Workplace

2013 Executive Excellence Awards (CEOs): Megan Karch

By Sarah Hardy January 30, 2013

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This article originally appeared in the February 2013 issue of Seattle magazine.

In her 12-year tenure as the CEO of Seattle-based FareStart, MEGAN KARCH has seen it grow from an organization serving 200 people to an agency with nearly 1,000 clients. She has also grown business revenue by 300 percent, to $7.48 million in 2011.

Whats the same [in the past 12 years] is the passion of the staff, board members, volunteers and students and the commitment to ending homelessness, says Karch. Whats changed is that were a lot bigger. Our impact is much bigger and wider.

And that poses its own challenge. FareStart, founded in 1992, provides culinary job training to homeless and disadvantaged people in the Seattle area. The program combines classroom and hands-on training with housing support, case management and counseling. I believe one of the key reasons we succeed is that we create a culture of community and belonging, says Karch. When you get bigger, thats really hard to do. The only reason we want to grow is for impact.

Under Karch, the organizations impact has become quite noticeable. In 2006, she undertook the project of buying and renovating a new home for FareStart. The 33,000-square-foot, $12.8 million facility opened in 2007, allowing FareStart to grow its business and more than double the number of students, who prepare more than 2,800 meals daily at the FareStart Restaurant, the FareStart Cafe at 2100 and FareStart Catering.

In 2011, FareStart launched Catalyst Kitchens, a national effort to empower people through food service job training. It also began a Barista Training and Education Program for homeless and at-risk youth. Its approach to comprehensive training and support is working. In 2011, 111 students graduated from the culinary training program, with more than 80 percent achieving employment within 90 days.

As CEO, Karch says she leads through the organizations vision and mission. I first like to inspire a shared vision and challenge process, she notes. I like to model the way. … Our long-term vision is that we wont be needed.

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