Empowering New Workers

Though Roger Berkowitz has made a name for himself by giving people fish, last week he was honored for teaching them to fish.

Berkowitz, president and CEO of Legal Seafoods, Inc., represented his famous establishment at Jewish Vocational Service's spring gala on May 10 and received the latter's third annual Business Leadership Award, presented in recognition for the Legal Seafoods Workplace English Class, established collaboratively with JVS for low- and entry-level employees who are not native English Speakers.

"I'm proud of our students," Berkowitz said in an address to those assembled for the gala. a potpourri of JVS employees, Legal Seafoods personnel, students in the class and supporters. "When you give motivated individuals the tools to improve, they always do," he added.

The evening opened with a welcome in which Event Co-Chair and Master of Ceremonies Deb Goldberg elaborated on the event's "Teaching People to Fish" theme and told the story of how her own husband, Michael Winter, benefited from similar JVS programs upon his immigration to the U.S. 50 years ago. Goldberg's remarks were followed by the screening of a documentary about JVS and the Legal Seafoods English Workplace Class, and the presentation of the 2007 "JVS All-Stars," beneficiaries of JVS programming, to much applause.

Jerry Rubin, president and CEO of JVS, told the Advocate that the gala and award are an effort to highlight the "win-win" corporate partnerships JVS has been developing in which companies are able to contribute to the community and simultaneously benefit from a business standpoint. "The kind of corporate leadership that an individual like Roger Berkowitz shows is critical to making these partnerships a success," he said.

Berkowitz said he was honored but feels that the award is truly for the entirety of Legal Seafoods. As for the benefits Legal Seafoods is reaping, he added, "The labor market is fairly tight right now and we know that if people can start with us and we can promote them up through the ranks, they're often our best employees."

Berkowitz attributes his in dusty beginnings to the hard work of an immigrant: His family first entered the food industry in the early 1900s, when his grandfather, a Russian immigrant, opened the grocery and meet market that eventually evolved into a retail fish store.

"Most of our families need that jump start somewhere along the way," he said. "I think you always want to pay homage to your roots, and if you understand where you've come from and the opportunities that your ancestors were given, you take that as a legacy that you're obligated to perpetuate."