Corporate Responsibility: The Business of Doing Good

U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

RESPONSIBILITY: VAIL VETERANS THE BUSINESS OF DOING GOOD

PROGRAM

Coors/CURE/Prologis

K

GRAMEEN

co n n e c t i o n & co l l a b o r at i o n COR P ORATE SOCIAL RESPON SIBILITY: T HE BU SINE SS OF D OIN G GOOD

CORPORATE SOCIAL

CH2M HILL

november/december 2008

ASHOKA

STATE FARM

n ov e m b e r / d e c e m b e r 2 0 0 8

NEWMONT

MINING CORP.

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE NETWORK

Strengthening communities around the globe

photo courtesy of Kenn Lively

CH2M HILL is a leader in full-service engineering, procurement, construction and operations. With more than $5.8 billion in revenue and 25,000 employees worldwide, we deliver innovative, practical, sustainable solutions—helping clients develop and manage infrastructure and facilities that improve efficiency, safety, and quality of life.

Through our Community Partners program, we bring additional value to people around CH2M HILL proudly partners with Water For People and Engineers Without Borders-USA to bring sustainable infrastructure, clean drinking water, and sanitation to developing communities around the world.

the globe by investing volunteer time and money in issues of importance to our local clients and communities.

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CR-08-01007-MKT Š 2008 CH2M HILL

table of CONTENTS

november - december 2008

In this Issue 4 Letter From The Editor 6 Letter From The Publisher

8 Inspiration 10 Meet The Board

86 Opinion 94 Thank You

14 Triple Bottom Line Models Models of Sucess

18 Make The Difference Network A New Way to Give

34 A Corporate Strategic Advantage Soles United

22 Shifting From a Profit Focus to Social Objective Muhammad Yunus & Grameen Bank

26 Ashoka

Innovators For The Public

38 Ssm Health Care

A Heritage Of Doing Good

30 Strategic Philanthropy

A Key To Weathering An Economic Storm ( )

11.08-12.08

42 Trash To Treasure

Sharing Warmth Around The Globe

46 State Farm

66 Newmont Mining Corporation Global Community Engagement

More Than A Good Neighbor In Education

70 Greyston Bakery

Taking Less As Opposed To Giving Back

50 Project C.u.r.e. , Coors, & Pro Logis The Business Of Doing Good

76 Air Products

A Breath Of Fresh Air

54 United States Olympic Committee Assistance Through Sport

82 Hope In Ethiopia

The Cunningham Foundation

58 Courage On The Mountain

88 Collaborative New Media

62 Saving The World At Work

92 Denver Botanic Gardens

Vail Veterans Program

Tim Sanders will tell you

The Big Tent

From Horse And Buggy To Leading Edge And Beyond 11.08-12.08

( )

FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER Gayle Dendinger

54 United States Olympic Committee Assistance Through Sport

58 Courage On The Mountain Vail Veterans Program

62 Saving The World At Work Tim Sanders will tell you

66 Newmont Mining Corporation Global Community Engagement

70 Greyston Bakery

Taking Less As Opposed To Giving Back

EDITOR Jan Mazotti CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Brackney Nancy Fell Kathy Havens-Payne W. Douglas Jackson Cheryl Jensen Patty Keck Lorraine Kee Robin S. Koenigsberg Beth Parish Lynn Price Rebecca Saltman Judith B. Taylor Claire Tindal Michael C. Vaughn Florence Yeager STAFF WRITERS Bill Levis Jan Mazotti ADVERTISING Jan Mazotti Annette Perez Dave Holman Cosme Lindstrom ART DIRECTOR Nick Heckman – EKMN creative

76 Air Products

A Breath Of Fresh Air

82 Hope In Ethiopia

The Cunningham Foundation

88 Collaborative New Media The Big Tent

92 Denver Botanic Gardens

From Horse And Buggy To Leading Edge And Beyond

PHOTOGRAPHY Boyd Norton Eric Weber BUSINESS ADVISOR John Brackney ICOSA Magazine welcomes editorial submissions from its readers.

Whenever possible submissions should be sent in electronic format.

All unsolicited materials should be submitted to the publisher at the address below. Items not sent electronically will not be returned.

The publisher reserves the right to decline use of materials at their discretion and assumes no liability for unsolicited materials.

ICOSA Magazine is published six times a year. No part of ICOSA

Magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. ©2008 ICOSA CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 4100 Jackson Street Denver, CO 80216 Office: 303.333.3688 Fax: 303.333.4832 Email: jamz@icosamag.com Website: www.icosamag.com All third-class postage paid at Denver, Colorado.

To view an electronic copy of the magazine, go to www.icosamag.com.

11.08-12.08

( )

LETTER FROM THE editor

november/december 2008

Social Responsibility The Business of Doing Good

I

recently attended a meeting where we discussed the themes of the magazine going forward. Someone said to me that this issue, Social Responsibility: The Business of Doing Good was going to be boring and we wouldn’t be able to draw readers into the issue.

I disagreed and went forward with this issue. So let’s hope I’m here for the next issue…

In this issue, you will find real life stories highlighting a variety of philanthropic, socially responsible efforts from the macro to the micro – both domestic and global. You will see stories about multinational organizational efforts to the “one man bands” making a difference somewhere in the world. You will see stories that address efforts at philanthropy that are both complicit and non-complicit in approach and deployment.

Some stories will describe systemic changes, while others will describe a “band aid” to a problem. In my opinion, both are impressive. Some efforts described in this issue are innovative and some are basic in design, yet all stories address some social problem or issue that is fundamentally challenging in our world – basic needs, such as water, clothing, and healthcare. Some are directed at intensive community engagement and some highlight great goodwill efforts.

There are those who argue that social responsibility is not their thing. There are others who suffer from social responsibility fatigue – it’s hard work. For some, it’s about money. For some it’s about

FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER Gayle Dendinger EDITOR Jan Mazotti CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Brackney Nancy Fell Kathy Havens-Payne W. Douglas Jackson Cheryl Jensen Patty Keck Lorraine Kee Robin S. Koenigsberg Beth Parish

Lynn Price Rebecca Saltman Judith B. Taylor Claire Tindal Michael C. Vaughn Florence Yeager STAFF WRITERS Bill Levis Jan Mazotti ADVERTISING Jan Mazotti Annette Perez Dave Holman Cosme Lindstrom

being recognized and appreciated - or the lack thereof. And for some, it is the, “it wasn’t my fault in the first place” mentality.

I would argue that: It’s It’s It’s It’s It’s

not not not not not

about about about about about

being rich or poor. being a celebrity or an ordinary person. your political affiliation. your religious affiliation. writing a check.

It is about global collaboration.

It is about finding your passion.

It is about recognizing that we each have a gift worth sharing (not just financially).

It is about being human.

Frankly, few of us will ever know the power of participating in comprehensive social change. However, I believe that if we all “put our shoulder to the wheel,” we can make a difference.

I hope that someone or some story in this issue inspires you. I hope that you see in yourself a chance to make a difference in someone’s life – it might just change the world.

- Jan Mazotti

ART DIRECTOR Nick Heckman – EKMN creative

decline use of materials at their discretion and assumes no liability for unsolicited materials.

PHOTOGRAPHY Boyd Norton Eric Weber

ICOSA Magazine is published six times a year. No part of ICOSA Magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. ©2008

BUSINESS ADVISOR John Brackney ICOSA Magazine welcomes editorial submissions from its readers. Whenever possible submissions should be sent in electronic format. All unsolicited materials should be submitted to the publisher at the address below. Items not sent electronically will not be returned.

The publisher reserves the right to

ICOSA CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 4100 Jackson Street Denver, CO 80216 Office: 303.333.3688 Fax: 303.333.4832 Email: jamz@icosamag.com Website: www.icosamag.com

All third-class postage paid at Denver, Colorado.

To view an electronic copy of the magazine, go to www.icosamag.com. ( )

11.08-12.08

LETTER FROM THE editor

november/december 2008

Social Responsibility The Business of Doing Good

I

recently attended a meeting where we discussed the themes of the magazine going forward. Someone said to me that this issue, Social Responsibility: The Business of Doing Good was going to be boring and we wouldn’t be able to draw readers into the issue.

others who suffer from social responsibility fatigue – it’s hard work. For some, it’s about money. For some it’s about being recognized and appreciated - or the lack thereof. And for some, it is the, “it wasn’t my fault in the first place” mentality.

I would argue that:

I disagreed and went forward with this issue.

So let’s hope I’m here for the next issue…

In this issue, you will find real life stories highlighting a variety of philanthropic, socially responsible efforts from the macro to the micro – both domestic and global.

You will see stories about multinational organizational efforts to the “one man bands” making a difference somewhere in the world. You will see stories that address efforts at philanthropy that are both complicit and non-complicit in approach and deployment.

Some stories will describe systemic changes, while others will describe a “band aid” to a problem. In my opinion, both are impressive. Some efforts described in this issue are innovative and some are basic in design, yet all stories address some social problem or issue that is fundamentally challenging in our world – basic needs, such as water, clothing, and healthcare.

Some are directed at intensive community engagement and some highlight great goodwill efforts.

There are those who argue that social responsibility is not their thing. There are

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11.08-12.08

It’s not about being rich or poor.

It’s not about being a celebrity or an ordinary person.

It’s not about your political affiliation.

It’s not about your religious affiliation.

It’s not about writing a check.

It is about global collaboration.

It is about finding your passion.

It is about recognizing that we each have a gift worth sharing (not just financially).

It is about being human.

Frankly, few of us will ever know the power of participating in comprehensive social change. However, I believe that if we all “put our shoulder to the wheel,” we can make a difference.

I hope that someone or some story in this issue inspires you. I hope that you see in yourself a chance to make a difference in someone’s life – it might just change the world.

- Jan Mazotti

Dennis Ahlburg Leeds School of Business Jay Allen CXO Paul Bergman Denver USEAC John Brackney South Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Larry Burton Business Roundtable Mike Cafasso ABC Bank Dragomir Cioroslan United States Olympic Committee Doug Jackson Project C.U.R.E. Cheryl Jensen NSAA - Sharing Warmth Around the Globe Norma Krech Avaya Enterprise Quality Ed Lewis Industrial Information Resources

Tom Mauro Colorado Performance Excellence Douglas Martine Make The Difference Network George Mitrovich The Denver Forum Beth Parish John J. Sullivan Endowed Chair for Free Enterprise Rebecca Saltman A Foot in the Door Productions William Snider First Western Trust Bank Elizabeth Weiland Insight Speakers Series Peter Yarrow Operation Respect Michael C Vaughn TEK Systems Luke Wycoff Wycoff Consulting, LLC

COORS LIGHT

SUPPORTS YOU

N O M AT T E R W H E R E YO U A R E The Coors Light team offers a friendly hand to

help those who need it – helping the communities

where we live, work and sell our beer – in the

U.S. and in Mexico.

Last year, when Mexico was hit by devastating

floods, the Coors Light team in the U.S. and Mexico

volunteered their time and support to help Project

C.U.R.E. and the Consulate of Mexico to send

more than $4.5 million worth of medical supplies

to aid recovery in the hardest hit areas of

Chiapas and Tabasco.

Volunteers load a container of emergency medical supplies bound for Mexico.

The volunteers included Eduardo Arnal Palomera, Consul General of Mexico in Denver; Mauricio Cardenas, Chief Officer, New Markets, Molson Coors; Alfredo Rodriguez, Managing Director, Global Marketing, Molson Coors; Ed McBrien, President, Western Sales Division, MillerCoors; Paul Mendieta, Managing Director, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean, Molson Coors; Doug Jackson, President and CEO, Project C.U.R.E., and Joe Ávila, Multicultural Relations Manager, MillerCoors.

© 2008 Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO 80401 • Brewer of Fine Quality Beers Since 1873 • BEER • SD86163

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

november/december 2008

WHY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY? Because…

...I

t makes you laugh.

Back in 2003, I was inspired by Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and the City of Denver’s work in Africa. As participation in a trade mission to South Africa, my airfreight company, CAP Logistics, gathered and sorted over 30,000 pounds of new and used schoolbooks that were moved with the assistance of United Airlines and Air Emirates. Once in South Africa, we hand delivered the books to 41 schools and libraries in 6 townships with the help of the South African post office and Technicon University, the largest distance learning university in the world.

What started out one evening to be a very proper, guarded, formal strategic dinner with the Technicon folks, ended to be an incredible building of friendship and international goodwill. Loosened up

by Huguenot wine from the Stellenbosch region, I showed the top brass of the University how to make bras out of cloth dinner napkins and have the pictures to prove it. This behavior, by the way, is not approved by the State Department.

of their school, it was volcanic and nasty. This kid was so sincere that I believed that he could pull it off. I gave him a hundred dollar bill I had in my pocket and six months later he sent us pictures of their court , the other teams, and their team shirts with the “CAP Logistics” logo,” that they had copied off our shipping boxes. …we can each shine a light in the corner of the world where we live. We were introduced to the aged and wise Mama Majorla, who had helped Apartheid protesters (terrorists to some) escape from the police. She had the story telling ability of Uncle Remus, Aesop, and Bill Cosby combined.

Through her parables, she taught us that while none of us can do it all, we each could shine a light in our corner.

» I showed the top brass of the University how to make bras out of cloth dinner napkins and have the pictures to prove it. «

…it makes your cry. The nicest, warmest, most appreciative people we have met are the black South Africans.

They use stories, singing, and dancing to relate their history and to teach their young. We were privy to wonderful singing in each of the schools we visited. At one school in Utinage (where hundreds of black South Africans were slaughtered years earlier less than a mile away), they danced so incredibly to the song they were singing, “Africa Weeps” - that I wept too. …one person can make a difference. At another school, we were approached by a young teacher who wanted to build a basketball court and set up an intramural basketball league with other schools in the region. Although they had the space for a court in the back

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…you will receive many random acts of thankfulness. In Soweto, we were served vegetable sandwiches on paper plates, lovingly wrapped with aluminum foil. At a dinner at one teacher’s house, we discovered that they had saved their week’s worth of Rands so that they could serve us lamb. They only had plates, flatware, and jelly jar glasses enough for six people, so after we were fed, they repeatedly rewashed the dishes as they served the rest of the 30 guests.

In another city, a council member named Elvis gave us his ANC party necklace with a Nelson Mandela medal in appreciation.

And so forth and so on and on and on and on and on and on and on

» In another city, a council member named Elvis gave us his ANC party necklace with a Nelson Mandela medal in appreciation. «

and on

and on.

In closing, it should be noted that I am a conservative businessman and not some tree-hugging, posey-sniffing liberal.

However, my travel compadre Jan is.

- Gayle Dendinger

Photo by Lori Barra

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INSPIRATIONS

Michael Porter

≈ Collaborative Cluster Development

by Gayle Dendinger

W

hile we might disagree on the methodology, we can probably all agree that we have an obligation to leave the world a better, more sustainable place for our children and future generations.

As I think about the future for my 5-month old granddaughter and the opportunities and struggles her generation might experience, I know that we all must begin to be change makers in this world.

One of the most inspirational change makers I can think of is Harvard Business School Professor, Michael Porter. He is changing the world with his comprehensive tools, theories, and strategies to help organizations and leaders embrace and implement change, creating a multiplier effect.

Porter studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton and received his MBA and PhD in Business Economics from Harvard. To regurgitate his full biography, list the Boards he serves on, enumerate the awards and honors he has received, and list the works he’s written could take pages, therefore, I will highlight the reasons why Porter is my inspiration – he’s a strategy guru, systemic thinker, prolific writer, visionary theorist, and social entrepreneur.

Strategy Guru: Porter is considered the father of modern strategy and planning and is usually near the top of the annual Top 50 Business Brains listing. He is probably the worlds leading authority on management, competitiveness and economic development of states, regions, and nations. Further, he applies these competitive principles to social issues such as healthcare, the environment, corporate responsibility, and economics.

Systemic Thinker: In my opinion, Porter is effective because he looks at the whole picture and draws his

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research-based conclusions in a deductive manner to identify interrelationships and patterns, which serve as foundational links and guiding principles.

Prolific Writer: In addition to teaching, lecturing, and consulting, Porter has written 17 books and more than 100 articles. His strategies on economic clusters, his work on social entrepreneurship, and the power of strategic alliances provide the foundation for this article.

Visionary Theorist: Porter’s economic clusters work has been revolutionary in the development of skills, strengths, and common needs of regions and states, especially in terms of business development.

Ideally, Porter argues, cluster development not only consists of business development and trade, but also includes collaborations with government entities, education entities, and non-profits.

Cluster members must create ties that mutually support economic wealth and serve as a basis for growth. As these clusters get stronger, they spread their influence outward like water waves in concentric circles. Select examples of successful cluster development include the film industry in Hollywood, the technology industry in Silicon Valley and the wine industry in Oregon.

Social Entrepreneur: Porter describes three types of philanthropy – communal obligation, goodwill building, and strategic giving. He notes that most programs fall into the first two categories whereby, “billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy.” For leaders, the balancing act between running a corporation, taking care of employees, creating shareholder value, and being a good social citizen is tough. Good intentions executed badly do not have the desired effect. He purports that CEO’s want

to see meaningful, measurable improvements in the community, as well as in their company.

Well-focused initiatives to achieve social objectives can potentially benefit thousands or millions of people, achieve permanent life changing results, and strengthen the global community. Building cooperative and/or collaborative partnerships supports more return on investment through technology transfer, product and distribution expertise, channel maximization, and shared risk.

My belief is that by using Porter’s theories, we can formalize mutually supportive philanthropic efforts, both domestically and abroad. We not only have to believe we can make a difference, but we have to base that belief in tried and true fundamentals and methodologies to maintain a lasting legacy. I would argue that there are five elements to creating this effort: construct a focused design; maximize the strengths of respective partners; align the vision, goals, and strategies; execute; and then do it again.

Ideally, Porter argues, cluster development not only consists of business development and trade, but also includes collaborations with government entities, education entities, and non-profits.

Clusters and alliances are very powerful tools that when instituted into a strong plan multiply in power because of their interconnectedness. Let’s face it, we are all interconnected – domestically and globally. Just think about the recent collapse of the financial markets, the housing crisis, and global warming – it affects us all.

As the CEO of an airfreight forwarder by day and magazine publisher in my spare time, I am inspired by Porter because his work has given me numerous tools to understand the power and methodologies behind successful philanthropy while honing one of my core businesses guiding principles, “It is good business to be a good neighbor.” With the assistance of the Department of Commerce and multiple non-governmental agencies, we are uniquely poised to be able to offer our services to transport valuable humanitarian and philanthropic goods to remote places worldwide – even for some of the amazing organizations highlighted in this issue.

TOGETHER SEPARATELY I believe that if we act ‘together separately’ and maximize our connections and collaborative efforts we will have just begun to realize our full capacity to make the world a better place.

I believe that we can and should formalize social entrepreneurship on a comprehensive scale.

“How?” you ask.

By populating each intersection of the web with the individual strengths of people and organizations like the ones recognized in this issue, as well as the ones quietly striving each day to make a difference around the globe, and then sharing those best practices.

As educators, students, businesspeople, government officials, and non-profits, we are able to take inspiration and convert it into our own situations to create opportunities for our organizations, as well as improve humanity in general. Furthermore, when the economy is tough, it’s an ideal time to dig deep, work together, and do our best work. It is the time to do more with less and do it better. It’s a great time to create collaborative alliances and increase strategic social responsibility to leave this world a better place for our children and grandchildren.

HERE’S HOW I ENVISION IT… We are all part of a big spider web…

We are all citizens of seven spheres of influence and/or geographies – home, business, city, state, region, nation, and world. We all have the ability, and furthermore, the responsibility, to be ambassadors of goodwill. These are the connecting circles of the web. The radiating lines of the web represent areas of interest or expertise, such as subject matter, business functions, or economies.

Personal Note: Michael Porter did not adopt me, give me money, or listen to my problems. He nevertheless has had a profound impact on the direction of my life and career by giving me the theoretical foundation to not only make a difference in my own small way, but by making my life more interesting. He has inspired me to go out and meet wonderful people that I never would have met, do things that I didn’t think possible, and create a level of fulfillment in my life that is often described as reaching the pinnacle of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Thank you Mr. Porter and continued success.

The interconnected nature of the web represents our collaborative energies and influence, as well as our ability to collectively share our efforts, events, promotions, etc. to make the world a better place and teach others along the way.

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advisory board

Michael Cafasso

Meet Michael Cafasso Colorado President, Director American Bank of Commerce

M

CONTACT MR. Cafasso: 225 North Main Pueblo, CO 81003 p: 719.595.7300 f: 719.595.7375 mcafasso@theabcbank.com www.theabcbank.com

ike Cafasso joined The American Bank of Commerce (ABC) in January 2004 to build commercial banking operations in Colorado.

The bank opened branches in Colorado Springs in April of 2004 and in Pueblo in July 2004 and has approximately $650 million in assets. Active expansion plans continue to develop for additional locations in Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo, and other Colorado markets. Prior to joining American Bank of Commerce, Cafasso served as CEO, COO, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Marketing and Sales, and Director of Marketing in the banking industry.

Cafasso received his B.S. from Colorado State University – Pueblo in 1982, a diploma from The Graduate School of Banking at Colorado in 1994, and has continued his education through the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C. (Leading Creatively), The Disney Institute (The Disney Approach to Managing People and The Disney Approach to Managing Creativity and Innovation), and the Ritz Carlton (Customer Service Quality Training Program).

Cafasso’s civic duties are far reaching. He has recently been elected as a member of the Board of Water Works of Pueblo. He plays an active role in other community organizations. He sits on the advisory board for the Colorado Department of Health,

Suicide Prevention. He is a board member of The Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center. From 2007-2008, Cafasso served as chair of the Catholic Diocese of Pueblo Foundation and remains an active member. He serves as a board member-executive committee for the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. He is a board member and Treasurer for the Colorado Springs Conservatory, and Johnson and Wales, President’s Roundtable. Cafasso has held many other board member positions for such organizations as the Denver Metro Chamber Foundation, Catamount Institute, Sangre de Cristo Hospice, and Parkview Hospital Foundation. From 1976 through 1993 Cafasso was a team member, coach and general manger for the Pueblo Ravens, a semi-pro hockey club. Returning to the sport in 1998, he was the team assistant coach for the Pueblo county high school team.

He is also the co-developer of the “Leadership as a Performing Arts” series and is a member of the Association for Managers of Innovation (AMI).

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advisory board

Douglas Martine

Meet Douglas Martine Executive Vice President, Make the Difference Network CONTACT MR. Martine: 370 Interlocken Blvd. / 4th floor Broomfield, Colorado 80021

D

ouglas Martine, Executive Vice President of Make the Difference Network in Denver, Colorado, is often called a “hybrid connector” as he continuously and successfully builds bridges between for-profit and nonprofit organizations, resulting in advantageous relationships for both parties. Martine is credited with the quote, “Every time a cat dies in Colorado, someone starts a new non-profit.” The remark has taken on a life of its own and is often discussed with him at events and meetings. However, there is significant meaning in the statement. Martine says, “I’ll often ask people why they really got involved in the first place. Was it to make a real change or simply to start something new? Collaboration means for-profit and non-profit businesses working together.

Finding and joining forces with others who are working toward the same goals is more powerful than 10,000 individuals simply heading off on their own.”

p: 720.259.0849 douglasmartine@mtdn.com www.mtdn.com

This change inspired him to take on the role of executive vice president of Blacktie, a non-profit event online portal, assisting 300 local and 1,000 national non-profits with their event management, promotion, and fundraising.

While working with hundreds of non-profits and for-profits, Martine saw firsthand the continuing disconnect between the two worlds and sought a long-term solution.

Martine transformed Blacktie into a complete solution for non-profit organizations allowing them to reach the widest possible audience and broadening their exposure. Within the first year of Martine’s leadership, Blacktie’s website increased online fundraising by 67% (an average of more than $500,000 per month), unique visitor numbers rose by 50% and the sites overall traffic climbed from an average of 3.2 million to over 5 million per month. Martine attributes this success to valuable collaboration and connections – something he now brings to Make the Difference Network.

» Every time a cat dies in Colorado, someone starts a new non-profit… «

History Growing up in the Martine household meant extensive involvement in meaningful and impactful charity work and collaboration. A third-generation Colorado native, Martine has a family history rooted in small (a three-generation dairy farm) and large (Coors Brewing Company) businesses. He discovered his passion for public affairs while studying at Dick Lamm’s Institute for Public Policy Studies. Martine is a graduate of the University of Denver with a degree in speech communications and public affairs. He serves on several advisory committees and boards including the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, Rocky Mountain PBS, CASA, and the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado.

New Direction After a successful career in the technology industry and witnessing the difficult road so many non-profits were experiencing, Martine was determined to change his professional path and look for fresh ways to make a difference.

More to do Make the Difference Network is an online social network for anyone interested in helping non-profits and for-profits connect with a wider network of giving individuals and businesses. Martine explains that “Make the Difference Network’s web portal is pure collaboration and provides the connection and collaboration point for all players to succeed, which is why I joined the company in September.” Martine is responsible for the sales, administration, and operational divisions of the company in order to help guide and grow the company nationally.

Want to make a difference?

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advisory board

George Mitrovich

Meet George Mitrovich

G

President The Denver Forum Denver, CO

eorge Mitrovich was born in San Diego, California.

His primary education took place in San Diego public schools; his secondary at Pasadena (Nazarene) College and, briefly, the School of Theology, Claremont, California.

In May 2007 he was awarded a Doctor of Human Letters by Point Loma Nazarene University.

In 1966 he was named administrative assistant to Lt. Governor Glenn Anderson of California. In the presidential campaign of 1968 he was a press aide to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Subsequently, he served as United States Senate press secretary to Senator Charles E. Goodell, Republican of New York, and Senator Harold E. Hughes, Democrat of Iowa. In addition, he worked for two members of the United States House of Representatives.

In 1975 he founded The City Club of San Diego, a non-partisan public forum. In 1985 he founded The Denver Forum. In 2003 The City Club was named the third best public forum in America and The Denver Forum, number 5. Mitrovich chairs the Boston Red Sox Great Fenway Park Writers Series, as well as the Red Sox’s annual January 31 birthday tribute to Jackie Robinson.

He serves as Chairman of the Better Government Association, Chairman of The Committee on Charter Reform, and is Chairman of The Committee of 2000. He is the first San Diegan elected to the board of the California Historical Society.

Mitrovich has served on numerous public boards and agencies, including: San Diego Stadium Authority, San Diego County Charter Review Committee, San Diego County Fiscal & Justice Committee, San Diego Pops, San Diego Crew Classic, The National Conference for Community and Justice, Citizens for Community Values, and Crime Victims Fund.

With the Reverend George Walker Smith, he co-founded the San Diego Coalition for Equality, which came in response to racial unrest in Southern California.

He was named by Charter 100, a professional women’s organization, “Man of the Year”; by Pacific Bell, an “Outstanding

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CONTACT MR. Mitrovich: PO Box 387 Denver, CO 80201 P: 303.832.9030 thedenverforum@gmail.com

San Diegan”; by the San Diego Mediation Center, “Peacemaker of the Year,” and was given the NAACP’s “Community Involvement” Award. On two occasions he has been honored by The Catfish Club, San Diego’s leading African-American professional organization.

In 1996 the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church honored Mr. Mitrovich “For his ministry and labor to overcome racism and to build a multi-cultural church...”

In addition, the San Diego Press Club awarded him its “Sitting Duck Award,” which was presented by Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware.

He has written extensively for North American newspapers, including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Toronto Globe and Mail, Baltimore Sun, San Diego Union Tribune, Louisville Courier Journal, The Denver Post, Seattle Times, The Rocky Mountain News, San Antonio Express-News, Los Angeles Times, and the Litchfield County Times in Connecticut. He has also written for The Christian Century, Frontier, Interpreter, United Methodist Reporter, Good News, and The New Oxford Review.

Unwilling to yield to time’s inexorable toll, Mitrovich plays for the Marston Mets in the San Diego Adult Baseball League (SDABL), 38 and over division. In 2002, by winning 16 games against only 2 losses, the team was regular and post-season SDABL Champions. In 2003, 2004 and 2007 the Mets qualified for the playoffs.

He is married to La Verle Ann Sutherland Mitrovich. They have three children: Carolyn, Mark and Tim. Carolyn has a son, Matthew. Tim and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters, Jessica and Juliette.

advisory board

George Mitrovich

Meet George Mitrovich

G

President The Denver Forum Denver, CO

eorge Mitrovich was born in San Diego, California.

His primary education took place in San Diego public schools; his secondary at Pasadena (Nazarene) College and, briefly, the School of Theology, Claremont, California.

In May 2007 he was awarded a Doctor of Human Letters by Point Loma Nazarene University.

In 1966 he was named administrative assistant to Lt. Governor Glenn Anderson of California. In the presidential campaign of 1968 he was a press aide to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Subsequently, he served as United States Senate press secretary to Senator Charles E. Goodell, Republican of New York, and Senator Harold E. Hughes, Democrat of Iowa. In addition, he worked for two members of the United States House of Representatives.

In 1975 he founded The City Club of San Diego, a non-partisan public forum. In 1985 he founded The Denver Forum. In 2003 The City Club was named the third best public forum in America and The Denver Forum, number 5. Mitrovich chairs the Boston Red Sox Great Fenway Park Writers Series, as well as the Red Sox’s annual January 31 birthday tribute to Jackie Robinson.

He serves as Chairman of the Better Government Association, Chairman of The Committee on Charter Reform, and is Chairman of The Committee of 2000. He is the first San Diegan elected to the board of the California Historical Society.

Mitrovich has served on numerous public boards and agencies, including: San Diego Stadium Authority, San Diego County Charter Review Committee, San Diego County Fiscal & Justice Committee, San Diego Pops, San Diego Crew Classic, The National Conference for Community and Justice, Citizens for Community Values, and Crime Victims Fund.

With the Reverend George Walker Smith, he co-founded the San Diego Coalition for Equality, which came in response to racial unrest in Southern California.

He was named by Charter 100, a professional women’s organization, “Man of the Year”; by Pacific Bell, an “Outstanding

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CONTACT MR. Mitrovich: PO Box 387 Denver, CO 80201 P: 303.832.9030 thedenverforum@gmail.com

San Diegan”; by the San Diego Mediation Center, “Peacemaker of the Year,” and was given the NAACP’s “Community Involvement” Award. On two occasions he has been honored by The Catfish Club, San Diego’s leading African-American professional organization.

In 1996 the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church honored Mr. Mitrovich “For his ministry and labor to overcome racism and to build a multi-cultural church...”

In addition, the San Diego Press Club awarded him its “Sitting Duck Award,” which was presented by Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware.

He has written extensively for North American newspapers, including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Toronto Globe and Mail, Baltimore Sun, San Diego Union Tribune, Louisville Courier Journal, The Denver Post, Seattle Times, The Rocky Mountain News, San Antonio Express-News, Los Angeles Times, and the Litchfield County Times in Connecticut. He has also written for The Christian Century, Frontier, Interpreter, United Methodist Reporter, Good News, and The New Oxford Review.

Unwilling to yield to time’s inexorable toll, Mitrovich plays for the Marston Mets in the San Diego Adult Baseball League (SDABL), 38 and over division. In 2002, by winning 16 games against only 2 losses, the team was regular and post-season SDABL Champions. In 2003, 2004 and 2007 the Mets qualified for the playoffs.

He is married to La Verle Ann Sutherland Mitrovich. They have three children: Carolyn, Mark and Tim. Carolyn has a son, Matthew. Tim and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters, Jessica and Juliette.

collaborator profile

Triple Bottom Line Leadership

Triple Bottom Line Leadership Models of Sucess… by Nancy Fell

T

he inaugural issue of ICOSA was rich in metaphor – imagining how collaboration could be seen as a multifaceted jewel that reflects opportunity for those willing to engage in new thinking. This innovative publication also shared the concept of Kaizen, which, simply stated, means a process of continual improvement based on input from those vested in a program, project or product. And, for those unfamiliar with one of the world’s most premier awards, the Baldrige Award, readers learned about the evaluative process and how its symbol of quality can translate into market opportunities for recipients who merit its strict criteria.

The authors of this first issue could not have known the economic twists and turns that shortly followed ICOSA’s launch. Nor could they have predicted the timeliness and need for its approach anchored by real world examples. As this second issue goes to press, the world has changed again, and now seems poised for not a single change - but a series of changes that transition towards a transformative economy. Embedded in that transition are opportunities for businesses to develop new products, non-profit organizations to explore new funding strategies and governmental entities to shape process and policy.

Imagine a world where leaders aspire to shape an economic, social and environmental future. A world where creative thought is truly welcomed, where partnerships are centered on issues and managed for impact, creating resources, opportunity and self sufficiency that supports both a sustainable national and world economy firmly anchored by stable local communities.

In recent weeks, the economic crisis surrounding the housing industry and the subsequent melt down of the credit markets has caused many business leaders to constrict activities resulting in reduced earnings and job loss. As government initiatives move in to shore up options, non-profit entities are experiencing unprecedented demand for services. Unfortunately, this increased demand for services (especially in housing, health and food) is not

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As a result, fear and discouragement start to take hold and a sense of mutual distrust of one another’s intentions - and ethics - starts a spin cycle of self examination that requires people to question deeply their long held beliefs about how we relate to one another.

Some react by clinging desperately to the past, hoping for a return to thinking patterns whose reality has now passed.

Others, caught in the delicate balance of past memory and future possibilities, are searching for new meaning and an approach that fuses both income opportunities and personal beliefs. Yet others, eager to move into a promising future - are quickly shifting their thinking towards a more sustainable and just world, and are searching for others who share that vision.

» These three root themes when understood and integrated as a whole – form an equation that shifts individual thought into collective outcomes; blends corporate social responsibility initiatives with social enterprise programs to build models of self sufficiency; and may call out to a new type of leader, brave enough to hold a sense of space for others as they find their footing during times of change. «

The world may be in the process of this transformation.

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being met by traditional funding or donor support. As investment portfolio values continue to swing, the potential lowered asset value and loss of dividend income may impact both businesses and non-profit entities alike, since reduced earnings creates less cash. The non-profit community, dependent upon donations from individuals, business and foundations, are already feeling the pinch since lower stock earnings – combined with higher cost of living expenses – translates into less funding support creating a cycle of confusion for all three sectors.

The purpose of this article is to describe three emerging movements, presented as themes, that may be foundational for the collective future of the business, non-profit, academic and government communities. These three root themes - sustainability, partnerships and social enterprise – may, when understood and integrated as a whole – form an equation that shifts individual thought into collective outcomes; blends corporate social responsibility initiatives with social enterprise programs to build models of self sufficiency; and may call out to a new type of leader, brave enough to hold a sense of space for others as they find their footing during times of change.

Consider the current economic turbulence from the perspective of Austrian theorist, Joseph Schumpeter. Schumpeter used the term creative destruction to describe business as a cyclical flow - subject to change, variation and demise. During times of change some products become obsolete; they may no longer be

needed or valued - opening opportunities for new growth and innovation.

During times of economic change - such as the time we are all experiencing - Schumpeter felt that entrepreneurs were critical to the flow of business because they held the feisty determination critical to idea generation that feeds the capitalization of new markets.

He coined the German word, untenehmergeist, meaning fiery souls - or spirits - to capture its meaning.

The key to understanding Schumpeter’s creative destruction is that sometimes we need to let go of the past - and the fear it generates - in order to create the future. The world moves through cycles of change and a spirited leader – who can fire up the character, heart, and courage in others, while balancing a sense of discernment, discretion and decisiveness may capitalize on the competition by creating change that is now taking place around the world.

Consider a concept about creating opportunity that has no competition. In the book, Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Untested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, authors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne state that “tomorrow’s leading companies will succeed not by battling competitors, but by creating “blue oceans” of uncontested market space ripe for growth. Such strategic moves - termed “value innovation” can create powerful leaps in value for both the firm and its buyers, rendering rivals obsolete and unleashing new demand.”

The authors illustrate the concept by telling the story of Cirque du Solei, whose rapid growth (in the declining circus industry) was attributed to not competing with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, but by understanding the needs of a complementary

audience hungry for a theater experience. They describe how CEO Guy Laiberte combined the best of what a traditional circus had to offer (tent, clowns and classic acrobatics) - eliminated the animals and sawdust and added a sense of “elegance, sophistication and intellectual wonder” which captivated the attention of adult theater customers who simultaneously enjoyed the fun and thrill of movement infused with a story line. Cirque du Soleil performances have now been seen by over 40 million people in 90 cities throughout the world.

The Cirque du Soleil story illustrates Schumpeter’s two key observations; creative destruction and entrepreneurial spirit – and its’ success may suggest models of opportunity that are starting to take shape every day. For example, reflect on some of the economic, social and environmental realities of 2008 - and hold onto just a few of the positives - like holding a small jewel - are there any ideas that fire up your entrepreneurial spirit?

Consider some of the opportunities emerging as a result of climate change; rather than concentrating on the downside, many leaders in the business, non-profit and government sectors are creating programs, projects, policies and strategies to “green” their organizations towards sustainability. Citywide initiatives to green the Democratic National Convention showed that hundreds of businesses and non-profit organizations were eager to learn ways to green their facilities and infuse sustainable business practices into product development. Many small business owners spotted opportunities to encourage employee involvement and are now creating “green teams” possibly vesting the spirit of Kaizen into the process of planetary

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collaborator profile

Triple Bottom Line Leadership

improvement while capitalizing on the value innovation from the unfolding market of conscious consumerism.

her work with the Partnership Initiative. Consider the following statement from the website:

We can thank the fiery souls who spurred the green movement because it provided a major springboard into sustainability, the first of three key themes toward a collective future. The concept of sustainability is often misunderstood as having a singular reference to environmental impact and natural resource protection and conservation.

The idealistic definition has been expressed as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

“A partnership is across-sector collaboration in which organizations work together in a transparent, equitable and mutually beneficial way towards a sustainable development goal and where those defined as partners agree to commit resources and share the risks as well as the benefits associated with the partnership.”

» The world is transitioning fast and transformation is underway. «

Understanding this vision can be anchored by defining the term into three distinct, yet overlapping pillars: economic prosperity and stability; social well being and equity for people and communities; and environmental protection and resource conservation.

True sustainability is the fusion of knowledge, action and activities that we have the power to design and transform our world towards not just a single bottom line (economic) but a triple bottom line (social and environmental).

Consider the question by the Polish poet, Stanislaw Lec when he asked, “Is it progress if a cannibal uses a fork?” John Elkington, who originally coined the term “triple bottom line” in his book, Cannibals without Forks, likened “companies to cannibals” in their sometimes unrelenting greed to “carve up and digest” other businesses in pursuit of traditional capitalist profit motives.

Elkington, using a three pronged fork (as a prop), argued that organizations could move beyond a singular profit driven bottom line (or fork prong) if they could integrate environmental and social initiatives within their overall strategy - thus building a triple bottom line approach to sustainability.

A partnership approach is neither a quick fix nor an easy option. The transaction costs can be high and all too often, time and energy is wasted on a process of partnership building and management that is not well thought through and/or not professionally undertaken. Even worse, there are many scenarios where there is no process in place at all; it is simply assumed that the partnership will work out of a general sense of goodwill. In such cases, the partnership fails to meet its potential (or even fails completely) because of a lack of leadership or the availability/ application of relevant experience, expertise, skills, tools or frameworks. And the whole paradigm takes a step backwards rather than forwards.

The benefit of partnerships between the private and non-profit sector can be extended to include the government sector especially as it relates to the last theme – social enterprise. Social enterprise, simply defined by the trade organization, Social Enterprise Alliance, is “an organization or venture that advances its social mission through entrepreneurial, earned income strategies.” More advanced models of social enterprise such as community development corporations, community development financial institutions, land trusts, ESOPs, COOP’s start to blur the lines between the private and non-profit sectors. Advanced funding models of strategic philanthropy, program related investments and microenterprise are imperative options for all sectors to innovate for workforce development and new job creation which will fuel the high growth sustainable industries such as organic foods, green building, clean technology and alternative fuels – further shaping new concepts and innovations such as philanthrocapitalism and “for benefit businesses” known as “B” Corporations.

» Tomorrow’s leading companies will succeed not by battling competitors, but by creating “blue oceans” of uncontested market space ripe for growth. «

Elkington was one of the first to identify that constructive capitalism can be an effective tool in the path towards sustainability and recognized that businesses should have a vested interest because their very existence is based on stable markets. Elkington was the one to flush out the meaning of sustainability by integrating the purpose of the common good - meaning that healthy people, who have access to education, clean water, health care and skills help create healthy communities. People living in healthy communities contribute to its economic viability which, in turn, builds both business capital and the goodwill essential to social capital – the glue that holds networks together.

The fusion of business interests within communities can be optimized in partnership with the non-profit sector, as both work toward sustainable development. Partnerships are the second central theme critical to a collective future, and its power is best recognized by Ros Tennyson, Director of the Prince of Wales International Business Leadership Forum in

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The world is transitioning fast and transformation is underway.

The stories that follow illustrate how some considered “best in the business” are shaping innovation, sustainability, partnerships and enterprise that bring triple bottom line benefits to the communities they serve. Their examples serve as inspiration and, perhaps present a “calling” that will help you and your organization break free from the cycles of the past and move towards award winning best practices and collaboration in the new year.

Copyright NFell, Triple bottom Line Partners, Boulder, CO 80303 Nancy Fell, Triple Bottom Line Partners, Founder Regis University, Affiliate Faculty 303-543-3809 nfell@regis.edu

F l o u r i s h.

collaborator profile

mtdn

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE NETWORK A New Way to Give by Rebecca Saltman

» Make the Difference Network – It’s a fascinating story, sort of a MySpace for Non-Profits, connecting them and helping them find new donors. « - President Bill Clinton

Enter Make The Difference Network (MTDN), an online social network for everyone interested in helping non-profit organizations, as well as non-profits who want to connect with a wider network of individuals and businesses who give. Co-founded by actress Jessica Biel, her father Jon Biel and social entrepreneur, Kent McBride, MTDN enables individuals and businesses to become grassroots philanthropists through the site’s “wishes” – projects and needs, posted by the sites’ member non-profits. This innovation is Making a Difference, through collaboration.

MTDN has not only developed a social network but has infused trust into a very murky sea of Internet-based online giving. The most important element in collaboration, especially when you are a financial partner, is trust. The problem is most businesses and non-profits don’t trust each other, often with good reason.

Businesses believe non-profits are constantly walking around with their hand out - often with a tin cup - and non-profits

K

atrina relief. California fires. Supporting returning Iraq soldiers. World slavery. Kids with terminal heart disease. Abused animals. Poverty. The list seems endless. The need can look overwhelming, to those involved and those wanting to make a difference.

Current economic turmoil does not help nor bode well for future government assistance.

With so much help needed, it’s hard to tell where an individual can even begin to assist a non-profit effort, forget through a company. Certainly Wall Street does not seem to be the best investment anymore, and not because of the crash. Why should we care about these two seemingly divergent issues? Because they converge in innovations that change systems like the way we give or the way we invest.

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» MTDN arms non-profits with something they often don’t readily have: the ability to demonstrate results to those who support them. «

feel that the big bad companies shouldn’t be able to use the non-profit community to “green-wash” bad acts of the private sector. They don’t have the heart-set, the mind-set, or common language to work these issues out. Even the most basic collaborations often suffer because of this disconnect.

MTDN is the translator fixing this problem.

It creates a platform which allows both sides of the equation to showcase passion and caring, creating a common language through defined mutual goals. At its core MTDN is a hybrid: cause marketing and collaborative movement. It provides nonprofits training, technology and traffic.

It also allows individuals, businesses and non-profits to list opportunities for collaboration and cooperation while providing transparency for people with which they want to work. Because of this “translation capability”, MTDN is uniquely positioned to teach collaboration to nonprofits and the business community, without losing passion for the mission.

MTDN is proving that a major difference can be made in our world today by enabling worthy non-profits to help more people through the availability of contemporary, cutting-edge Internet technology connecting them with caring people who want to “experience the magic of giving”. And that magic isn’t a fantasy – it can be seen.

Donors locally, nationally, and internationally can choose where they are helping, can observe what is happening in their community, can choose which organization they want to support and the best way to do it, and most importantly see the difference they have made - literally witnessing a quantifiable return on investment from those same donations.

MTDN arms non-profits with something they often don’t readily have: the ability to demonstrate results to those who support them. Demonstrated results lead to an easier route to continued support and success, even in these economic times.

In essence, MTDN is bringing a tangible new twist on the “the teach a man to fish” proverb: Give a non-profit a donation; you feed it for a day. Teach a non-profit how to attract donations by building a solid, reliable social network; you feed it (as well as the community) for life.

» MTDN has not only developed a social network but has infused trust into a very murky sea of Internetbased online giving. «

Collaboration doesn’t happen between the sectors without communication. Make the Difference Network and the movement behind it was launched around the core idea of providing a solid solution to get nonprofits, business and individuals to work more effectively together, to invest in each other, extending each of their messages by increasing donations of non-profit efforts and those that support them ubiquitously.

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collaborator profile

mtdn

» Increasing the visibility of thousands of non-profit organizations and empowering millions of potential donors to search, select and fund organizations’ specific “wishes” is the very platform on which MTDN is based. « Businesses who support MTDN non-profit organizations through a national platform gain benefits two ways: first by enhancing and solidifying the national brand and corporate image as a caring one, secondly by allowing their local stores, representatives, or employees to participate in that effort, locally, with their customers and other non-profit efforts. Simply put, MTDN gives non-profits a place to tell their story and the audience to sell it to.

Part of the mission at MTDN is being a partner with all their partners.

MTDN insures the highest return for the sponsors, the individual donors, and the non-profits by not taking a cut or percentage of their donations. They can look the non-profits and all involved in the eye and say “We’re in this together.” They can do the same with the business sponsors as well – yes, the businesses pay to be on the site, and they sponsor the non-profits expanded capabilities.

But the same dynamic holds true. The dollars are going where you want them Mr. Sponsor, to the non-profit effort - and you get the exposure for being a caring business.

According to MTDN Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, “The entire week of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is a great example of what can happen when a diverse group of people, inspired by a common cause, can accomplish when they collaborate. Working together, the PGA, the Shriners, Justin Timberlake and his musician friends, Make The Difference Network and tons of volunteers helped raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children.” They also helped raise awareness among the general public of the amazing work the 22 Shriners hospitals do each year – they treated over 125,000 kids in 2007 - all for FREE.” Democratize giving MTDN has a goal to democratize giving by literally bringing it to the masses. Increasing the visibility of thousands of non-profit organizations and empowering millions of potential donors to search, select and fund organizations’ specific “wishes” is the very

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platform on which MTDN is based, and from which it will continue to grow as an enterprise.

Who wins from all this Cause-Inspired Marketing?

Everybody wins: cause-inspired marketing creates a great win/win/ win/win situation. non-profits win because they get additional visibility and contributions. The donors win because they are gratified while advancing their cause. The business wins by increasing its sphere of influence, gaining more clients and credibility within their sphere of influence and the community wins by developing a stronger business and non-profit base.

It has been observed that such an ambitious undertaking would not have been possible without the advent of the Internet to act as the actual engine of collaboration in this model. But the daily experiences of MTDN staffers seems to bear out the simple truth that people will work together in some capacity if given the opportunity. The opportunities highlighted by MTDN’s approach are simply on a more vast scale, and as such, so are the returns!

Rebecca Saltman is a social entrepreneur and the President and Founder of a Foot in the Door Productions an independent collaboration building firm designed to bridge business, government, non-profits and education.

Contact Rebecca at rsaltman@foot-in-door.com.

jewel of collaboration

GRAMEEN BANK

Shifting From a Profit Focus to Social Objective Making a Difference to the Worlds Poor by Robin Koenigsberg

T

he global, and primarily Western, commitment to free market capitalism has resulted in immense wealth creation in the developed world. It is closely tied to political freedom, economic prosperity and technological innovation. Arguably, it has changed the world like no other ideology or social construct has.

Select photography of Yunus are courtesy of Regis University and Josh Hardin

But the undeniable fact is that free market capitalism is imperfect.

Perhaps no better demonstration of that imperfection exists than the 2 billion of the world’s population who live in squalor.

And while global poverty is an issue upon which free-market economists don’t like to dwell, it is a moral imperative that conjures the simple but crucial question: Is large-scale poverty a necessary and inevitable collateral outcome of the free-market system? In other words, does creating winners require creating losers?

At least one prominent banker and economist doesn’t think so.

Muhammad Yunus is seeking to reform the tools of finance to lift people out of poverty and transform the poor into capitalist success stories. Yunus invented the social business model, an economic construct that subordinates private profit to the public good. And while Adam Smith may be rolling in his grave, today’s economic and social commentators are standing up and taking notice. In fact, in 2006, Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize for “their efforts to create economic and social development from below.”

One could describe the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh as the antibank. The first and most important departure from traditional banking that Grameen undertakes is to eschew the traditional banking raison d’etre, i.e., profit, in favor of social development.

Next, instead of seeking out safe, collateralized loans, Grameen seeks out impoverished populations in rural Bangladesh. Further, rather than relying on sophisticated commercial paper and collateral contracts, Grameen’s loans are based on loan groups.

According to its web site, Grameen serves 7.58 million borrowers, almost all of who are women. The bank has over 2,500 branches throughout Bangladesh and serves people in over 85,000 villages in rural Bangladesh.

Grameen

» Free market capitalism is imperfect. Perhaps no better demonstration of that imperfection exists than the 2 billion of the world’s population who live in squalor. «

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reports that it has disbursed over $7.3 billion since its inception in 1976 and that $6.5 billion has been repaid. Grameen’s loans seem small to Western sensibilities, they are typically less than $200, but the impact the bank has had on the rural poor in Bangladesh is notable. By its own estimates, 65 percent of the bank’s members improve their socio-economic condition and on average they earn between 25 percent and 50 percent more than their non-Grameen cohorts.

At first blush, the story of microcredit sounds like a fairy tale, with the market and governments playing the roles of the ugly stepsisters, and the social business playing Cinderella – featuring Yunus as the Fairy Godmother. But economists John Adams and Frank Raymond advise caution. In a June 2008 article, “Did Yunus Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize: Microfinance or Macrofarce?” the authors say the many social objectives of microfinance – empowerment of women, higher incomes, and improved health, fertility, and education – are difficult to assess as outcomes. Data collection challenges aside, microfinance institutions (MFIs) suffer the same problems as governments, in that well-intended policies can create unintended consequences. As an example, children typically benefit from their mothers’ involvement in a loan group through small improvements in education and health, but, as they age, they may be frustrated by the lack of economic opportunity due to cultural or socioeconomic barriers, and contribute to growing civil unrest.

Unbridled enthusiasm for microfinance, Adams and Raymond suggest, has replaced accountability. This is problematic for several reasons. Large-scale investment is flowing into Grameen-like MFIs without sufficient vetting of social performance. Needed resources might be diverted from other essential programs that complement the social objectives of microfinance.

But Grameen Bank is relatively young and flexible. Yunus has taken up the challenge to evolve and learn from his experiences.

Grameen Bank and the related Grameen Foundation promote social performance measures that [build] on previous efforts to measure and manage MFI social performance, provides an accurate and practical approach for MFIs to measure how and why their clients’ living conditions change over time. So the Grameen microcredit experiment appears to be working, although imperfectly, at least in rural Bangladesh. The question becomes, how does it work?

Microcredit, as practiced at Grameen, focuses on credit, not as a tool for greasing the gears of macro-commerce, but as a fundamental human right. Yunus describes credit as a cost-effective weapon with which to fight poverty. This principle addresses the failure of free markets to account for mass poverty.

Traditional, profit-driven banks simply refuse to make capital available to the poor because of the perceived risk of default and, lack of security, i.e., collateral for the loans. And the lack of access to capital restricts the poor to low-wage employment rather than entrepreneurship. In other words, lack of credit is what traps the poor in poverty.

Governments have been less than effective in addressing these market failures, relying on social welfare programs that can provide a safety net for its poorest citizens or tax structures that seek to redistribute wealth. But governments have done little to address the lack of access to capital for investment and entrepreneurship.

This is the gap that Yunus and microcredit fill. At Grameen the model is fairly simple.

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jewel of collaboration

GRAMEEN BANK

First, the Grameen microcredit program is focused on the poorest of the poor in rural Bangladesh. This makes sense given Grameen’s focus on social and economic development.

Second, borrowers are organized into small, homogenous groups, usually of five individuals. The small size and homogeneity of the groups fosters trust and accountability among members. The loans are administered and enforced by local bank agents, rather than remotely. This proximity yields more trust and cooperation in ensuring the venture is successful and the loan is repaid.

Third, the terms of the loans are particularly geared toward the poor borrower. For example, the loan amounts are kept low and are made without collateral, eligibility for subsequent loans is conditioned upon repaying the first loan, close supervision of the credit is required by the borrower group and the bank staff, and transparency in all bank transactions is required.

Fourth, the borrowers are required to undertake a social development agenda beyond the needs and desires of the borrowers themselves. In other words, Grameen’s focus on social development must be matched by that of the borrowers. Emphasis on improvements to physical infrastructure in the villages in which the borrowers live is a good example of this requirement.

Fifth, the microcredit program must be locally focused. Grameen is, therefore, organized in such a way as to use local banking agents, many of whom travel on bicycles, to manage the loans. This fosters both trust and accountability from both the bank and the borrowers.

Finally, as the borrowers develop credit discipline, additional and more sophisticated loan products are made available to them, again with emphasis on public infrastructure such as water and sanitation.

Despite its focus on social development, Grameen has posted a profit nearly every year of its existence, including a $20 million profit in 2006. The model has gained attention across the globe. In fact, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals would like to bring Yunus’ microcredit model to the Western hemisphere.

Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim is teaming up with Yunus to open a Mexican microcredit bank to help that country’s burgeoning poor population. Slim has stated that he is putting up $45 million to get the venture started and is hopeful that Grameen’s success can be replicated in Mexico. Slim and Yunus hope to disperse 80,000 loans during the initial phase of the Mexican bank.

Even America’s policy elite have embraced Yunus and microcredit.

Upon Yunus’ receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, former President Bill Clinton gushed: “Because of his efforts, millions of people, most of them women, have had the chance to improve their lives and we are all better off as a result.”

So while it is unlikely that Mr. Yunus and microcredit will replace free-market capitalism, the Grameen experience is enlightening.

It teaches us that shifting away from a singular profit focus to social objectives can make a difference to many of the worlds poor. Oh, and it can still be profitable.

Maybe Adam Smith isn’t rolling over after all.

Robin Koenigsberg, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Business Division at Regis University, Denver.

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» Even America’s policy elite have embraced Yunus and microcredit.

Upon Yunus’ receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, former President Bill Clinton gushed: “Because of his efforts, millions of people, most of them women, have had the chance to improve their lives and we are all better off as a result.” «

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collaborator profile

Ashoka

Innovators For The Public Social Entrepreneurs Who Dream, Guide, and Make Change by Lynn Price

A

sk Bill Drayton, “What is the most powerful force in the world?” He will emphatically respond, “A big idea if it is in the hands of an entrepreneur who is actually going to make the idea not only happen, but spread all across society.”

Bill Drayton is the founder of Ashoka, Innovators for the Public, a global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs who tackle society’s greatest challenges with system changing solutions. Named for the Indian leader who unified the Indian subcontinent in the 3rd century BC by renouncing violence and dedicating his life to social welfare and economic development, Ashoka has elected over 2,000 Fellows in 60 different countries since 1981.

Ashoka is a resilient place where “Everyone is a Changemaker.”

Possessed by a vision to create change on a large scale, Fellows connect and collaborate to transform the direction of society.

Each Fellow embraces a vision for change. A new idea, innovation, solution or approach that will change the direction of their field of work, Ashoka Fellows are visionaries who are persistent and realistic as they forge across uncharted waters to turn ripples into tidal waves of change. It is with respect for what and whom

» Possessed by a vision to create change on a large scale, Fellows connect and collaborate to transform the direction of society. Each Fellow embraces a vision for change. « has come before, that mobilizes like-minded individuals to create new models that will not only be accepted, but also replicated on a large scale.

Steve Bigari of Colorado Springs, Colorado, elected as an Ashoka Fellow in 2004, recognized that low-wage workers in the United States are often one crisis away from extreme poverty. In an effort to reverse the economic instability, Steve founded America’s Family to recruit employers to take a lead role in addressing the problems that make workers vulnerable, breaking the cycle of persistent poverty by helping workers achieve personal stability and develop the skills they need to get a foothold on the ladder to the middle class.

» Ashoka is a community for individuals and groups who strive to balance social change with the bottom line. « ( 26 )

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Through America’s Family, he partners employers, workers, and social service providers to meet employees’ essential needs of health care, transportation, child care, housing, and education.

His program offers a coordinated continuum of services, ensuring that low-income workers have the resources they need to stay on the job and succeed at work. With this model of connection and collaboration, America’s Family has fulfilled a pivotal educational segment of recruiting and retaining employees with companies who truly care about them.

Ashoka Fellows have social responsibility in their blood. From their early years they have displayed a sense of dynamic creativity

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collaborator profile

Ashoka

as they see possibilities to set goals, solve problems and change systems with insight and integrity.

Growing up in the foster care system, Lynn Price of Lone Tree, Colorado, elected as an Ashoka Fellow in 2005, didn’t tell anyone she was a ‘foster child,’ because of stereotypes that she felt would diminish opportunities to move her life in a positive direction.

She found ways to surround herself with people who loved her with sincerity, accepted her unconditionally and without judgment. She further recognized that most youth in foster care, like herself, did not live with their brothers and sisters, devoid of a relationship that is most often the longest one in life.

Lynn founded Camp To Belong, dedicated to reuniting brothers and sisters who live in different foster homes and other out-of home care so siblings don’t miss out on typical childhood experiences like she did. Camp to Belong brings together siblings, their care providers, social workers, teachers and volunteer counselors to mutually understand and commit to flagship summer camps for sibling connection.

communities, Fellows also capture their imagination to believe in one another and the vision at hand. Trust garners support for the Fellow’s new idea and participation in their movement.

Ashoka has recognized that entrepreneurialism is not only a passion for adults. Ashoka’s Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to start and lead their own social ventures. The premise is that if individuals start taking initiatives to make change when they are young, they will learn early on in life that they can lead social change.

» It is that legacy, that social impact, that profoundly shapes our world. It crosses boundaries, administers new direction, and significantly changes the course of a field. All of which ultimately create a better world. «

The bigger unified family makes it possible for siblings to have shared memories and the programs have been the catalyst for legislation regarding sibling placement and visitation, recruitment of more families for siblings, and new best practice for child welfare professionals.

Entrepreneurial quality is essential to being an Ashoka Fellow. In their minds and hearts, Fellows reach deep and aim high toward a goal to turn an idea into reality. Unselfishly, they passionately work toward their unfolding legacy. Amy Barzach of Bloomfield, Connecticut elected as an Ashoka Fellow in 2002, created a national resource center to help communities build play areas that address the developmental needs of children of all abilities. The principles of universal design, breaks down barriers between individuals with and without physical, sensory, and developmental disabilities. Boundless Playgrounds is part of the vision to an integrated world, where everyone is empowered and welcomed to contribute because children of all abilities grew up playing and learning together.

It is that legacy, that social impact, that profoundly shapes our world. It crosses boundaries, administers new direction, and significantly changes the course of a field. All of which ultimately create a better world.

Above all, ethical fiber is at the core of every Ashoka Fellow.

By capturing the trust of individuals and groups within their

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Further with this vim and vigor, Ashoka has created the Ashoka Support Network (ASN) and Ashoka’s University Program.

ASN is a mosaic of successful business people who share a unified belief that entrepreneurs are the primary engine for economic and social development. Committing time and resources to support the passion and work of Ashoka Fellows, business entrepreneurs, senior executives, investment bankers, venture capitalists and consultants from more than 16 countries are the force behind the social entrepreneurial movement.

Ashoka’s University Programs are advancing social entrepreneurship education and practice, believing that university campuses can be incubators for social change. In this year’s pilot, Changemaker Campuses program, they have partnered with four universities on the East Coast in an effort to embed social entrepreneurship across campus.

By teaming up with entrepreneurial faculty, staff, and students from all levels and disciplines, the program aims to advance social entrepreneurship research, education, and practice across campus, creating innovative models to educate the next generation of social entrepreneurs.

Ashoka is a community for individuals and groups who strive to balance social change with the bottom line. They are ready, willing and able to learn alongside those who bring the best of their knowledge and abilities to make change. It is a process.

One that captivates the heart, engages the mind and stirs the soul with bumps and bruises along the way. Self development a constant, and bringing others along for the ride a given.

“We dream, we guide, and we make change encouraging others to share our vision, or their vision, with the world,” notes Lynn Price.

If you have an interest in learning more about Ashoka, visit www.ashoka.org or contact Lynn Price at lynn@lynnprice.com.

Making a difference in our community.

tell me more Š 2007 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (27922)

www.airproducts.com

jewel of collaboration

CH2M HILL

making philanthropy strategic The Key to Weathering an Economic Storm by Patty Keck

G

iven the current economic uncertainty in the United States and abroad, many corporations are challenged to tighten budgets, identify efficiencies and eliminate discretionary spending. A mere 10 years ago, corporate philanthropy likely would have been one of the first things to go in efforts to trim corporate fat and meet the annual budget plan. Historically viewed as a “nice”—but not necessary — cost of doing business, a company’s contributions to local charities were directly correlated to that year’s profit margin and the state of the overall economy.

Fortunately, many of today’s corporate leaders know differently.

It is during an economic downturn that communities rely on their corporate funders more than ever and when corporations risk damaging their reputations, community goodwill, and valued social networks by reducing community spending and engagement.

Civil Engineer Candice Hein teaches students at Mountain Ridge Middle School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., about the principles of bridge design during Engineers Week 2008.

The challenge, then, lies in creating a community investment program, at CH2M HILL we call it CH2M HILL Community Partners — that directly supports the goals and objectives of the business.

Moving corporate giving from liability to asset at CH2M HILL has come down to: aligning community priorities with business imperatives; securing senior executive leadership and engagement; leveraging employee volunteerism rather than just dollars, and establishing goals, metrics and a plan for continual improvement.

Make it Strategic: Align Community Priorities with Business Imperatives The CH2M HILL Community Partners program focuses on four areas: global responsibility; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; environmental stewardship; and local community service. Each of these areas directly supports a business imperative for the firm.

» STEM education directly supports our efforts to build a future engineering talent pipeline. Faced with recruiting challenges and a dwindling talent pool, we recognize the critical need to attract more young people to the profession. « For example, the firm’s commitment to STEM education directly supports our efforts to build a future engineering talent pipeline. Faced with recruiting challenges and a dwindling talent pool, we recognize the critical need to attract more young people to the profession. Human capital is our firm’s greatest asset; as a result, we invest the largest percentage of our philanthropic dollars in organizations and programs that help strengthen the future pool of motivated and skilled engineering professionals. These programs include: Engineers Week, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education Coalition, the Junior Engineering Technical Society, local school partnerships, and a variety of other STEM programs.

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In support of business endeavors, we also align our philanthropy with the interests and priorities of strategic clients. This allows us to contribute to our communities in a way that balances community needs with client interests and business objectives.

organization. The firm hosts an annual employee giving campaign to raise money for Water For People. Speranza, along with Bob Bailey, president of CH2M HILL’s Water Business Group, play a critical role in endorsing the program, explaining its relevance to CH2M HILL’s water business and thanking employees for their active involvement and generosity. In May 2008, Speranza and Bailey teamed up on a video to educate employees about the firm’s support and to encourage their involvement. Under their leadership, and with the support of area managers and local program coordinators, CH2M HILL employees globally contributed $190,000 to benefit Water For People in 2008 – the most funds raised by any corporate partner.

At a local level, Community Partners Programs are overseen and endorsed by the area manager in that geography. Whether in Los Angeles or London, the local manager is responsible for coordinating philanthropy in their local communities. While they support the overarching philanthropy goals of the firm,

A student at Mountain Ridge Middle School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., uses newspapers to design and build a bridge during Engineers Week 2008.

Engage the Corner Office: Secure Executive-level Involvement Executive-level engagement is critical to aligning community giving with business objectives, driving the community agenda throughout the organization and demonstrating to employees and stakeholders a serious commitment to corporate responsibility.

CH2M HILL’s strategic partnership with Water For People is a good case study of the benefits of senior leadership involvement.

In the late 1980s, Ken Miller – a former CH2M HILL executive and American Water Works Association (AWWA) President – and water industry peers shared the vision of a world where all people have access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Their vision inspired other AWWA leaders who quickly made it the responsibility of the water industry to address these concerns. In 1991, Water For People was established as a 501(c)(3) international non-profit development organization; and Water For People-Canada was established in 1995.

Since Water For People’s founding in 1991, CH2M HILL has continued to bring consistent leadership involvement to the non-profit’s board of directors, helping guide the organization as it grows to serve 10 countries in the developing world. Elisa Speranza, president of CH2M HILL OMI, currently serves as the vice president of the Water For People board, and Tony Petrucci, government relations director for Canada, also serves on the board.

Their leadership not only lends expertise and guidance to the organization, but positions CH2M HILL as a leader within the water industry, which currently represents close to 30 percent of the firm’s global business portfolio.

Speranza and Petrucci serve as internal champions for the program, along with other senior executives, and have helped build employee support for the

» It is during an economic downturn that communities rely on their corporate funders more than ever and when corporations risk damaging their reputations, community goodwill, and valued social networks by reducing community spending and engagement. «

CH2M HILL proudly supports Water For People’s mission to bring clean water and sanitation to developing communities. photo by Tim Ryan Pictures 11.08-12.08

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they also have flexibility to engage in the most pressing social and environmental issues that may be facing their local clients and neighborhoods.

» Executive-level engagement is critical to aligning community giving with business objectives, driving the community agenda throughout the organization and demonstrating to employees and stakeholders a serious commitment to corporate responsibility. « Tap your Talent: Leverage Employee Volunteerism Why promote employee volunteerism?

Why not just write a check and be done with it? At CH2M HILL, we find that the greatest value comes from a combined approach – a multi-year partnership with a non-profit organization that includes financial giving, employee volunteerism and in-kind services, as appropriate. Sharing employee knowledge, skills and enthusiasm with a partner organization helps strengthen and deepen the partnership, provides valuable development opportunities for employees, increases employee morale, and supports team building.

Volunteerism allows us to truly partner with an organization, playing a greater role in actively impacting outcomes.

projects in countries such as Rwanda, Guatemala and Honduras, and lead local professional chapters of EWB-USA. By leveraging employee involvement with college students and young professionals, we have identified strong candidates for future employment, assisting with the firm’s recruitment goals.

And, by encouraging the support of CH2M HILL’s Marketing and Communications department, we’ve provided non-engineers an opportunity to bring their unique skills and experience to helping promote EWB-USA’s mission.

During the past three years, CH2M HILL has supported individual employee involvement in EWB-USA by offering grants for employee projects in developing communities and providing other forums for employees to access technical expertise and support. Employees may apply for a CH2M HILL grant to receive up to $5,000 to help with project-related expenses such as supplies, equipment and travel. The firm’s commitment to EWB-USA’s mission – and to

The University of Pittsburgh chapter of EWB-USA is helping the community of Makili, Mali, create a tilapia fish farm, which will provide nutritious food and a source of income for residents yearround. CH2M HILL engineer Suman Ramasundaram (pictured here with village children) is the project mentor.

In the case of Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA), employee volunteerism is at the heart of what has become a highly strategic and worthwhile partnership.

EWB-USA is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves implementing sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students.

CH2M HILL has partnered with EWBUSA since its founding in 2003, lending experience to the board of directors and providing in-kind marketing and communications counsel and services. Our leaders have been instrumental in helping the group build its organizational structure and its capacity as the fastest growing professional society in the engineering industry. Perhaps most meaningful is the involvement of close to 100 U.S. employees who volunteer their time to mentor college engineering students, serve as project managers on EWB-USA

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our employees actively engaged in it – is one of the factors that makes CH2M HILL one of FORTUNE magazine’s Top 100 Places to Work and a Most Admired Company.

As Brock Emerson, a young professional in our Chantilly, Va., office shared, “As a former Peace Corps volunteer, I was looking for a company with whom I could develop my engineering skills but that was also socially conscious. CH2M HILL was a perfect fit. In addition

» The greatest value comes from a combined approach a multi-year partnership with a non-profit organization that includes financial giving, employee volunteerism and in-kind services. «

CH2M HILL EWB-USA employee volunteers are working on transportation and water projects in Guatemala, which provide clean drinking water and opportunities for village children to attend school.

to working on challenging water and wastewater projects, they have provided me the opportunity to keep volunteering and working in the developing world through their relationship with EWB-USA.” Measure and Report Success: Establish Goals, Metrics and a Plan for Continual Improvement

If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you get there. This old adage certainly holds true when it comes to corporate philanthropy. Gone are the days of contributing money to charities because it’s a nice thing to do, or because a friend of a friend has a favorite cause. Making a measurable impact on any one community issue requires goal setting, planning and measuring results.

CH2M HILL establishes annual work plans for each of our national-level community partnerships. Our plan for EWB-USA, as an example, outlines goals for increasing employee involvement, expanding our presence with targeted university chapters of EWB-USA, encouraging client involvement in strategic markets and helping EWB-USA meet specific growth milestones. By setting these goals, we are proactive and purposeful in our approach and are able to demonstrate progress and identify areas for improvement. We also hold our community partners accountable for providing metrics and outcomes data to help quantify our contributions.

Beyond individual program plans and metrics, we also have begun to set charitable giving targets. These goals will help

focus our contributions in areas where we want to make the greatest impact, based on community needs and business objectives. STEM education tops our list of priorities, with environmental stewardship ranking second, followed by local economic development in targeted markets, and so on. In 2009, we will begin a quarterly report and review process to gauge our progress against these targets and make adjustments as needed. By establishing goals and metrics we also are able to evaluate our efforts and report results to our senior leaders, employees and external stakeholders. That way, our strategic philanthropy becomes a source of pride for our employee owners who are then able to understand and share the positive impacts of the firm’s community investments.

With a strategic approach, there is no reason why a corporate philanthropy program should suffer in a faltering economy. When it is deliberate and planned, philanthropy becomes an integral and vital part of the business strategy; a critical factor in employee recruitment, development and retention; and a recognized part of a company’s corporate reputation.

Patty Keck is the Community Relations Manager for CH2M HILL, a global engineering, construction and operations company headquartered in Denver. Patty received a management certificate in Corporate Community Relations from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Colorado. She brings 20 years of communications and community relations experience to her work in corporate responsibility.

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Soles United

Soles United A Strategic Advantage for Crocs, Inc. by Claire Tindal

I

t is without a doubt that corporate SM social responsibility (CSR) has become a pressing issue in today’s business world. Often viewed as a strategic competitive advantage, CSR is evolving into a necessary course of action and can often impact a company’s bottom line.

» SolesUnited has donated more than 1.5 million pairs of shoes. «

Businesses of all sizes are recognizing that comprehensive CSR programs cannot only save money, but can also keep key stakeholders positively engaged with the brand. A global survey of 250 executives by IBM found that 68% of businesses are looking

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at corporate social responsibility as a way to generate additional revenue by creating new products or adapting existing ones.

Crocs, Inc., a small start up company in 2002 that quickly grew to a leading footwear manufacturer by 2007 with an estimated 50 million worldwide consumers, recognized the need to capitalize on the CSR movement and created a revolutionary program.

Undeniably, innovation is at the forefront of what has made Crocs, Inc. successful. In 2007, Ron Snyder, Crocs, Inc. CEO,

was determined to find a way to fully recycle the proprietary material for which Crocs™ shoes are so famous. Snyder and his leadership team saw great potential in reclaiming the company’s revolutionary Croslite™ material as it is not only extremely comfortable, but anti-microbial, odorresistant and lightweight.

The team experimented with several ideas including groundcover for children’s playgrounds and bean bags; however, none of the ideas fit into the company’s core business and future growth strategy. The link between the recycled product and the shoes that made Crocs so successful needed to be apparent. This notion led Snyder to experiment with the recycled material and various molds used to produce Crocs™ shoes. The team developed a unique recycling process which can reclaim Croslite™ material (i.e. manufacturing scraps and donations from consumers of wornout Crocs™ shoes), then sorts, cleans, grinds, and manufactures the Croslite™ material into new, recycled footwear.

» We’ve been very fortunate as a company. We see this as the perfect opportunity to give back. SolesUnitedSM is a simple idea; it’s a program and a commitment. Crocs is not going to save the world with this, but we’re certainly going to make a difference. «

After developing the process and new products, Snyder and his team had to decide whether to market this as a new retail shoe and pursue revenue, or to donate the shoes to people in need.

Based on alarming facts highlighting the vast need people in impoverished countries worldwide have for footwear, among other necessities, it was clear what Crocs should do.

“We’ve been very fortunate as a company. We see this as the perfect opportunity to give back. It’s just the right thing to do,” stated Ron Snyder.

“SolesUnitedSM is a simple idea; it’s a program and a commitment. Crocs is not going to save the world with this, but we’re certainly going to make a difference.”

Why SolesUnitedSM?

» More than one billion people, or 1 in 6 people around the world, live on less than $1 a day and cannot afford the most basic of necessities, including clothing, food and shoes. «

According to The World Bank Group, more than one billion people, or 1 in 6 people around the world, live on less than $1 a day and cannot afford the most basic of necessities, including clothing, food and shoes. The Crocs team learned that the spread of disease and incidence of injury dramatically increases for individuals not wearing shoes; thus making simple activities, such as going to school or work dangerous. Furthermore, many living in poverty suffer from diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, shoes do not merely protect bare feet, but by donating footwear, this allows people to spend their money (which may be just pennies, if that) on other necessities such as medicine and food.

Snyder recognized early on that this humanitarian program would not be successful if the effort stood alone; finding the right strategic partners

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Soles United

that shared a similar vision was key to developing a comprehensive program. In 2007, the SolesUnitedSM program joined hands with Raising Malawi, a humanitarian program co-founded by internationally-recognized entertainer Madonna and bestselling author, Michael Berg, and pledged to donate 300,000 pairs of newly created recycled Crocs™ shoes to villagers in Malawi, Africa. Simply put, Raising Malawi needed footwear and SolesUnitedSM wanted to provide shoes to those in need. With support from organizations like Raising Malawi, SolesUnitedSM can continue to get quality footwear on the feet of the people that need them most.

The program also recently caught the attention of legendary hip-hop artist, Wyclef Jean and his sister, Melky. Partnering with their respective foundations, YéleHaiti and the Carma Foundation, the brother/sister duo will lead a shoe distribution of 10,000 pairs of recycled, donated shoes to needy Haitians in late 2008. Another significant partnership formed in 2008 with NBA star, Charlie Villanueva. SolesUnitedSM worked with the Charlie Villanueva Foundation to donate 10,000 pairs of Crocs™ shoes to the children in impoverished regions of the Dominican Republic.

With donations of both recycled Crocs™ shoes and seconds being distributed on a regular basis, Crocs is well on their way of reaching their goal of donating two million pairs in 2008. To date, SolesUnitedSM has donated more than 1.5 million pairs of shoes; here is just a snapshot of countries where the shoes have been sent:

» This humanitarian program would not be successful if the effort stood alone; finding the right strategic partners that shared a similar vision was key to developing a comprehensive program. « Afghanistan Armenia Bolivia Belize Cambodia Chad Columbia Darfur Ecuador El Salvador

Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jordan Liberia Mali Moldova Pakistan Philippines

Romania Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Thailand Vietnam Zambia Zimbabwe

When executing CSR programs, companies often face the decision of absorbing the cost of the goodwill or passing it along directly to their consumers. Many of the costs which would normally be incurred have been offset by the support of SolesUnitedSM program partners including shipping partners, Feed the Children and Brothers Brother Foundation. A portion of production costs have also been off-set by third party partners including the factories in which the recycled shoes are produced; factory workers and management have volunteered valuable time and resources in support of the initiative. Additionally, Crocs employees are just as dedicated to the effort and have volunteered many hours to support various aspects of the project.

Where is SolesUnitedSM going?

Crocs wasn’t surprised this year when it’s enthusiastic customer base embraced this program by returning tens of thousands of pairs of worn-out Crocs™ shoes to help propel the continued growth of the SolesUnitedSM program in the years to come. Donation goals for 2009 have been increased tremendously in hopes to one day shoe the world.

Chad, Haiti, Zambia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Peru, Congo, Malawi, and Sudan are already on the calendar for 2009.

To learn more about the SolesUnited SM program and Crocs ongoing efforts to shoe the world, please visit www.SolesUnited.com.

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Values Count

Whether it’s in the boardroom or the classroom.

THREE COLLEGES

ONE MISSION

“There’s a lot of grey in the world; it’s not very often black and white. Regis helps you focus on working through the grey, on working through the parts that are not easy to determine the right course of action.” ~ Elizabeth Hardin

MBA Grad 2007

www.regis.edu 3333 Regis Boulevard Denver, Colorado 80221-1099 303-458-4100

Learners Becoming Leaders

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SSM Health Care

SSM Health Care A Heritage of Doing Good by Lorraine Kee

Y

ou might say it flows through SSM Health Care’s veins. The business of doing good, that is.

two nursing homes in four states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.

On June 1, the St. Louis-based Catholic health care system eliminated bottled water from its facilities in four states. In eliminating bottled water, SSM Health Care joined a number of U.S. cities – San Francisco, Minneapolis, Seattle and Salt Lake City – that have made a similar commitment. A growing number of restaurants also had dropped bottled water, yet few if any health care organizations have done the same.

Until last June, the health system was purchasing more than half a million bottles of water annually for consumption by its 24,000 employees, patients and other customers.

The move made environmental sense from SSM Health Care’s perspective. One of the largest Catholic health systems in the country, it owns, manages and is affiliated with 20 hospitals and

Eliminating bottled water also aligned with a guiding principle of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, the congregation that sponsors SSM Health Care. As part of its commitment to nonviolence, the congregation vows to, “respect, appreciate and live in harmony with creation and direct our actions to preserve the earth.”

“One of the biggest problems with bottled water is that it takes

» Last year, as a system, SSM recycled more than 6.6 million pounds of materials: paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, glass and plastic. « ( 38 )

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» Employees across the system regularly participate in food drives, clothing drives, book drives. Doing good comes in all sizes - and from all corners. «

of the sisters’ frugal approach in starting a hospital near Chicago in the early 1900s. To save on supplies, the sisters pulled nails out of boards so that the board and nails could be reused to convert a house into the hospital. They decided that their kitchen table would do double duty – a surface to eat their meals on and an operating room table when needed.

fossil fuels to produce the bottles,” said Sister Mary Jean Ryan, FSM, President/CEO of SSM Health Care. “And then more fossil fuels are used to transport the bottles to their final destination.”

“Of course they wouldn’t have called it ‘recycling’ back then,” Sister Mary Jean said. “But we’ve always tried to be good stewards of our resources.”

“Eliminating bottled water is a contribution we can make as a system to protect our fragile environment,” she said.

Things have changed since the days of the early sisters. Inspired by the sisters’ example, compassionate care remains the cornerstone at SSM Health Care. Its employee-written mission is “Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.”

By August, SSM’s St. Louis-area hospitals had also removed all plastic bottled soft drinks and juices from their vending machines and hospital cafeterias.

A Heritage of Doing Good Doing good runs deep within SSM Health Care – really from its beginnings when its founding religious sisters left Germany seeking religious freedom and a place to do good works. They arrived in St. Louis in 1872 and eventually earned the nickname the “Smallpox Sisters” for the care they provided to sick and poor people during an epidemic in the city at the time.

In those early days, when patients were unable to pay, the sisters recorded their names in the log and registered them as “Our Dear” Lord’s. SSM’s “Our Heritage of Healing” book also tells the story

Yet, with advances in technology and rising health care costs, that care now takes place in a multibillion-dollar U.S. business environment. And SSM Health Care needs to be concerned about its bottom line so it can reinvest in its hospitals and continue to care for people and the communities it serves.

Sister Mary Jean became President/CEO in 1986, when SSM came together to form a health system. Her environmental consciousness was roused two years later. She was on a plane, reading Time when she spotted a photograph of Boston Harbor with debris floating in it, including Styrofoam cups. “It was horrible,” she said. At that time, Styrofoam contained CFCs or ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons.

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SSM Health Care

Soon after, she sent out a directive to the system’s hospital presidents: SSM Health Care would discontinue the use of Styrofoam with CFCs.

reuse and recycle. Last year, as a system, SSM recycled more than 6.6 million pounds of materials: paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, glass and plastic.

“We have learned over the years that we cannot expect to care for people in our hospitals, apply the most advanced medical technology to cure their illnesses, and then send them home to heal in an unhealthy environment,” she said.

She also has led an effort across SSM to use non-violent and inclusive language.

“Because the fact is toxins are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the streams we fish and the beaches we bathe on.”

Still Thinking Creatively The sisters’ commitment to live in harmony with the earth has inspired Sister Mary Jean to encourage employees to think creatively.

In 1990, for instance, Sister Mary Jean required every SSM facility to establish Preservation of the Earth Committees. The committees – led by employee champions – raise awareness about what the organization and individuals can do to reduce,

» In keeping with its legacy of caring for all who come to SSM regardless of their ability to pay, the health system provided more than $92 million in community benefit in 2007 - from health fairs to charity care for the uninsured. «

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“You may be asking, ‘How can that make a difference?’” Sister Mary Jean said. “But we shouldn’t underestimate the power of language. We each can choose to speak to those close to us or to strangers in ways that create civility and inspire, as opposed to language that demeans people or creates unhappiness.”

“Our overall goal with language is to create healing environments for patients, their loved ones and ourselves,” she said.

The system is currently rolling out electronic health records to each of its hospitals. The electronic records mean caregivers will have nearly instant and secure access to patient information at any time and from anywhere. But it will also reduce the health system’s costs for paper, besides satisfying patients.

Annually, SSM Health Care spends $72 million with minorityowned businesses and considers diversity an imperative in workforce recruitment and retention. “Our healing culture is made richer because we have people with different life experiences and ways of looking at the world,” Sister Mary Jean said.

In keeping with its legacy of caring for all who come to SSM regardless of their ability to pay, the health system provided more than $92 million in community benefit in 2007 – from health fairs to charity care for the uninsured.

Employees across the system regularly participate in food drives, clothing drives, book drives. Doing good comes in all sizes – and from all corners:

but it fits well with SSM. Even when I have wondered if I should stay, the mission was enough to make me dismiss that thought.”

Tobacco-free Campuses

•A t St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, food and nutrition employees there have been shucking corn – because the hospital now buys its fruits and vegetables from a local co-op of Wisconsin farmers. Because the produce is locally grown, less fossil fuel is used to transport it.

The elimination of bottled water last June wasn’t the first time that SSM Health has grabbed headlines. In 2004, it became the largest health-care system to date to go tobacco-free – inside its facilities and on its campus grounds.

• In Oklahoma City, St. Anthony Hospital stayed in the Midtown area when others were fleeing to the suburbs. Today, an agreement between the hospital and city has sparked a revival in its neighborhood. “We’re committed to seeing the Midtown area grow and helping to build the kind of healthy community we all want to live in,” said Joe Hodges, St. Anthony Hospital president.

At the time, the initiative earned praise from then U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, former U.S Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona and other healthcare organizations such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Lung Association. Hospitals in Missouri and Oklahoma followed its lead.

•A t SSM Information Health Technologies, as they do at many SSM facilities, its POE committee promotes the recycling of plastic bags, greeting cards and batteries. Around Arbor Day at the IHT, employees can pick up saplings donated from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Smoke-free environment signs went up across the system.

Materials were developed to ease the transition for patients, employees and visitors. Physician protocols were created for patients who smoke. Employees are offered smoking-cessation pharmaceutical benefits (if they are covered under an SSM medical plan) and given a $60 reimbursement annually when they declare they are tobacco-free.

• I n Jefferson City, employees “recycle” donated coats and give them away to patients who need them.

•A t the Corporate Office, landscaping is done primarily with native grasses. A fabrics drive resulted in a donation to a local school where students will make quilts for newborns at an SSM hospital opening in 2009.

This culture can inspire employee loyalty.

Take David Billing. Billing and his wife Chris both work for SSM. He is a Director of Pharmacy. She is a nurse. He started working in housekeeping for SSM Health Care when he was 18. Even then, he said, Billing had some vague feeling that working here was different and could be fulfilling.

Today he is 52. He and his wife lead regular missions to Belize, including about 20 people – teachers, nurses, physicians and a dentist. They were preparing to leave, as this story was being written, for Belize in November 2008.

“I think the mission statement does attract people to the system,” Billing said. “I could probably make more money somewhere else.

But this is more than just a job. I have my own personal mission

“As a health care organization, we firmly believe that we must offer the healthiest environment possible for our patients, employees and visitors,” Sister Mary Jean Ryan said in announcing the tobacco-free initiative.

Patients, employees and visitors are why SSM Health Care embraces the business of doing good.

Sr. Mary Jean Ryan, Franciscan Sister of Mary, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SSM Health Care (SSMHC), one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the United States, with 24,000 employees and 5,000 affiliated physicians serving in 20 hospitals and 2 nursing homes.

In 2002, SSM Health Care became the first health care recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

During her 22-year tenure, Sr. Mary Jean has emphasized three key themes: preservation of the earth’s resources; valuing ethnic and gender diversity; and commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). She is the author of “On Becoming Exceptional: SSM Health Care’s Journey to Baldrige and Beyond,” released in March 2007. She has been privileged to share SSM Health Care’s Quality Journey through presentations to many national and international organizations.

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collaborator profile

NSAA SWAG

Trash to Treasure Sharing Warmth Around the Globe by Jan Mazotti

W

hen you think about the ski industry, social responsibility is not the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, snow-covered peaks, grand views, and athletically inclined skiers are the norm. However, that is not the case with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Sharing Warmth Around the Globe (SWAG) program.

As part of their Corporate Responsibility Program, NSAA’s SWAG program annually donates thousands of used ski jackets, vests, and pants from 60 ski resorts across the United States. On average, every four years ski resorts across the nation buy new uniforms for their employees and have to find a place for the old uniforms.

“These resorts only use this clothing for about 60-90 days a year,” says SWAG Executive Director Cheryl Jensen, “they are beautiful items.”

Gordon Briner, Taos Ski Valley General Manager comments on their participation with SWAG. “We are very thankful for the opportunity to do something where there is great need. We are more than happy to have our uniforms used in such a good way.” In

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fact, Briner drove 300 miles to personally deliver his donation for the 2008/2009 season.

In the same spirit, Lake Tahoe’s Sugar Bowl has made a commitment to not only help with the financial support of community endeavors, but maintains a spirit of volunteerism and a genuine desire to make their communities better places to live.

Surprisingly, these pieces cannot be redistributed in North America due to manufacturing contracts. Therefore, Jensen and a core group of volunteers work to find appropriate overseas non-profits in coldweather climates that SWAG can collaborate with.

» You need to feel the human side. You can’t just walk through these places and pretend that you don’t see the faces. «

Jensen recalls, “It started when some friends were traveling to Latvia and they asked me if I thought they could get their hands on some old coats to take with them for people who needed them there.” Jensen went to Vail Resorts and found that they had thousands of items in storage and realized she could do something with them.

In 2001, SWAG shipped its first container of winter clothing

to the refugees in Kosovo, which included approximately 6,500 garments for residents of 22 war torn villages. “Kosovo is a little warmer place because of the efforts of SWAG” said Adele Change of Samaritan’s Purse.

“It worked great and I thought: ‘Well, I’m done. I’ll do it again the next time Vail changes uniforms,’ ” Jensen said. But word spread that whole villages of refugees were walking around in swank skiwear and international locales started calling.

Requests began to pile up. That’s when SWAG began to spread the word to neighboring resorts in Aspen, Telluride and Jackson Hole. Coats began to pour in from resorts all over the U.S. – from Park City, Utah to Jay Peak Vermont.

is a pretty big deal to them,” commented Jensen. She went on, “a nun said, ‘I don’t have anything to give you in return’ and I said ‘no, no – we never expect anything.” The nun called the day after receiving the goods and said, “Thank you. You don’t know what you have done for us.”

Later in the distribution, the volunteers made their way to Northern Poland to visit senior homes, orphanages, and community organizations. Jensen recounts that the kids were initially afraid, but then they warmed up. She said, “You need to feel the human side. You can’t just walk through these places and pretend that you don’t see the faces.”

Although there were language barriers Cheryl comments, “there is a universal language in a smile.”

» SWAG has worked in 22 countries, including Afghanistan, Poland, Mongolia, Tanzania, Nepal, and Tibet. «

In 2003, SWAG distributed approximately 6,000 pieces to over 20 organizations throughout the northern Polish countryside and to non-profit organizations around Warsaw. Coordinated through the Talizman Foundation, Jensen and a group of volunteers worked tirelessly in donated space to organize the distribution. “The greatest part was when people came to the warehouse from these organizations to pick things up. That’s when I know it hit me – this

Kimberly Reed, founder of the Talizman Foundation said, “People to whom SWAG coats were given to did not have proper cold weather clothing before. Thanks to SWAG, people such as the 132 long term ill adults at the Social Care House in Lapy, Poland are now able to go outside to breathe fresh air during the frigid Polish winters.”

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collaborator profile

Besides partnering with non-profit organizations for distribution, SWAG has forged alliances with the U.S. Department of Defense and the UN High Commission for Refugees to deliver goods to war-ravaged countries, where standard distributions could not succeed. Jensen recalls one special delivery in Afghanistan where coats were being distributed outside of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, with the assistance of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, just before winter. As usual, the distribution was frenzied but organized. Then a young boy, maybe 8 to 10 years old, came crawling to the gates of the Embassy. He was crawling because he had no legs - they had been tragically blown off during an airstrike.

NSAA SWAG

» Jensen’s team risked driving the boy back to his village and took coats for his whole family. «

Romania, Peru, Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Tajikistan, and Tibet.

“It is a win win for everyone” said Jensen, “the people in need end up with some excellent warm, waterproof clothing. The resorts are happy to see this stuff being used by people who desperately need it. It’s a good deal all the way around.”

Bloodied and dirty after crawling over a mile, he leaned up and asked for a coat so that he had warmth for the winter. He thankfully took the coat and wrapped it around his neck to begin the long crawl back to his village. Moved by his bravery and brought to tears by his suffering, the distribution team risked driving the boy back to his village and took coats for his whole family. They excitedly put them on. And, when she visited a year later, they still wore them proudly.

Says Jensen, “The support from ski and snowboard resorts, distribution partners and volunteers is what makes this program possible. It takes an amazing amount of caring, an amazing amount of passion, and an amazing amount of pride to make sure that this equipment gets to the people that need it the most. This program has truly made a difference in thousands of people’s lives.”

Since its inception, SWAG has worked with approximately nine non-profit groups and has donated over 100,000 pieces of clothing in 22 countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Poland, Hungary, Mongolia, Albania, Russia, Tanzania, Nepal,

NSAA is a trade association for ski area owners and operators. It represents 326 alpine resorts that account for more than 90 percent of the skier/ snowboarder visits nationwide. For more information go to www.swagusa.org or email nsaaswag@hotmail.com.

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jewel of collaboration

USOC

A Rwandan representative for refugee women said, “We were worried about the idleness of our youth. We are thankful for this donation from the BOA and UNHCR. It shows us how they care for us. Women have often been forgotten when it comes to sports, but we are so happy to see this time women are not forgotten.

Thanks a million to the donors.” A UNHCR Field Officer recounts, “I wish you were here to witness as much as I did the joy and big smiles on the faces of the young refugees – it is a day that they will remember for the rest of their lives. “ In September 2008, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) donated more than 5,000 articles of clothing, including T-shirts, polo shirts, shorts, hats, jackets, and pants. The items were delivered to the Am Nabak, Touloum and Iridimi refugee camps. The USOC was able to donate the sport clothing items to Darfur thanks to the support of CAP Worldwide, an international freight forwarder.

The clothes donated by the USOC were used as prizes in running sports events, as well as for a sports event held during the World Refugee Day in the Am Nabak refugee camp between girl volleyball teams. The two winning teams received USOC sports clothing.

“For refugees, sport provides a semblance of normality and structure to lives that are in disarray,” said Nick Van Praag, Director of External Relations at UNHCR. “Sport develops tolerance, cooperation, an appreciation of rules. It motivates children to

attend camp schools – this is particularly important for girls who are too often left out. It helps children regain a childhood lost.”

When asked about the value of the project, Tommy Sithole, IOC Director of International Cooperation and Development said, “This project is like a moon rock. You cannot put a price tag to it – it is priceless. Its value is in the simple satisfaction of donors and the IOC that somewhere in the world some unfortunate person living in a refugee camp has not only been provided with something to wear, but more fundamentally – with hope.”

He went on to explain that the project and its supporters make the relationship tangible and embody the fundamental principle of the IOC to, “place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”

ADDITIONAL HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES Outside of the Giving is Winning program, there are many other notable programs undertaken by the athletes and their countries to give back.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has launched USA Team for Tomorrow – a humanitarian relief effort through which U.S. athletes offer assistance and support to people around the world who are in

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» Sport has a high social and educational value.

We aim for sport to add value to the excellent work carried out by the UNHCR. « - Jacques Rogge

need. Humanitarian relief and assistance is provided in the form of financial donations, volunteerism, disaster recovery support, advocacy and other contributions to communities.

The first initiative for the Team for Tomorrow Fund involved providing disaster relief tents to families that lost their homes during the May 2008 earthquakes that struck China’s Sichuan Province. On behalf of America’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the USOC donated 1,000 relief tents to survivors of the earthquake, which left approximately 5 million people homeless. Produced by Shelter Systems and manufactured in Cornelia, Ga., the Yurt Dome Relief Tents are durable to last several years and sleep 8-10 people each. The tents were shipped from the United States to China

by Schenker, a USOC Official Supplier, and arrived at the Beijing International Airport on Sunday, June 1, from which they were transported to Chengdu, Sichuan, China, one of the hardest hit areas of the earthquake.

“The Olympic Movement is the greatest force for hope and opportunity in our world today,” said USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth.

“Team for Tomorrow was initiated by our Olympians and Paralympians as a means to continue spreading the Olympic Ideals of peace, understanding, tolerance and harmony around the world. America’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes have expressed a profound interest in social and civic responsibility.

They are looking for ways to make a difference in the world and to give something back.”

Humanity is a homebuilding organization that works with community groups and volunteers to build simple, decent homes in partnership with people in need who are living in substandard conditions. More than 30 U.S. athletes have signed up on their own to donate their time, amounting to hundreds of service hours of benefiting those in need.

As Rogge reminds us, “More than ever, sport is a universal language and plays the role of catalyst in today’s society as a means of improving quality of life and well-being.”

It’s about making the world a better place. It’s about the creed of the Olympic Games, “The most important thing is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

The USOC is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games.

Also as a part of Team for Tomorrow, U.S. Olympians and Paralympians are donating their time and talents to Habitat for Humanity, building houses with families in need. Habitat for

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collaborator profile

vail vets

Courage in the mountains War Vets Learn People Really Do Care by Cheryl Jensen & Jan Mazotti

I

n November 2003, Staff Sergeant Heath Calhoun was serving our country in Iraq as a squad leader for the 101st Airborne Division. During a routine mission his humvee was hit in the rear by a rocket propelled grenade where Heath was sitting and he suffered severe injuries to both legs resulting in amputation. The first surgery he sustained was to remove both his legs below the knee. But after several months, Heath needed a

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revision to amputate both his legs above the knee. After spending months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Heath decided it was time to take a break from the daily routine of physical therapy and attend the Vail Veterans Program in Vail, Colorado.

During the four days that he was in Vail he fell in love with the sport of skiing. Cheryl Jensen, the founder of the Vail Veterans

Program was amazed by Heath’s inner will to succeed, “We had a difficult time getting Heath to take a break as he was determined to learn to ski.”

The Vail Veterans Program is really about giving back to those who have given so much. It was after visiting a friend at Walter Reed that Jensen came up with the idea and then began to organize ways to bring the injured soldiers to beautiful Vail, Colorado.

Now, the program is a self-sustaining operation that hosts events in both the summer and the winter, offering a slew of great sports alternatives for our veterans. Marine Chris Fesmire lost his legs in Iraq. He recalls his first day on the mountain sitting down… “I had to learn to ski all over again, but once I got it down, there’s not many feelings now that I can experience that can compare to it.” He was so hooked, that he and his wife built a home in the mountains so that he could ski more.

“These people are angels. Not only have they done so much for wounded service members, but they provide an example to the younger generation,” Chris said. “They are people who just help people for the sake helping people.”

» The program is a self-sustaining operation that hosts events in both the summer and the winter, offering a slew of great sports alternatives for our veterans. « This program offers skiing, snowboarding and outdoor summer recreation activities to United States military men and women who have been severely wounded while serving our country in Afghanistan and Iraq at no cost to the participant and their guest.

Programs are focused on their abilities not their disabilities and allows them to discover confidence in themselves. Family members and the staff of Military Medical Centers are invited to attend which allows them to be a part of this life-changing experience for the wounded veteran.

Jensen says that when you initially meet these men and women laid up in a hospital bed and then a couple of months later they are walking through the airport on computerized legs with snowboard boats over their shoulders and they say, “Ma’am I made it” – that is a big deal.

Our community came together to help make the first year a success but we truly thought it would be a one year event until Heath said to me, “Ma’am I am not sure why you all did this for us but you changed my life.” He said, “The Vail Veterans Program was the first experience I had that showed that people really cared about wounded soldiers.”

Since its inception in 2004, the Vail Veterans Program has hosted over 150 wounded soldiers and over one hundred of their family members.

In April 2008, Luis Rosa while serving our country in Afghanistan, lost both of his legs above the knee, his left arm and his hearing.

He has been rehabilitating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in

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collaborater profile

vail vets

Washington, DC. He attended the Vail Veterans Program in July 2008 with his best friend from high school Joshua Hubbell. Luis was a bit nervous about going so far away from the hospital but once he arrived in Vail he soon fell in love with fly-fishing and rediscovered his passion for skeet shooting. “Just to get out and see what I can do”, he says. “It has only been three months since my injury. Honestly, I didn’t think I would be out here doing anything.”

» Programs are focused on their abilities not their disabilities and allows them to discover confidence in themselves. « “It is amazing to watch the Veterans change after their experiences in Vail. They are smiling, enthusiastic, and motivated! They return with a refreshed outlook on life!” says Dr. Allison Franklin of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Harvey Naranjo an occupational therapist from Walter Reed sums it up best, “not only is Vail a phenomenal place, the community is especially welcoming. The Vail Veterans Program is showing our wounded warriors that anything is possible and is changing their lives.”

For more information regarding the Vail Veterans Program, go to www.vailveteransprogram.com.

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collaborator profile

Saving the world at work

HOW CAN WE SAVE THE WORLD AT WORK? Tim Sanders Will Tell You… by Rebecca Saltman

I

can’t imagine it is a coincidence that our greatest thought leaders, business executives and bestselling authors are all talking about “the responsibility revolution”, a philosophy Tim Sanders discusses in his powerful new book Saving the World at Work. Different leaders use different names for this phenomenon: Paul Hawken discusses “how the world’s largest movement came to being and no one saw it coming”; Stephen Covey calls it “The Speed of Trust;” Thomas Friedman calls it “Hot Flat and Crowded;” and Van Jones calls it “Green Collar Economy.”

All of these extraordinary minds are talking about the interdependence and collaboration we must have amongst each other to succeed in all aspects of life. Moreover, they emphasize how it is incumbent upon each of us to take personal responsibility and do something – ANYTHING - to change the world we live in so we can ensure universal economic, social and environmental well-being today - without sacrificing the needs of future generations.

For me, finding this book was like finding the golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I am personally so grateful that Tim Sanders developed a resource that simply connects the dots so everybody can see how we are better together and how we can easily accomplish more by collaborating with our “competitors” rather than competing. For someone whose business depends on first movers, saver soldiers, corporate social responsibility, and the responsibility revolution, we know we are no longer alone - and even have a tool kit with which to work.

Mr. Sanders clearly describes the new business paradigm as a convergence of doing well AND doing good without the need to sacrifice. Many people have spent a long time attempting to accurately describe this very paradigm; however, others have yet to capture it in such a succinct fashion. He is also eloquent describing how one person can make a difference.

I will also call Saving the World at Work contagious – if you are already a “saver soldier” (I fall into this category!), you will find other areas in which you can easily and effortlessly make a difference. You will then pass these techniques along to your “saver soldier” friends. On the other hand, if you have never had the motivation, opportunity or the nerve to “do something”, this book provides an easy step-by-step guide to get started and be successful in building your own responsibility revolution.

Writing this book inspired Mr. Sanders to wonder, “What comes after social networking?” In other words, if we want to save the world at work, from community development to eco innovations,

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» Up until now, a company’s reputation as a solid corporate citizen had little impact on brand – which drives both purchase intent and talent acquisition. All of that has changed in the last few years. «

how can we connect with other people that have answers? His answer was developing www.SavingTheWorld.net.

Another tremendous resource, this website allows users to blog about their innovations and connect with other people who may be able to help. “If you work in retail, and want to build a group of retailers for recycling, you can do it at this site!” says Sanders.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Tim Sanders directly about his new book and website. Here is what he had to say… saltman: In your third book, Saving the World at Work, you discuss how businesses can both make a difference and make a dollar. This is something that many people talk about, but few get a handle on. Most businesses think this sounds good in theory, but isn’t practical in the real world. Is this view changing, and, if so, what do you see as the catalyst?

» If you have never had the motivation, opportunity or the nerve to “do something”, this book provides an easy step-by-step guide to get started and be successful in building your own responsibility revolution. «

sanders: Up until now, a company’s reputation as a solid corporate citizen had little impact on brand – which drives both purchase intent and talent acquisition. All of that has changed in the last few years, driven by current events from Enron to current times. Now, making a difference is the new different. Research indicates that community service and eco-friendliness can bring you high-value customers and the top talent available.

Also, too many times we want to make a difference at work, but not do the heavy (accounting) lifting required to tie it to the business.

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Saving the world at work

This was the case with the advertising business until the early 60s, when the hard work was put in and its business case was built. If you want to create a green team, make sure someone in finance is on the team, documenting the savings. Same goes with community outreach projects.

saltman: What inspired you to write Saving the World at Work? sanders: I wrote the book to let readers know that they were not alone in their belief that companies can make a positive impact. I experienced it first hand working in the Yahoo For Good project in 2002, and my research team uncovered strong evidence of it while writing the book. I also wanted to let readers know that this new innovation revolution will be led by the front line, and not the CEOs. The business book gestalt of the last few years is all about being a leader (by title), and that’s not how it really works in the real world.

It’s about being an influential innovator with a big heart. saltman: At ICOSA magazine we believe collaboration is the key to business success. Do you believe that collaboration is an aspect of the responsibility revolution as well? sanders: You can’t accomplish anything alone – especially something with a tough business case. If you want to find a way to green up your company, you need representation on your team from every division and group. That’s what Joan Krujewski from Microsoft learned when she attempted to do that at work. She built

a massive team, gave everyone hearty goals and then fostered relationship development to achieve them. She moved the needle.

saltman: Can individual workers, if their company isn’t on board with making a difference, personally change the world by changing the way they approach their work? sanders: Everyone makes a difference, either by contribution or by example. In the book, I list countless true stories of individuals that walked the walk, documented the results, and inspired their leaders to re-imagine how business should be done. saltman: As we all know there have been gigantic losses of jobs in such industries as manufacturing. The resulting loss of that infrastructure, taxes, strength and security are often attributed to the last few decades of suffocating regulation versus sensible ROI promotion. Do you see a way to bring these jobs and industry back? Is there a way with the theories you have described in the book that would help, promote and strengthen American industries such as manufacturing to get ourselves out of this economic crisis?

sanders: I believe that going green can save a company money and make it more financially fit for the future. Think of an eco-friendly family: They don’t waste much, they drive a car with good gas mileage, they reuse or repair instead of replace and they turn off the lights.

Sounds like their bills are lower to me! Same goes with people and community development – when done correctly, it is free.

I think that the responsibility revolution is also creating a backlash against goods made in China, for example. I was just in Copenhagen, where several stores and even a restaurant had a sign in the window that said, “no Chinese products sold here.” At some point, social responsibility will emerge as the great equalizer. saltman: Business talks about “GREEN as the new Black”, meaning it is trendy, fashionable and it will be out of style next year. What would you say to those disbelievers to convince them that taking even some of your small steps is not only trendy, but will save the world? sanders: Business also said that quality was a trend, when it was all over the media in the mid-70s. They continued to say it until the mid-80s, when they had to implement quality control or die. Same thing with the environment: we are so saturated with coverage, we think it’s a fad and will blow over. The sentiment will not go away. The global warming crisis will not be cancelled due to lack of interest. The continued pace of strange storms will continue to alarm us as the evidence mounts that we might be in serious trouble in the coming decades. The kids also know that, unlike the current economic crisis, once the environment is no longer good for humans – we are toast.

Rebecca Saltman is a social entrepreneur and the President and Founder of A Foot in the Door Productions, an independent collaboration building firm designed to bridge business, government, non-profits and education. Contact Rebecca at rsaltman@foot-in-door.com

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THE LEEDS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

LEEDING THE WAY

Engaging the leaders of today.

Educating the leaders of tomorrow...

The premier business school in the Rocky Mountain region is

• Ranked in the top 20 nationally in entrepreneurship education* • Building an innovative model for social and economic development with the School’s new Initiative for Sustainable Development • Creating cutting edge research and curriculum to educate students for the new energy economy • Educating exceptional students including the winning team in the 2007 MBA International Business Case Competition and a top ten finisher in the national Certified Public Accounting exam**

To learn more about our programs visit leeds.colorado.edu

* U.S. News and World Report 2008 and 2009 ** Over 77,000 took the CPA exam in 2007

jewel of collaboration

Newmont

Newmont Mining Corporation Global Community Engagement by Dave Baker

C

ontributing to community efforts to enhance human and environmental well-being is fundamental to the way Newmont does business. We work with communities in cultivating relationships with government, business and nongovernmental organizations that are committed to advancing individual and community well-being.

Poverty, limited access to health services, malnutrition, and inadequate freshwater supply and substandard sanitation systems can result in pervasive and severe illness – as well as contribute to the deaths of millions of people each year in developing countries around the world. Mining operations

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typically are located in remote areas of a country and provide possibly the only opportunity for social and economic development for many communities.

Our objective is to catalyze and support the creation of long-term values within the communities in which we operate. In our experience, communities seek to meet both immediate needs and generate sustainable growth and development. Community development interests often focus on building and improving community health, education or civic infrastructure. There also is often a strong interest in training to enhance the skills of local residents and to help them create small and medium-sized businesses.

organizations that can complement our efforts and further support communities.

Some of our key health initiatives include: • Launching education and prevention programs to reduce malaria, malnutrition, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

• Funding and operating medical clinics that provide emergency services, general practice, dental services, laboratory analysis, x-rays, occupational health and administration services to employees and community members.

•E radicating malnutrition in young children by partnering with local health authorities and village health officials to educate mothers on the importance of sound nutrition and to distribute food supplements to children under age five.

As such, our goal is to engage with communities to identify and fund projects that align with their needs and objectives as well as those of the company. Critical to the success of these efforts is collaboration with community organizations that have the capacity to create broad-reaching positive impacts.

The following provides a glimpse of the difference we are making on various continents.

INFRASTRUCTURE & CAPACITY BUILDING

» Newmont has worked with global health organizations and government agencies to leverage our presence by facilitating partnerships with organizations that can complement our efforts and further support communities. «

In 2008, Newmont joined former President Clinton, mining entrepreneur Frank Giustra, international banks and other mining companies in the ClintonGiustra Sustainable Growth Initiative.

The initiative received initial funding of $300 million, which will be spent with a focus on leveraging the development of opportunities and economic benefits generated around mining activities.

At present, these efforts are targeting child nutrition, sustainable business

Our focus is on initiatives that have significant and lasting value. Programs that our operations have been engaged with cover a broad spectrum of activities.

A majority of these projects and programs have focused on health care infrastructure and systems; schools and education; physical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, roads, electrical power and water systems; and business development, including techniques to improve agricultural productivity.

For several years, Newmont has worked with global health organizations and government agencies to leverage our presence by facilitating partnerships with

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Newmont • Establishing the Center for Innovative Jewelry Technology in Cajamarca, Peru, which provides training in developing small enterprises that design, produce and market gold and silver jewelry.

development and capacity building programs in Africa and Latin America.

Many of Newmont’s mines operate in remote areas that, when we begin operations, lack infrastructure such as roads, freshwater systems, electrical power and health care facilities.

As we establish a mine, we develop physical infrastructure that can positively affect local communities. We can be a catalyst for helping communities obtain their goals for growth.

Some of our infrastructure projects have included:

• Founding the Asociación Los Andes de Cajamarca in Peru to support long-term economic development and capacity within the region.

• Supporting the “Creation of Young Entrepreneurs in Cajamarca” program to promote an entrepreneurial culture, a better understanding of the free market economy and career possibilities among school children.

• T he construction of roads that connect remote communities, which in turn, have served as a catalyst for developing commerce.

• Creating a unique, 10-week training program to provide Aboriginal groups in Australia with transferable skills to work at a mine and other businesses.

• T he conversion of a closed mine pit into a multibillion-gallon reservoir to provide a year-round source of water for agriculture, ranching and communities.

• T he electrification of villages and communities.

• T he installation of water treatment and sanitation facilities.

• T he construction of sewage drainage systems, solid waste landfills and the contribution of refuse collection trucks.

None of these efforts to support communities would be fruitful without the associated commitment to work with local community residents and leaders in identifying and developing alternative livelihoods, sustaining businesses and attracting various industries to town.

This often includes helping communities identify and access training opportunities in such areas as small business development and planning.

While we cannot employ all of those who may desire a job, we do focus on employing local people and hire local contractors to the greatest extent possible. These businesses provide further employment opportunities within the communities and have the potential of lasting beyond the operating life of the respective mine.

Some of the enterprise development programs include:

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» As we establish a mine, we also develop physical infrastructure that also can positively affect local communities. We can be a catalyst for helping communities obtain their goals for growth. «

• Creating agricultural development programs in Indonesia that are designed to aid area farmers and ranchers in increasing their yields and in exploring non-traditional techniques that provide a higher level of profitability.

• Launching an Agriculture Improvement and Land Access Program in Ghana to help farmers with increasing crop productivity as well as ensuring impacted farmers have access to land for farming.

In 2007, we contributed $27 million worldwide to support community development initiatives and provided another $1.72 million worth of in-kind support.

OTHER ACTIVITIES In addition to investing in community infrastructure and capacity building, we also support disaster-relief efforts and work with our employees on a range of fundraising initiatives.

In North America, Newmont’s partnership with United Way is an example of our employees’ commitment to building strong communities in which they also live. United Way is an organization that helps leverage financial contributions over a broad range of local community causes.

Newmont’s Nevada employees truly embrace United Way’s mission. In each of the last two years, more than two-thirds of the work force have together pledged more than $500,000 annually (which is matched 100 percent by the company) to United Way of Great Basin, which distributes the more than $1 million to dozens of non-profits across five counties.

Newmont’s corporate team in Denver supports the United Way campaign as well with more than $330,000 in pledges and matching funds. Thanks to the generosity of our North American employees, Newmont helps United Way make a bigger difference in local communities each year.

When a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the central coast of Peru in August 2007, killing more than 500 people and injuring thousands, Newmont immediately partnered with the Peruvian Consulate in Denver to coordinate our response efforts and to support the management of donations arriving from Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada.

In addition, Newmont’s employees in Peru, after learning the quake damaged more than 37,000 homes, dozens of schools, health

» None of these efforts to support communities would be fruitful without the associated commitment to work with local community residents and leaders in identifying and developing alternative livelihoods, sustaining businesses and attracting various industries to town. «

centers and hospitals, quickly gathered 11 tons of clothing and arranged for a second emergency shipment of 12 tons of humanitarian aid to the impacted area. To help the reconstruction effort, Newmont and our employees raised more than $250,000.

Newmont believes that our operations around the world can have a significant positive impact on the communities, regions and countries in which we operate. We contribute to regional economic growth through the taxes we pay, the jobs we create, the infrastructure we develop, the enterprises we help to build and the suppliers we support. In 2007 alone, the value of our company’s presence and community programs was nearly $7 billion.

At Newmont, we are committed to living our values, the core of which requires that we “demonstrate leadership in safety, stewardship of the environment, and social responsibility.” It is through our values that we can achieve our vision of becoming The Gold Company of Choice through industry leading performance.

Dave Baker is Vice President and Chief Sustainability.

Officer for Newmont Mining Corporation.

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jewel of collaboration

Greyston Bakery

Is it All about the Brownies?

Taking Less As Opposed To Giving Back by Beth Parish

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birthday cake or after eating dinner with your family. In addition to making the great tasting Do Goodie brownie, Greyston Bakery makes the brownies for Ben and Jerry’s and Haagen Dazs ice cream.

Even though you might not have heard of Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York you have probably enjoyed their delicious brownies during a late night indulgence, on top of your favorite

As told by Denver Post columnist Al Lewis, “Those tasty little brownie chunks are not baked by elves, but often by felons, drug addicts, social misfits and people who are otherwise deemed unemployable. Greyston is their only hope in a “hood where the unemployment rate exceeds 30 percent.” As the company website says, “We don’t hire people to bake brownies; we bake brownies to hire people.” The unique practice of hiring the traditionally “unemployable” is not the only thing that separates

ost of us have heard about businesses on a mission to give back to the community, or a business with a double or triple bottom line that looks at social mission, environmental impact and profit. While there is no right way to look at the business of doing good, another model to consider can be described by the philosophy of Julius Walls Jr., CEO of Greyston Bakery; last spring when Julius visited Regis University in Denver he challenged business students to think about “taking less, as opposed to giving back.”

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Greyston from other large commercial bakeries.

Through its profits, Greyston Bakery is a “source of revenue for the Greyston Mandala, a West Chester County, New York organization, supporting affordable childcare for the community, affordable housing for the homeless and low income families, and affordable health care for persons with HIV.” Greyston Bakery can be described as a Social Enterprise. According to the Social Enterprise Alliance a social enterprise is, “any non-profit, forprofit or hybrid corporate form that utilizes marketbased strategies to advance a social mission.”

» Those tasty little brownie chunks are not baked by elves, but often by felons, drug addicts, social misfits and people who are otherwise deemed unemployable. « While Julius Walls did not found Greyston Bakery, he is largely responsible for the business leadership and vision that has made the organization into what it is today – a $6 million business. Furthermore, Greyston has an industry-leading rate of employee retention at 80%, a bakery with several significant ice cream partners, a brand new gourmet brownie that is available through Vitamin Cottage and Whole Foods, and an enterprise with a growing online brownie gift business in the Do Goodie Brownie.

Throughout his journey, Julius Walls has learned some valuable lessons on what can lead to the success of a social enterprise and how to maximize the positive impact a business can have on a community.

Lesson number one is that you have to have a great product.

Consumers don’t often buy a brownie because it has a great social mission. If the brownie isn’t, as my son says, “to die for,” why eat it? While I would love to support the Greyston mission, am I going to give up the calories on a “so so” brownie?

Furthermore, ice cream partner Haagen Dazs, is not going to add Greyston’s brown sugar cake to the Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream unless the quality is superior. Consider Greyston’s first vision statement, “Greyston Bakery is the nationally leading Brownie Company. We produce Do Goodie, the best tasting highest quality brownies at a great value to the consumer.” This company knows product quality comes first.

Even their brownie partner Ben and Jerry’s realizes that product quality comes first when they talk about selling flavor, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, which “…combines our great ice cream with chunks of chewy, fudgy brownies. These brownies are baked by

Greyston Bakery, which provides employment and training to economically disadvantaged residents of Yonkers, NY. We are glad to have Greyston as a business partner because we get great tasting brownies and we also get to support the good work they do to create economic opportunities in their community.”

The great product leads to the next learning – you have to make a profit. When Julius Walls spoke to MBA students at Regis University in July 2007 he noted, “failure is not an option” because so many segments of the community are dependent on Greyston Bakery. The bakery employs the hard to employ, delivers funds to the Greyston Foundation, and serves as a

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Greyston Bakery

model for other social enterprises. To do all of these things, Greyston Bakery must make a profit. As noted in their guiding principles “The bakery should consistently achieve an operating profit. Achieving operating profit is the best route to long-term survival of the organization, and the best inducement for others to follow the bakery’s model.”

In the United States, with the talk of corporate greed and excessive profits, often for-profit businesses are seen as evil, while the not for-profit sector is seen as good. Under Julius Walls leadership, Greyston Bakery is an excellent example of a for-profit business that is delivering jobs, workforce development, low-income housing, supportive services, childcare, after-school programs, comprehensive HIV community health programs, and community gardens to the greater Yonkers, New York area.

One tough lesson Julius passes on is that as an employer who needs to make a profit, he cannot do everything at once. To meet its financial goals, Greyston Bakery is able to offer its employees a fair wage, but often not a living wage. As the bakery’s guiding principles say, “The bakery will pay employees fair wages for their skills. While for some employees this salary may not currently constitute a ‘living wage,’ the bakery is committed to working with these individuals to improve their skill set and value.”

Walls argues that given the opportunity, his employees can succeed beyond their dreams and societies dreams. He says, “We all have equal value, just different skill sets.” In fact, Walls is a partner in a New York restaurant with one of his former employees.

Dieulane’s situation is not unique in the promote from within environment at Greyston, and Julius sets the tone with his desire to see all succeed.

Another significant principle that Julius has brought to Greyston Bakery is transparency. Julius has many talents and strengths and has a background in accounting, so looking at financial statements comes as second nature. Julius encourages an open door policy and wants all the Greyston employees to understand the business; what he did not realize is that when he shared the organization’s financials, no one knew what they were looking at. After offering education on financial statements, the workforce could see the positive financial results of the effort and work they put into the bakery.

Purpose fills each day at Greyston. Employees begin their day with a moment of silence – whether to pray, regroup, or just stand there. Julius admits he quietly prays each day, before the bakery fires up, for strength, wisdom, and courage – believing in himself and his entire team that they all can make a difference. He says, “success and failure are not solely dependent on me.”

He regularly quotes Langston Hughes’ Mother to Son where a mother speaks to her son about life experiences and says, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, and splinters and boards torn up… But all this time I’s been a-climbin’ on… Don’t you set down on the steps ‘cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now.”

» “Failure is not an option” because so many segments of the community are dependent on Greyston Bakery. «

To assist the employees, the bakery offers mentoring and training and encourages the workforce to seek outside educational opportunities. While Julius hopes to be able to offer all employees a living wage, he has been able to offer profit sharing, so all members of the work team are rewarded when the company is successful. Mentoring and advancing within the organization can be seen through the story of Dieulane Philogene, who began working at Greyston Bakery putting together boxes, almost nine years ago. Greyston gave Dieulane steady employment, the opportunity to provide for her children, and the chance to further her education. After working for Greyston for several years, Dieulane went back to school for her associates degree in accounting - she will graduate early in 2009 and has worked her way up within the organization. She is now a member of the accounting department. When it came to studying T accounts, she admits she struggled; Julius saw some of the difficulty she was having and took time out of his schedule to tutor Dieulane and offer her encouragement. After spending an hour with Julius, the mysterious T accounts seemed “clear as day.”

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As we look at Greyston Bakery, a question we should consider is “Why is the Greyston model so unique?”

In the world of for-profit businesses, are there other examples of corporations that are “taking less and giving more?” Greyston Bakery is not just giving back, but through the Greyston Foundation, they are fundamentally changing the Yonker’s approach to collaborative community development. The challenge that for-profit businesses in the United States need to take up is how can we give more in terms of employment, profit sharing, community impact and take less from society, the environment and the consumer.

The Greyston Bakery model demonstrates how we could challenge our thinking on the role of for–profit businesses in the delivery of social goodwill.

Beth Parish is Program Manager for the John J. Sullivan Endowed Chair for Free Enterprise at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. The mission of the Sullivan Chair is to help forge multi-sector partnerships that use Free Enterprise solutions to address social needs. To learn more about how you can partner with the Sullivan Program, please contact Beth at bparish@regis.edu.

» Walls says that given the opportunity, his employees can succeed beyond their dreams and societies dreams. He says, “We all have equal value, just different skill sets.” «

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jewel of collaboration

AIR PRODUCTS

AIR PRODUCTS A Breath of Fresh Air by Bill Levis

“I’m living here in Allentown And it’s hard to keep a good man down”

T

his 1982 Billy Joel song describes the well-known, rugged, working class community. Allentown is the third largest city in Pennsylvania with a metropolitan area of 600,000. Located 60 miles north of Philadelphia and 90 miles from New York City, what is known as the Lehigh Valley, also is home to Air Products, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, who is committed to social responsibility not only in Pennsylvania, but around the globe.

Although it wasn’t written as such, the Billy Joel song serves as an anthem for the commitment of Air Products and its 22,000 employees located across 40 countries.

The company generates more than $10.4 billion in sales annually, and specializes in atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment.

Unlike the steel mills in neighboring Bethlehem, Air Products’ headquarters, founded in 1940, hasn’t

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suffered a knockout punch. However, Hurricane Katrina administered a body blow in August 2005 to the company’s industrial gas complex in New Orleans. The extensive damage adversely affected over 150 local employees.

Instead of complaining about its misfortune, the Air Products Foundation donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross relief fund. “This initial contribution was just the start,” said John P. Jones, former Chairman and CEO. “The real story is that out of great concern for their colleagues, employees and retirees from around the globe dug down deep and donated $639,000 on their own,” said Laurie GostleyHackett, Air Products Corporate Relations and Philanthropy liaison.

What sets the company apart from other large multi-national corporations is its innovative culture, especially its pledge of social responsibility to “work with and for our communities.” It is an ongoing commitment and a core element of Air Products’ corporate culture.

“Air Products has terrific corporate ethics,” said Charles Inlander, long-time president of the People’s Medical Society and an Allentown resident. “The company has always been a good corporate citizen, contributing to art centers, non-profits and what is considered the best velodrome (outdoor cycling track) in the United States.”

» What sets the company apart from other large multinational corporations is its innovative culture, especially its pledge of social responsibility to “work with and for our communities.”«

In fact, the company relies on its employees and their resources to facilitate improvements to the quality of life for the indigenous populations, while working in concert with local organizations.

Air Products invests approximately $5 million annually in grants to schools, municipalities, and community organizations in more than 15 countries, according to John E. McGlade, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Even more is provided through in-kind goods and services.

Many company employees serve in leadership positions with these non-profit organizations.

“Our award-winning corporate band, The Difference, [has] raised more than $500,000 for charity,” noted McGlade.

Domestically, the company is committed to improving parks, wildlife areas, schools, learning centers and arts facilities that enhance overall quality of life. For example, employees have contributed money, time and services from Carlsbad, California, where funds allowed three children to attend the Burn Institute summer camp, to projects throughout Pennsylvania to help children both in school and in recreational activities. In LaPorte,

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jewel of collaboration

AIR PRODUCTS

Texas, employees worked with Boys and Girls Harbor, Inc. and Habitat for Humanity to raise money and help build a multi-family home for abused, abandoned and neglected children.

Furthermore, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society recognized Air Products’ Cancer Busters with its national Chairman’s Citation Award last year. The Cancer Busters have raised more than $250,000 for the Society and cancer research since 2001.

As chemical producers, Air Products is also committed to sustaining the environment. Last year, its Calvert City, Kentucky cogeneration facilities received a Return On Environment Leadership Award from General Electric for the efficient use of gas turbines in producing electricity and steam, which resulted in the saving of 106 million gallons of water and 12 million gallons of wastewater per year.

Internationally, employees have helped flood victims in China, drilled wells for clean water in Indonesia, constructed houses in Mexico, and underwritten soccer leagues in Singapore. They have focused

on activities to help local schools and child welfare organizations in many countries, including China, Indonesia, South Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Actually, Air Products is one of the largest employers of engineers in the UK and is involved in many collaborative educational activities for students. In Thailand, employees at the company’s Bangkok Industrial Gases joint venture build and donate one new library per year - and have for the last three years.

Essentially, Air Products supports these efforts because, “it is the right thing to do. We exist, grow and prosper as a company only with the consent and support of the [people] and the communities that surround us. We therefore have an obligation to do our share to ensure that those communities are healthy and vibrant.”

The company is very candid about its position. “We simply cannot achieve our business objectives without a social, economic and community infrastructure that is strong and supportive. Plainly

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» Air Products recognizes “that healthy and vibrant communities are key to our ability to attract, retain and develop talented employees, and to operate a successful and growing enterprise.”«

speaking, it is a prudent investment to contribute time, money, knowledge and other resources to ensure that our communities remain healthy, competitive and good places to live and raise a family.”

Air Products chooses to be an excellent corporate citizen because it recognizes “that healthy and vibrant communities are key to our ability to attract, retain and develop talented employees, and to operate a successful and growing enterprise.” The company says that: • The quality of the community’s educational system is key to the skills of our employee force.

• T he vibrancy of the community as a good place to live is key to our being able to attract and keep the best employees.

• T he health of the community’s economic and social infrastructure is key to our ability to operate a successful facility with the support of the community.

•C ommunity involvement is key to our building employee morale, diversity, a sense of teamwork, and productivity. Air Products employees who feel they are a contributing part of the community are invariably more committed employees.

The company admits that, “as an industrial gas and chemicals company, we must withstand community scrutiny and clearly be seen to operate in the public interest.” In that vein, they are committed to: •B e a leader in the areas of the environment, health and safety.

•D evelop and produce products that can be manufactured, distributed, used, and recycled or disposed of in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

•B e an employer of choice, known as much for the way they value employees, as for the quality of their products or earnings.

» More than half of the employees at the Pennsylvania headquarters volunteer their time, totaling about 150,000 hours each year. Globally, employees volunteered over 240,000 hours in 2007 alone. «

•B e an integral part of the communities because through their employees they are the community.

The goal of the Air Products educational social responsibility programs “is to improve the quality of education and training of students and help develop opportunities for underrepresented minority students in disciplines related to the interests of the company.”

The company is increasingly concerned with helping students go on to higher education, and provides scholarships, mentors, and internship opportunities. Furthermore, their Matching Gift program complements their grant making programs with a match to accredited colleges and universities.

Senior management supports the social responsibility and volunteerism demonstrated

by Air Products employees – employees receive time off with pay for their volunteer efforts.

In fact, more than half of the employees at the Pennsylvania headquarters volunteer their time, totaling about 150,000 hours each year.

Globally, employees volunteered over 240,000 hours in 2007 alone.

“What we are doing around the globe are all collaborative projects,” said Gostley-Hackett.

“We really believe in partnerships and that is evidenced through every single one of our community relations activities.”

No matter whether its employees work in a facility in Allentown, New Orleans, the United Kingdom or in Indonesia, clearly Air Products is going to do whatever it takes not “to keep a good man down.”

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Every day, nearly 6,000 people who share our planet die from water-related illnesses, and the vast majority are children.

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collaborator profile

The Cunningham Foundation

The Cunningham Foundation Hope in Ethiopia by Bill Levis

W

hen a charming waitperson puts your plate on spotless linen in front of you at Strings, your senses start to celebrate. This glorious Denver restaurant offers entrees that surely were painted by Monet.

Almost too lovely too eat.

You pause to admire, but soon, the tantalizing smell of braised lamb crepe, with chicory salad forces you to taste the lovely food.

Best you’ve ever had – taste, texture, tart, sweet, everything balanced. Your dinner partner has ordered cashew-crusted sea bass, with saffron couscous and vanilla cream beurre blanc. Oh, no! It’s also the best thing you’ve ever tasted. Conversation stops for quite a while for the savoring and consuming.

Still, owners Noel and Tammy Cunningham are known as much for their humanitarian work as for the amazing dining experience they offer.

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As if elegance and indulgence needed a balance, the couple has turned much of their attention and care to the poorest of the poor.

They now focus intently on the children of Yetebon, Ethiopia, most of whom can’t get clean drinking water, much less a decent meal or a pair of shoes.

Cunningham, with his genial face, graying beard and kind Irish eyes, is an icon in Denver. Born in Dublin, raised in Los Angeles, trained at the Savoy Hotel in London, Noel once worked as a chef at Touch, an exclusive supper club in Beverly Hills.

In 1984, when there was a famine in Ethiopia, the idea was raised to hold a benefit for the victims, but the owner refused. Noel vowed that when he was in charge, things would be different.

The Cunninghams, married 17 years, are passionate about all the projects they take on. Tammy went to Ethiopia in 1998 with

Project C.U.R.E., where she was moved and motivated by the need and poverty she saw all around her. As a result of that visit, the Cunninghams sponsored a container of medical supplies for Ethiopia through Project C.U.R.E. In 2001, on a tour sponsored by Share Our Strength (SOS), they fell in love with Yetebon, a village in Ethiopia. SOS got its start after the 1984 famine and Noel has been on its board the last 18 years.

(As part of his work, Noel started Taste of the Nation, how held in 55 cities across North America, that helps hungry children in America.)

Yetebon, at almost 8,000 feet, is the home of Project Mercy, a non-profit organization that provides emergency relief aid, operates a school, an orphan support program, and now, a wellstaffed community hospital.

On their trip in 2001, the Cunninghams found the Project Mercy compound spotless. That was in contrast to the rest of Yetebon and surrounding areas, where people lived in mud huts with no running water.

Project Mercy is run by Marta Gargre-Tsadick and her husband Deme Tekle-Wold. Marta was born in Ethiopia and was the first female senator in the country. The couple left Ethiopia after the communist coup in 1975 but returned to work nearly 20 year later. During part of that time, she got her bachelor’s degree from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO, and has a strong bond with Colorado. When Marta and Tammy met, they bonded quickly – and the deal was done.

» The couple has turned much of their attention and care to the poorest of the poor. They now focus intently on the children of Yetebon, Ethiopia, most of whom can’t get clean drinking water, much less a decent meal or a pair of shoes. «

Since 2003, Noel and Tammy have used their Cunningham Foundation to help “the courageous people of the impoverished areas of Ethiopia help themselves.”

The couple was struck “by both the poverty and the amazing resilience of the people.”

Noel was impatient when he first decided he wanted to help the children of Yetebon - he wanted to change things quickly.

But he’s had to step back and let things happen at a pace more comfortable to the families of Yetebon.

The Cunninghams have gotten as many people involved as possible.

In 2003, the couple took their first group to Yetebon in 2003. They had worked with Cindy Brown, owner of cindybeads. com, who donated beads for bracelets for a project they decided on. Included in the tour were five high school and two college

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collaborator profile

The Cunningham Foundation

students as well as bead makers and a TV crew. The goal was to teach the Yetebon students to make bracelets. The group came back with 500 bracelets which were sold for $100 each, for a total of $50,000, all of which went back to the school.

The word about this good project got around.

Alissa Crowley, manager of Major Gifts for Warren Village, which provides residences for low-income, single parent families in Denver, says “Noel and Tammy are dear friends with big hearts.

They are amazing people.” She met the Cunninghams through Pat Miller, Denver’s “Gabby Gourmet,” with whom she wrote a cookbook.

Shortly after their meeting, Crowley went on a three-week trip with Noel to Ethiopia. “Everyone who takes these trips either donates their time and money or gets others to donate it for them,” she said.

“Beads can change the world.”

The Cunninghams get their beads and silver from people who donate them from around the U.S. and the world. They are sorted out by color and taken over to Yetebon where they are made into bracelets.

The word HOPE, which stands for Helping Organizations Promote Education, and the year of the trip, become part of the bracelet.

Besides bracelets, the students also make heart pendants. The pendants were the idea of Jeannie Ritter, wife of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. She suggested they be made in school colors to sell to high schools across the country. The three-year project has been highly successful.

» Noel was impatient when he first decided he wanted to help the children of Yetebon - he wanted to change things quickly. But he’s had to step back and let things happen at a pace more comfortable to the families of Yetebon. « If you look closely around the restaurant, you can find evidence of the Cunninghams devotion to the children in the mountainous community.

Besides pictures of the students and the school that the foundation helped expand, there are bracelets with pendants that the students have put together. All proceeds support the school and the children of Yetebon.

The school is another project that the Cunninghams took on. Originally, it had only elementary grades; now it goes through high school. The fifty orphans who attended the school once lived in a cow shed. Now they’re in a dorm that can accommodate 100. The school has more than doubled in size to 1,200 students from first through tenth grade. Students get meals, books, tuition and shoes. Many children walk five miles each day to get there.

As they did last year, the Cunninghams will return to Yetebon for Thanksgiving in 2008 because it is an “amazing place where there is a lot to be thankful for,” said Noel. “It is all around us.”

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Noel is committed not only to helping the students in Yetebon but also the high school students from Colorado who go on the annual trips. “I tell the high school kids and their parents that they owe me money because the students find that their iPods are not that important after making the trip to Ethiopia,” he said.

This year they will have 20 volunteers from Colorado, including high school students who are collecting “quarters for kids.” Noel has determined that it takes four quarters a day to educate, feed and clothe high school students here in the U.S. It’s another ambitious program – and another one that will surely succeed.

» Everyone who takes these trips either donates their time or money because beads can change the world. « One of Noel’s dreams is to expand his work with high school students beyond Colorado. He has worked with Governor Ritter to challenge other governors to do something similar to his “four quarters for kids” program.

Noel said, “there are supposedly 15 million high school students in America. Imagine what would happen if all of them were able to donate a buck a day for a year. We would be able to provide meals, books and uniforms for 15 million students. My mission would be complete.”

His theory is: “Dream big! Maybe big things will happen.”

After spending several hours with Noel, you can only agree with Crowley that “Noel and Tammy’s hearts are in Ethiopia.”

Crowley has no doubt they will retire there.

It’s obvious that the Cunninghams want to help as many people as possible.

“It is all part of a table-sized jigsaw puzzle to help people around the world,” emphasized Noel. “Each piece of the puzzle is a person implementing one of the ideas to help those in need.” His hope is to get enough people to complete the puzzle.

» “Dream big! Maybe big things will happen.” « - Noel Cunningham

In addition to their work in Yetebon and with Project Mercy, the Cunninghams also are helping the Mother Theresa Orphanage in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and other projects in the country.

To learn more about the Cunningham Foundation visit www.cunninghamfoundation. org or to buy a bracelet or pendant, please visit www.cunninghamfoundation.org/buy-ahope-bracelet.

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opinion

john brackney

Collaboration Finding the Common Bond by John Brackney

C

ollaboration is often misunderstood. Many believe that collaboration occurs when, individually, everyone does their part to contribute to a collective group effort. Actually, a group working together as a whole is stronger than the sum of its cooperative parts.

Collaboration is the act of inspiring others to reach their greatest potential and be better than they would have if the team did not exist. The goal in collaboration is not to take people at their face value, but to find their strengths and amplify them.

As a former elected official and life-long Republican in South Metro Denver one of my personal heroes is Ronald Reagan.

Despite my non-partisan leadership as President & CEO of the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, my personal values have closely aligned with the traditional conservative values of the Republican party. So to accept an invitation to an event honoring former U.S. Senator George McGovern during the Democratic National Convention felt odd. In the midst of fervent Democratic leaders, Tom Daschle, Michael Dukakis, Gary Hart, Walter Mondale and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend among others, I anticipated being aghast at the arch rival as I had been during the earlier generations war between Republicans and Democrats. I imagined myself as a spy scrutinizing the arch enemy against all that was good, specifically Reagan.

» Too often, we fall short of our collective potential because we search for disagreements and argue about those at infinitum rather than realizing our points of connection. «

However, after hearing life-long friends of McGovern complement him as a man, rather than a political official, I gained an appreciation of George McGovern’s influence. Leaving the small private insiders gathering, I felt proud that one individual, George McGovern, was able to recognize worldwide suffering and then dedicate his life to making historic progress toward change by prompting others of all political affiliations into action.

As I remember the story, one afternoon George McGovern’s wife encouraged him to watch a television special on the “Hungry in America”. McGovern instantly contended “There are no hungry in America.” It was the shock and abhor George experienced ( 86 )

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as a result of what he saw that day, which drove him to be an ambassador for change. McGovern’s passionate discourse while in office reached across party lines and set into motion the free and reduced lunch program which has helped generations of impoverished youth get a better education and improve their chance at reaching the American dream. Still today still McGovern ensures that worldwide hunger issues remain at the top of the humanitarian agenda.

How can that be criticized? Despite my political leanings, I find tremendous value in the collaborative efforts led by George McGovern to end worldwide hunger.

McGovern discovered a deep passion and looked past ideological differences to inspire positive societal change.

Too often, we fall short of our collective potential because we search for disagreements and argue about those at infinitum rather than realizing our points of connection. What I think is needed more is looking for the positive and in that positive identifying a common bond. It is not about ignoring individuals’ weaknesses, but rather understanding where both their strengths and weaknesses lie. In this way, we can work together to build a stronger connection using the talents we offer, while not losing our own values and perspectives.

Our outlook on life runs the gamut between good and bad, depending on our current perspective and ability to control or improve our situation. This adversarial system creates defeat and leads people, at a certain point in life, to give up hope or settle and decide that they have done enough. Attitude is everything and we have the power to choose our destiny.

We can submit to the victor by acquiescing to average and carrying through life without invigorating spirit, or conversely, we can embrace revolutionary change and decide to work together to achieve a common goal. Our task as leaders is to inspire hope and vision in each person we meet so that together we can exceed

Âť Our task as leaders is to inspire hope and vision in each person we meet so that together we can exceed our promise and accomplish momentous progress toward societal excellence. ÂŤ our promise and accomplish momentous progress toward societal excellence.

In the midst of the most impactful national election and most economically turbulent times of a century, it is an easier choice to be bitter or angry or adamant that the other side is evil. Likewise, finding those who hate the other side and lead by the nature of fear is familiar. Uncovering those who lead in a transformational way by camaraderie and thoughtfulness is much more exceptional.

The intent of ICOSA is to look for those transformational leaders who can succeed during the calm and rise to the challenge of leading society to greatness through collaboration when times are difficult. Focusing on the convergence of ideas and people with the attitude that they can inspire the best in each other and work together in meaningful ways is a significant accomplishment.

The South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce is proud to be a partner in this search for talented business people worldwide.

We encourage each person reading this magazine to reflect on the messages and find strength among us to weave positive change throughout our spheres of influence and beyond.

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collaborator profile

The Big Tent

The Big Tent A Collaborative Approach to New Media in Politics by Judith B. Taylor

T

he Big Tent. It was an intriguing idea, maybe even mystifying. It was compelling when first suggested sometime late in 2007 and even today, more than two months since the Democratic National Convention finished in Denver. The idea of a big tent filled with bloggers and new journalists speaks of a change in the way journalism works today.

The Big Tent was no small operation. Two stories high with 8,000 square feet of space, it was positioned next to one of Colorado’s greenest buildings, the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado. It was wired, it had water, and it made room for 548 journalists throughout the week and 200 on a daily basis. But it was a tent designed with a groundbreaking purpose - bringing citizen journalists front and center to what was happening.

By all accounts, the Big Tent project presented formidable challenges in many ways, all requiring high levels of collaboration, support from nearby business tenants as well as city and state officials.

National support from the major corners of the blogging community became essential elements for success of the project.

joined the team as Interim Executive Director of the Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado.

Bruenjes was aware that the founder of DailyKos, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga had been thinking about some type of tent party. The DailyKos founder was familiar with Michael Huttner, the founder and national director of Progress Now. The discussions were underway on how to make the Big Tent more than a place to hangout.

Those coordinating the massive effort met each challenge with unceasing collaboration. For starters, The Big Tent would be, by its nature, an expensive undertaking. Nevertheless, sponsorships came and each participant paid a fee for a pass.

» This was a tent, not a building. Adding a free standing structure next to an existing building and the necessities of the electricity and water made for a complex project. «

While the ground breaking project took form in early 2008, the general idea of hosting bloggers had been considered for over a year.

“The real push began in February 2008,” said Bobby Clark, Executive Director of Progress Now, a group that helped implement the entire project. “We knew, however, once Denver was named Host City for the Democratic National Convention, the need to provide something for bloggers was there. We looked at previous blogging lounges and talked about wanting to be as diverse as possible. We wanted big bloggers and little bloggers.”

As major national players like DailyKos, Google and Digg became supporters of the overall project, the Big Tent began to come together as the convention drew closer.

The Big Tent Host Team, led by Daily Kos, Progress Now, and The Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado, had at its helm three young professionals from different backgrounds, each with a passion for their role in what was about to become history in the making. Jen Bruenjes from DailyKos brought an events background from her days at ESPN. Bobby Clark brought his experience of working with the Dean campaign for president.

Rebecca Saltman, well known for building community networks ( 88 )

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Bobby Clark, one of the major players of the host group, points out an early logistical challenge.

“This was a tent, not a building,” Clark said. “Adding a free standing structure next to an existing building and the necessities of the electricity and water made for a complex project.”

Not only did the team envision a state of the art blogging/media lounge, it would also include a main stage on the second floor, later named The Digg stage, as well as a Google retreat.

Bruenjes, Clark and Saltman look back with awe and a sense of pride at the project that literally grew before their eyes.

“I dove in head first,” Saltman, said of the Big Tent project. She joined the project in April 2008.

“The whole concept was in alignment with my ideas of collaboration,” Saltman said. “We held the audacious vision and maintained the collaboration needed. Our audacity wasn’t about ourselves. It was about achieving a far greater goal benefiting so many others.”

Bruenjes agrees that the process of bringing The Big Tent together required a high level of cooperation. A variety of organizations with different missions needed to blend. “It was a challenge pulling a team together from different organizations,” Bruenjes said.

In spite of the hurdles, the Big Tent was constructed in August just prior to the opening of the Democratic National Convention.

Excitement was created at every level.

The ‘build it and they will come’ truism worked. In fact, it was a homerun by measurable standards.

Bruenjes and others saw the Big Tent as representing a shift in media development.

To many, it was a coming out party for the new media.

“We wanted to create a place to hang out and to keep costs down,” Bruenjes said.

“This became a hub and the second great story in Denver that week. We created our own party.”

The Big Tent grew to become more than a party; it became an epicenter of activity.

The bloggers and new media interacted with each other. “It was amazing to see people come and talk about the issues,” Bruenjes added. “They (bloggers and new media journalists) were building a narrative together and breaking stories together.”

The Big Tent quickly turned into the place to be.

National caliber speakers on politics, social issues and climate issues offered their views in panel discussions at the Digg Stage on the second floor of the tent.

With a growing demand to see the powerful presentations, half day passes were issued.

» We held the audacious vision and maintained the collaboration needed. Our audacity wasn’t about ourselves. It was about achieving a far greater goal benefiting so many others. « Celebrities, as well as numerous local, state and federal elected officials and leaders in the field of sustainability and social justice were given a stage.

Presenters and panelists such as Paul Krugman, Dan Rather, Arianna Huffington, Ted Sorenson, Rachel Maddow, T. Boone Pickens, Van Jones and Majora Carter participated in the Big Tent.

Many from the mainstream media such as Katie Couric came to the tent to be a part of something else big going on in the city. Notables such as Barack Obama’s sister Maya Soetoro - Ng, Craig Newmark of Craig’s List, Darryl Hannah and many others graced the tent.

Author and consultant, Brent Green, viewed the Big Tent as a temporary and portable university with a great opportunity in a compressed amount of time.

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collaborator profile

The Big Tent

Green saw the Big Tent menu to include politics, history, environmental science, economics, global issues and more.

“It was an extraordinary opportunity encountered in three days (out of five days the tent was open) with great thinkers of our time,” Green said. “There was intellectual ferment; an incomparable experience. It synthesized in my mind that this is a transformative time in this country. There is optimism that solutions can be found.”

Said blogger Brian Devine; “If the Big Tent is an indicator of the future soon to be stepped, then we have now moved from a slow walk to where we are now leaps and bounds towards greater transparency and access in the field of media.” “And I can proudly brag for years to come that I was here in Denver, in an online stage that was unquestionably the first of its kind - absolutely unimaginable four years before, and absolutely due to the people who made it possible and not just the wires and wifi, he added.”

Many different mediums were represented; print, electronic, video and new media. In the end, almost all who requested credentials were given passes from both parties.

Success of the Big Tent can be measured in a number of ways.

Attendance was overwhelming at times with standing room only crowds at some of the presentations. The Smithsonian is archiving a portion of the Big Tent material and the Newseum has inquired about the Big Tent.

“The last weeks of working on the tent, the exhaustion was overwhelming,” said Saltman. “If not for the extraordinary, almost superhuman efforts of the Alliance, Progress Now and DailyKos staff, alongside amazing volunteers from the New Organizing Institute, Netroots Nation, the University of Denver and community volunteers working tirelessly and cheering us all on it would never have happened. They stimulated our success” Saltman added, “What was created was so much more than any one of us or our organizations - it was the catalyst for a new movement for broad based access for citizen journalism and I couldn’t be more grateful than to have been part of it.”

One of the true measures of impact in a contemporary sense is the number of “hits” a site receives. Big Tent Denver registered over 300,000 hits.

Not a bad testimony for an endeavor that clearly resulted from intense collaboration from different, yet visionary people. The Big Tent became a big change agent.

“It was a defining experience for bloggers,” Bobby Clark said in reflection.

“They are important to the national conversation. It was a ‘we have arrived’ event.”

Judith B. Taylor is an award-winning journalist and former President of the Women’s Regional Publications of America. Her blog is WomensMarketZone.wordpress.com.

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» Presenters and panelists such as Paul Krugman, Dan Rather, Arianna Huffington, Ted Sorenson, Rachel Maddow, T. Boone Pickens, Van Jones and Majora Carter participated in the Big Tent. «

C OLLABORATING

TO

S AVE L IVES

Delivering Health and Hope to the World Since 1987, PROJECT C.U.R.E. has distributed donated medical relief and services to desperately needy people in more than 120 countries.

PROJECT C.U.R.E. collaborates with hospitals and clinics, medical manufacturers, and wholesale suppliers to collect supplies and equipment that are matched to the individual needs of the sick and dying around the world.

PROJECT C.U.R.E. has joined with partners such as corporations, service clubs and religious organizations to accomplish the mission of "delivering health and hope to the world�.

To learn more about PROJECT C.U.R.E. and how you can deliver health and hope to those that need it most, visit

www.projectcure.org 11.08-12.08

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collaborator profile

Denver Botanic Gardens

Denver Botanic Gardens From Horse and Buggy to Leading Edge and Beyond by Michael C. Vaughn

C

orporate social responsibility is not just about creating a business model that generates dollars to your organization. Sometimes it’s about bringing your brainpower and expertise to the larger collective. Sometimes it’s about employee empowerment and creativity. Sometimes it’s just about making your community a better place. That’s the story of the collaborative technology venture at Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG).

In June 2007, Brian Vogt, CEO of DBG, reached out to Colorado Technology Association (CSIA) for help with incorporating new technology into the Gardens. Some of their board and key volunteers were invited out to the Gardens for a presentation on Vogt’s ideas. Being one of the key volunteers, I saw this as a great opportunity to help in multiple areas: to help the Gardens bring everything up to date in all technological areas, collaborate with multiple companies in Colorado to make this a success, and to give something back to the community. In August, I sat down with Brian to discuss the technological challenges facing the Gardens.

We discussed the archaic infrastructure, absence of connectivity, and overall lack of 21st century technology and decided that to move DBG into the Information Age we needed to recreate the entire platform.

Chuck Robinson, DBG IT Manager explains that just over a year ago they evaluated whether technology at the Gardens provided customers with the support that they needed. The answer was no. “We had a mix of computer switches that were outdated and not exactly top of the line, no external access to information, and a webpage that was too flat to serve a growing customer base of staff, community members, scientists, education leaders, and horticulturalists throughout the world,” he said.

As a member of the CSIA, I worked directly with DBG management to understand the needs and the limitations of the institution – especially funding constraints. I led a coordinated effort to assemble seven key task force members to assist in bringing this landmark entity “up the technology ladder.”

The Technology Task Force (TTF), which was comprised of various local technology companies, volunteered their time ( 92 )

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to create a strategic plan for Denver Botanic Gardens, which would not only bring them up to par, but would allow them to become a leader in their industry through technological resources.

“The Technology Task Force at Denver Botanic Gardens has shattered any belief that a non-profit organization cannot be cutting edge technologically.

From a pure marketing perspective, it is critical that we are able to employ social networking, provide Wi-Fi, and utilize other Web strategies that reach the broadest audience possible,” said DBG Director of Marketing, PR & Events, Robin Doerr.

She added, “It is no secret that Botanic Gardens in general have challenges attracting an audience under the age of 35.

We need to have a presence with a younger demographic – online. It is an integral part of our marketing strategy. The technology professionals on this team are helping us make that reach a reality.”

PROJECT DEFINITION AND STRATEGY DEPLOYMENT In August last year, the TTF presented a nine-phase project plan with components addressing both infrastructure and web needs. It was a complete analysis of DBGs current capabilities and core infrastructures – with a vision for sustainability in mind. To start with, the team implemented a LAN/WAN cleanup. Then, the TTF performed a needs assessment on the overall technology status of the Gardens, which drove a 2008 roll out of new technologies, such as LAN/WAN restructure, web site refresh with social networking capabilities, and Wi-Fi implementation across the 23-acre campus with DS3 broadband connection. But, the plan also served as the part of the platform for the master development blueprint for the Gardens, which was approved in December 2007. To date, this team has grown to over 30 volunteers.

“Within about a year from the first meeting, we went from obsolete equipment and capabilities to leading edge. The activity was, and still is, intense but with a continued vigor from the staff at DBG and the Technology Task Force it has become a model

of efficiency and effectiveness that I have not seen in my 25 years in this industry,” commented Robinson.

The purpose was to bring in the “best of the best” of technology to achieve the latest and greatest for the DBG, therefore creating an environment that is second-to-none for the next 10 years and beyond.

The mission was to be volunteerdriven first, while collaborating with companies to execute on this “best of the best” philosophy.

» Within about a year from the first meeting, we went from obsolete equipment and capabilities to leading edge. «

“What is on the technology horizon for Denver Botanic Gardens for 2009,” you ask…?

Imagine a new way for patrons to connect with plants/flowers - All plants/flowers will be tagged with RFID (remote frequency device) technology and can be connected by using small devices to download how to grow them and where to buy them in their area - all at the click of a button!

Imagine high definition streaming video around the Gardens that can be viewed in real time from the web to see events, weddings, etc. in real time anywhere in the world.

Donations, trade-in-kind partnerships and overall reduced costs were three key factors to the success of this effort. In fact, by September 2008, the TTF had reinvigorated the technology at the Gardens to the tune of about $1.5 million, which about 50 cents on the dollar was reduced due to this approach. So far, everyone on the team is committed to help for the next 3 years.

Imagine an easier way for anyone in the world to gain knowledge of any plant or flower in the entire Rocky Mountain Region accessible via the web.

Imagine an alternative place for people to work for the day that is a sanctuary of nature using the accessibility of a free WiFi network.

RECOGNITION To show appreciation and celebrate the success of the team, DBG hosted Technology Day on July 31, 2008. It was an event that attracted nearly 1,000 attendees to witness the launch of the redesigned web site, panel discussions, and new product demos from Cisco, NEC, Sun Microsystems, TEKsystems, Newsgator Technologies, to name a few. RJ Macklin Associates hosted a virtual field trip for kids from the DBGs Plant Science Investigator camp, as well as summer camps in Xalapa, Mexico and Ontario, Canada.

Imagine smart bracelets to track children on campus at all times and tracked from mobile devices using RFID.

Indeed, the TTF created six industry “first’s of its’ kind” in the world to harmonize a botanic gardens facility with state-of-the-art technology.

“While it’s easy to think of our Technology Task Force as a group who has brought fiber optics, Wi-Fi and integration to the Gardens; who have helped our operations move faster and leaner; and who have enriched visitors’ experiences; I think their most important contribution has been a heartfelt passion, dedication and joy that they bring to us every day.

Building a bridge between a venerable institution and a whole new audience is remarkable,” said Brian Vogt, CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens.

WHAT’S NEXT

» The Technology Task Force at Denver Botanic Gardens has shattered any belief that a non-profit organization cannot be cutting edge technologically. «

CSIA president, Su Hawk commented, “During our history we have been very fortunate to have the involvement of hundreds of technology leaders whose vision, passion and involvement strengthened the landscape of the IT industry in our state. Our community of leaders is so important to us, and so it makes us enormously proud again that a truly unique group of people are transforming the Denver Botanic Gardens’ technology. Thanks to the team of dedicated volunteers, Brian Vogt, and team at the Gardens - they have become the first-ever technology task force for a cultural institution in our state’s history.

As a result of their stewardship, Denver Botanic Gardens will grow even taller as a world-class cultural institution, and each person involved will have the pride of knowing that one person truly can make a difference for many generations.”

For additional information regarding the Technology Task Force, please contact Michael C. Vaughn, Chairman of DBG Technology Task Force at technology@botanicgardens.org or visit http://www.botanicgardens.org/content/ gardens-tech-team.

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Would Like To Thank The Following Friends For Their Inspiration Jessica Biel Jon Biel Tom Brokaw Former President Bill Clinton Michael Dukakis Diane Hartman – Hartman & Brown Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Kent McBride George McGovern

Cynthia Nixon Boyd Norton Edward B. Rust, Jr. Jamie-Lynn Sigler Justin Timberlake Desmund Tutu Gabrielle Union Eric Weber Muhammad Yunis Margarita Zavala, First Lady of Mexico

For many people hope is the elixir that sustains a passion for life. When we give each other hope we let people know that they matter and mean so much to us.

www.TheGiftsofHope.org

2009 CALENDAR

HOPE in a BASKET

Products benefit the Carson J Spencer Foundation, 501(c)3

www.CarsonJSpencer.org

sustaining commitment.

At Newmont, industry leading performance means being the first gold company on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. We are proud to support the Volunteers of America and their commitment to caring.

IDARADO MINE, COLORADO - 2006 HARDROCK MINERAL DIRECTOR’S AWARD WINNER, RECOGNIZING IDARADO’S SUCCESS IN ACHIEVING A BALANCE AMONG HISTORIC PRESERVATION, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND LONG-TERM VALUE CREATION FOR THE REGION.

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