People
Claudia Freed

An interview by VoyageChicago ... Meet Claudia Freed of EALgreen ... Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Freed.

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Meet Claudia Freed of EALgreen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Freed.



So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.

I’d like to say that my story is a life of many beginnings. Naturally, being born in Argentina into a family of Spanish and Italian immigrants explains why passion has always been part of who I am. I grew up knowing that education and hard work were my ticket to a happy life, not wealth, of which we had none. From teachers to rice flour mill pioneers, my colorful family gave my sisters and me a foundation from which we would learn to live and, yes, also die.

Because I was convinced I was an “ugly duckling”, I turned to books and loved school. I have always been curious and love to explore. From unauthorized science experiments in my back yard, to trying to figure out how to balance my entire body weight on top of the seat of my tricycle, I guess I have been somewhat fearless from the start.

My father’s death when I was 15 years old, was life altering. My three sisters and I became a new family with my courageous mother at the helm. Two years later, without speaking English or having a real plan I announced to my mom my intention to become an exchange student in the United States. I can still hear my mother say to me:” We have no money, but you can have all my love.”

My exchange family would eventually teach me to speak English and I would learn the ways of the American life. Including making sense of a boy who wanted to kiss me under the mistletoe…on Valentine’s Day! However, it was my American parents’ friendship with a brilliant entrepreneur that would ultimately change the course of my life, for a second time.

Sometimes we don’t even realize that opportunity is knocking. At least that’s how I felt being back in Argentina after my exchange student experience ended and I was looking for a new start. That’s when the call came in. My American family had decided to help me become a college student in the US. They could help pay for room and board and even the plane ticket. It was the cost of tuition that had no clear solution at the time.

That’s when I was invited to apply for a scholarship program which little that I knew was not a program at all at that time. It was a dream. It was called, EAL. Two successful businessmen had gone to college because of the generosity of others. Their lives had been changed by education and they wanted to make sure that others could benefit as well. Their ambition to “pay it forward” meant they would use their energy, ingenuity, vision and resources to open the doors of opportunity for others. And I was invited to apply. The fine print is just how clever their idea was. They would create a community where they would recruit businesses and universities to work together to exchange and reuse obsolete, excess, and end-of-life products for scholarships for students with financial need. Absolutely brilliant. If not for a company called W.W. Grainger, Inc., North Park University, and my circuitous circumstances, their idea may have turned out to be a flop.

Saying good-bye to my family has not become easier with time. Being awarded that scholarship meant that I would learn to overcome feeling homesick for my family and homeland. Upon graduation, not only I had earned a college degree in Economics, I had also become an unsuspected pioneer. A kind of proof of concept for a pipedream idea that would go on to change thousands of lives.

Never have these good byes been more difficult than following the tragic deaths of my beloved sister Laura and niece Florencia. Their senseless deaths at the hands of a reckless driver changed our lives forever – one more time.

However, enriched by the power of a college education, I established my life in the US eventually becoming a US Citizen, a mother, a volunteer, a world traveler, and a successful business woman. Not that unusual for immigrants all over the world who make other cities and countries their new home. What is unique about my story is that I came back full circle to where it all begun. For 22 years now, I have been leading EAL, the very organization that changed my life. Two year ago, I was named the CEO. Today, my team and I are proud to measure our impact in the world by counting the lives of 15,000 students, the creation of $18 million in financial aid. And our planet is also saying Thank You because we are helping reuse and recycle thousands of pieces of equipment by giving these less than perfect items a new useful life.

Not too many businesses, let alone nonprofits like EAL, can take pride that after 35 year the original donor, the original school, and the original scholarship recipient still play a key part in changing lives. Successful businesses very rarely just jump out of the screen and become a sensation. They require patience, energy, focus, and the ability to have fun. Having great people, strong family ties, and a healthy outlook in life are a must.

I now have 26-year old twins, a Landscape Architect and a professional accordion player artist, They are the love and future of my life. To them and to all our EAL scholarship recipients I say, if you work hard in life, you will get an education that will become a job, a career and a means to a wonderful life. If you are lucky and opportunity knocks, your education can become the foundation of your purpose and mission in life. That’s my hope and wish in life.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

My friend Steve Strahler, a journalist, once wrote about me that it was English, not Organic Chemistry that kept me from becoming a doctor. He was right. At least from the moment I came to the United States. This is why I make a point to add one new English word to my vocabulary every week. The latest addition: grammarian, a word I learned from Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she came to Chicago last week. But language difficulties can hardly be called challenges. The way I see it, these are opportunities to learn and grow, what’s much more difficult is to find the courage to stop something unjust or unfair from happening, or putting a stop to a bully in a business or family situation, or prevent a mean person’s words from hurting or discouraging somebody, including myself. This takes courage and lots and lots of wisdom. However, when life really gets ugly and events break your heart, or when people you love die tragically, or due to illness they are gone too soon, nothing can ease the pain. However, in those dark moments I find comfort in having a job that gives my life meaning and purpose as is the knowledge that through my dedication to EAL, my team and our mission, I am making life better for others who are less fortunate.

EALgreen – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?

EALgreen believes in a global community in which all individuals can improve their lives through education. To achieve this outcome, EALgreen works with corporate donors and colleges and universities in a unique partnership converting excess and obsolete business inventory into financial aid. Whether to improve the management of excess inventory in the supply chain or to fulfill corporate citizenship goals, EALgreen’s corporate and college partners add value to the economy, society, and the environment creating constructive, lasting change. For society, we empower individuals to achieve their potential through education; For the environment, we reduce waste and extend the useful life of manufactured products; For the economy, we improve business efficiencies adding value to the bottom line. The inspiring story of EAL has unfolded over the last 35 years in which more than 15,000 students have received financial aid exceeding $18 million. It is the high cost of college tuition, not a lack of talent or deficit of ability, that bars students from education’s gateway to workforce opportunities. This reality robs society of the positive impact of ambitious college graduates whose ideas improve our lives and whose salaries purchase homes, offer a stable environment for welcoming children and strengthen their communities. Aspiring students who lack the financial resources to enter, persist, or complete a college education frequently become disadvantaged for life. That is a great injustice. EALgreen offers opportunity with scholarship dollars to interrupt this cycle. By bringing the public and private sectors together, we find new solutions for systemic problems and become an engine for hope. A pioneer in the circular economy, EALgreen engages with its stakeholders in purpose-driven (conscious) capitalism and corporate social responsibility. With the United Nations’ announcement of its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, momentum for action grows. Business leaders are poised to embrace partners with solutions to their challenges while making a positive impact. Part of making and distributing products requires managing a certain level of excess and EALgreen provides a meaningful business solution for managing these surplus goods. Through a unique model that partners donors and colleges, we nurture the potential of future generations at the same time we strengthen business and champion the health of the planet we all share. That’s the true impact of our inspired triple-bottom line solution for a better world.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?

Success to me is not an end goal. It is a state of mind, a constant attitude toward positive outcomes. It may be that I am feeling successful booking an airlines ticket to go see my family in Argentina, or negotiating a business transaction for EAL.

It’s all about building the confidence to expect that good things can and do happen. To learn more about the discipline of expecting good, I work with an executive coach, Patrick Davis, who has helped me define success in my professional life. Instead of creating a list of desired goals, we worked on identifying 5 attributes I must draw upon when seeking to achieve success. When faced with challenges or looking to achieve a stretch goal, I keep in mind 5 characteristics that define me. I am resilient, fun energy, compassionate, grace under pressure, and intelligent. As a Latina, it took lots of practice to embrace these qualities and I find great strength in them. This is why, when I am presented with the opportunity to lead, whether a professional team or a volunteer board, or a family situation, I remind myself that these are my unique talents and that leadership does not mean to impose these on others. Success is to welcome diverse points of views as I believe they are key to progress and to getting things done. I also practice mindful meditation and invite silence into my day, a few minutes every morning as I get my day started at 6:00 am.








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Contact Info:

Website: www.ealgreen.org
Phone: 630-670-3321
Email: claudia@ealgreen.org
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