21st Century Business:

A new generation of entrepreneurs is re-defining success in business, and NW Washington is at the forefront of this change.

5th annual conference, coming Spring 2008...

OUR GUARANTEE:

At this event you will experience the kind of shivers you only get in ‘ah-ha’ moments, and the kind of hope you feel when you recognize a revolutionary idea as a critical piece of the path forward.

WHERE DO WE START?

• The questions being posed at this conference are extraordinary, from “What IS a good job”, to “Where is the cutting edge in structuring, measuring, financing and leaving a legacy of ‘good business’”, to “What are the emerging business opportunities of a sustainable economy?”
• To warm up, consider listening to a podcast of our opening keynote speaker Bill McKibben in this NPR/KUOW interview about his most recent book, Deep Economy.
• Our afternoon plenary speaker, KC Golden, was recently heralded by the Seattle Magazine as one of 5 environmental heroes of the Pacific Northwest.
• We've also added a break-out session on “Alternative lending options for small businesses" with Tina Vlasaty, of ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadia.
• The entire national staffs of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, (BALLE), and of the Sierra Business Council in California are registered because they want to discuss with our business community, right here, the pioneering business models that you’re creating and the rest of the nation is looking to.
• Registrations for the conference are nearly DOUBLE what they were this time last year. (And we sold out last year!)

***PLUS conference attendees will have the opportunity for discussion and input to two proto-type tools designed to evaluate ‘good companies’ and ‘good jobs’. These tools will help guide consumer, investor and economic development choices in communities across North America.

WHO ATTENDS?

Successful entrepreneurs, business innovators, community and economic development professionals, elected officials, aspiring entrepreneurs – all interested in changing what it means to succeed in business!

SPEAKERS INCLUDED

Bill McKibben – Nationally acclaimed author & writer for the New Yorker, his book The End of Nature (’89), is credited as sounding one of the earliest alarms about global warming -- His newest book Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities & the Durable Future, (March 2007), is a celebration of the joys of community businesses and a showcase of new ways to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all.

Leslie Christian – CFA, President of Progressive Investment Management. – After 30 years of pioneering leadership in socially responsible investment management she’s now developed Upstream 21 Corporation, a NW holding company based on Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, only much smaller, regional and with a unique legal charter that mandates the best interests of the company are those of ALL its stakeholders.

Jay Coen Gilbert – Co-founded and sold “AND 1” a $200 million basketball footwear and apparel company, (despite having no game!) Now Jay’s non-profit venture, B-Lab is creating type of corporation – the B-corp – that institutionalizes stakeholder interests, (rather than being legally required to maximize shareholder returns), and rates their social and environmental performance, and makes it easier for consumers and investors identify and support ‘good’ companies.

Kay Hirai – President, Studio 904 Salons - Over decades of operating a successful small business, Kay has pioneered an approach to employee empowerment and life-long learning that she has documented in a training manual called the Book of Kaizen. This manual along with her development of a work-based skills certification, have been held up nationally as a best practice model for hiring practices, workforce training, economic development and community outreach programs.

Rud Browne – Founder & Chair of Bellingham-based, The Ryzex Group, specializing in the repair and resale of new and refurbished data collection equipment, Ryzex has become a pioneer in closed loop manufacturing, zerowaste, and using waste streams for value-added production. Rud’s ability to successfully spread this ethic amongst his 300+ person team has helped Ryzex win a spot on Inc. Magazine’s “The Green 50,” a list of the nation’s most successful environmentally responsible companies.

KC Golden – Policy Director for Climate Solutions, KC lays out the unique position that the NW is in to respond to this generation’s defining challenge. Pioneering practical and profitable solutions to global warming, the Northwest has much to offer and much to gain in the transition from fossil fuel dependence to efficient use of clean energy sources.

SEE THE FULL 2007 AGENDA >>>HERE<<<

HEAR FROM ATTENDEES ABOUT PAST CONFERENCES >>>HERE<<<

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Please contact Cathy Lehman, Sustainable Business Practices & Events Manager, 360-647-7093 x102 or Cathy@SConnect.org.

We invite you to join us in this ground-breaking day of business education, inspiration, and a whole lot of fun with our region’s best business owners.

PLEASE JOIN US IN SPRING '08!

THANKS TO OUR LEAD SPONSORS

CO-SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSORS