Delaware Recognizes Benefit Corporations – A Conversation With the Early Adopters

 Who We Are: “Part of Method’s mission is to show that business

can be a force for social and environmental good. Delaware benefit corporation law enables responsible businesses like

Method to practice a more enlightened form of corporate governance that includes not only financial objectives, but social

and environmental objectives.”

The Future: “Our hope is that this legislation spurs the development of a robust sector of our economy comprised of

businesses that do well by doing good, paving the way for more progressive policy, and ultimately, a more symbiotic relationship

between business and society.”

– Adam Lowry, Co-Founder and Chief Greenskeeper, Method Products

Who We Are: "Our hope for the next 10 years is to bring the very best nutrition to every highchair and lunchbox in America, and to make a dent on infant and toddler food insecurity here in the US by providing little ones with a healthy start in life. “

The Future: “As a certified B Corp of nearly six years, and now a PBC, we are even more committed

to our core values and to being in service to our consumer in a very transparent and deliberate way."  

- Neil Grimmer, Co-founder & President, Plum Organics

Who We Are: “The soul of Alter Eco is global transformation through ethical relationships with small-scale farmers, and an integral sustainability orientation at every point of the supply chain.”

The Future: “Our hope is that more and more entrepreneurs will plan and build their businesses around serving the public interest and common good, and place the mission at the center of their company’s purpose.”

- Mathieu Senard, Cofounder and CEO

Who We Are: “The Farmigo team is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of a better food system by enabling families to eat healthier and delivering locally grown food to households across the country. Our decisions and success is driven by what is best for our consumers, farmers on our network, and our employees.”

The Future: “B Corp provides the legal legitimacy to make decisions based on our values as well as sends a clear signal to our community that our perspective is their long term benefit and not short term financial gain. In the next ten years, the most successful IPOs will be companies founded by social entrepreneurs.”

- Benzi Ronen, CEO/Founder

Who We Are: “It is our mission to inspire a fundamental shift toward sustainability in the paper industry. Use of New Leaf papers

extends the highest sustainable environmental values into the world of fine commercial and publication print as well as in office,

business, and copier paper product paper consumption. We will continue to set the bar of sustainable papers.”

The Future: “Legislation alone cannot change behavior; rather they can support and make it easier for a new community of

private enterprise companies to step up and change the culture by creating a responsible new economy based on doing what is right for both the local community and society at large without harm to

the earth. It is our hope that the next ten years will see the private sector make a fundamental shift in overall cultural values through

a growing and successful B Corp movement.”

- Jeff Mendelsohn, Founder

Who We Are: “Grassroots exists to create opportunities for investors, big and small, to better align their savings and investments with their values.  Alongside our votes, community participation and consumer choices, our financial resources are an important — and underutilized — tool for us to express our vision for the future and build a more just and sustainable world.  Investing money in institutions that don't share -- or work actively against — our values goes a long way toward offsetting all the good we may try to do through our other choices.”

The Future: “Public Benefit Corps offer investors another way, together with their purchasing power, to support companies that have explicitly aligned their objectives and values. As PBCs proliferate, we see investors reconnecting with corporations that act in their name but often against their values and interests. Given the global reach and power of corporations, there is no more effective way to build the world we want.”

- Paul DiLeo, President

Who We Are: “RSF offers investing, lending, and giving services that generate positive social and environmental impact while fostering community and collaboration among participants. This legislation helps us identify the types of companies that RSF Social Finance seeks to fund: those that are genuinely dedicated to positive social and environmental impact.”

The Future: “As the number of benefit corporations grows, so will the number of investors and finance organizations like RSF.  In ten years, we expect to see this market take off, meaning more players entering the market and more money flowing through business communities that benefit both people and planet.”

- Don Schaffer, President and CEO

Who We Are: “Our purpose is to connect people with meaningful work. The problem: at present, there are more people seeking “meaningful work” than there are companies who provide it.”

The Future: “Our hope is that as companies begin to adopt higher standards of transparency, accountability and purpose – this will lead to a more just, prosperous and meaningful work environment for all.”

- Tim Masson, CEO

Who We Are: “Our mission is to scale a new-economy professional services firm that operates profitably at the intersection of our Quad Bottom Line -- Social, Environmental, Spiritual, and Financial -- while serving as a model of leadership for knowledge firms that leverage their talents for value creation. ”

The Future: “We hope that Delaware's enactment of benefit corporation law will enable us to inspire a new standard of corporate stewardship that turns awareness into meaningful action.”

- Christopher Marston, Esq., CEO, Exemplar Companies

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