News

Employee Appreciation Day

Local employers are going above and beyond to honor employee achievement and contributions. We wanted to share three entities that are incorporating employee appreciation into their business structure.

One Mighty Mill was founded with a mission: to bring back local food systems that help communities be healthy and thrive. To do this, they’re reviving an ancient, healthier food system by building stone mills near organic farms and using their stone-milled flour to bake the world’s most nutritious (and delicious) bread, bagels, pretzels, and tortillas. They measure their progress towards this mission in four specific areas, one of which is Employees. They grant equity shares to employees following one year of full-time employment. As the company continues its growth, one way One Mighty Mill helps communities thrive is by sharing success (and profits!) with employees.

Harpoon Brewery celebrates its employees daily by being employee-owned via the Harpoon Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”). The company became employee-owned in 2014 and since then their employees are literally invested in the company where they work. The conversion to an ESOP ensured that the company stayed independent and shares the rewards of being a successful brewery with the people who do the work day in and day out.

MassCEO provides training, education, and direct assistance to grow and sustain a strong network of employee-owned businesses in the Commonwealth. They provide consulting services to companies considering the transition, on-going support services for employee-owned companies, and the cultivation of a strong network of community partners committed to expanding employee ownership in the state. On this National Employee Appreciation Day, we encourage you to show your recognition in new ways! Conscious Capitalism Boston Board

Read our previous newsletters to see the events and information that Conscious Capitalism Boston has shared.

JANUARY 2023

Did you happen to miss any of our past Conscious Capitalism Boston newsletters? Find them here!

AUG 2022

OCT 2022

DEC 2022

After a life-changing epiphany, the CEO of a global public company embarks on a high-stakes quest to eliminate all negative environmental impacts by 2020. To succeed, they must overcome deep skepticism, abandon the status quo, and ignite a new industrial revolution. 

Is this the latest Hollywood high-stakes drama? No, it's the true life documentary captured by the Havey Pro Cinema with the mission to share the Interface story with the world.

Beyond Zero offers an inspirational roadmap for how businesses can reverse climate change.

"Ray Anderson challenged the billion-dollar flooring company he founded and led to become an environmentally sustainable and restorative enterprise.  He transformed his company, but more so, he transformed the hearts and minds of tens of thousands of people who worked for him, heard him speak or read his visionary books." -- Joel Makower, Chairman & Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group Inc.

Conscious Capitalism Boston is honored to bring this award-winning documentary, moderated discussion, and live Q&A with the film director, an Interface sustainability executive, and other conscious leaders to our community. Join us at the Boston College Club as we bring business and community leaders together in a memorable event to network and learn about sustainability, stakeholder capitalism, ESG, and the related challenges organizations face going forward.

“Beyond Zero is a fascinating story, not only about inspirational and visionary founder Ray Anderson but the struggles and determination of a company trying to become a positive force in the world. The film delivers a message that needs to be told: In the end, it indeed boils down to people, and business can be more successful and resilient, simply by doing the right thing.” -- Paul Polman, Former CEO of Unilever and member of the board, the United Nations Global Compact

See the feature-length documentary in a private screening that chronicles the story of visionary leader Ray Anderson and his company, Interface, embark on a high-stakes journey to become a 100-percent sustainable enterprise. Ray's heroic leadership serves as an inspiration for organizations at any stage and the film tells a powerful and hugely hopeful story about what it means to build a business around restoring the earth and just why we must reimagine capitalism to heal the world — and ourselves.

For more information, click here for the event details.

Hello Conscious Capitalists!

To begin 2021, we’re starting with a broad look at ‘the state of the movement’ – both to update current members, and to introduce Conscious Capitalism to new and prospective executives who’d like more information. Certainly, more attention is being paid to ideas of employee well-being and support; fairer, more equitable opportunities and other elements.

On Jan 27, we’ll hear from the president of Conscious Capitalism Inc., Alexander McCobbin, and CCI board member Curtis Hite about the momentum and building a coalition around a new way to do business that benefits all stakeholders. RSVP today!

QUARTERLY THEMES

Giving sharper focus for events and community has been part of a strategic plan to devote three months to each of the four tenets – Culture, Stakeholder Orientation, Higher Purpose, Conscious Leadership.This year, we go a bit deeper. The quarterly events will be scheduled in the first month of each quarter. Then, in the second month, we will hold a ‘practical’ session, providing specific tools, exercises and examples for how companies can move their organizations forward in the journey towards more conscious business. As a reminder, these events will be 1) open to everyone and 2) continuing online/virtually for the foreseeable future.

First Quarter 2021

Reinvention is one theme for the start of a new calendar. In addition to exploring the Conscious Capitalism movement, we also will take a look at Imperative21, a broader examination of capitalism by Just Capital, BFunds and other ‘future of business’ organizations. Their idea is to find ways of making business better for the planet, fairer for redistributing wealth and more caring in terms of work schedules and employee wellness.

Just Capital CEO Martin Whittaker described the need for the RESET Campaign’s launch in September. “The good news is that there’s also a powerful business case for stakeholder leadership. Reimagining capitalism this way is the imperative of the 21st century,” he said.

One analysis shows companies that lead in meeting the needs of all stakeholders have financially outperformed those that lag behind by almost 30% over the past four years, and by double-digit margins throughout the pandemic.

STRONGER COMMUNITY

Encouraging interaction among our member companies, and people, is a key part of why we’re here. Many of our members are listed alphabetically on the directory at the Conscious Capitalism website (LINK?) and can be contacted directly and anonymously, with a single click. We hope you’ll reach out to share questions, ideas, advice and experience in our group settings as well as to tap the expertise that each of us can share.

Supporting each other’s objectives defines community. So, a network of shared business connections is why we make the directory available. If your profile needs updating, please contact Kelly Chewning. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 27th at 12 PM EST

The Future of Conscious Capitalism After COVID with CCI CEO Alexander McCobin and CCI Board Member Curtis Hite

February 25th at 2:30 EST

A Brief 'How-To' Become a Conscious Company with American Surgical Company President Erik Piasio and CCB Board Members Bob Scoville and Kelly Chewning

If the Halloween decorations or political lawn signs haven’t scared you enough, then you’re ready for the fourth quarter and shorter daylight hours. There are some new tricks – and treats – in the Conscious Capitalism/Boston collection. Managing remotely is a ‘must-have’ at all levels and the use of technology tools to avoid the annoying ‘check in’ reminders is only accelerating. We’re here to help and look forward to supporting your success with a network, knowledge and creative ideas.

Put another way, now service providers and other companies are using a “just-in-time” business model applied to workflows. Manufacturers have used JIT for years to manage deliveries, scheduling and inventories to ensure that production, logistics, enterprise resources were responsive, deployed at the right time to get things done efficiently. In responding to Covid-19 disruptions, we’re coping with people issues, process and work in new ways. 

For questions, or challenges that need a community of practice, we’re just a click or call away.

MEMBERS NEWS

We always encourage Conscious Capitalism members and supporters to make purchases that support local companies. The multiplier effect of spending in nearby stores and merchants is just one way to thank chapter sponsors and sustain jobs in your local area. As temperatures drop and outdoor activities change, it’s worth thinking about what you can buy ahead, and store up, to help local merchants survive.

John Pepper, founder and CEO of Boloco restaurants,  outlined just how difficult it can be for independent, local owners to continue as “take out only” food providers. This October story in The Boston Globe detailed the challenging path to managing retail stores in the ongoing Covid-19 economy.

Are there details from your company or local area you’d like to share, please send information to Kelly Chewning.

RESOURCES

Many local and national Conscious Capitalism events, panel discussions and speaker videos are available, free of charge either on the organization’s YouTube channel or via download. We are hosting conversations online (see December details below) and we hope you will engage other chapter members in your area – or in your professional network – to explore ways that business can be a force for social change. 

BOOK CLUB – After spotlighting a number of authors and business experts, we have a library of books on the future of management, continuous improvement, Conscious Capitalism practices from founders such as Prof. Raj Sisodia of Babson College or Whole Foods founder John Mackey and others. 

What books are you reading? Would you like to share your copy or discuss recent favorites?

David Wallace, of gamechange LLC, just finished “Humanocracy” by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini. It outlines ways to build resilient organizations that put people first, process second and enable them to respond in times of change. Engagement, team input and distributing control is just part of the way that dynamic models can outperform sluggish, traditional management.

DECEMBER 17th 2-3pm (via Zoom)

Leadership is a crucial tenet of Conscious Capitalism and a key element in a distributed, ‘working from anywhere’ organization. Immense collective intelligence exists in every corner of your company or non-profit group. One way to tap this knowledge is training your people on how they can improve as leaders, engage with others and challenge conventional thinking. 

To guide this conversation, we welcome:

Daniel Friedland, MD, CEO of SuperSmartHealth and author of "Leading Well From Within" 

Michael Harth, co-founder and Chief Culture Officer of LAZ Parking. Over four decades, Laz Parking has built an engaging culture for training everyone from the frontline valets across the US to corporate workforce. The company looks improve culture by practicing servant leadership and continually investing in personal and professional growth. 

This event is sure to provide a window of insight into the methodology - integrating Conscious Leadership with Appreciative Inquiry - that Daniel applied with the LAZ Parking leadership team. They worked together to tap the knowledge and experience of executives and came to appreciate this unique, invisible corporate asset that had otherwise been overlooked.

JANUARY 6TH 2:00 - 2:45 EST

Picking up where Daniel and Michael leave off, we are hosting this 'practical' session with Cheryl Jones, Founder of The Mindful Path. Join us as Cheryl teaches tools for being mindful and balanced - particularly during this time of high stress and challenge.

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom! As a bonus for you, we have a sweepstakes offer. “Like” us on Facebook, post on Twitter or LinkedIn, we’ll enter you in a drawing for a Conscious Capitalism book.

Also, please send any suggestions for future program topics, requests for network events or other ways that Conscious Capitalism can assist your organization. 

We hope the ‘back to school’ actually involves students returning to classrooms and that you found time to enjoy the warm temperatures and long, sunny days. The spring from after Labor Day to mid-November is another busy time for companies as  they complete one calendar year and prepare for the next. We are no exception to that rule as our focus is on company culture and the changes wrought by 2020, and remote work, pandemic economics and other factors.

Culture is one of the four pillars of Conscious Capitalism and we have two discussions on tap. RSVPs are requested.

Weds. Sept. 23^rd - Raj Sisodia, Babson College professor and author of the book “Everybody Matters” and Bob Chapman, chairman/CEO of St. Louis, MO-based Barry-Wehmiller, a $2.5B global manufacturing business with 11,000 team members. Bob’s view of leadership is People-Purpose-Performance that creates an environment where employees are engaged and fulfilled.

Thurs. Oct 1^st – In conversation with Peggy Burns, associate dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, who is responsible for development and alumni. She has made “WorkplaceJoy” her mission and a hashtag as she tries to develop a connected workplace that encourages participation, inclusion, safety, curiosity, innovation and a sense of purpose.

In the world premiere of the documentary “Beyond Zero,” first-time filmmaker Nathan Havey depicts the story of Ray Anderson, who built Interface, a successful carpet tile business. Havey has used Anderson’s story to teach business leaders to thrive by setting their sights beyond profit to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. Now an emerging leader in the global movement to evolve capitalism, Havey is eager to bring “The most important business story of the last 100 years” to contemporary audiences. Nathan Havey is writer director and his father, Jim Havey, is the producer.

Following the screening, a virtual question-and-answer session will include director Nathan Havey, Erin Meezan, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Interface;” and Interface dream team member, and Paul Hawken, acclaimed environmentalist and Interface team member.

Order your tickets today!

A NEW VIEW OF ETHICAL INVESTING

The 2020 summer of activism and calls for change surfaced some very interesting approaches, from new philanthropies aimed at restoring jobs in dense urban areas hit hard by Covid infections to a radical rethinking of college finance and delivery of higher education courses.

This Marketwatch article adds another business as a driver of social change: instead of avoiding stocks or companies that are viewed negatively, turn the tables and look for places to invest for both financial, and community, gains. It was developed by Activest, an investment research and consulting firm created by former public finance and municipal bond executives, to better match places in need of capital with investors.

One description calls it “fiscal justice investing” – shifting part of a nearly $4 trillion marketplace of states, cities, towns, water/sewer/drainage districts, schools, hospitals, transportation networks all competing for attention. The conservative pace of the “muni bond” world with thousands of local economies offers a range of credit risks and demographics but investors rarely know precisely where their money goes. Activest found examples in Chicago of funds being spent on insurance settlements and expenses. Where are you investing for impact?

WELCOME NEW CORPORATE MEMBER

TekDoc Solutions, a company of North Shore IT experts, is the latest corporate member to join Conscious Capitalism Boston. They specialize in security and reliability of IT platforms for financial and legal clients all over the Boston metro area.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

September 13th was the 50th anniversary of Milton Frieman's seminal essay "The Business of Business" and the New York Times compiled opinions from economists, policy and business leaders. 

As a contrast to the shareholder maximization operating philosophy, stakeholder capitalism continues to gain momentum. Check out this podcast to hear stories of businesses excelling when looking for win-win scenarios for all their stakeholders.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Conscious Culture Part I: Creating & Sustaining Caring Cultures on September 23rd at 2 EST

Boston Film Festival: World Premiere of Beyond Zero on September 26th at 6:30 PM EST

Conscious Culture Part II: Fostering a Joyful Work Environment on October 1st at 2 EST

It may be the dog days of summer, but there are still plenty of happenings in our community! 

One important part of building a Conscious Capitalism community is asking some challenging questions and encouraging honest answers. We understand that people and companies are recalculating in real-time to find new responses to 2020’s medical and economic upheaval, so we are hoping you’ll share what you can – advice, connections, resources. 

Organization culture is a critical element in middle-market companies and can be difficult to change because of company history, growth and diversification. The challenges are magnified in today’s fluid crisis-mode as people juggle life’s demands, school, family etc. and you don’t see them in the workplace. How are you, or your company, ensuring that you can support and encourage people while ensuring they bring the organization ethos and culture?

We’ve included a couple of links for ideas on the topic of Conscious Culture – one of the four key pillars – that will be a focus for upcoming live, discussions.

Weds. Sept. 23^rd - Raj Sisodia, Babson College professor and co-author of the book “Everybody Matters” with Bob Chapman, chairman/CEO of St. Louis, MO-based Barry-Wehmiller, a $2.5B global manufacturing business with 11,000 team members. Bob’s view of leadership is People-Purpose-Performance that creates an environment where employees are engaged and fulfilled.  

Thurs. Oct 1^st – Peggy Burns, associate dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, who is responsible for development and alumni will focus on fostering joy in the workplace. She has made “Workplace Joy” her mission and a hashtag as she cultivates connected workplaces that encourage participation, inclusion, safety, curiosity, innovation and a sense of purpose.

ADVICE FOR EVOLVING WORKPLACE AND COMPANY CULTURES

Work doesn’t just move to a new address when work-from-anywhere or connect with your team changes so dramatically. Workflows need buy-in to ensure they can shift and still achieve outcomes. Tasks need to be connected proactively – not just assumed that a handoff is smooth and completed. Participation needs to be active and encouraged. 

On top of all that, positive, pro-active statements about new cultural norms need to be explained, or created anew as conditions require. This year, especially, support for national causes or international disaster relief have led companies to re-examine corporate donations and even making CEO statements on current events. Here are a couple examples:

COVID Creates a Moment of Truth for Corporate Culture– an article from Bain & Co. on how workplace and company changed this year.

Helping your Team Recharge Remotely During Pandemic- ideas from the Red Hat Enterprises Project.

YOU CAN HELP IN MANY WAYS. 

NEED HELP? WE'RE HERE FOR YOU. 

We’re encouraging members and our community to help Conscious Capitalism sponsors whose stores are closed or very limited – here are a few ways can you assist:

• Consider personal gifts of a future visit to a restaurant or movie, event etc to support the business. Some people bought a future meal or haircut to keep their favorite stylist, eatery or local retailers afloat.
  
• Reach out to store managers to ask if their teams need additional support, extra work hours or days, if their people are struggling to earn enough.
  
• Ask about their customer’s customer. Many restaurants like Boloco, or caterers such as Basil Tree Catering shifted their business model to do shorter open hours, home delivery or grocery sales. Those may have changed again as restrictions changed; so it makes sense to ask questions, and stay in touch to know the current needs and capabilities.
  
• Offer to help by assisting with other resources from financial planning with workers to daycare or elder check-ins. Even if it’s not your company’s daily business, being a good neighbor counts these days. 

Please email us ideas or your stories of helping out and supporting company culture.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS

September 23rd at 2 PM EST: Conscious Culture Part I: Creating & Sustaining Caring Cultures with Raj Sisodia and Bob Chapman

October 1st at 2 PM EST: Conscious Culture Part II: Fostering a Joyful Work Environment with Peggy Burns

This month’s newsletter shares our announcement and welcome to our newest board member, Kent Gregoire. Then we relay some highlights from our recent online panel discussion. We are each finding a path through daily challenges, navigating the current economic disruption, marches for social justice and other personal changes all while reacting to an extraordinary global pandemic. 

CCB is a growing community and here to help each other to find the combination of purpose, profit, change and support that fits your situation. Please reach out with any questions, or connections, that you need. We’ll keep trying to provide resources that move us all forward.

How the Covid-19 Pandemic is Affecting Stakeholders, Avoiding Balance or Trade-Offs

Engagement helps you find the right business mix

One key theme in a May 28^th panel discussion was the need to “have it all” in today’s business climate – profits and purpose, ethics and fierce competition – and moving quickly enough to make key decisions while serving multiple goals. The pressure of maintaining a company amidst  severe community needs have ramped up demands on management teams and executives.

More than 70 people joined an online discussion to address that balance with Ed Freeman, author of “The Power of And” is a professor at the University of Virginia/Darden School of Business. He was joined by Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates, and Ralph Carlton, co-CEO of King Arthur Flour. A recording of the discussion is available here.

Freeman noted there are dozens of new phrases describing impact investment, inclusive capitalism etc. because the old models are failing to account for all stakeholders. While companies are operating in survival mode, it can be a difficult time to maintain a social mission. But explaining the situation to community and workers is important to give full context and intentions, reducing the risk of being misunderstood.

“Doing the right thing is very, very clear to us,” Carlton said, describing how employee-owned King Arthur company raised its minimum wage to ensure a living wage. “We have monthly open-book meetings with employees to explain financial results.”

Please welcome CCB board member Kent Gregoire

Entrepreneur, community builder and team leader

Consultant and business builder Kent Gregoire has been part of the CCB member community since 2018. He joins the board this summer, with a focus on membership. He’s been an advisor to start-ups and operating company CEOs for years and active in his local area, whether that was in Naples, FL. or Burlington, VT. 

In his work life, he focuses on responsibility centered leadership and selling at the executive level, conscious capitalism education. His non-profit roles have included Girls Inc. career training programs and other progressive causes.

Small Bits Worth Noting

Lowell-based Kronos Inc. is marking Juneteenth holiday, making June 19^th a paid holiday for its workforce, noting via its social channels that this is another step in the work to be done in social justice and equity. The date marks the emancipation of the last U.S. slaves, freed in 1865 in Texas.

Webinars on business restart/growth, transition planning and the importance of analytics are available from the National Center for the Middle Market at The Ohio State University’s business school. Details are here.

Upcoming Events

Giving access to some doesn't mean taking it away from others. We must ensure Black and Latinx entrepreneurs get the support they need. Join us for good on June 22, an evening Zoom discussion on closing the Boston region's racial wealth gap.

HELPING OUT, MAKING CHANGES, PREPARING FOR WHAT’S NEXT

Resetting business and new plans are part of a work-from-home agenda

The local advisories and daily changes in work, school and other activities have all disrupted our usual routine during the coronavirus outbreak. Several Conscious Capitalism/Boston events went “virtual” and local members have found ways to maintain their focus, service, mission and even try new ideas out (let’s call it “innovation” to impress the neighbors, since we’re working from home.)

At Boloco, the burrito and bowl restaurants quickly shifted to serving frontline hospital workers and first responders. Sales weren’t enough to keep the doors open and, eventually, stores were closed with the hope of reopening in May. CEO John Pepper reported that the company was selected for the federal Paycheck Protection Program, using the proceeds to add $2-per-hour in “hazard pay” for every worker who stayed on after March 16^th.

 

Budget questions and stock market strategies led to a new discussion group for Newton-based investment advisor Financial Planning Solutions. CCB Board member Lyman Jackson has been working from his dining table but his four-person company calls the open conversation “Water Cooler” and everyone is invited. The Wednesday gathering is open to clients and the public, to talk about stock market or some other concern, such as whether to refinance a mortgage.

“For example, clients with kids in high school, getting ready for college, typically invest conservatively, because you don’t want to lose 30 percent right before having to write tuition checks,” Jackson said. “We spread the word via LinkedIN and put it together in about a week. We send out an email invitation on Mondays, then share the questions and advice from the Water Cooler. There was a great conversation in April about applying to the Paycheck Protection Program because people wanted to talk about it.”

In late April, Teak Media helped client Project Bread to get the word out about food insecurity. This year’s 52^ndannual Walk for Hunger was remade as a virtual fundraiser when local food pantry donations and volunteer resources were stretched thin. 

Erin McAleer, president of Project Bread, explained the issue. “We are also acutely aware that the 1 in 11 households and 1 in 9 children experiencing food insecurity in Massachusetts right now, are disproportionately impacted by the negative consequences of quarantines, unpaid sick leave, lost wages and school closings.”

She encouraged people in need to seek SNAP benefits, which provides meals on a scale suited to the crisis. Also, we at CCB support donating money – not groceries -- to your town’s food pantry or the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Even co-working spaces such as Workbar and ImpactHub have been building community from a distance, hosting webinars or offering support. Calls and online events to match local people with needed services and supplies are among the ways that office culture is changing. Workbar CEO Sarah Travers wrote to network members saying desks may be farther apart and with partitions, or limited hours, when facilities reopen.

RESOURCES FROM CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM INTERNATIONAL

Thanks to all of you who participated in the online virtual conference events. If you joined the Zoom discussions, webinars or the Slack channel, please note these important updates.

Conscious Capitalism International messages on Slack that were part of the open, free annual conference were discontinued as of May 15th. If you are missing contacts or information from that software, please let us know via email. You can also ask info@consciouscapitalism.org about contacts, or other details, once the Slack channel goes dark.

The national organization also created an opt-in community for anyone looking to learn about Conscious Capitalism or engage with other individuals. That link is: https://www.consciouscapitalism.org/online-community-platform

Please also keep in mind that local New England members can message each other directly from our local site by clicking Members tab and scrolling/clicking any name. We encourage people to suggest event topics, new member introductions and other ways to spread the word about Conscious Capitalism throughout New England.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Stakeholder Management During the Pandemic on May 28 at 2:00 EST