Vernate's Story

Vernate is a survivor. This toughness seems to radiate from his body. Coming of age during the Vietnam War, when social upheaval, political protest, and a potent drug culture beckoned, he knows a lot about time lost to "trouble, trouble, trouble." Married and the father of four, he arrived at the Bakery when he was 48 and resolved that "enough was enough."

Here, he found strength in the workplace, in being focused, and in the trust placed in him by CEO Julius Walls. After a year of training, he was promoted to Supervisor. "Julius always says 'good to great,'" Vernate confides. "It sticks with me.