Solomon Page Partners with Shatterproof

April 19, 2023 – New York City headquartered executive search firm Solomon Page recently partnered with the Shatterproof, a national organization committed to ending addiction through advocacy and educational resources, conducting a fundraiser in January and February. The search firm also interviewed Lauren Lawson-Zilai, senior director, media and public relations for Norwalk, CT-based Shatterproof, to learn more about the non-profit’s mission and in turn, help spread awareness. “Connecting with individuals around the corner or across the country is integral to Solomon Page,” said the search firm. “Advocacy within our communities makes us stronger. Fulfilling this mission with our SP Cares initiative allows us to remain loyal to the communities we serve.”
Substance use disorder is known on a national scale, but it has yet to be fully or accurately discussed in most social settings. More than 46 million people aged 12 or older met the criteria for having a substance use disorder over the past year and more than 100,00 deaths occurred due to drug overdoses in 2021. “People are discriminated but substance use disorder does not discriminate,” said Ms. Lawson-Zilai. “It affects everyone across the spectrum: people in low-income, middle-class, and in high-income brackets as well as across party lines.”
Solomon Page launched the charitable initiative SP Cares during the early days of the pandemic to support “the relief efforts of individuals that have been impacted during these unprecedented times.” As part of this initiative, the firm committed to donating five percent of profits to support charities helping to assist frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Impactful Change
Shatterproof, founded by Gary Mendell, grew out of a father’s love and loss for his son. Mr. Mendell’s son, Brian, was a loving child. Like many teenagers, Brian tried alcohol and drugs. And like many others, this led to addiction. Brian battled this disease including shame, isolation, and failure for nearly 10 years and on Oct. 20, 2011, Mr. Mendell received a phone call that Brian had died. Following Brian’s death, Mr. Mendell struggled to understand what happened and turned to a period of reflection and research to begin understanding addiction in the U.S. and its existence within the healthcare system. Making a promise to his son and legacy, Mr. Mendell sought ways to spare others from this tragedy. In 2012, Shatterproof was launched as a national non-profit seeking to revolutionize substance use disorder treatments and end social stigma, creating impactful change within the U.S.
Persistence and dedication are pivotal in eliminating the stigma and discrimination associated with substance use disorder for all people. Shatterproof outlines, evidence-based strategies are crucial to establishing impactful programs. “Shatterproof’s statewide stigma reduction campaigns leverage the following core tenants of successful behavior-change movements: collective impact, person-first language education, evaluation for continuous improvement, contact-based strategies, and tailored messaging,” said the non-profit. By highlighting narratives from community members, this resonates with local needs and allows individuals to connect with neighborhood organizations seeking to end addiction and associated stigma.
Extending Shatterproof’s promise nationwide, the organization has created many public educational resources and lessons. The Shatterproof Treatment Atlas (Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment and Standards), is a confidential, free, non-profit platform to help people find and compare treatment facilities, which allows individuals to make an informed choice. Shatterproof Treatment Atlas is available to 128 million people. Currently, the platform is accessible in 10 states including, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The platform will expand to California, Connecticut, Indiana and Wisconsin later this year. The platform uses a comprehensive list of addiction treatment providers across each respective state, including inpatient, residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient sites of care.
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Shatterproof has remained dedicated to highlighting the research within this field and areas that can continue to be studied to better understand substance use disorders, said the non-profit. Shatterproof’s work of advocating for social and political change through evidence-based research furthers mainstream access to substance use disorder treatments nationwide.
Veteran Recruiters
Founded in 1990, Solomon Page is a specialty niche provider of recruitment and executive search solutions across a wide array of functions and industries. Lloyd Solomon and Scott Page are the firm’s co-founders and managing directors.
Mr. Solomon provides leadership and direction for the execution of Solomon Page’s vision. He is accountable for creating revenue growth and enterprise value through the implementation of profitability targets and achievement of financial goals within disciplined guidelines and parameters.
Mr. Page provides leadership and direction for the execution of the company’s vision and objectives. In addition, he has built and led the financial services division since the firm’s inception in 1990. For 30 years, the practice has served global financial institutions including investment banks, alternative asset managers, private equity, and private family offices.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media