Culture Difference Chipotle vs. McDonalds

A very interesting thing happened today. KeaneVCC follows both CNBC and The Wall Street Journal on Twitter. The differences in cultures of Chipotle and McDonalds were put on full display with separate press releases thrown up on Twitter within an hour of eachother. 

Chipotle has announced (CNBC link here) that in order to continue to get the best employees, they are raising benefits to include tuition reimbursement, paid vacation, and paid leave.

McDonalds also had a major announcement today. They hired Robert Gibbs their new Chief Communications Officer (Wall Street Journal link here).

It is interesting to think that up to a certain point, both companies are committing millions of dollars on their corporate message in very different ways in order to achieve the same goal. Lately there is more and more evidence of this cultural divide between companies run by Boomers and Gen Xer's and newer companies run by Gen Xer's and Millenials. Newer companies seem to be going back to the WWII generation model when it comes to compensation and employee value. 

Eliminating Food Waste Gaining Worldwide Traction

Written by Mike Keane


Food Waste has been a regular problem that has not garnered enough attention in the past. With the help of some dedicated companies and groups, that attention level is being raised exponentially. There is evidence that from the local to the international levels, eliminating food waste is becoming a topic that powerful people are becoming more and more active.

Locally, there is a company named Zero Percent (website link here) that has created an app that connects food sources (restaurants, stores, warehouses, etc.) with shelters and food banks in order to alleviate the issue of food waste in Chicago. The company has been very successful being able to sign on some of the most recognizable restaurants (Lou Malnati's, Hannah's Bretzel, etc.) to use their app and assist in providing assistance to the area's food banks and shelters.

On a global scale, western Europe has seemed to take on this topic full steam of late. Recently, the French government has put in a law demanding that grocery stores donate unused expiring food (Huffington Post link here). Now Britain's largest retailer is getting in on the action. Tesco will be instituting a test program by having some of their stores donate unsold food to shelters (Huffington Post link here).

The exciting part of this growing area of interest is that less and less families will be hungry due to common sense values and focused action. There is even some value economically for those looking to create a business around the topic. If you are looking to participate, or just simply have an idea about eliminating food waste, feel free to reply or email keanevcc@gmail.com.

Bullied Comics Looking For Animator

Hello

A client of ours named Bullied Comics is looking for some animation help. If interested, you can email Dan at bulliedcomics@gmail.com.

Thank you

KDK Fund Reaches 5,000 Views

Congratulations to KDK Fund (link here) for its blog reaching 5,000 views! People from each continent (excluding Antarctica) have read the blog at some point since its beginning. As the fund grows, KeaneVCC will be there to help advise and improve operations including the blog. Thank you for the opportunity to help you grow and help influence the investing community!

KDK Fund Reaches Readership Milestone

Hey

Congratulations to KDK Fund for reaching a blog viewership milestone of 4,000! KDK Fund continues to grow and the blog does to. Its regular posts include a weekly review, entries for any transactions made by the fund, and any other pertinent news related to the fund. Please take a look at the blog (link here) and pass it on to others. KDK Fund is always looking to improve the blog and its business. Be sure to comment!

We have been more than happy to support and assist such a wonderful group.

Keane Venture Capital and Consulting

KDK Fund Blog Reaches Views Milestone

A big congratulations goes out to KDK Fund for it reaching 3,000 views. The blog provides information on its investing activities as well as ideas and opinions on investing and trading.

The fund is always looking for ways to improve the blog for its readers. Whether it is content, format, or something else, do not be shy. Send your suggestions and comments to kdkfund@gmail.com.  Improving the blog will hopefully improve performance in the investing and trading world.

Making a Difference Through Positive Investing

It is not enough to just be against something. You have to act in a positive manner and be for something if you are to be successful. This statement is very true when it comes to investing resources in projects and companies. Not investing into a project or company is only part of the equation. To fulfill the equation to its utmost, a positive project has to receive those resources.

The current round of environmental protests going on in New York City brings this idea to light. There is a broad momentum and reporting on showing the negative side of not investing in cleaner types of energy. For example, there is a story in the New York Times (link here) on how a charity of the Rockefeller family along with others will be divesting its investments in fossil fuel companies. Also going on right now is a movement away from hedge funds. CALPERS and a North Carolina Pension Fund have announced they are removing its capital from being invested in hedge funds due to complexity of investment not matching desired return. These are great examples of negative actions against something. But the media that reported the stories did not go into as much detail in regards to the positive actions these organizations are taking with this capital.

The good news is that these organizations plan to put the capital to work in a productive way that matches their ethos. The New York Times article talks about the fact that the Rockefeller trust (and others) will be investing that same capital into cleaner fuel technology projects. This is a big deal. It provides another level of legitimacy towards the clean fuel movement. Another good example is that of one of KVCC’s clients, KDK Fund. It has made it a purpose not to just keep capital from being invested in certain projects and companies, but to also highlight where the capital is going to make a positive difference. For example, in the its bond portfolio, KDK Fund found the Powershares ETF Build America Bond fund to invest in. KDK Fund wanted to find a bond fund that followed its ethos and this fund does that by simply investing in local and state bonds. Another client, Bullied Comics, has a mission that is to stop bullying by showing ways to improve positive emotions so that bullying doesn’t enter into a person’s situational actions.  

Groups regularly will follow inspiring leadership over basic tear down leadership. To do this, groups need to find a better alternative to build on top of the old investment as the Rockefeller trust has done. When looking to invest with a cause in mind, remember that removing capital and resources is only part of the solution. Putting resources to work in a new way that builds a better, more meaningful product is where the magic of the solution shows up.   

Disclaimer - Any mention of specific divestments or investments in the story are not to be considered recommendations to buy or sell anything. Please do your own due diligence before investing.