Education
Pennsylvania State University. Colgate University.
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Ben Cohen
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In his senior year, Cohen found work as an ice cream man before heading off to attend Colgate University upstate. Over the next decade, Cohen pursued his interest in pottery as he mixed further education - Skidmore, the University Without Walls program, the New School, and New York University - with a vast variety of menial labor - gigs as a McDonald"s cashier, a Pinkerton guard, deliverer of pottery wheels, a mop-boy at Jamesway and Friendly"s, an assistant superintendent, an Emergency clerk, and a taxi driver - before eventually settling on work as a craft teacher at a private school for emotionally disturbed adolescents. lieutenant was during his three years at the Highland Community School that he began experimenting with making his own ice cream.
The pair conceived the idea in gym class at Merrick Avenue Middle School.
They had initially intended to start a bagel business, but found the equipment costs prohibitive and switched to ice cream instead, choosing Burlington as a location because it was a prominent college town which lacked an ice cream shop. In part, their distinctive style of ice cream was developed to compensate for Ben"s anosmia - his loss of smell and near-loss of taste - as Ben kept adding larger and larger chunks to the ice cream to satisfy his need for texture in food. became an instant hit in Burlington, drawing crowds with ice creams that mixed fresh local cream and milk with wild new flavors and "large portions of whatever ingredients they felt tasted good on the day of making." Ben resigned as Chief Executive Officer in 1996.
Ben has not been actively involved with the company since the Unilever acquisition in 2000, apart from his membership on the advisory board. As gradually grew into a nationwide business and one of the largest ice cream companies in the United States of America, Cohen turned his new-found wealth and prominence toward a variety of social causes, generally through the Foundation.
The Foundation receives 7.5% of all pre-tax profits and distributes funds to organizations such as the Anti Displacement Project.
Cohen also oversaw TrueMajority and Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities. He is also vocal in his support of Democratic candidates, including Dennis Kucinich for the United States. Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and John Edwards followed by Barack Obama in 2008 and now Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Primaries and 2016 Presidential Election. In 2012, he helped launch the Stamp Stampede campaign to stamp messages on the nation"s currency in support of passing a constitutional amendment to help overturn Citizens United v.
Federal Election Commission and reduce the influence of private corporations on politics.
The campaign works in partnership with other grassroots movements such as Move to Amend. Cohen has been described as a hippie or ex-hippie.
He is also a noted fan of the Grateful Dead. Ben Cohen was honored by the New York Open Center in 2000 for his "leadership in pioneering socially responsible business.".
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Born
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Nationality
United States -
Political Party
Democratic party