NE India: How a Profitable Company Backed by Values Transforms Lives

It was the second time in many years that I was in Shillong to participate in the entertaining, funny and uplifting annual awards at Chillibreeze. What stands out, and this year was no exception, is hearing the theme of purposeful work ring out in story after story. 

This theme didn’t happen by accident – it is at the core of who we are as a company. The second sentence of the Chillibreeze mission statement says,

Through the diligent work of a healthy company, we are transforming lives, creating wealth, providing purpose and adding value to customers, employees, families and community.

Chillibreeze wasn’t always this way. If you were to take a walk through our office you would notice old posters on the walls. One says Pioneering Solutions to Global Problems. These posters hint at the core of Chillibreeze. At the heart is a spirit of doing something that matters. Chillibreeze is solving the problem of lack of professional jobs in a talent-rich city. It requires digging deep and solving a problem others are not willing to tackle. It means taking risks to do something that makes a difference to an individual’s life. Today, purposeful work is experienced every day at Chillibreeze and our customers benefit from the care they receive when sending their PowerPoint decks for overnight formatting.

In 2004 before Chillibreeze launched in Northeast India, my husband, 5-year-old daughter, and I visited this hill-top city on an exploratory trip to discover the feasibility and potential of starting a business in Shillong, a tier 3 city with high unemployment, yet abundant with college graduates. Many friends advised us not to go. They said Northeast India is too dangerous. Once we arrived in Shillong we felt safe. People seemed sincere but many didn’t provide us much hope that a company would succeed.

One day my husband, Ralph Budelman, visited Saint Anthony’s College without an appointment. A student noticed him wandering around the campus and brought him to meet the Father. Ralph told the Priest our vision of starting a company that would create professional jobs for students like his. He was a nice man from South India and he gave us the impression that a good company was greatly needed. It would fill a gap for the unemployed youth. After talking in his office, he spontaneously gathered about 35 students into a small auditorium so Ralph could share our vision and listen to the students. They were smart and enthusiastic. He heard their dreams. He discovered how few private sector jobs existed in Shillong. They wanted jobs and opportunities and spoke with hope in their eyes. They wanted a local company. I think they hoped for a brighter future – we did too. Ralph was inspired! From this moment, he began to see the future of Chillibreeze. He knew there was an unrealized potential that needed to be released. Proving the Potential of Northeast India is another poster on the office wall.

I doubt if today, the Father at Saint Anthony’s College knows the importance of what he did. He played a part in why Chillibreeze started in Shillong. He took a risk by letting Ralph talk to students. We believe he did it because he wanted the best for them.

Sometimes we wonder if any of those 35 students discovered what happened with that American businessman’s vision to start a local company. They may never know how their eyes sparkled with hope and how that motivated Ralph to take a risk, move our family to Northeast India, and do something that others may not have been willing to do.

Since that day in 2004 Chillibreeze has been striving to bring out the best in people. We do this through the transforming power of work backed by strong values. The Chillibreeze culture is designed to help all staff be the best they can be through coaching, monthly reviews, and leadership training. We don’t want anyone to join Chillibreeze and stagnant and waste their potential. Instead, everyone is challenged to thrive, create, enjoy, mature, and fully utilize their skills and talents. Today, through the diligent work of a healthy company we are transforming lives.

Michael E. Porter concisely describes what we are about when he said:

Understanding the value of work is at the core of Chillibreeze. See the 18 ways purposeful work impacts lives and touches our customers.