Innovation

Hai Da Trading INC has over 50 employees with three offices in New York City. They were founded by three brothers who wanted to start getting into the import and export business. They started off with a warehouse in Brooklyn, New York where they imported merchandise from China and sold it to local retail stores for wholesale prices. Eventually, they decided that it was a good idea to also start giving back as part of their normal business practices. Therefore, they began to dedicate a percentage of their merchandise to give back per quarter and included it in their balance sheets. They originally gave to students who then dealt with the community directly. They now give to homeless shelters, people at soup kitchens, and anywhere where there are a majority of people in need. They are making the world a better place by getting rid of homelessness in New York City.

Being one of the biggest and most populated cities, New York has a problem with housing and homelessness. Hai Da Trading INC is trying to reduce the number of people in poverty by making sure they are well dressed and taken care of. They want to make sure every human is given the basic rights that they should have.

Inspiration

During our interview, Sameh Islam explained that a couple of college students came to Hai Da Trading INC looking to purchase merchandise in bulk so that they could donate it to charity themselves. Once Hai Da Trading INC realized what the kids wanted to do, they took it upon themselves to make it a normal thing in their day to day business operations. By seeing these kids trying to make an impact, Sameh Islam went to his partners and immediately they all came up with the idea that they have to give back to the community. It is amazing how it all stemmed out; the kids wanted to purchase the merchandise but Hai Da Trading INC gave it to them for free. Today, Hai Da Trading INC dedicates parts of their inventory with the sole purpose of giving back to those in need within the city.

Overall impact

Originally, the short term effects were that people would be well dressed for the winter months. Hai Da Trading INC gave things such as socks, blankets, gloves, hats, and scarves as they were warm and could be given to a large number of people. There are a lot of deaths that occur each year due to hypothermia within homeless people. Hai Da Trading INC makes sure that this problem is dealt with accordingly.

In the long term effects, Hai Da Trading now gives more than just merchandise. They look to ensure those homeless people to be well taken care of until they are able to get back onto their feet. They hope that other companies will take note of what they are doing and with a few companies combined, there might be a way to make a dent in the statistics with homeless people in New York City.

Business benefit

Because the business giving back merchandise to the homeless, the good things that happened include the company expanded. Employees wanted to work there because of all the good that was going on. By having this kind of giving, it created a culture inside the company that made everyone feel like they had a part in it. In the interview, Sameh Islam says "we do charitable work in our personal lives, why not do it on a commercial scale?" He also said that "you can never give too much." Eventually, people hear about the good things that Hai Da Trading INC is doing and will give them respect and the recognition that they deserve.

Furthermore, this service has increased employee and client retention. Clients want to stay with Hai Da Trading INC even if they are getting cheaper options somewhere else because of the service that Hai Da Trading provides. Clients are happy that they are dealing with a partner and company that gives back and are not just about always making as much profit as they can.

Social and environmental benefit

This innovation benefits society because it makes sure that humans are treated as humans. It makes sure that everyone has a shirt on their back and socks on their feet. Even though those people might be struggling today, Hai Da Trading INC and their way of giving back is doing wonders for society.

Furthermore, they don't just target a particular borough. They go out and evenly disperse their merchandise to whoever needs it no matter where they are. It is this kind of thinking that benefits society. If more businesses started to do this, poverty might not be an issue.

Interview

Sameh Islam, Director of Operations