B Local Series: The Impact and Future of B Locals, Overview Episode
Aug 17, 2023
Dirigo Collective
Ever wondered how businesses can leverage their power to transform global economy for the greater good? Buckle up for an enlightening journey as we traverse the landscape of B Locals - a thriving network of businesses committed to creating waves of positive change in their local communities. With Brittany's experience on B Local Boston and Benn's journey with Maine B Corp Champions Group, we delve into the unique dynamics of these communities across North America.
B Locals are not just about businesses, they are about people - people like Nathan, Winnie, Kel, Michelle and Lisa who have reshaped our understanding of event engagement, inclusivity and the power of representation. Hear their compelling stories of changing norms and their inspiring initiatives such as Wisconsin's Libertory Action Committee and B Local Vancouver's justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion chair. They challenge us to rethink our definition of event success and underscore the significant role diversity plays in fostering a truly inclusive community.
In the final phase of our journey, we explore the tangible impact of B Locals. From advocacy to onboarding new board members, these communities are leaving an indelible mark on their regions. As we travel from Vancouver to Florida, we uncover the enormous potential of these communities and the dynamic ways they are shaping their respective regions. Hear Michelle, Kel, Winnie, Nathan, Lisa, and Rose share their experiences, their vision for the future, and a stirring call-to-action for all of us to be intentionally good and reimagine capitalism. So tune in, get inspired, and join us in this relentless pursuit of using business as a force for good.
Ever wondered how businesses can leverage their power to transform global economy for the greater good? Buckle up for an enlightening journey as we traverse the landscape of B Locals - a thriving network of businesses committed to creating waves of positive change in their local communities. With Brittany's experience on B Local Boston and Benn's journey with Maine B Corp Champions Group, we delve into the unique dynamics of these communities across North America.
B Locals are not just about businesses, they are about people - people like Nathan, Winnie, Kel, Michelle and Lisa who have reshaped our understanding of event engagement, inclusivity and the power of representation. Hear their compelling stories of changing norms and their inspiring initiatives such as Wisconsin's Libertory Action Committee and B Local Vancouver's justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion chair. They challenge us to rethink our definition of event success and underscore the significant role diversity plays in fostering a truly inclusive community.
In the final phase of our journey, we explore the tangible impact of B Locals. From advocacy to onboarding new board members, these communities are leaving an indelible mark on their regions. As we travel from Vancouver to Florida, we uncover the enormous potential of these communities and the dynamic ways they are shaping their respective regions. Hear Michelle, Kel, Winnie, Nathan, Lisa, and Rose share their experiences, their vision for the future, and a stirring call-to-action for all of us to be intentionally good and reimagine capitalism. So tune in, get inspired, and join us in this relentless pursuit of using business as a force for good.
Welcome to the responsibly different mini series exploring the different B locals around the United States and Canada. B locals are placed based communities of people that are using business as a force for good in their region. B locals are made up of people and businesses that are helping to transform the global economy to benefit all people, community and the planet. Throughout this series, we will hear from different B local leaders in their community and we will learn about the work they are doing and how others can get involved. In this episode, ben and I are going to share our personal experiences being involved with our communities version of B locals, as well as sharing the thoughts of some of the other leaders from throughout the US and Canada. These leaders we are bringing into this episode are located in Vancouver, canada, portland, oregon, wisconsin, new England, georgia and Florida. You're going to hear selected quotes from longer conversations that I had with them. The full conversations with each of them can be found as its own episode on the show page and I encourage you to listen to them to get to know each of these B local leaders for more than just their role on their B local.
Speaker 2:
Ben, let's dive into this episode. To start us off, I want to share our personal history with our B locals. So for me. Before joining Dear Go Collective, I sat on the board of B Local Boston, which is based out of Boston, and at the time helped serve B Corps mostly in Massachusetts, but also in New Hampshire, maine, vermont and Rhode Island. Since then, the board has shifted and mostly focuses on B Corps in Boston, but also throughout Massachusetts. I was the official BLD or B Corp Leadership Development Conference chair for two years, which at the time was a board role. Prior to taking on that role, I was part of the subcommittee for events for a little over a year, helping to plan the events in and around Boston. How about you, ben? Can you share your experience with your B Local?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, happy to, and actually through you. I joined the BLD committee as content chair for the New England build in both 2021 and 2022. And in that time I got involved with a group of B Corp leaders here in Maine that are organizing around B Corps, kind of like their own B Local of sorts. We're not technically a B Local, though, because one criteria of B Locals is a formal agreement with BLab, the nonprofit certifying B Corps. While we do have a relationship and commitment with to BLab, we are not a formalized nonprofit yet, so we don't technically qualify as a B Local under BLab's criteria. That being said, we are what BLab calls a B Champions Group here in Maine. I imagine, in time, Maine B Corp Champions Group will eventually evolve into something more formal like a B Local. We're just not there yet.
Speaker 2:
Some key points I want to highlight about both of our experiences. B Locals look different. Even right here in New England, where our states are smaller than others in the country. Our communities are asking and need different things. So the way our community comes together and the support BLab gives our B Locals look different, based on that community need. Blab is the nonprofit that holds B Corps accountable and does the certifying of B Corps. I had the pleasure of catching up with Rose LaValle, the B Local Program Manager at BLab. Here she is explaining a bit more about how B Locals started.
Speaker 1:
You know I wasn't there, but I've heard lots of great stories and like how things were set up. And I do want to point out that it wasn't BLab who said, hey, let's start these localized groups of B Corps. It was the community saying, oh, hey, we're all B Corps, we live in the same city, we should connect, like let's meet up, let's share best practices. So it's really grassroots of the community, like we just want to be together. And then B Lab noticing that and saying, oh, let's start a program, let's, how can we support these groups? Our goal is to support every B Local group, no matter what their stages or their goals are. We want to help support them in growing and reaching their goals.
Speaker 3:
And the great thing about this is each B Local that has formed the reason for why they formed, or how they started or what they are focused on now can look however they need it to look. Here is Winnie Malumba from the For Good movement, based out of Florida.
Speaker 4:
The For Good movement was founded to support business communities in Florida that wanted to be more responsible by using business as a force for good. We welcome any type of business, no matter where they are in their B Corp journey. We just want them to be in community, and then it can take them a month, it can take them a year to get theirs.
Speaker 3:
And why Florida started their formalized nonprofit is not all that different from the way the board of B Local Vancouver started. However, their end results are different because they serve different communities. This is Michelle Reed, the current board chair of B Local Vancouver, talking about her perspective on becoming a B Corp and joining the Vancouver community.
Speaker 5:
Why would a business do this? And so just was really kind of introduced to this whole world of like using business as a force for good and just understanding this whole network of companies that were doing these really cool things and just understanding that there was such a power behind it, and I really wanted to be in a community where I felt valued and that I kind of shared those same ideals.
Speaker 2:
I couldn't agree more. I personally feel similar to what Michelle is sharing here, and I think that it's true for a lot of people. We all just want to feel valued, to feel like we belong and, to no one's surprise, nathan Stuck of B Local Georgia started his B Local his way by just being in the right room at the right time, finding people that he wanted to find, a place where all could feel like they belong.
Speaker 6:
I don't know that I ever envisioned this when I started it a little alone, that I'd also have my own company. I think I was just trying to I don't know be a connector, and the connecting led to some amazing stuff.
Speaker 2:
Amazing. Stuff is correct, nathan. You started B Local Georgia and seeing all that the group has become is amazing. What we see here with all of these people are very thoughtful leaders, all acknowledging that their communities need help gathering and coming together. And because we are B Corps, we love sharing best practices with one another to find each person's strength and tap into it. B Locals help to provide that local community connection. To do just that. First you will hear Lisa Giesen Bauer, current chair of B Local Wisconsin, sharing a bit about how their group approaches collaboration work, while respecting that this is volunteer led and everyone has their own strengths. Then you'll hear Nathan again with his thoughts on collaboration.
Speaker 7:
We've really, I mean, leaned into what we're good at and I think because of that, we're able to do things that might be more challenging for other B locals if you don't have folks that have these experiences. And so, really, event planning, I mean we've done some really great events because most of our board are really folks who have to done have done some level of event planning in their professional careers. Figure out who your volunteers are, figure out what they're good at and what they're passionate about and then tap into them, coming into every conversation from a place of mutual respect and understanding and also grace. My sister in law is a minister and she's always talking about how we respond in kindness and you respond with grace. I think that's really important, because shouting at somebody or getting into a heated debate is not the way to go, and I know that sometimes people think that that's okay. I'm not a big fan of that. I'm more on the lines of let's work together to come up with an understanding and let's move forward from that place of shared understanding.
Speaker 6:
We need to all be intentionally good and let's all support each other and do business with each other and open doors for each other and reimagine capitalism. I think that's what we're trying to do, so we can do it together. So Atlanta just has this like energy and this, like this vibe to it of like abundance and people trying to collaborate, you know. So I think that's it. It's just like I think we need to stop trying so hard and just do a little more like authentic connecting and finding common ground and meeting people and having conversations and just being and being present.
Speaker 4:
I struggle with the idea that silos exist and even within the B-COP community I can see how that we try so much to eliminate it, like we try so much to work in silos. That's why we have all these groups and we have all this like, yeah, the behave groups and networks, but I think to some extent we still fall short of working in silos.
Speaker 3:
This last voice was Winnie, again from Florida, and this small part of the larger conversation where Winnie and Brittany start talking about silos in her full episode is definitely worth checking out for sure. The two of them talk about how, historically, working culture in the West is often viewed through an individualistic lens. It's your work, your thoughts, your time put into the project. But now, and especially in the B-COP community, as we have seen and heard from these B local leaders, everyone wants to support each other and share their experience and what they have learned, done or know, because we have seen how much more we can accomplish together. The reality is, working in silos with your head down will not get you any further in today's modern work culture. From the conversation with Cal Moody, chair of B Local PDX, which serves Portland, oregon, cal shares a similar sentiment.
Speaker 8:
I've really just been very involved and very absorbed in it and committed a lot of time to this community and I it's, you know, paid back in, you know all sorts of different reciprocal ways.
Speaker 4:
Tenfold at least just the value of relationships and so I think the B-COP community, you know, is a great community to be in, and the beauty about being in a community is it requires the participation of all stakeholders for it to really be transformative and successful.
Speaker 2:
These two, cal and Winnie, weren't in the same conversation but because they both fully believe in the B-COP movement and are part of it, the feeling they share is mutual. You get out what you put in, and for these two, they are putting a lot of work into this movement and seeing the benefits of that hard work.
Speaker 3:
One thing that I really respected was this sharing moment. That happened both with Lisa from Wisconsin and Winnie from Florida, in the conversations they had with you, brittany, about how they might not always agree with their entire board about every issue, but how their B-locals are still able to come to the table together and find commonality.
Speaker 7:
As a sociologist, when I talk to anybody, I find where we have commonality points, and so I think we need to establish shared meaning and then from that shared meaning, you can have a conversation.
Speaker 4:
We all have, you know, common things that we care about from a personal level or a professional level. So when we develop communities that acknowledge and support these values that we care about, then we are just doing ourselves a huge favor, really by lightning you're lightning the stress loads that we face every day just by existing in the world, you know.
Speaker 2:
Not to completely shift gears on you all, but one of my favorite things to talk about with the B-local leaders was the challenges that they see for their group and how they are overcoming these.
Speaker 1:
Rose says it best yeah, I think you know each B-local. As we know. They're all different. They experienced different issues, but we have seen common threads and a lot of times it's around engagement and governance and succession of leaders.
Speaker 2:
And Kel from PDX talks about the event struggles that they all saw.
Speaker 8:
I think that events are a really good way to get people feeling excited and feeling hopeful and optimistic. Yeah, I mean, you know, being the board chair through the pandemic was really challenging, you know. I think it was hard to maintain engagement because there was so much going on for people and on some level I'm kind of like we couldn't have expected anything other than that. But there was some good support shown through it and I think it was. I think we're at this point where we're kind of shifting what our expectations are around event engagement. I think you know as much as our events. People seem to find our events, you know, through feedback that we get seem to find them really valuable and worthwhile.
Speaker 8:
The attendance is still not where it was. I think there's just a general shift in people's priorities, you know. I think that people are really getting burnt out from virtual events, so we're kind of leaning away from doing more of that. But we also, you know, we're seeing less attendance in our in-person events and I think that's partially because people are just being really judicious about where they are choosing to spend their time and I actually totally think that's great. I think, you know, maybe we just need to shift our what does success look like? From, you know, max number of people to just the quality of the event itself and the quality of the engagement, because I think we are getting really strong quality of engagement, we are having really meaningful events and it's been. I think you know just a different way of looking at success. The other challenge that we've experienced, that I think a lot of the B Corp community experiences is just like trying to make sure that our community is representative of the diverse voices that exist in the business world.
Speaker 3:
Absolutely. It's so important to always be striving for authentic and inclusive representation, not just at our events, but also within our business communities as a whole.
Speaker 2:
I really appreciated Nathan's perspective on how he's approaching this work in Georgia.
Speaker 6:
Tawana was like I'll take on the Jedi work and making sure that you know what we're doing and what our strategy is, and because I'm passionate about that work, but I shouldn't be the one doing that work. I should be the one supporting that work.
Speaker 2:
He came to his own realization that he needs to step back and support, but he can't and shouldn't be the one leading this charge. I commend this realization.
Speaker 3:
Well, and similarly, Wisconsin created a committee to support this work. Lisa and her board created the Libertory Action Committee, which I found really interesting.
Speaker 7:
So this is the definition Derry brought to the board and then the whole board approved it. The Libertory Action Committee exists to anchor justice, dignity and liberty at the center of Be Local Wisconsin's foundation, our programmatic functions, our visionary direction and statewide impact. So in layman's terms, basically we're going to be running all of the different committee activities through the Libertory Action Committee to make sure that we are really centering these concepts of justice, dignity and liberty into all of our actions, which I am beyond excited about. I'm so happy to have Derry on our board.
Speaker 2:
One thing that Lisa really leans into is having her committee chairs create their own committee names and to define what the purpose of that committee is. It all goes back to the idea that we shared earlier from her about honing in on what your volunteers are good at and tapping into that, giving them the freedom to create what their own work looks like.
Speaker 3:
That makes a ton of sense and I think is super brilliant on their part. I know Be Local Vancouver has their version to help with representing underrepresented groups by having a justice, equity, diversity and inclusion chair. Here's Michelle talking about events and how this work manifests at those events.
Speaker 5:
Be Local Vancouver is one of the four Be Locals that actually has a Jedi chair. I think there's a real opportunity leading up to champions retreat for us to really ask ourselves what is our approach to reconciliation and how are we actually interacting with the different Indigenous nations that are here in Vancouver and what could that possibly even look like? I think we're always telling other folks to be brave, but I think it's time for us to maybe lean a bit more into that work and be a bit more brave ourselves as we lead up to champions retreat and beyond. Really, because it's relationship building and what role do we play in that? Understanding that, how can we provide this? We've been providing in English. How do we bring French translation into this? It's really exciting this year.
Speaker 5:
I think last year was the first year we started collaborating with other Be Locals and we were like hey, in Canada, do you want to join us? Do you want to be part of the planning process in terms of speakers and things like that? We've continued that collaboration this year Never tried before. In October, we are going to do one Be Local Quebec will be kind of being the lead and we'll be supporting, but it will be mostly in French.
Speaker 3:
Michelle. Here is talking about how their Be Local in Vancouver joined forces with Be Local Quebec to host events as part of their BLD and to ensure their events are accessible for all. They will be hosting future events in French to accommodate the French speakers across the various provinces in Canada.
Speaker 2:
While Vancouver is working to host events in a way that's easy for all Canadians to attend and on topics that they all want to learn about, the Florida community is very focused on advocacy.
Speaker 4:
It's just, we have to also redefine what advocacy means to us as an organization, and to what extent do we want to be involved with and how do we want to do it? How do we want to train our business members to be a part of it? So I think it's a whole beast in its own and we have to be careful on how we want to address it.
Speaker 2:
Florida businesses have been pressured hard to understand where they stand. We commend the For Good movement for helping leave this charge for businesses in Florida who are navigating this at a time when they are also being challenged by other conversations.
Speaker 4:
Being that we have been in existence for five years. Typically, you tend to revise your strategic plan every five years and look at like oh, what are we going to do in the next five years? What's our long-term goal? So we are in that state where we are trying to identify how we want to grow, where we want to go, what we want to do, who we want to involve, and that is usually like a really intense process because it involves a lot of players and you have to have hard conversations as well, like who do you really want to be in our community?
Speaker 3:
Speaking of growing with intention, something that I picked up on that I thought was really cool and a really great model for not just B locals but, honestly, any non-profit are some of the practices that B local PDX are implementing in Portland Oregon. So they realized that they needed more time to onboard their incoming board members and having more overlap time with the folks that are rotating off the board. In doing that, the process is going to benefit the organization as a whole so much more and really improve folks onboarding and that knowledge transfer of the folks coming off the board.
Speaker 8:
We're actually starting recruitment for 2024 this month. We used to do recruitment for the following year in October and have selections made by the end of November and then just have people start right away. This year we're starting it early because we want the last quarter of the year to have opportunities for shadowing, because we realized that when we brought new board members in, it took them sometimes a quarter or maybe two to really get their toes wet and really understand what we did and how we did it, and so we just realized that there was so much catch up and onboarding that was happening that it just really limited our ability to move things forward quickly.
Speaker 2:
All this to say, all the B locals are working to support their communities in what they see that they need.
Speaker 1:
Some groups have really become sustainable in terms of revenue, in succession and recruitment in kind of collective action journeys, regularly convening and connecting like opportunities and events, having a very connected B Corp community, b Corp partnerships and collaboration. That's kind of leads, the connection leads to those collaborations and partnerships and successful events and B Corp leadership development conferences or failed conferences, as I know you know Bretney, and becoming formalized or organized like as organizations, so not for profits, fiscally sponsored.
Speaker 2:
And yes, tap into all the B locals where your business touches, not just the B local for the community where your company is headquartered. Encourage your remote workers to get involved in their communities. And when we think about future hopes and plans, Rose shared her thoughts from her perspective at B Lab.
Speaker 1:
For years. I'd like to see sustainable and formalized organizations that are B locals, that are strong and there's a strong and healthy partnership between the locals and B Lab us in Canada. I also want to see the locals who would like that that they're in a position to hire staff so they could lead to more capacity. I'd also like to see 100% of the B Corps in US and Canada have a B local group to engage with. Right now we're around 80%. And one thing I'd like to leave with is you know I've been working with my colleagues Becca Cork and Carson Bolding on network strategy, so this includes B locals as well as other groups based around, you know, identity, role, industry or impact. We would like to see that there is a network for everybody.
Speaker 2:
We're going to leave you with some wisdom from Nathan.
Speaker 6:
No, I think you know I mean I love this community. I think everybody knows that I'm grateful for this opportunity to come on. I appreciate you having me. It's been great getting to know you over the last really like two years, as we got to know each other on those build planning calls and now we're like old friends, you and Ben, and it's like it's just like it's just fun to see your face and watch your success and yeah, I just hope everybody, like you know, come to build Southeast. You know, come down if you're ever in Atlanta.
Speaker 6:
Like some people from Climate First Bank are coming up next week. Like I'm happy to try to set something up or plan something or get you out, get you to a happy hour, like meet some of the community, so like whatever I can do, um, and obviously keep your your your eyes on your inbox because you might get a note from me saying I'm coming, um, but yeah, I just, I just continue to all be intentionally good and let's all support each other and do business with each other and open doors for each other and, uh, and reimagine capitalism. I think that's what we're trying to do, so we can do it together.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for tuning into this episode, ben and I learned so much from these conversations with the local leaders from all over the US and Canada. This community of people. They are so welcoming and willing to share everything. It's truly amazing. We feel so honored to be in community with them. I hope that from this conversation you learned something new from one or all of them and if you want more, remember that what you just heard was only a tiny bit of the full conversation that I had with each one of them.
Speaker 2:
Depending on when you're listening to this episode, each day, following the release of this overview episode, we will be dropping one of the full conversations with each of the B local leaders, so check out the show page for each of those. Michelle shares so much about inclusivity at events. Kel talks about the succession planning their board has learned over the years. Lisa highlights how remote workers might be a whole new area for you to tap into for your community building. Nathan shares his secrets to being intentional when networking. Winnie shares how important community is and how working with them drives the work forward. And Rose she does a great job talking about the success and challenges and hopes for the future with each B local and B lab. Needless to say, they are each so special of conversations and we're so very fun to record. Thank you all for listening to them, for being a part of this community, for pushing us to continue to bring you this meaningful content.
Speaker 2:
I'm honored to be the one having these conversations. If there is one thing I can leave you with as homework is to visit the B local website and find which B local is closest to you. Don't worry, I'm going to link it in the show notes. These B local communities. They want to welcome you, they want to work with you, they want to see you and meet you. So reach out to them, attend their next event. Okay, thanks so much for listening today. I hope you come back for another episode. Until next time, be responsibly different.
Speaker 3:
This episode was produced by Brittany.
Speaker 2:
Angelo and Ben Marine Music was titled Bright Future. Bright Future was licensed by certified B Corp Marmoset Music. To access more resources on how you can use business as a force for good, visit responsiblydifferentcom. Responsibly different is a project of Deergo Collective. Deergo Collective is a certified B Corp and 1% for the planet member dedicated to amplifying mission driven brands through data driven strategies. To learn more about Deergo Collective, visit Deergo Collectivecom. That's D-I-R-I-G-O Collectivecom or visit the link in your podcast player. Thank you for tuning in. We appreciate you.