RIGHTEOUS GELATO RECEIVES RECOGNITION FOR BUILDING A CULTURE INSPIRED BY TONY HSIEH & ZAPPOS

November 10th, 2023 (Calgary, Alberta) - James Boettcher, Custodian Of Culture & CEO of Righteous Gelato is honored with The Tony Award at The Gathering Summit. 

The Tony Hsieh Awards Gala, capping off the Gathering Summit, is a yearly black-tie event celebrating Global Cult Brand Honorees & their brave leaders, such as Yeti, Gatorade, Jeep, Airbnb, Spotify, Converse, NFL, Barbie and many more. 

The Tony Award, honoring the late Tony Hsieh, was created to celebrate those who continue to live out the legacy of the brave and crazy vision Tony created with Zappos, and his commitment to take the path less traveled when it comes to creating a workplace that is uncommon.

Presented by none other than Tyler Williams, former Director of Brand Experience at Zappos.com, Williams shared that the selection came down to someone the committee viewed as making huge investments in their team, people, and community, and who was inspired by and has evolved the ideas Tony and the team at Zappos laid the foundation for.

Tony’s crazy view on workplace culture, along with kindness, ability to overcome adversity and the courage to continue to do good in the world were the reasons for selecting James Boettcher, Righteous Gelato, as the 2023 recipient.

Righteous has always been a steward of legendary customer service, however the #1 priority is and always will be company culture. While financial performance is important, they continue to measure performance holistically, considering their impact on employees, partners, and the broader community, encapsulating the full spectrum of organizational performance. The belief that if anyone can get the culture right, then most of the other stuff — like delivering great customer service or building a long-term enduring brand or business — will be a natural outcome.

“Most businesses wanna make money. The best businesses want to make change. I feel so fortunate that early in my career I came across Tony’s book, Delivering Happiness, and realized that business didn’t have to be about business. We could build a company that you would want your mom or dad to work for, by putting the team first, while having a lot of fun in the process, and by deeply caring for our community”  said James Boettcher, Custodian of Culture and CEO.

“Being acknowledged by The Gathering and Zappos.com for our constant and unwavering pursuit to enrich people’s lives is unlike any other acknowledgement we have received to date, and one of the greatest honors of our journey. I look forward to continuing to inspire other leaders to think differently about the possibility of creating an uncommon workplace, and continuing to do that work in my stewardship of the team at Righteous”.

SEE THE HONOREE VIDEO HERE

ABOUT THE GATHERING SUMMIT

The Gathering, in its 10th year, is an annual coming together of courageous brand leaders from across the globe. “The world doesn’t need another conference. We need to Gather. Connect. Be there for each other. We’ve created a powerful and safe space for those who crave belonging and human connection. We’ve evolved this experience to go far beyond your business goals, but inspire you to look inward as a leader and human being” said Ryan Gill, Chairman & Co-Founder. 

ABOUT RIGHTEOUS GELATO

Righteous is Canada’s #1 selling gelato brand, and the highest ranked Frozen Dessert certified B Corp in the world, meaning we use business as a force for good for our people, planet and community.

Our mission is to enrich people’s lives one tiny spoonful at a time, by creating things that make the world more awesome, and investing in community organizations that work to reduce poverty and food insecurity, end domestic violence, and provide opportunities for generations to come.