Good for Michigan Awards April 16 | 6:30-8:30 pm at Aquinas Performing Arts Center
TELL ME ABOUT GOOD FOR MICHIGAN Good For Michigan brings together and recognizes companies and organizations across Michigan that have completed the Quick Impact Assessment, which measures their social, environmental, and economic impact. This initiative offers resources and best practices for sustainable and social good. We curate educational programming and convene values-aligned businesses that strengthen our economy, create equitable opportunities for our workforce, and work towards a healthier planet.
GOOD FOR MICHIGAN BUSINESSES 1416 North LLC 5 Lakes Energy A Moveable Feast About Face of Grand Rapids ACT PhotoMedia | Naturally ACT Action Awning LLC Array of Engineers Art of the Table At Your Service Valet Athleta Atomic Object The Barre Code Bazzani Building Company Better Way Imports Bistro Bella Vita Bold Endeavors Brewery Vivant The Bridge Byron Center Meats Caffeinated Press Cascade Engineering Catalyst Partners Celebration Cinema Cellar Door Preserves Center For Oral Surgery and Dental Implants Cherry Capital Foods City of Grand Rapids Community Automotive Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area Country Winds Creamery LLC
Creston Brewery Daddy’s Dough Cookies Database Sherpa Double O Inc. Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. E3M Solutions EB Coaching International EcoBuns Baby + Co. El Globo Restaurant El Granjero Mexican Grill El Toro Bravo Essence Restaurant Group Fenn Valley Vineyards Field & Fire Café Fishladder Fleurology Designs Forty Acres Frances Jaye Furniture City Creamery The GFB Glamour and Grit Floral Global Infusion GLOBE Design & Vision Gold Coast Doulas LLC Gordon Water Systems Grand Rapids Natural Health Graydon’s Crossing Great Lakes Music Camp The Green Well Grove Higher Grounds
COLLECTIVE IMPACT OF ALL GOOD FOR MICHIGAN BUSINESSES These circles represent the positive impact that all of the Good For Michigan Businesses are making in and around the state.
Higher Health Chiropractic of Holland Highland Group Hire For Hope Hungry Architecture The Image Shoppe Innereactive J.B. Builders of Grand Rapids John Ball Zoo Just Goods Gifts & Café Key Green Solutions Kuyper College LaFleur Marketing Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance Lemonjello’s Coffee Lindo Mexico Restaurante Mexicano Lions & Rabbits Louise Earl Butcher Love’s Ice Cream Malamiah Juice Bar Manic Muse Michael T Neiss and Associates Michigan First Credit Union Midwest Sign Company The Midwest Tech Project Mixed Staffing Mokaya Moondrop Herbals Mosby’s Popcorn Neighbors Development
New Holland Pub on 8th Next Door Photos OppFund Pack Elephant Patty Matters Public Thread Revalue River City Improv Riverview Group Rosemarine Textiles LLC San Chez Bistro Smartdept.inc Spectrum Health Stingray Advisory Group The Sunday Dinner Group Supermercado Mexico Swift Printing Sytsma Wealth Strategies Talisera Uccello’s Hospitality Group United Bank of Michigan Urban Pharm Valley City Electronic Recycling Velo City Cycles Vendor Exchange Via Verde Farm Visser Farms Wolverine Coil Spring Company Workit Health Workshop Brewing Company
“” “ ” “” There are so many ways for local organizations to dip their foot into renewable energy or increasing energy efficiency. Rachel Brown Key Green Solutions
Through the program, we learned the value of understanding Diversity and Inclusion in the ways you hire employees, the way you handle employees, the way you assign tasks to employees, and the way you project to the community. Kelsey Harvey Downtown Market
We desperately need to have more discussions on these topics within our organizations… to bring about more awareness of these issues. Eric Doyle Catalyst Partners
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EVENTS CALENDAR 2019 IMPACT SERIES
Mission Lock: Putting
Mission Lock: Your Values to Work Putting Your February Values to Work
Impact Area: Governance
2019 IMPACT SERIES
Supplying the Supplying the Demand for an Equitable Economy Demand for an March Equitable Economy Impact Area: Community WORKSHOP
Good Good forFor Michigan Awards April Michigan Awards Impact Area: all 2019 IMPACT SERIES
Tour: Valley City Tour Valley Electronics Recycling City MayElectronic Recycling Impact Area: Environment 2019 IMPACT SERIES WEBINAR Summing Up Energy Savings - webinar June Impact Area: Environment
Summing Up Energy Savings
2019 IMPACT SERIES
Scaling Your Impact WEBINAR with Shared Ownership Scaling Your – webinar Impact with July Shared Impact Area: Employees Ownership and Governance 2019 IMPACT SERIES
Mind Your Business
Mind Your August Business Impact Area: Employees 2019 IMPACT SERIES
Good For Tour – webinar September Good For Impact Area: All Tour WEBINAR
Hack the QIA November Impact Area: all
HOW-TO Good For Michigan brings together and recognizes companies across Michigan that are making a positive impact on their employees, their community, and the environment. To participate, complete the Quick Impact Assessment and see how your business stacks up against others in your industry.
To learn more, visit goodfor.org
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2019 HONOREES
GOOD FOR EMPLOYEES
WINNER
HONORABLE MENTION
UNITED BANK
CRESTON BREWERY
United Bank is a community bank that believes in the value of local, independent banking. For multiple years, they have been recognized as one of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. Their employees truly make the difference. With a focus on building stronger communities, United Bankers are empowered to get involved in local efforts they’re passionate about. The bank operates 12 full-service banking locations throughout West Michigan, as well as wealth management and insurance service divisions. A leading business lender, United Bank offers a comprehensive suite of personal and business banking products that blend cutting-edge technology with personalized hometown service. United Bank is “Good for Michigan” because of their commitment to finding real solutions for the needs of the community. Their culture and values are rooted in service and they genuinely believe in their responsibility as a local business to help their neighbors in need.
Creston Brewery is a microbrewery, restaurant, live music venue, and private event space located in the heart of the historic Creston neighborhood. Their taproom is located in a former furniture showroom which offers natural light, a retro & artful vibe, and an eclectic menu of house made beers and food dishes. Creston Brewery takes pride in giving back to the community through volunteerism and fundraising events, and they believe it is their duty to connect community members through art, music, and conversation (over beers, of course!). All of their to-go containers are compostable, and their brewing system was built with water conservation technologies. To truly live their local values, they source the majority of their brewing ingredients from West Michigan hop and grain farmers. Creston Brewery is Good For Employees because they pay a living wage, offer healthcare options and flexible scheduling, and have a low disparity between their highest and lowest paid employee.
United Bank is Good For Employees because they offer healthcare and above living wage compensation as well as a comprehensive employee review process that includes achievable goals and career development guidance, which has led to a high rate of employee satisfaction and low turnover.
GOOD FOR GOVERNANCE
WINNER
HONORABLE MENTION
ARRAY OF ENGINEERS
FORTY ACRES SOUL KITCHEN
Array of Engineers is a women owned engineering company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They provide engineering services to aerospace, medical, automotive, and other high tech industries, as well as doing internal R&D. Their success is based on their engineers operating as a unified team, producing creative and efficient solutions, continually learning and utilizing cutting edge technologies, and applying these skills to both their internal and external projects. Their most important priorities are customer focused partnerships, high quality standards, promotion of innovation and creativity, and to help each employee reach their highest potential. Array of Engineers also makes it a priority to give back to their community by promoting STEM in younger generations.
Forty Acres Soul Kitchen is a restaurant located in the uptown section of Grand Rapids. As they themselves put it, Forty Acres is unapologetic in focusing first on the people they serve and the community. The soul food they make is more than just a meal, it is a heritage, and one that they openly celebrate. They hope to bring a superior dining experience to all ethnicities of Grand Rapids, while also honoring the rich and authentically American history, resilience, and success of the local black community.
Array of Engineers are Good For Governance because of their code of ethics that is part of their training program for all employees. They practice transparent finances, which are communicated to staff quarterly and mandate a performance review with management that sets social and environmental goals. 4 GOOD FOR MICHIGAN
Forty Acres is Good For Governance because they are dedicated to having a diverse staff and have created both a mission statement and corporate governing documents that include a commitment to a positive social and environmental impact.
2019 HONOREES
GOOD FOR ENVIRONMENT
WINNER
HONORABLE MENTION
SUPERMERCADO MEXICO
PUBLIC THREAD
Supermercado Mexico is a local chain of stores that are dedicated to bringing high quality products in the Mexican tradition to customers of Michigan. They are devoted to reaching the complete satisfaction of their clients, investing in the personal development of their staff, and one of their core beliefs is actively participating in the development of their community. They fulfill a cultural need in providing food and other goods in the Mexican tradition and have grown from a single store with 12 employees to having multiple businesses with over 75 full and parttime employees, hiring from all sectors of the business world and being a great asset to the local economy.
Public Thread is a local manufacturer in Grand Rapids, Michigan that specializes in textiles and the small-batch production of goods. Through creative partnerships with numerous industries such as automotive, fashion, and furniture manufacturers, they are able to recycle and repurpose materials in a way that saves thousands of pounds of material from landfills each year. Additionally, they are committed to honoring the contributions and creativity of their employees, and living wages are a tenet of their business model.
Supermercado Mexico is Good For Environment because they have made significant improvements to an existing space including Energy Star appliances, programmable thermostats, motion sensors, and new windows and lighting.
Public Thread is Good For Environment because they source a high percentage of raw materials from local suppliers, are certified in one or more green building programs, and have implemented energy conservation practices in their space.
GOOD FOR COMMUNITY
WINNER
HONORABLE MENTION
THE SUNDAY DINNER GROUP
SAN CHEZ BISTRO
The Sunday Dinner Group, led by real estate agent Bryant Mitchell, can easily help you find your next home, but to them, real estate is more than that. The Sunday Dinner Group has a primary focus of creating long term relationships through the growth and development of local communities and organizations. They feel it is their responsibility to aid their community through “consciously contributing” 10% of their commission. This policy came about when during the early days of their work they were overcome by the needs they were seeing in Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas. Now they, in their own words, “utilize our time, talents, and treasure as a group.”
San Chez Bistro has been serving the Grand Rapids community high quality meals for the past 27 years. They are extremely committed to being an environmentally responsible restaurant, which in their words, goes beyond the “three Rs” – reduce, reuse, recycle. They work hard to support local businesses by incorporating locally produced ingredients and organic products into their culinary creations. As Cindy LottermanSchneider, the owner of the San Chez Bistro puts it, “The unpredictability of Mother Nature, the changing seasons and the demands of a high-volume restaurant require us to partner with our local producers and work together on a sustainable plan of action. Not only does this offer our guests the best possible quality, but it also helps them feel good about their dining experience at San Chez.”
The Sunday Dinner Group is Good For Community because they donate a high percentage of their profits to charity, have intentional hiring and community investment practices, and report on the outcomes of these efforts.
San Chez is Good for Community because they purchase from small and neighborhood businesses and implement volunteering incentives for their staff.
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“” “” When our businesses are not diverse or inclusive, neither is our community. We need to work together and be active allies to make change!
Natalie Topalian The Image Shoppe
The ability to literally measure what matters, and make different connections and improvements that can be made at a small business level. Lisa Finkbeiner Dynamic Essence Chiropractic
Step 1 TAKE THE QIA Have basic knowledge of: • Business structure and history • Energy consumption and waste management practices • Frequent vendors and suppliers
Step 2 ATTEND EVENTS • Meet values-aligned community members and decision makers • Learn strategies to strengthen your business • Connect with resources to help you succeed
Step 3 USE BUSINESS AS A FORCE FOR GOOD • Show off your Good For Michigan materials to demonstrate your commitment to the community • Encourage others to participate • Implement positive change!
Good Business Matters
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I love the way (the program) involves the community. I work in HR and it spurred much conversation at work, at home and with friends. Jordana Dickinson Natural Choice Foods
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
LIONS & RABBITS & CRESTON BUSINESS ASSOCIATION MEASURE YOUR IMPACT. STRENGTHEN YOUR BUSINESS. BE A FORCE FOR GOOD.
another real solution
SUPPORTS
GOOD FOR
MICHIGAN
HAPPY PEOPLE Doing business with someone who is truly happy to help you. Now that’s a real solution.
UnitedBank4U.com
401 HALL ST. SW, SUITE 331, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503 • 616.459.4545
Member FDIC
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Michigan B Corps are good for Michigan. B Corps make business decisions that are good for people, planet, and profit. MICHIGAN B CORP COLLECTIVE IMPACT REPORT B Corps are for-profit companies that have undergone a comprehensive examination of their social, environmental, and economic impact. After completing an assessment three times the length of Good For Michigan businesses, they are certified through B Lab, a nonprofit organization that believes in unifying companies around the world with their goal of making high ethical standards for business the new norm. Learn more at bcorporation.net
Impact Results
The percentage of points earned by a business in each category.
Michigan B Corp Performance
71%
67%
74%
52% ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY
29%
26%
Ordinary Business Performance
GOVERNANCE
EMPLOYEES
37% 50%
14 OUT OF 21 MICHIGAN B CORPS INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT
Good For Michigan provides resources and support to businesses who want to improve their social and environmental impact. We convene Michigan B Corps as leaders in corporate responsibility and work towards building a regenerative economy. Learn more at:
goodfor.org