CEO Serve: Verde Peak Partners
By Troy Hill
After meeting in Boston as they were working through grad school and deciding to go into business together, Chris Cottrell and Joel Malkin co-founded and manage Verde Peak Partners, a local holding company of small businesses in Arizona. Their current portfolio “runs the gamut,” spanning from custom menswear to garage door and gate repair.
As they are establishing themselves in the Valley, they have also been asking around for organizations doing meaningful work in the city. St. Vincent de Paul came up again and again. They attended SVdP's Restoring Hope Breakfast and recently visited the main campus for the first time, where the scale of the operation (4,500 meals a day out of one kitchen, for example) blew them away. SVdP sat down with Chris and Joel to talk about what drew them to SVdP, and why they believe the home is the heart of everything.
What drew you to St. Vincent de Paul?
Joel Malkin: Chris and I moved back to the Valley recently after spending many years out of state serving in the military and then attending grad school. When we got back into town, we started asking around: Who in Phoenix is doing really good, honest work giving back to the community? Who do we need to know? St. Vincent was at the top of that list. I think we were first introduced to Ryan Corry, SVdP’s Chief Philanthropy Officer. He's the person people point you to when they want you to really understand the mission, the scope, the actual operation. That said, we were still blown away seeing this campus. It's unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
Chris Cottrell: I'd heard of St. Vincent de Paul while I was growing up here, but I didn’t know much about it. When I moved back, a friend brought me to the annual breakfast and I saw how well-run it was and of course seeing how big the operation is here, serving 4,500 meals a day out of one kitchen, I have been impressed by SVdP on every front. This is a world-class organization and an easy choice to support.
Why is it important to you to be involved in the community?
Joel: We want to give back to the state that gave us everything. We were looking for a sense of purpose, for people driven by that same purpose. When you turn to an institution like SVdP, these people get it. They know what they're doing. SVdP has the ground-level truth on what this city needs in a way you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. We want to learn. We want to give back. That’s why we are involved.
Chris: It's about loving your neighbor. We take neighbors to mean the people that live right here in our city. There are a lot of organizations you could support who do good work, but we wanted to support an organization that shares our Arizona roots and is doing real work for our neighbors right here in Phoenix. We feel blessed to have such a great organization working here and are honored to support it.
Out of everything you could give to, why does helping people pay rent or utility bills to stay in their homes resonate with you?
Joel: The home is the heart of the family. If you really want to help a fundamental need, it's a great place to start.
Chris: We own a business in home services and we often see families who need help and support. So we have a small window into the community, into people's homes and the needs they have, and seeing that need makes it a natural fit to support SVdP.
What would you say to other business owners considering getting involved?
Joel: I think it's powerful to partner with an organization that is running an operation this well. That is incredibly hard to do, and to be able to support people who know how to do it, and do it well — that's a privilege. Would we recommend it? Absolutely.
Chris: Having seen this now, I want to bring our whole team down to volunteer and make it a regular event. Personally, I want to show more people what's actually happening here and have SVdP become a consistent part of what we support.
Is there anything else you'd want people to know?
Joel: The storytelling side of what SVdP does is the most powerful and impactful part. Stats only go so far. Telling actual stories is where you see the work become real. And this place has no shortage of real stories.
Are you an executive ready to serve? Help lead your organization to make a difference in your community. Reach out to schedule your service event with Chief Philanthropy Officer Ryan Corry.
