John Abrams 

18th Annual VBSR Spring Conference

We hope you were able to join us for VBSR's 18th Annual Spring Conference in Burlington! 

You can download the full Conference brochure PDF here:

2008 Spring Conference Brochure (1012K)

Conference Details 

Wed, May 14, 2008 - 7:45 am - 6:00 pm - IDX Student Life Center, Champlain College, Burlington, VT

Cost: $150 for members; $200 for non-members

VBSR's 18th Annual Spring Conference will feature keynote speaker, John Abrams, Co-Founder and CEO of South Mountain Company, and author of 'The Company We Keep: Reinventing Small Business for People, Community and Place.'   The event will also feature 20 workshops, exhibits by your business peers, an extensive silent auction, local food, and a special performance of The Boycott and a cocktail party to finish the day.

This year's keynote speaker, John Abrams, author of 'The Company We Keep,' will speak about 'Building for Change.'  Abrams, Co-Founder and CEO of South Mountain Company has much to tell about his philosophy that business is a community comprised of everyone it touches.  His company has grown from a 3-person carpentry experiment to a financially successful worker-owned cooperative, in which employee owners are eager to share in the responsibilities and rewards of ownership.

We're looking forward to another great conference in 2008. Join us for a day of inspiration, idea-sharing, and networking! 

Conference Schedule

7:45 - 8:30 - Registration and Reception  - Light breakfast provided by Onion River Co-op/City Market

8:30 - 9:00 - Welcome and Remarks - Will Patten, Executive Director of VBSR; Julie Lineberger, Chair of the Board, VBSR

9:15 - 10:30 - CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS, SESSION A

We all have different ideas about the challenges of building a socially responsible business. How do we make decisions about social responsibility? Attend one of three morning sessions with VBSR’s businesses, large, medium and small, each focusing on a single aspect of the multiple bottom line.

• 1 - Environmental Impact - Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation; July Sanders, Magnolia; Moderator; Jacob Park, Green Mountain College
  

• 2 - Respectful Workplace - Jan Blittersdorf, NRG Systems; Michael Belenky, Zutano; Chuck Reiss, Reiss Building & Renovations; Moderator: Stephanie Lahar, Stephanie Lahar and Associates, LLC

• 3 - Stakeholder Community - Rob Michalak, Ben & Jerry’s; Sarah McGinley-Smith, King Arthur Flour; Paul Ralston, Vermont Coffee Company; Moderator: Judy Warriner Walke, Collaboration & Planning Consultant
  

11:00 - 1:00 - Networking Lunch -

• 11:30 - Remarks from Governor Jim Douglas
• 12:00 - 1:00 - Keynote Address - "Building For Change," John Abrams, Author of The Company We Keep: Reinventing Small Business for People, Community, and Place
  

1:15 - 2:30 - CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS, SESSION B

• 4 - VBSR for Spring Conference Newcomers
• Will Patten, VBSR
• Moderator: Mary Fillmore, Changing Work

If you are new to the VBSR conference, this session will start you off on the right foot. VBSR staff, Program Committee and Board members will respond to your questions about what social responsibility can mean for your particular business and how to carry it out, or they will suggest where you can find answers throughout the day’s activities. This session is a good starting point for a productive day of useful information and beneficial networking.

• 5 - Exploring the Rewards and Challenges of Running an Early Stage Socially Responsible Business
• Michelle Hobbs, Bleu Sky Creative
• Ben Kaufman, Kluster, Inc.
• AJ Rossman, Draker Laboratories
• Miro Weinberger, The Hartland Group
• Moderator: Brian Dunkiel, Shems Dunkiel Kassel & Saunders PLLC

What on earth could a renewable energy software developer, a graphic design studio, a web site for community collaboration, and a real estate developer have in common? They all strive to meet a social mission and are all run by young CEOs. Come and hear some of Vermont’s brightest, up-and-coming entrepreneurs talk about how they had the chutzpah to launch their business, how they are bringing their ideas to fruition, how they view the role of their business’s social mission, the challenges and rewards they’ve encountered from the outset, and what they expect for the future.

• 6 - Community Partnerships: Businesses Responding to Needs in a Time of Change
• Charles Dinklage, AXA Advisors
• Douglas O’Brien, Vermont Foodbank
• Helen Whyte, The Vermont Country Store
• Moderator: Geof Brown, The Vermont Country Store

Just as businesses are faced with changing climates, so too are our communities and the myriad oforganizations that operate within them.  Discover ways that companies are responding to these changes by supporting their communities through a variety of community service programs, volunteerism, long-term partnerships with selected organizations, and philanthropic programs such as corporate-sponsored charitable funds. Hear about best practices, and compare and contrast programs that are either tried and true, or are in experimental or developmental phases. Come and share your stories, and learn from the experiences of your peers. You may also find opportunities for collaboration among businesses with similar community goals in mind.

• 7 - Going from Diversity to Inclusion - and What's the Difference?
• Hal Colston, NeighborKeepers and Good News Garage
• Merryn Rutledge, ReVisions LLC

This workshop begins with the proposition that having a diverse work force is just part of the way to an inclusive work place. VBSR companies seek ways of doing business better—caring about human community, financial health, and sustainability that includes reckoning with increasingly diverse markets and customer bases. Yet we find many organizations that gently, unintentionally exclude their diversity potential. The results have an impact upon recruitment, retention and brand, which in turn influence organizational health in all (SR) senses of the word. In this session, you will participate in proven activities that heighten understanding of key diversity concepts, and gain new understanding about how to be inclusive in practices and interactions. Curtiss Reed, Jr., ALANA Community Organization, also joins us in sharing VT employer challenges and successful practices.

• 8 - Measuring, Mitigating and Managing Your Business's Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Paul Comey, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters;
• Allison Hooper, Vermont Butter & Cheese Co.
• Maree Gaetani, Gardener’s Supply Co.
• Greg Strong, Spring Hill Solutions

Carbon management is an increasingly relevant topic in the business world, particularly as customer values evolve, energy costs rise, the possibility of carbon regulation appears on the horizon, and risks and opportunities around “carbon exposure” become more real. Businesses have an increasing interest in reducing their energy usage, enhancing their environmental profile, and planning strategically for a warming and carbon constrained future. We’ll discuss the reasons for measuring and understanding your greenhouse gas emissions, how to do it, and ways to use the results to save money, strengthen your brand, and prepare for the future. You’ll also hear about real-world examples of businesses engaged in the process, explore available tools, and talk about the emerging carbon landscape.

• 9 - Taking CSR to the World: What Vermont Businesses can Gain by Exporting our Values
• Ralph Meima, Marlboro College
• Matt Mole, Vermont Organic Fiber
• Ian Diamondstone, ForesTrade
• Moderator: Carolyn Schmidt, ECOLOGIA

 Vermont business people know that good corporate citizenship is an asset to the community, and an important part of improving their “triple bottom line” —economic, environmental, and social performance.  With globalization, however, our business partners—customers, suppliers, and workers—are increasingly likely to come from other countries. How can we best engage business partners from other countries on our own CSR terms? How can we export Vermont “best CSR practices” to include our foreign partners, and increase our own comparative advantage? How can we benefit from developing a new global model of CSR in practice? Bring your questions and experiences, and come away with new ideas and increased confidence to put your CSR values into action in the global arena.

• 10 - The World Wide Web Comes Home: How 'Local Online' is Changing Your Business
• Richard Donnelly, Burlington Telecom
• Christopher Grotke and Lise LePage, iBrattleboro.com
• Chris Middings, Seventh Generation and Champlain College
• Paula Routly, Seven Days
• Moderator: Michael Wood-Lewis, Front Porch Forum

The fifth great wave of the Internet—after communication, commerce, search and social networking — may well be “local.” People increasingly look online for answers to local questions about shoe stores, plumber recommendations, meeting people, directions, crime reports and more. A vast array of tools and services are being developed in Vermont to meet this demand. Much of this activity is fueled by online ad sales, which grew nationally to $20 billion in 2007. The Internet is driving business change, and companies are learning how to use this medium to focus on local markets. This session will provide attendees with concepts and tips for keeping up and getting ahead.

• 11 - Securing the Mission of a Socially Responsible Business: A Conversation with John Abrams - sponsored by Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO)
• John Abrams, South Mountain Company
• Moderator: Don Jamison, Vermont Employee Ownership Center

How can the social mission of a company be passed on to the next generation within the business, and inscribed more deeply into its structure? Employee ownership and careful planning for leadership succession are parts of the answer at South Mountain Company. Bring your thoughts and questions for keynoter John Abrams.

• 12 - Heating Things Up Under the Dome - sponsored by Benefit Design & Strategies, LLC
• Pat Heffernan, Marketing Partners
• Melinda Moulton, Main Street Landing
• Leslie Nulty, Focal Point Advisory Services
• Moderator: Andrea Cohen, VBSR

Get caught up on what’s sizzling at the statehouse.  Andrea Cohen, VBSR’s legislative coordinator, and our three “Action Team” chairs will review what’s been accomplished, what’s left on our agenda for this session, and what’s happening right now in Montpelier. They’ll talk specifics about VBSR’s policy priority areas for this year—energy, health care, and workforce development—and lead a lively look ahead to the start of the new biennium in January. We are committed to providing our members with a bold policy voice, so come prepared to share your revolutionary public policy ideas.

3:00 - 4:15 - CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS, SESSION C

• 13 - Carbon Lite Lunch: A Tool to Promote Greener Business
• Marge Keough, Chittenden Solid Waste District
• Deb Sachs, Alliance for Climate Action/10% Challenge
• Leah Wittenberg, Vermont Earth Institute

Whether your office is just beginning to consider its environmental impact or has been involved in “green” issues for years, Carbon Lite Lunch workshops can help spark company conversations that lead to change. The workshops are designed to connect you and your office with resources, information and inspiration to assist in reducing your office’s waste, energy consumption and transportation use. In this session, you will learn how to set up the workshops at your business, and you’ll gain an understanding of the anticipated outcomes.  Learn from panelists with a storehouse of knowledge and experience in addressing energy and waste reduction, hear about how the lunches are already working within companies, and get ready to turn your intentions into action.

• 14 - Bringing it All Back Home: Socially Responsible & Community Investing in Vermont
• Will Belongia, Vermont Community Loan Fund
• Elizabeth Glenshaw, Calvert Foundation
• Rick Hausman, Clean Yield Asset Management

More and more Vermont companies are choosing investment strategies that combine financial return with social good, a practice commonly known as “socially responsible investing” (SRI). In general, socially responsible investors favor organizations that are environmentally responsible, support workplace diversity or have some additional community impact involved in their work. This workshop will focus on the strong and growing role that corporate and individual investors are playing in SRI and business & economic development throughout Vermont.  Learn about the varied SRI strategies and tools available right here in Vermont, how you can access local SRI funds to grow your business, tax advantages from SRI, and why you don’t have to be part of the Fortune 500 to get involved and make a difference.

• 15 - Marketing on a (Natural, Organic, Sustainable, Socially Responsible) Shoestring
• Sarah Forbes, Sarah Forbes Creative
• Erik Filkorn, Community & Media Relations
• Jason Pelletier, Found Line, Inc.
• Lisabeth Magoun, American Flatbread/Lareau Farm
  
• Moderator: Liz Schlegel, Found Line, Inc.

Bring your great ideas and burning questions to this lively and fun-filled discussion of penny-pinching marketing tactics. What are the most useful things you can do right now with $500? What are the things that you can safely ignore? Get free advice from experienced marketing professionals, and share your guerrilla-marketing success stories.  From start-ups to seasoned marketers, everyone needs to know how to be frugal in a tough market.  Here’s your chance to combine frugality and social responsibility!

• 16 - SR Metrics: Measuring Social, Environmental and Financial Performance
• Leigh Cole, Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew
• Allison Furbish, King Arthur Flour
• Clem Nilan, Onion River Co-op/City Market

How do you measure the Return on Investment of your company’s socially responsible business practices? The effects of some practices can be easily quantified; others may be much more difficult to measure. Do lower energy costs mean you are reducing your carbon footprint? Does higher mployee turnover signal an unhappy workplace?  Understanding how to measure your progress can be complex.  Hear how several businesses are developing their own methods beginning with their company’s baseline measurements and tracking progress in the areas of employee practices, community involvement, and environmental impact.

• 17 - From the World of Higher Education: Insights from the Research Department of SR Business
• Polly Chandler, Antioch University New England
• Rita Hardiman, Goddard College
• David Jones, The University of Vermont
• Ralph Meima, Marlboro College
• Bill Prado, Green Mountain College

Vermont continues to develop as an active hub of innovation in research related to sustainable business practices that help socially responsible business and nonprofit organizations create and maintain competitive advantage. In this panel discussion experts from sustainable business education programs in Vermont colleges share practical information that VBSR members can apply in the areas of marketing, emerging technology, ownership structures, recruitment and retention, finance, and organizational culture and change. Learn about recent empirical findings in each of these areas, and how they can support the success of sustainable practices in your business.

• 18 - Open Book Management: Encouraging Employees to Think Like Owners
• Meredith Martin Davis, High Mowing Organic Seeds
• Clay Adams, Resource Systems Group
• John Wall, WallGoldfinger

Successful business people naturally understand the value of a strong, committed team of employees.  For some business owners, creating a collaborative atmosphere means opening up the company’s books and sharing information on financial performance, current challenges, and strategies to address them. They believe strongly that this insight encourages employees to problem-solve, gives them a greater understanding of how their contribution affects the company’s success, and increases their willingness to accept accountability for their actions. In this session you’ll hear stories of how three companies instituted this management practice, their course corrections along the way, and why they believe open-book management is not simply a “feel-good” practice, but a critical component to their business success.

• 19 - Socially Responsible Supervision: The Art of Channeling Employee Energies
• Erin Preston, Onion River Animal Hospital
• Rachel Lee Cummings, Armistead Caregiver Services
• Gary Sexton, Green Mountain Power
• Moderator: Flip Brown, Business Culture Consultants

No one wants to work for “the boss” who tells you what to do, and it also doesn’t work to just “hire good people and hope that it all works out.” Join us for a lively interactive discussion on delivering clear expectations, the concept of mutual accountability, the difference between authoritative and authoritarian, and what to do when your team is out of alignment. Three panelists will share their experiences of implementing and sustaining supervision practices that empower employees yet get results. Make your “vision” more “super.

• 20 - Sustainable Business Groups: A Case Study, and How to Start One Near You
• Andrew Meyer, Vermont Soy
• Tom Stearns, High Mowing Organic Seeds

No sustainable business is an island. Creating and keeping a small, socially responsible company afloat presents challenges you’d much rather face with the creativity and help of your peers, many of whom are having similar experiences. Learn about a group of business people in northern Vermont who gather monthly to hatch ideas to help each other—from sharing warehouse space and employees to co-marketing products, reviewing marketing plans, and much more. Come ready to share your own experiences and dreams about cooperating with like-minded businesses to help you support your community and the environment, and improve your financial bottom line.

4:25 - 4:40 - Conference Closing Remarks; Silent auction item pick-up

4:40 - 5:00 - Kathryn Blume Performance - The Boycott

5:00 - 6:00 - Post-Conference Party!  Networking Reception hosted by Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, and Engineering Ventures.  Come and unwind while sharing your news and insights from the day with colleagues, peers and friends.