Companies that back up environmental rhetoric with action are proliferating. Here’s a handful of the best in the Columbia River Basin
Clockwise from top left: Mainstem Malt; Flynner Homes; Urban Eden Farm, GloryBee; A to Z Wineworks
By Jordan Rane. January 21, 2021. Any corporation can theoretically perform good. Stick a “B” in front of that word, however, and it becomes official.
Certified B Corporations aren’t just about turning a profit. The for-profit entities are also geared toward generating a positive impact on people, communities and the environment.
“B Corps” are businesses accredited with “benefit” status by the nonprofit B Lab organization. After receiving certification, companies must amend legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose. (Related “benefit corporations” are state-managed legal structures for a business.)
It’s an increasingly popular idea. B Lab launched in 2006. There are now 3,500 certified B Corps in over 70 countries.
So how did Columbia Insight select the top B Corps in the Columbia River Basin from a list that exceeds 100 B Corps in the Portland area alone? By singling out businesses that have shown a commitment to environmental improvement, garnered multiple awards and demonstrated the founding principle of the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence: “Using business as a force for good.”
Centered field: Mainstem Malt co-founders Alyssa Martinez-Neumann and Phil Neumann. Courtesy of Mainstem Malt
What: Craft malt producer
Why: A commitment to sustainable, family farm-raised malt
In the Columbia River Basin, the country’s largest corporate barley malt production zone, Mainstem Malt is on a David vs. Goliath mission. The small company procures premium grain grown by local farmers, then guides the harvest through select Pacific Northwest maltsters working to spec, before marketing sustainable, traceable, conservation-fueled malted grain to customers who share its start-to-finish values. Waist deep in grassroots—for proof look at founder Phil Neumann and wife/co-founder Alyssa Martinez-Neumann in the photo above—Mainstem Malt’s approach is an anomaly in the consolidated malt-producing industry.
“We have been and will always be committed to buying all of our grains from family farms looking to do business outside of globalized commodity systems, helping those farmers have a public face and building the structure needed to support new regional economies,” says CEO and co-founder Phil Neumann. “I believe our business model is forcing change within the industry. That’s what we’re shooting for—building a market-based tool for landscape-scale conservation, powered by malt.”
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Counter argument: Residential remodels are a specialty. Courtesy of Flynner Homes
What: Energy-efficient custom home design and construction
Why: Idaho’s first company to build a Certified Green Home and a Net-Zero Energy home
Being “the most decorated sustainability-based design-and-build firm in Idaho” is no small claim. Flynner Homes backs up the boast with a list of accomplishments the two-time “Best for Environment” B Corp honoree has garnered during 15 years of energy-efficient home building. These include multiple “Green Home” firsts in the state, an Energy Value Housing Award from the EPA and a Best Custom Home Builder in Idaho nod from Home Builder Digest.
“There was a lot of junk being built between 2006 and 2008, and I wanted to restore that credibility,” company founder Scott Flynn, a trained chemical engineer with a passion for efficient construction, told Idaho Business Review.
Custom packages range from Flynner’s entry-level high-performance grade home (40% more efficient than a standard “code house”) to the gold standard: 100% net zero. The ultimate goal: “Superior comfort, more energy efficiency, a smaller carbon-footprint and a home that will eventually make money with an ROI of approximately 25%,” says the company.
MORE: Celebrating women making a difference through environmental work
Excellent pour: A to Z has become an Oregon wine staple. Courtesy of A to Z Wineworks
What: Winemaker
Why: The world’s first Certified B Corp winery and five time “Best for the World” B Corp honoree
A to Z has a knack for catchy marketing taglines, like “Commerce with a Conscience” and “Aristocratic Wines at Democratic Prices.” They back up the pithy phrases with some of the most lauded bottles in the Pacific Northwest—including a two-time Wine Spectator Top 100 shortlisted pinot noir and one of the best selling Oregon chardonnays in the country.
“We apply the basic biodynamic principles of balance not only to our farming but to our business, aiming to a more sustainable world while taking care of our people,” says A to Z founder and chief marketing officer Deb Hatcher. “Our average tenure is seven years for a company of 72 and 55% of our management are women. We pay 100% of our employees’ health benefit premiums, pay more than average local living full-time wages and offer education support.”
The same approach applies to local farmers contracted by the company. Since its founding in 2002, A to Z has collaborated with over 100 vineyards, and currently works with about 50 growers, prioritizing responsible vineyard development. “We structure our agreements and expectations with growers so there are realistic goals that don’t leave the farmer in the position that he or she feels the need to squeeze every last ounce out of their ground in order to stay profitable,” says Joey Myers, A to Z’s manager of viticulture.
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Powerful partnerships: Full Bushel Farm outside Medical Lake, Washington, is a member of LINC Foods co-op, which teams with Measure Meant. Photo courtesy of Measure Meant
What: Social-impact business consulting
Why: The only Certified B Corp sustainability consulting firm serving the inland Northwest
“When companies commit to their employees and the world they thrive,” says Spokane’s B Corp consulting firm, which helps local businesses and organizations build stronger brands through principled market focus, worker retention and environmental values.
Casting influence across both the commercial and municipal sector, Measure Meant’s clientele ranges from B Corporation-certified craft coffee roasters, a citizen-led climate action planning program for the City of Spokane and Community Supported Agriculture operations like Spokane’s Urban Eden Farm (pictured at top of page) through a partnership with farmer-owned coop LINC Foods. All of which subscribe to the firm’s mandate: “Be agents for a worldwide refocusing of people and planet alongside profit.”
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Bee Corp: No one takes the B Corp mission more literally. Photos courtesy of GloryBee
What: Honey, natural sweeteners, beekeeping products and honeybee research support
Why: Healthy honeybees
Supplying ethically sourced and traceable honey (plus other natural sweeteners, spices, dried fruits, nuts and oils) to food manufacturers, bakeries and markets for nearly half a century, GloryBee has grown into a top producer in the Pacific Northwest while sticking to its founding vision: “A healthy world where bees and people thrive.”
A recent “Best for Changemaker” B Corp honoree, GloryBee launched its nonprofit SAVE the BEE Initiative nearly a decade ago. Today the program dedicated to raising funds for honeybee research remains a company hallmark. “It is imperative that consumers understand the role that honeybees play in our food supply, and that the pollination services provided by bees extend far beyond the production of honey,” says GloryBee’s Lynne Fessenden.
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Restoration experts: The Portland Harbor Superfund Site is one of many cleanup projects Floyd Snider has worked on. Photo courtesy of Portland Business Alliance
What: Environmental consulting firm
Why: First Certified B Corp environmental consulting firm in the United States
Earning a slew of B Corp honors in recent years, including a “Best for the World” ranking, Seattle-based Floyd Snider is technically outside our geographic purview. But from spearheading cleanup projects in Yakima, Walla Walla and Portland Harbor over two decades of public and private sector remedial work, the firm’s imprint spans the Columbia River Basin. Led by a team of engineers, geologists, ecologists, chemists and environmental planners, and a Certified B Corp since 2017, Floyd Snider is also a Social Purpose Corporation (SPC) in the state of Washington. The goal: “To achieve balanced resolution of environmental and business challenges from concept to completion.”
MORE: Steigerwald restoration: Reconnecting a floodplain to the Columbia
Local example: Ash Creek promotes native plants in all of its projects. Photo courtesy of Ash Creek Forest Management
What: Habitat restoration
Why: Revival of over 6,000 acres of natural landscapes
Ash Creek opened its doors as a seedling company of five people in 1997 with an ambitious mission to restore ailing local wetlands, woodlands, prairies, savannas and urban habitats throughout the Willamette Valley. More than 20 million native tree and herbaceous shrub plantings later, and with a current staff of nearly 50, the three-year “Best for Environment” B Corp honoree has grown into one of the largest habitat restoration forces in the region.
Flagship projects include restoration and repurposing of the EPA Portland Harbor Superfund site and playing a primary role in the massive floodplain reestablishment program at Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge Site to help reduce flood risk and invasive species while improving habitat for fish and wildlife. Ash Creek’s restored habitats now support over 30 known vulnerable and endangered species.
Did we miss a “best Basin B Corp”? Leave a comment.
Jordan Rane is an award-winning travel writer whose work has appeared in CNN.com, Outside, Men’s Journal and the Los Angeles Times.
Great story and nice to hear about this environmentally companies. I think I saw GloryBee in the store but not sure, if so though, I will certainly buy it.