“I wanted to do something more important with my business than just worry about winning market share – that seemed kind of empty after what I had been through, and I wanted to find a way to use my business to impact the people that it touched on a daily basis. On visits to third-world countries, I saw the people that are manufacturing our products and where they live, and it really made me think about what it would be like to go through (a tragedy) without hope. I asked myself, ‘how can you use your business to make a life-changing difference in the lives of the people who your business touches?’ And that’s really what Alta Gracia is all about – it’s about creating hope for a better future.”
-- Joseph Bozich, Knights Apparel CEO and founder of Alta Gracia Apparel in Alta Gracia, Dominican Republic, speaking at the Penn State Forum lunch on Monday, Oct. 3. The company is focused on providing a true living wage and a higher quality of life for its employees, who now produce college logo apparel for 350 U.S. colleges and universities, including Penn State.