About The Stand
Mission Statement
It is our mission to:
-
provide positive experiences to inner city youth and young adults, families, and communities, where they are consistently provided with good food, excellent customer service, and an unforgettable experience
-
employ and develop leadership skills in youth and young adults in the community and engage them in experiential training opportunities in leading industries, including but not limited to, food services, where once they are finished, they are in a position to lead and excel
-
fund initiatives that support education, stability, and synergy in the families and communities that we serve
Vision & Values
We strive to be the #1 social enterprise in the Tri-State Area providing those we serve with the resources and opportunities they need to have positive outcomes in their personal and professional life.
Core Values:
-
Leaving a lasting and memorable impression on everyone we come in contact with
-
Providing exceptional service skills
-
Investing & creating major impact in the lives our employees, customers, & communities that we serve
History
Antinette Watson, was introduced to entrepreneurship at the age of ten when she worked at her family owned store in Wilmington Delaware.
The Stand was founded in 2018, because the owner Antinette Watson was tired of losing young people, especially the young men, in her community to violence.
Antinette obtained her first job at Cheryl’s Water Ice affectionately known as The Stand, by the employees who worked there at the time. Cheryl’s Water Ice was a family owned business, founded by her grandfather Wesley Watson and named after her mother, Cheryl DeLoatch.
Antinette believes that due to her early work experiences at Cheryl’s Water Ice, she was placed in situations that forced her to be responsible, stay out of trouble, meet new people, and most importantly, she always had money in her pocket.
As Antinette reflected on what she could do to play her part in being the change she wanted to see in her community, it dawned on her to create her own version of Cheryl’s Water Ice, so that the young adults who worked at The Stand would have the opportunity to gain the work and life experiences she received growing up, but on an elevated level.
The Stand started with one cart in 2018 and we have expanded our fleet to 2 carts and one trailer.