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Daniel May, B.B.A.’14

Finding the right mix: entrepreneurial drive, hiring, culture and spirit

When Daniel May was in high school, he founded his first business, a venture named Suzie Kakes after his grandmother, where he baked delicious treats available for sale at his school and a local ice cream shop. That taste of success led May to try his hand at other entrepreneurial pursuits.

Now, roughly 16 years after he launched his first business, May has opened the doors of Dabney & Co. - Cocktail Bar and Lounge with a goal to revolutionize the cocktail bar scene in southwest Michigan by providing a unique experience that celebrates the beauty of Black culture through music and art.

“To those who are starting their own businesses, my advice is to stay focused,” says May. “Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. You may encounter some failures along the way, but they are learning opportunities that will help you find the correct product mix and target audience, as well as a community that supports your vision.”

May’s journey to opening Dabney & Co. has been a long time in the making. In early 2021, he found the perfect spot for Dabney & Co.—the space had the right ambiance for an upscale cocktail lounge. The restaurant gives a nod to speakeasies and focuses on handcrafted cocktails, soul food tapas, and music, including disco, blues, soul, jazz, R&B and hip hop. “Our ultimate goal is to make Dabney & Co. a hub of diversity and inclusion where people from all walks of life can gather and bond over a shared love of music,” says May. “We aspire to take this concept to other markets throughout the country.”

Opening a dining establishment amidst the hiring challenges in the food and beverage industry has presented some opportunities for May and his team to create a workplace centered on retention and employee satisfaction. “We have been able to overcome the significant hiring challenge in our industry by prioritizing fair pay for our employees and a workplace environment that is free of competition and fosters a shared commitment to providing exceptional service,” says May. “Paying livable wages and sharing tips among all staff members has enabled us to operate with a smaller but consistent team of employees.”

May has also found that scheduling staff members to work the same shifts every week allows employees to plan their schedules and take time off when needed. In addition, Dabney & Co. is closed Sundays and Mondays, providing employees two consistent days off each week. All of this has resulted in a staff turnover rate that is lower than the industry standard.

Crafting a best-in-class environment at Dabney & Co. starts with hiring and ends with the customer experience, which is why training is so critical. “The hiring process at Dabney & Co. requires my signoff and the approval of one of my managers,” says May. “My managers and I have worked together for years and understand the values we are trying to instill within our organization. It is important that each individual upholds the culture of exceptional customer service and a positive and safe working environment. We have comprehensive training, as well as cross training. Our team makes sure that we provide opportunities for individuals to make decisions, but also receive constructive feedback when necessary to better improve processes.”

May, a finance and management major at ɫɫ�� Haworth, found his experiences outside of the classroom impacted him just as much as his in-class time. In particular, there was one individual who helped him immensely, Tomika Ward, who was May’s academic advisor. “Tomika played a critical role in my collegiate career, and without her I may not have been able to graduate,” says May.

“I spent several months searching for additional funding to continue my education, and at times, I was on the verge of dropping out due to a lack of financial resources. However, Tomika took on this challenge as if it were her own and worked tirelessly to explore all possible avenues.”

It was at her suggestion that May applied for the Greenleaf Trust Scholarship, which is specifically designed for finance students from underrepresented populations. “I received the scholarship, which enabled me to complete my undergraduate career. I am forever grateful, knowing that without her unwavering support, my life could have taken a different turn. I thank her for her dedication to students and for all that she did for me.”

Joe Whalen, B.B.A.’98

Policy development

What goes into developing an effective HR policy? Research, clear communication, regular policy evaluation and alignment with corporate culture are just some of the elements of developing a policy that is useful for managers and employees alike according to Joe Whalen, director of HR and administration at Hino Trucks.

Whalen has held a variety of human resources roles during his career, experiencing both corporate cultures that are more formal and more relaxed, which he notes can affect how a policy is written and used. “Formal organizational cultures rely on detailed policies and enforcement. Less formal cultures tend to have fewer policies. Neither is better or worse than the other. The size of an organization will also dictate policies and procedures. Larger companies typically have more structured policies to help manage many moving parts.”

Throughout his career, Whalen has developed policies for paid maternity leave, hybrid work, paid time off, internships and shared work. When creating policies, it is pivotal to keep these core concepts in mind from Whalen’s perspective:

• “You don’t want to turn into a department full of policies. The key is to develop relevant policies that provide guardrails, but not to get too bogged down in every possible scenario. If policies become too long to read, they are not useful.”

• “Review policies annually. It is easy to get busy and push the task off, but policies get stale, laws change and company culture shifts, so even though it can be time consuming, it is a necessary task. And if a policy hasn’t been referred to in the past six to twelve months, it is time to consider that it may be outdated or no longer necessary.”

• “Provide a clear explanation behind the decision to introduce a new policy and where the employee can access it. Not all policies will be well received, but a clearly-worded policy and the rationale for it will help managers explain the policy and employees adhere to it.”

Whalen notes that the COVID-19 pandemic—and the rapid shifts that happened in the workplace—helped many companies realize that policies do not need to be lengthy or may even be obsolete. “The pandemic showed all of us that companies can change and implement policies quickly. Many of us went to fully remote work overnight. Policies weren’t even written, which is an important point. We changed the way we worked in significant ways, and the new policy was an email or a quick meeting to explain the changes. Companies didn’t have time to write a full policy and get approval at all levels. Long term, this may show that some policies aren’t needed.”

Whalen’s college curriculum prepared him well for his career. Through both course projects and being the founding president of the Society for Excellence in Human Resources student organization in 1998, he gained critical skills in teamwork. “My time at ɫɫ�� Haworth provided a well-rounded, collaborative education. The variety of classes and activities introduced me to much of what I have faced in the working world.”