(upbeat music) - We're now joined by Pam Donovan, who's the CEO and President of Ethan and the Bean.

Good to see you, Pam.

- Good to see you.

Thank you very much for having me.

- You got it, we're putting up the website for Ethan and the Bean right now.

Ethan is your 24-year-old son, correct?

- He is.

- Tell us more about Ethan and why it's Ethan and the Bean.

- Ethan is my son.

He's gonna be 25 this year.

He has intellectual and developmental disabilities along with a rare genetic chromosomal disorder known as CHIME.

It's actually spelled CHIME, it's pronounced "KIME".

But Ethan is definitely the face of Ethan and the Bean.

And we started this coffee shop in order to be able to provide employment opportunities and job readiness skills for individuals, you know, like him that are definitely, 80% of our population in the US is unemployed, and for our individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

And then Ethan and the Bean came along because, I don't know, it sorta seemed like, you know, "Jack and the Beanstalk," Ethan and the Bean.

Let's see how we can tame this dragon.

- So, hold on.

"Our coffee changes lives," on your shirt.

- Yes.

Yeah.

- Talk about that.

Talk about it.

- Our coffee definitely changes lives because it does provide that opportunity for job readiness skills and employment opportunities and also creating a connection between high school and, you know, aging out of the education process at the age of 21.

So you kind of just hanging there in sort of an abyss.

There's not a lot of opportunities, and quite honestly, there's not a lot of opportunities even when you're in that transition phase from like say age 16 to 21 to have the opportunity to be exposed to skillsets such as the hospitality world, which is very task oriented.

So our coffee is providing an opportunity and a conduit to change the lives of hopefully many, and not just within, you know, the state of our communities or the state of New Jersey, but hopefully we can reach further, you know, beyond these borders.

- You know, I was introduced to you by our good friend, Ira Robbins, the CEO over at Valley Bank.

And you just opened up, Ethan The Bean opened up their second location in Morristown right in that complex where Valley is.

- Yeah.

- But one of the things that Ira told me that I want you to talk about is, because we're into leadership, we do a lot of leadership coaching, and there's real leadership that goes on, leadership and innovation, leadership and creativity, leadership in frankly finding new and different ways of making a difference.

To what degree do you see yourself and in fact Ethan as real leaders?

- Oh, wow.

- At least innovative leaders, but that's leading in my book.

- It is.

It's definitely leading.

It's leading with a purpose, and hopefully, you know, that we're making a difference within not just our community, but other communities.

We have individuals that are employed, you know, with us that don't just come from the Morristown area or the Little Falls area.

So Ethan's making a difference.

He happens to be one of the oldest individuals with his diagnosis in the United States.

So having these opportunities and creating the opportunity for others like him to actually have meaningful or have job readiness skills provided is definitely a change in the cultural norm.

And hopefully, we continue to make a difference in that area.

And having just a model of employment, which is a little bit different than a typical corporate model to employ our individuals because they do need the support of others.

And without that support, it really is challenging for them to find opportunities.

And not only is it myself and Ethan, it's our entire board of directors, it's individuals like Ira Robbins and Valley Bank that make a difference in actually providing an opportunity and a place to be able to make these changes within our community and within our population of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

- Yeah, let me disclose that Valley Bank is one of the banks that underwrites our programming, to fully disclose.

But here's the other thing I'm curious about, the impact that Ethan and the Bean has on those who work there, and let's start with Ethan.

What impact on Ethan?

- Wow, on Ethan, you know, he's not a monetary type of individual.

He's more like a doer and a task oriented person.

It definitely gives him confidence.

It definitely provides him with self-esteem.

It definitely provides him with purpose and meaning, and it gives him a way to express himself where there may be other, you know, he has a tough time expressing like his happiness, his purposefulness.

When he's in Ethan and the Bean and he's doing tasks like he fills all of our K-Cups, he fills most of our online orders, our favors for individuals hosting events.

So this gives him just meaning and pride to get up every day and have a purposeful place to be engaged, not only with his peers, but with inside the community.

- What's it done for you, Pam?

Ethan and the Bean, what's it done for you?

- Ethan and the Bean is beyond a dream come true, 'cause to be honest with you, I really didn't know, you know, what opportunities would lie ahead for my son.

I do think that entrepreneurship and small business is definitely an avenue for parents to consider because you do have to look at the strengths and the skillsets that, you know, my son, Ethan, has, which they might be limited, but if you take a closer look and a harder look, you can find exactly where their strengths lies, and you can definitely modify and create opportunities if you just, I mean, I don't know it's just.

You definitely have to have that just do it attitude or, in order to make these things, you know, achievable.

If you sit around and wait for an opportunity to come, it may never happen.

So I do believe in the entrepreneurship of small business, and I am sincerely grateful for, you know, individuals and companies like Valley Bank and, you know, getting involved.

- Hey Pam, you know, I've been teaching writing, and I've been a student of leadership for a long time and I know a leader when I see a leader.

You're a terrific leader, and I wanna thank you for joining us.

Pam Donovan is the President and CEO of Ethan and the Bean.

Check them out.

Hey Pam, thank you.

- Thank you very much.

- All the best to you and your son and everyone up at Ethan and The Bean.

I look forward to seeing you in person up in Morristown the next few weeks.

- Okay, that coffee will be ready.

Thank you for having me.

- You got it.

Thank you.

Stay with us.

We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

Funding has been provided by Fedway Associates, Inc. Valley Bank.

The North Ward Center.

Delta Dental of New Jersey.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

The Russell Berrie Foundation.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Atlantic Health System.

And by the Adler Aphasia Center.

Promotional support provided by ROI-NJ.

And by Meadowlands Media.

- Hello, I’m Donald Payne, Jr.

Congressman for New Jersey’s 10th District.

One organ and tissue donor can save as many as eight lives, and improve the health of another additional 75 people.

That is why I encourage everyone to register as an organ donor.

For more information about organ donation, please visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org