Jodi Conklin, President, EcoLoco
It's not always about the profits according to some people. In todays bleak economy Lancaster County, Pennsylvania native, Jodi Conklin, is on a mission to create a new type of business. It's a business that is filled with compassion no matter which way you look at it.
Jodi Conklin of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania started EcoLoco, a company that offers fair trade recycled fashion accessories through in home parties and it's online website, http://www.ecolocogifts.com, this year. It's now growing faster than she thought it would.
Why did Conklin start the company? "It was NOT to make tons of money," she says, "I wanted to make a difference in as many ways as I could."
This statement rings true when you learn about the products and the way she does business. All of the products that Jodi carries must pass her test of being eco friendly (typically they are made of recycled items) and fair trade. The items available on the website are made out of things as bizarre as seat belts, cow bones, glass, juice pack and even ostrich eggs. The way they're made is remarkable as well.
Fair trade means that the products are created in countries that are in parts of the world so desolate they can't compete in the now global economy. Fair trade makes it possible for them to compete and often provides income of more than 5 times that of the countries "going rate".
But the eco-responsibility and social fairness doesn't stop there for Conklin.
"I serve as the assistant director of the food bank, host an annual toy drive for my community and am involved in teen ministry, so I wanted my business to be an extension of those things because it's who I am," said Conklin.
A portion of the proceeds that EcoLoco generates go to a select group of charities that Jodi is involved in.
To learn more about EcoLoco, you can visit their website at http://www.ecolocogifts.com or call 717-475-0403.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
