London Inc. May-June 2023 - 34

Richie Bloomfield
Assistant Professor, Huron University; Co-founder, Urban Roots London
and Sidetrack: A Wortley Café | 33 | HOMETOWN: Ilderton, Ontario
A full-time assistant professor at Huron University, Richie Bloomfiled is also co-founder of Urban Roots
London, non-profit organization that revitalizes underused land in London for agriculture, as well as
a partner in Sidetrack: A Wortley Café. A true investor in and optimist for the city, he is dedicated to
improving access to good food, improving working conditions and sustainable practices in the food
sectors and demonstrating to his students that it is possible - and desirable - to apply a business
education to make a positive and meaningful impact in your community.
What would you say is your biggest accomplishment?
Witnessing the community buy-in to the concept that all
our neighbours deserve the dignity of access to - and the
choice of - good food, not just what is leftover. This has been
demonstrated in many ways, but perhaps most visibly when
hundreds of Londoners helped Urban Roots acquire
Ur
Av
our main farm site at 21 Norlan Avenue. It was
humbling and encouraging to see the commitas
ee
the commituction
and food
lu
ment to meaningful food production and food
access for the long-term.
biggest influWho,
or what, has been your biggest i
ence in business? Poet and novelist Wendell
ovelist Wendell
Berry wrote, " There are no sacred and unsacred
places; there are only sacred and desecrated
places. " There are many examples in our community
of people who treat this land
red and unsacred
d desecrated
les in our comand
those around them as sacred.
Anyone who embodies this kind
of care is inspiring to me.
Knowing what you know
now, what advice would you
give your younger self? In
my role as a professor, I find
that young people are under
a lot of pressure to hustle,
chase, grind, network, et
cetera, to build a successful
career. It's certainly a fair
concern to think about
post-graduation, and I too
recall this anxiety, but this
seems to have intensified
lately. While the hustle culture
may work for some, I like to
remind students - and would
s land
ed.
d
tell my younger self - ther
worthwhile thinking about
things you want to do for y
seek opportuniities to inves
wor hw
expe
ll my younge
e t
ings you w
seek opp
ings
lf
in in
an you pre icte
ere's no rush, and it's
out what meaningful
to do for your community, to
ties to i ve t in that way and
expect things may end up in
than you predicted.
you Pa
Jour
y end up i a different place
What books have you recently
read that really stuck with
you? Pastoral Song, A Farmer's
Journey by James Rebanks;
Frontline Farmers by
What oo s h
ad
Annette Aurélie Desmarais;
and The Divide by Jason
Hickel.
ntli
ne
Hi
If you weren't working
in your current
field, what would
you be doing?
Farming.
n Roots acqu
ue. I
I like to remind students - and would tell
my younger self - there's no rush, and it's
worthwhile thinking about what meaningful
things you want to do for your community.
ngs ou want t
for you
34|londonincmagazine.ca|MAY / JUNE 2023
20 UNDER 40 * CL ASS OF 2023

London Inc. May-June 2023

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