Beyond New York City's grandeur and famous high-dollar lifestyle, the reality of life in the city is still plenty tough for many of its denizens. This is why Ken Bollella, owner at Bronx, N.Y.-based manufacturer Globus Cork, supports the mission of SoBro, the South Bronx Organization of Business Advancement. The nonprofit development corporation aims to enhance the quality of life in the Bronx through career development programs, some in the trades. In 2012 Bollella visited SoBro and saw the sad state of its conference room. SoBro was hosting international guests in a room with stained carpet that rippled across the floor. Bollella donated the custom-designed cork flooring, took 15 at-risk teenagers "under his wing" and led a hands-on cork installation class. "We taught them how to do layouts, how to square out a room and install cork tiles," Bollella says. "None of these kids ever touched a tool in their life ... [For graduation] I gave them $200 cash plus a set of trowels to encourage them to keep going."
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