Judy Wicks

Judy Wicks founded the White Dog Cafe on the first floor of her Philadelphia row house in 1983. As the restaurant grew, she envisioned how strengthening relationships among like-minded independent, locally owned businesses could inspire social change. She founded the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia in 2001, and co-founded the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies that same year. Judy also founded Fair Food in 2000, dedicated to building a local food system in the Philadelphia region. In 2009, she sold the White Dog through a unique agreement that preserves local, independent ownership and maintains sustainable business practices, including buying from local farmers, composting and using renewable energy.