Cornbread Hustle is a Texas-based second-chance staffing and recruiting agency dedicated to helping those with criminal records find meaningful employment. Beyond staffing, Cornbread Hustle offers job seekers resources and professional development courses and advises employers on creating more background-friendly hiring policies — ensuring businesses find the right person for the job rather than disqualifying candidates because of a record.  

We had the opportunity to interview Cheri Garcia, Founder of Cornbread Hustle, to learn more about her journey as a second-chance employer and her company’s remarkable impact across six states. 

Read on for Cheri’s insights.

Can you tell us the story of Cornbread Hustle? What inspired you to start a second-chance staffing agency, and how has it evolved over time?  

Cornbread Hustle’s origins go back to the mid-2010s, when I started volunteering with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). This is a great organization that goes inside prisons and helps residents plan to start their own businesses when they return to society. Several of the people I worked with reached out after their release and asked for help finding work. Even with a business plan, you still have bills to pay, and a lot of these guys just wanted a job, but they had no idea where to start. 

I started working with one formerly incarcerated person in March 2016, a gentleman named Benny who had spent nearly his entire adult life in prison. Benny is a very talented artist. He had found work after returning from prison, but it was as a dishwasher in a chain restaurant, and he didn’t have much of a future there. He wanted to follow his passion for art. 

I showed him how to use the internet and Google, which didn’t exist when he’d first gone to prison, and we found an opportunity with a mural-painting company. I called on his behalf and asked the business owner to consider hiring Benny in spite of his criminal record, and the owner agreed to give him a shot. Benny went on to paint some beautiful murals at churches and other buildings around Texas, and today he enjoys a high-paying job in the energy industry!  

Once I realized that I could help many other people with criminal backgrounds find jobs, I created Cornbread Hustle to make it possible. 

What are some of the most common barriers in the hiring process that you help job seekers overcome?  

The most common barrier is simply having a criminal record. One in three American adults has some sort of criminal or arrest in their lifetime, and about 19 million have a felony conviction. When these records come up on background checks, many employers refuse to extend a job offer. 

Another barrier is if a person has a GPS leg monitor that is mandated by parole. This is a device that tracks a person's every move after prison. There are stipulations of when they have to be at home and restrictions on travel. This can get in the way of their ability to accept a job offer if their parole officer isn't responsive quick enough to make the adjustments for their schedule.  

The last barrier is paperwork and identification. An employer needs two forms of ID to fill out an I-9 before you start employment. Many people leaving prison have misplaced their original social security card and/or birth certificate and one of those forms of identification is necessary for employment. Additionally, a lot of employers don't realize they can use a prison ID as a form of ID in place of a driver's license for the second form of ID.  

How important is collaboration when it comes to breaking down these barriers? Are there certain partners — whether businesses, nonprofits, or government agencies — that have helped grow Cornbread Hustle’s impact?  

Collaboration is absolutely essential! We work closely with our employer partners, starting before we even begin hiring by visiting the worksite and meeting with supervisors. We must be sure that our employees are entering a supportive, enriching environment that will make them want to come to work every day. Throughout the hiring process, our recruiters form and maintain relationships with the HR and management teams at our employer partners, ensuring that each employee is doing well, and being proactive about potential issues, such as attendance and performance. 

In addition to our longstanding partnership with PEP, we also work with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, parole and probation offices in Dallas and Fort Worth, and prison operators in six other states. 

You’ve helped over 2,500 people find meaningful employment. Have any of them stayed in touch to share where they are now and how their careers and lives have progressed?  

Yes, we hear frequently from some of our “alumni” who have gone on to great things. They help us out by participating in online videos and in-person events to encourage both prospective employees and future employer partners to consider the benefits of Second Chance Hiring. 

Examples include a former gang member who is now an executive with a Dallas construction company, and a formerly incarcerated individual we actually hired while he was still in custody who spent years working his way up at one of our employer partners before leaving to pursue his dream as a chef in the restaurant industry.  

After nearly a decade of doing business, have you observed any trends or shifts in how employers approach and prioritize hiring people with criminal records?  

Yes! The great news is that more employers are getting comfortable with the idea of hiring people with criminal backgrounds. Many are realizing that Second Chance Hiring is becoming essential as more Americans leave the workforce, whether due to retirement, age, health, or other factors. We saw a huge increase in demand during and immediately after the pandemic, and we believe this trend will continue as changing demographics force employers to take a closer look at the formerly incarcerated talent pool.  

Also, more employers are recognizing that background-friendly policies are investments in the communities they serve, as hiring formerly incarcerated people is proven to reduce recidivism and create generational change for their families. Major employers that are embracing Second Chance Hiring include JPMorgan Chase, AT&T, Caterpillar, Walmart, and Microsoft. 

What challenges have you faced as a second-chance employer? What pivots or strategies helped you overcome them?  

The toughest challenge we face is meeting demand. During the pandemic, we had a steep and rapid increase in demand for labor, and we had to work twice as hard to find enough qualified candidates to meet that demand. Later, we saw a huge surge in people looking for work, but fewer employers willing to hire them.  

This requires us to constantly reevaluate our approach to finding talent and sourcing employers. More recently, we’ve taken a data-driven approach, studying what’s worked and hasn’t over our last decade in business, and responding appropriately.

You recently launched Junk Hustlers, a demolition and junk-hauling company. What inspired you to start this new venture?  

Junk Hustlers is a great example of how we think outside the box! We launched this company over the summer, with the goal of creating jobs to hire more of our talented applicants, while helping them learn basic skills that can easily translate to starting their own business or transitioning to another industry.  

Junk Hustlers is a junk removal, hauling, and demolition company. We own the truck and equipment, and we’re looking to grow and expand so we can provide more jobs. Our ultimate goal is a franchise model that will allow anyone to start a Junk Hustlers operation in their city, anywhere across the nation. 

What practical first steps would you recommend for employers who are considering starting a Second Chance Hiring initiative?  

First and foremost, don’t try to go it alone! Instead of just inventing a background-friendly hiring policy out of thin air, consider reaching out to the many organizations and companies like Cornbread Hustle that work in this space. We are here to help, and we can answer your questions while pointing out potential problems you may not have thought about. 

On our website, Cornbread Hustle offers a free, in-depth white paper based on more than six months of research into Second Chance Hiring. We’re also happy to consult with any employer who reaches out and wants to learn more about creating a background-friendly policy.