BRANDALE D. RANDOLPH

Randolph’s research and analysis indicated that formerly incarcerated people were deeply in need of work opportunities and that the cycling industry was in desperate need of more mechanics. So in 2016, he founded 1854 Cycling, a Framingham-based bike company that seeks to create living-wage jobs for formerly incarcerated people. He is currently developing a new product that would improve community relations by helping to connect police to other professionals as they respond to calls involving citizens going through mental health crises, medical issues, or other emergencies that aren’t directly crime-related.

Randolph has written two books on financial literacy, conducted seminars on workforce readiness, worked with underserved youth in Lubbock, Texas, and given a TEDx talk titled “Stop Throwing Breakfast Sandwiches at the Poor.” Randolph is also the co-founder of Project Poverty, a nonprofit focused on implementing strategies to reduce poverty.