Naturally Profitable

BY DEBORAH WYATT FELLOWS

Matt Myers, one of the founders of Broneah Kiteboarding and M22, the clothing and merchandise business that sports that logo, stressed that it isn’t complicated—without clean water, wind, landscapes and people seeking those things, he’s out of business. Matt and his brother, Keegan, represent young entrepreneurs who came home and are committed to working and living a life rooted in business success and the preservation of our natural environment.

Kim Pontius, executive director of TAAR, the organization for Realtors in the Grand Traverse region, said every TAAR Realtor asked for the key to their business success would point first to the bays, then the lakes, rivers and woods. But Kim doesn’t stop there. Under his leadership, 10 percent of his organization’s Realtors have passed the green build certification. In fact, his organization leads the country in the percentage of green build Realtors and is a benchmark for this initiative of the National Association of Realtors. Grand Traverse is on the map as a region whose Realtors understand that natural resource protection and green building initiatives are good for their businesses, good for the region’s economy and ultimately good for the community in which they live, work and raise their families.

Gene LaFave, a developer who renovates existing buildings as well as developing new projects, acknowledged the role natural resources play in attracting buyers. Gene also spoke to the challenges that regulations pose to his ability to succed.

At one point, I suggested that very few people come to Northern Michigan to get rich in the traditional sense—there are places where that path is much easier and more assured. Rather, for most of us “getting rich” means figuring out how to succeed in our businesses while also living a life surrounded by beauty, clean natural resources and livable communities. That path leading to success in our businesses, as well as our lives, is inextricably linked to natural resource protection.

Gene followed with a simple statement, “I did come here to get rich.” He went on to say that America is built on wealth and on a history where people seek wealth first and then donate a portion of that money back to make the world a better place.

Michael Porter would have agreed with Gene until recently. Porter is the director of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School and has advised huge corporations such as Caterpillar, Dupont, Shell and Proctor and Gamble for years. In the January/February 2011 issue of Harvard Business Review he