photo by steed media service

As one of the nation’s leading custom service integrators, SDE Business Partnering is changing the face of the supply chain and how organizations implement and measure the effectiveness of their purchasing and management practices. As the founder and president of SDE, Charles Young may be the last of a dying breed — a beloved boss. Past and present employees beam when expressing their admiration for Young, frequently singing his praises and routinely referring to him as their most significant mentor.

Young’s philanthropic accomplishments are in large part responsible for the strong sentiment surrounding him. Young is the founder of Operation Unification, nonprofit organization in Flint, Mich. “My commitment to improving the quality of life for Flint’s underserved community stems from having grown up here. My parents instilled education and service in me at an early age,” he says. Young, a Flint native, and a Ferris State graduate, single-handedly financed and built the multimillion dollar Village complex, which is the first new construction in the city of Flint in 60 years. “I was awestruck by the need in this community. I grew up in the Beecher community ... so I bought property to provide goods and services to the people here,” he explains.

The Village offers a convenience mall that houses a food court, barber and beauty salon as well an event and entertainment facility. “We also renovate severely distressed properties and make them as grand as homes in the nearby wealthy suburbs ... it’s absolutley the right thing to be involved in,” concludes Young. -roz edward

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