buy Hattie’s on the condition that we still ran the three locations.
JA: We met and discussed the BFG mission, which meshed perfectly with how we approach our employees and give back to our community, upholding what Miss Hattie started doing when she established this restaurant back in 1938, and thanks to Beth’s efforts over the two decades. It didn’t take much convincing!
How has transferring ownership of Hattie’s impacted your lives, your restaurant?
JA: This transition has allowed us to help our employees and our community even more than we could on our own. For example, we now offer full health benefits and paid vacations to all our full-time employees, along with competitive salaries and raises. That’s unheard of in this industry. When we told our staff the news, many of them started crying. From joy!
BA: It’s been life-changing for a number of our employees whose entire families now have health coverage. And we wanted to do something for the amazing teenagers who work with us, so we created Hattie’s Homework Hour. They come to the restaurant right after school, punch in, sit at the tables and do their homework. The chefs feed them, and then after the hour, they jump into work. Imagine getting paid to do your homework! It’s these things great and small that we’re now able to do that create a happy atmosphere and mean so much.
JA: In terms of the business, after we pay our staff and expenses, all our profits are donated to selected BFG charities that deal with food insecurity or housing inequity.
What’s your role with BFG?
BA: Jasper and I oversee all the restaurants under the auspices of BFG hospitality. We provide support to the chefs, general managers and the catering departments.
JA: Since our jobs have expanded beyond Hattie’s, we were able to hire two amazing chefs, Phil Fitzpatrick and Mark Graham, whom we’ve known and respected for decades, to help us run Hattie’s locations. This whole thing has been a dream come true for all of us. It has created growth opportunities for so many individuals. Purchasing the Bread Basket, Hattie’s and the Lombardo building in Albany really established the hospitality portion of BFG.
Tell me about the Voorheesville project.
BA: Ed is proud of his hometown and wanted to give back to that community. He purchased the lot where an old Stewart’s sat vacant and then held a community conversation event to gather input and ideas. The goal became to establish a restaurant that would serve great food in a warm and welcoming environment and commit to being an active and positive member of the community. As plans began to take shape, a two-fold concept emerged: a sports bar—themed restaurant, as well as a bike shop café like you’d see in Europe. The lot is right along the bike path so cyclists can stop in for a smoothie or a health drink and also do any bike repairs or charge their electric bike. Voorheesville will open sometime in 2023.
How about Lombardo’s?
JA: Ed wants to preserve the historical integrity of the former Italian restaurant that closed in 2019. Beth and I are developing the design of Hattie’s next location, working with BFG’s project manager Stephanie Marotta-Johnson and Justin Romeo, a BFG GOOD Fellow. This location will allow us to diversify and elevate Hattie’s a bit, keeping the New Orleans vibe while making it a little more chic and urban.
BA: We also want to make the Albany location an incubator for developing talent and giving people a start in the restaurant industry. Restaurants are a great place to learn a new skill set that’s transferable. We’re hoping to provide a spark that turns the neighborhood around. Collectively, we have the team and the resources to give it a shot.
Last but not least (and probably not last, either!), talk about Handsome Cock Farm.
BA: The Mitzens love animals! They established the Handsome Cock Farm on the property where they live. Lisa runs the farm and raises chickens and laying hens, goats, pigs and donkeys. They have a booth at two farmers’ markets, Saratoga and Lake George, and all proceeds from the farm go to charity.
What’s it like to work with the Mitzens and Business for Good?
BA: I’ve never met two people I respect more. The company has experienced tremendous growth in just two years. It’s humbling, rewarding and exciting to do such good work for the community. I pinch myself every day that we’re creating these opportunities for growth for so many people and businesses.
JA: The Mitzens put their money where their mouth is. Their motto, “Giving Back to Move Forward,” says it all.
