about judy ...

In 1983, Judy Wicks founded the White Dog Cafe on the first floor of her house on a row of Victorian brownstones in West Philadelphia. After helping to save her block from demolition to make way for a proposed mall, Judy grew what began as a tiny muffin shop into a 200-seat restaurant featuring fresh local food with a national reputation for community involvement, environmental stewardship, responsible business practices, and leadership in the local economy movement. In 2009, Judy sold the company through a unique exit strategy that preserves White Dog’s sustainable business practices and maintains local, independent ownership.

Under Judy’s leadership, White Dog purchased sustainably grown produce from local family farmers for over 20 years, and developed policies to purchase only humanely and naturally raised meat, poultry and eggs, as well as sustainably harvested fish, and fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Other sustainable business practices she implemented at White Dog include recycling and composting, solar hot water, eco-friendly soaps and office supplies, and purchasing 100% of electricity from renewable sources, the first business in Pennsylvania to do so.

An international leader and speaker in the local living economies movement, Judy is co-founder, in 2001, of the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), www.LivingEconomies.org, now comprised of 80 local business networks in towns and cities across the US and Canada. She also founded the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, www.sbnPhiladelphia.org, the local BALLE affiliate, now with over 500 members. Looking for a vehicle to spread the farm purchasing practices of the White Dog Cafe to other restaurants, Judy founded Fair Food, www.fairfoodphilly.org, which is now an independent non-profit with numerous programs to connect local family farms with the urban marketplace. Both Fair Food and Sustainable Business Network were incubated at the White Dog Cafe Foundation and supported by the restaurant’s profits. In her retail career, Judy was founder and owner of Black Cat, which featured locally made and fair trade gifts for 20 years. In 1970, Judy co-founded the Free People's Store, now well known as Urban Outfitters.

Professional Organizations

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), co-founder, board of directors, chair emeritus

Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, founder, board of directors, chair emeritus

Social Venture Network, Emeritus Advisory Board member, former chair and vice chair

Education

Lake Erie College, BA English, 1969

Media

Judy has appeared on Nightline, MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, CNN, PBS documentaries, and numerous local TV and radio shows. She and the Cafe have been featured in Oprah Magazine, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune Small Business, Washington Post, Whole Earth Magazine, Utne Reader, Yes Magazine, Fast Company, Healthy Living Magazine, Business Ethics Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Chronicle of Higher Education, Resurgence Magazine, Hope Magazine, Sojourner Magazine, In Business, Orion Magazine, The Other Side, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine and the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Judy’s business career is featured in several books including Making a Life, Making a Living: Reclaiming Your Purpose and Passion in Business and Life by Mark Albion, Good News for a Change: How Everyday People Are Helping the Planet by David Suzuki, Aiming Higher: 25 Stories of How Companies Prosper by Combining Sound Management and Social Vision by David Bollier, and The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Jim Mason.

Click below to download a full biography with complete awards & speaking listings

JudyWicksFullBio.pdf