Businesses Doing Good

Our guest on the February 21 Conference Call is Mic Klaith, Relationship Manager at Alerus Bank. The topic is "The Power of Community Banking." We're pleased to have Mic Klaith, Relationship Manager at Alerus Bank in Eden Prairie.

Our guest on the January 17 Conference Call is Scott Barr of SouthWest Exteriors in San Antonio. The topic is "Ownership and Stewardship.”

“A Worldview Filled with Hope: a Conversation between Glenn Barth and Scott Myers.” This is a Feature Presentation in this series in which the Chairman of GoodCities, Scott Myers, and Glenn Barth, the President, discuss the reason we do the Businesses Doing Good Conference calls.

Our guest on the October 18th Conference Call is Wendy Clark. The topic is "Revitalizing Durham."

Our guest on the September 20th Conference Call is Dr. Amy Sherman. The topic is "Business as an Agent of Community Benefit." We're pleased to have Dr. Amy Sherman with us as our guest for this edition of Businesses Doing Good. In this conference call, Amy will tell stories of businesses that are improving the quality of life for people where they serve. She will also share a framework for the movement that we are seeing among business leaders of doing good in their communities. Amy Sherman, Ph.D., is a Senior Fellow with the Sagamore Institute. She directs the Institute’s Center on Faith in Communities (CFIC). CFIC provides training, technical assistance, and consulting to faith-based and community based social service providers and to religious congregations desiring to invest more effectively in their neighborhoods. The author of six books and over 80 articles and essays, Sherman is founder and former executive director of Charlottesville Abundant life Ministries, a holistic, cross-cultural, whole-family, church-based outreach in an urban neighborhood of approximately 380 lower-income, single-parent families. Sherman’s most recent book, Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good, won recent honors as Christianity Today’s choice as Book of the Year in the Christian Living category. Sherman earned her BA in Political Science at Messiah College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in international economic development from the University of Virginia. She volunteers as a Senior Fellow with the International Justice Mission and is a longtime member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA.

Our guest on the August 16th Conference Call is Louis King. The topic is "Jobs that Transform Lives" Some nonprofits today are serving a critical role as they serve as conduits for people from poor communities to enter the workforce. Summit Academy OIC is just that kind of place. Louis J. King II is a visionary leader who serves as President and CEO of Summit Academy OIC, a $7.5 million accredited educational and vocational training institute. As a nonprofit organization, Summit Academy empowers poor Twin Cities’ residents to become self-reliant and employed members of their community. King has over 20 years’ experience in education, youth development and workforce development. His current work focuses on stabilizing families by ensuring that parents earn the wages needed to adequately support their children. He recently launched the 1,000 GED Campaign, which is aimed at the 72,000 adults in Hennepin County (and beyond) who do not have the credentials needed to enter the workforce and access well-paying jobs. Summit Academy’s unique GED Training Program seamlessly integrates into their no-cost Construction and Healthcare Training Programs, giving graduates the proper skills to start a new career. King firmly believes that “the best social service program in the world is a job”. King is the founder and co-chair of the HIRE Minnesota coalition, which works to create jobs that reduce racial disparities and lift individuals out of poverty. In 1996, Louis was elected to the Minneapolis School Board, and completed his four-year term. He is currently a board member with the following organizations: Minneapolis Club, St. Thomas Academy, Robins Kaplan Miller Ciresi Foundation, Allina Health System and OIC of America.He has also served on the Abbott Northwest Hospital Board and the Fairview Healthcare Foundation Board. He has held leadership positions in several community organizations such as the Bryant Neighborhood Organization and the Glenwood-Lyndale Community Center, where he served as President of their respective Boards. King is a graduate of Morehouse College with a B.A. in Political Science. Prior to joining Two or More in 1993, he served in the U.S. Army for 10 years, achieving the rank of Major.

Alan McMillan was in the right place at the right time, Silicon Valley in years of dramatic transformation into the information age. He rode the crest of of the wave in sales and management and lived through the adreniline laced experiences of fianancial successes, job loss, getting re-hired, and then turned his life from success to significance when he returned with his wife, Kateri, to Athens, OH where he had attended Ohio University. Alan and Kateri bought a student apartment building and a convenience store with a rentable space for a restaurant. As they turned their hearts toward the needs of others, there was opportunity, and also a new vision of how compassion can be expressed through the way business is done. In this call you'll learn about Alan and Kateri's lives and principles for serving others both in their company and among the students they work with through an initiative called, "Learn, Earn, Retire" that puts Alan in a role of teacher and mentor to College Students in preparing them for real world challenges. Alan McMillan is is the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Development at Hocking College and is an Adjunct Professor in Business at Ohio University in Athens, OH.

Our guest this month is Reggie McNeal of GoodCities on the topic: "Flourishing Cities". Dr. Reggie McNeal enjoys helping people, leaders, and Christian organizations determine and experience epic wins with Kingdom impact. Prior to GoodCities, he served for ten years as the Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, TX. Upon leaving, he was awarded the honorary position of Senior Fellow. Reggie’s role as City Coach with GoodCities accelerates his work with community leaders around the country to build cross-domain collaborative efforts that can move the needle on big societal issues. Reggie provides expert consultation for individuals and teams to become more missionally-focused and Kingdom-biased. Reggie has helped to shape the church leadership conversation through his work as an author.

Our guest on the May 17 Conference Call is Matt Whiat of the Barry-Wehmiller Leadership Institute. The topic is "Truly Human Leadership" Matt Whiat wakes up each day to put people in the driver’s seat so that passion and opportunity meet. As a co-founder of the Barry-Wehmiller Leadership Institute, Matt draws on over 20 years of leadership experience as a former military officer, helping organizations create cultures that put people and business in harmony. One of Matt’s missions was to escort Simon Sinek into Afghanistan. Matt became a believer in Simon’s work and Simon walked away with an idea, which later became his book, “Leaders Eat Last.” Simon and Matt later collaborated in the Department of Defense’s first TEDx event, showcasing “those who serve others.” One of the speakers was Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller. When Matt heard Bob’s story he decided he wanted to join him to build a world where everyone matters. Matt served in the United Nations to bring peace to Liberia, worked with NATO partners for operations in Afghanistan, commanded a basic training squadron and was on The Joint Staff at the Pentagon.

Our guest on the April 19 Conference Call is Bill Barberg of Insight Formation. The topic is "The Power of Collective Impact." Bill Barberg is the President and Founder of Insight Formation, a strategy mapping and software company that works with leaders in the Public Sector to develop and successfully execute strategies so that complex, immense, and systematic problems no longer subdue communities. Insight Formation helps leaders execute their strategies by empowering collaboration, improving efficiency and fortifying alignment through the utilization of cutting edge technology, industry best practices, and world class consulting services. They are especially known for their work in performance management, collective impact, implementing public health strategies, and addressing the opioid crisis. Bill Barberg is a highly sought after speaker for organizations, communities, and coalitions striving to address issues that no one organization can address alone. He is a recognized expert in Strategy Management, Collective Impact, and Balanced Scorecard methodology.

Our guest on the March 15 Conference Call is Mike Simon of Simon Solutions. The topic is "Technology that Serves those Who Serve." Mike Simon is the President of Simon Solutions Inc. (SSI), an industry leader in care networking technology and community impact. SSI helps communities advance a more networked, collaborative, and comprehensive approach to transforming lives and communities. SSI tools are used by thousands of helping agencies (nonprofits, churches, food banks, hospitals, schools, and government) to build well-connected Care Networks in over 1,200 cities across the country. These networks maximize the collective caring power of communities. Mike brings a wealth of experience having served in executive leadership of large churches, charitable nonprofits, and businesses. He has also served as a consultant for transformative processes involved in networking leaders and mobilizing volunteers for collective impact. He has invested years of research into emerging trends, best practices, and innovative ways for transforming the helping and referral systems in communities.

Our guest is Ron Hogue of Galt Strategies in Dallas, TX. The topic is "A Beyond Profit Culture." Ron Hogue lives and works in Dallas as a consultant for the business marketing and turnaround company, Galt Strategies. His work helps companies establish a “beyond profit” culture. Prior to his current work, Ron has served as a pastor for churches in California, Vancouver, and Dallas.He helped his churches become missional in their communities with a service focus through adopting local schools and working with the city on key initiatives. Ron also serves as the Executive Director of Good Works Now, a missions organization that offers leadership training to Christian leaders in Cambodia, Nepal, Thailand, India, Honduras, Liberia (2 Schools), and Kenya (8-10 schools).

Our guests are Paul Turek and Brett Struwe of Caribou Coffee. The topic is "Caribou Coffee's 100% Rainforest Alliance Certification" In 2011 Caribou Coffee became the first major coffeehouse retailer in the US committed to sourcing 100% of their coffees from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal is a symbol of trust and high sustainability standards, indicating that workers on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms receive decent wages, have access to medical care, clean water, dignified living conditions and schools for their children, and that the coffee has been harvested and processed responsibly, protecting the surrounding environment and wildlife. Rainforest Alliance Certified farms meet the rigorous environmental, social and economic standards developed by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), a coalition of independent, nonprofit conservation groups that promote productive agricultural systems, biodiversity conservation and human development. Our guests, Paul Turek, Caribou's Vice President of Global Supply Chain, and Brett Struwe, Senior Director Coffee Sourcing and Operations, will share Caribou Coffee's story of committment to creating better communities around the world through their business model.

Our guest is Pablo Guevara of Epoch Pi in Cleveland, OH. The interview topic is "Purposeful Investing." EPOCH Pi was created in 2015 with the intent of creating a better world through business. EPOCH Pi is focused on helping purposeful companies thrive and flourish. Whether they think of themselves as impact, conscious capitalists, benefit corporations, social enterprises or purpose-driven leaders, they are for-profit businesses that are endeavoring to generate social as well as financial returns. When it comes to mergers and acquisitions, the path to greater transaction success includes adding culture assessment tools and thoughtful integration planning to the M&A process. EPOCH Pi utilizes proprietary culture tools to provide insights into the parties’ alignment around values and mission and then uses corporate structure and thorough integration planning to address areas of concern. We are seeing a shifting mindset and the growing belief that business can be a force for good. Where companies are led by values-driven leaders who believe that success is about growing a business with purpose and creating value for all their stakeholders.

Our guest is Jonathan Halperin of Greyston Bakery. The interview topic is "Open Hiring at Greyston Bakery and Beyond". Greyston Bakery has been working at the intersection of social inclusion and business innovation for 35 years. Open Hiring is its proven and transformative business practice now being adopted by small as well as multinational companies. Today, Greyston produces 35,000 lbs. of brownies every day for Ben & Jerry’s.

Our guest is Chuck Proudfit, President of SkillSource and Executive Director of At Work on Purpose®. Chuck also serves as an Executive Board Member for Self Sustaining Enterprises. This innovative organization creates self-sustaining initiatives, including entrepreneurial ventures, that generate a sustainable flow of funds for ministry around the world. Prior to undertaking leadership with SKILLSOURCE®, At Work on Purpose® and Self Sustaining Enterprises, Chuck developed general management skills at three industry-leading firms: The Procter & Gamble Company, The Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery, and LensCrafters Corporation. As a student at Harvard University, Chuck pioneered the school’s organizational development curriculum. Chuck has been quoted, interviewed, profiled and published in print and digital media, radio and television, across the U.S. and overseas. He is the author of Citywide Marketplace Ministry in a Box, and co-author of BIZNISTRY: Transforming Lives Through Enterprise. He holds a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do under U.S. Olympic Coach Hong Kong Kim. Chuck and his wife Jeryl are the parents of two children adopted from South Korea.

Our guest is Scott Myers, CEO and Chairman of Good Place Holdings. Scott has worked since 1982 at the family business, founded in 1965, in roles from entry level lab technician to CEO and Board Chair. He led the formation of Good Place Holdings, a C Corporation with no owners, as a succession strategy to maintain the company’s biblically-derived leadership culture, and as a platform to develop community businesses. Married to Gina Burk with two daughters and one granddaughter, the family enjoys running, cycling, photography and travel. Good Place Holdings as Agent of Community Benefit The top level aims of Good Place Holdings’ (GPH), which we call our Charter - 1) to be economically regenerative organization that 2) gives opportunity and encouragement to members of the organization to live up to their full potential, and 3) builds Good Places in the communities where we work - are accomplished through our leadership culture, embodied in the 10 Areas of Stewarding a Good Place Organization. To date our involvement in community benefit has mostly been in helping non-profits adopt these three aims and the Areas of stewarding their organizations. While the majority of GPH customers are part of the Fortune 500 economy, we have recently been building a base to support involvement in our local community economy in ways that support the three aims of our Charter.