Industry: Office products

Headquarters: Oakland, CA

Founders: Mike Hannigan and Sean Marks

Founded: 1991

Markets: Nationwide

Interviewed: Mike Hannigan, Founder

Give Something Back Business Products is an office products firm selling office supplies, furniture, and printing to businesses, non-profits, and governmental agencies. The company started with a basic idea: to sell business products for less and donate the profits back to the community. The model is based on the for-benefit business model utilized by Newman’s Own. Essentially, the company operates a conventional business model in a competitive marketplace to produce a profit that is donated back to the community. The nonprofit organizations supported are chosen democratically by customers and employees. GSB has been widely recognized for its success as a business and for its philanthropic mission. Out of a field of more than 400 companies, Paul Newman, Marian Wright Edelman, John Kennedy, General Norman Schwartzkopf, and other national luminaries voted the firm one of the 10 most generous companies in America — and the most generous one in California. Inc. Magazine named GSB one of the 50 fastest growing city-based companies in the nation in 1999, 2000, and 2001. That same magazine named the firm one of the fastest growing privately held companies in America.

Give Something Back Business Products is unique because its community outreach is built directly into its business model and mission. The founders started the company so that they could use their business skills on behalf of their community work.

Give Something Back Business Products

7730 Pardee Lane
Oakland, CA 94621

www.givesomethingback.com  

Community Giving: http://www.givesomethingback.com/community.html  

Industry: Organic beverages

Headquarters: Bethseda, MD

Founders: Seth Goldman and Berry Nalebuff

Founded: 1998

Markets: Nationwide

Interviewed: Seth Golman, Founder and TeaEO

Honest Tea was started in Seth Goldman’s basement, in the pursuit of a less sweet, but flavorful, beverage. Over ten years later, the company is the best selling brand of organic bottled tea in the country. Seth Goldman met his co-founder Barry Nalebuff in graduate school, where Nalebuff was the professor for one of Goldman’s classes. Nalebuff’s research into the tea industry uncovered that tea purchased for bottling by American companies was the lower quality dust and fannings left after quality tea had been produced. So, Seth Goldman and his professor decided to start a company that sold Honest Tea, made with real tea leaves. Organic certification, the uniqueness of the product offerings, and the firm’s fair trade philosophy have facilitated the company’s rapid growth and great success.

Community involvement at Honest Tea is driven by the realization that while tea is consumed by the wealthiest countries in the world, it is produced by the poorest. Honest Tea strives to improve these communities however possible when doing business there. When presented with a purchasing decision between two financially comparable alternatives, the company attempts to choose the option that better addresses the needs of economically disadvantaged communities.

Honest Tea

5019 Wilson Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814

www.honesttea.com  

Industry: Jewelry

Headquarters: Des Moines, IA

Founder: Solomon Joseph

Founded: 1871

Number of Employees: 19

Markets: Des Moines Area, Iowa

Interviewed: John Joseph, Vice President

Joseph’s Jewelers consists of three family-owned and operated jewelry stores in the Des Moines, Iowa area. The family has owned the company for 136 years, since Solomon Joseph started S. Joseph and Sons in the Kirkwood Hotel in Des Moines in 1871. From calibrating the watches of railroad men to selling license plates and eyeglasses, the firm has always focused on the needs of its customers. Today, Toby and John Joseph, as well as the dedicated employees, continue to ensure the satisfaction of every Joseph’s patron by providing quality merchandise at competitive prices and unmatched personal service. A full service jeweler, Josephs has 19 registered jewelers and certified gemologists, the most Certified Gemologists on staff in the Midwest and offers expert jewelry and watch repair, as well as a unique design center. Voted “Best Jeweler in Des Moines” each of the last five years by the readers of the Business Record, Josephs Jewelers takes pride in offering unsurpassed quality in service.

At Joseph’s Jewelers, they believe that it is the firm and the owners’ corporate and personal responsibility to be involved in the community that has supported the business and helped it to be successful. The firm does not have an overriding philosophy about the types of causes with which it gets involved; instead, whenever firm management sees an opportunity they think is worthwhile, they do what they can to help support it.

Joseph’s Jewelers

320 6th Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309

www.josephsjewelers.com  

Industry: Hospitality

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

Founder: Bill Kimpton

Founded: 1981

Markets: 41 hotels in 19 U.S. cities

Interviewed: Niki Leondakis, Chief Operating Officer

Kimpton Hotel is a national chain of individually branded and uniquely designed boutique hotels. The company specializes in stylish, eco-friendly accommodations with a focus on personalized, first-rate service. Perhaps the most well-known brand of Kimpton hotels is the Hotel Monaco, with locations in Chicago, Illinois, Denver, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Utah, San Francisco, California. Seattle, Washington, Washington, DC, Portland, OR and Alexandria, Virginia (slated to open in 2007). Other Kimpton sponsored and owned hotel chains are located in Los Angeles, California, Aspen, Colorado, Boston, Massachusetts, and a variety of other cities. Each hotel is individually designed to reflect the energy and personality of its location, history, and architectural style, and many are located in converted historical buildings. The hotels feature highly personalized services and in-room amenities, and one of a kind specialty rooms and suites. The signature elements of a Kimpton experience are care, comfort, style, flavor, and fun.

Kimpton’s community involvement philosophy is based on the concept that it is the corporation’s responsibility to be conscious of its impact on the environment and community and to make a difference where possible. Bill Kimpton’s philosophy of balance drives the company’s community efforts in that, through giving back, the company can mitigate any impact on the community and environment.

 Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC
222 Kearny St., Ste. 200
San Francisco, CA 94108
http://www.kimptonhotels.com
Kimpton Cares: http://www.kimptonhotels.com/kimpton_cares.aspx  

Industry: Photography

Headquarters: Boulder, CO

Founder: Judith Abrams

Markets: United States, Japan, Canada

Interviewed: Judith Abrams, Owner

Landscapes Within grew out of Judith Abrams’ photography talent, love of nature, and grief over her father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. After his death, Judith left her work as a hospice worker to follow her passion of taking beautiful pictures of nature. She began to sell her images on a very small scale at Boulder’s Farmer’s Market Fine Art and Craft Fair, then steadily larger fairs until becoming one of the Boulder’s Open Studios and joining the fine art realm. With the company, she fulfilled her vision of printing greeting cards and selling them nationally. By growing her company and increasing profits, Judith found a way not only for herself and her employees to thrive, but also a way to facilitate the ability to write frequent and large checks to organizations that support research to fight Alzheimer’s disease.

The community involvement of Landscapes Within is driven by the owner’s strong connection to her family legacy of service and her grief over the death of her father from Alzheimer’s. Abrams has harnessed this passion into growing a lucrative and thriving business, the profits of which she donates to Alzheimer’s research. Judith Abrams sees the business success of Landscapes Within as an outlet to support a cause in which she strongly believes.

Landscapes Within

637-B So. Broadway #340
Boulder, CO 80305

www.landscapeswithin.com

Industry: Food service

Headquarters: Centennial, CO

Founder: Mark Berzins

Founded: 1994

Number of Employees: 130

Markets: Denver Metro Area, CO

Interviewed: Mark Berzins, Founder

Little Pub Company is a group of neighborhood bars in Denver, CO loosely collected under the Little Pub Company name. Each pub is a distinct neighborhood place for patrons to hang out and be social with their neighbors and other members of the community. The firm has grown over the past 13 years to have about 130 employees and 10 different pubs. The company’s business model is to provide an evening alternative to the morning coffee shop; a place where people can routinely go to end their day with others in their community. Some of the company’s restaurants include Senor Rita’s, Salty Rita, Three Dogs Tavern, Spot Bar & Grill and Irish Hound.

Little Pub Company’s community involvement began as a way to reach their desired target market of locals, neighbors, and pedestrian traffic. In order to build relationships and reputation among their desired clientele, the company devoted its marketing budget toward getting involved with various nonprofit and community organizations.

Little Pub Company

7348 S Alton Way
Centennial, CO 80112

Industry: Clothing and accessories

Headquarters: Ypsilanti, MI

Founder: Benà Burda

Founded: 1992

Markets: Nationwide

Interviewed: Benà Burda, Founder

Maggie’s has been in business since 1992 providing comfy, basic, durable clothing and accessories, making them affordable, and all the while supporting the founders’ beliefs and values in integrity, social responsibility, humility, sustainability and fun. The company began marketing organic corn tortilla chips, but when one of the farmers growing the corn added organic cotton to the crop rotation, the company needed to sell it. After doing some research about cotton growing techniques and discovering the harsh facts of conventional cotton cultivation and garment manufacturing, the firm began making garments a different way – using the farmer’s organic cotton. The firm began with a line of organic cotton socks and today sells a comprehensive line of organic cotton clothing and accessories, including baby clothing. Being the first company to utilize organic materials in non-food products, Maggie’s and founder Benà Burda are considered pioneers in the organic product industry with such large companies as Wal-Mart and Nike now selling products utilizing organic cotton.

The community involvement philosophy of Maggie’s organics is that there is no environmental sustainability without social responsibility. The firm practices social responsibility by using environmentally sustainable methods and materials in production as well as in all aspects of business, and by adhering to fair labor standards.

Maggie’s Functional Organics
306 W. Cross Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

www.organicclothes.com  

Beyond Organics: Social Aspects: http://www.organicclothes.com/social.asp  

Industry: Salon beauty services

Headquarters: Denver, CO

Founder: Jason Linklow

Founded: 1999

Markets: Denver, CO

Interviewed: Jason Linklow, Owner

Metafolics Salon is primarily a full service salon. Along with providing all hair services, the firm also offers skin care and massage services. The name is a make believe word created by the founder, Meta is a prefix that means to transform or to evolve to a higher level and Folics means care. So, Metafolics means to evolve to a new level and place, which is what the salon tries to provide for its customers. The philosophy of Metafolics is to provide a high level of salon care without the pretension common to higher end salons. Everything from how the salon’s atmosphere was designed, to the location, to the type of people the firm hires, and the manner in which it conducts business, is all designed to not be intimidating, but instead to make people feel welcomed, positive, and happy.

Salon means a gathering place for the community, and the community philosophy of Metafolics is based upon that definition. By managing a symbiotic relationship, Metafolics supports the community that supports it.

Metafolics Salon

1070 Bannock Street, Suite 170
Denver, Colorado 80204-4058

www.metafolics.com  

Industry: Beer brewing

Headquarters: Fort Collins, CO

Founder: Jeff and Kim Jordan

Founded: 1991

Markets: Nationwide

Interviewed: Brian Simpson, Media Relations

New Belgium Brewery is an employee-owned regional brewery in Fort Collins, CO. The firm’s best selling brand is Fat Tire, named for the founder’s bike trip through Belgium during which he was inspired to start the company. The firm brews Belgium style beers, which tend to be more heavily spiced and which use more fruit, including more exotic fruit strains. The Belgian brewing process utilized by the firm is arguably a more creative process than English or German styles. One of the great underpinnings of the firm’s culture is that it has many cyclists and many of the employees commute to work on a bicycle.

New Belgium endeavors to be a good corporate citizen through its community involvement. Since New Belgium Brewery’s philanthropy program was established in 1993, the firm has donated one dollar for every barrel produced. Funds from this program are given to four different kinds of causes, including environmental, social, cultural, and drug and alcohol awareness. The funds are distributed regionally based on sales, such that one dollar is donated to a state for each of the barrels sold there. In 2004, the firm donated $350,000 to charitable non-profit organizations nationwide.

New Belgium Brewery

500 Linden St

Fort Collins, CO 80524

www.newbelgium.com  

Industry: Freelance photography services

Headquarters: Sausalito, CA

Founder: Nita Winter

Founded: 1982

            Number of Employees: 1

            Markets: Bay Area California

            Interviewed: Nita Winter, Owner

Nita Winter has been in business for 25 years as a professional photographer. Before becoming a photographer, Nita worked for two and a half years scheduling events at the Women’s Building in San Francisco, which began her passion for working with nonprofit organizations. In this position, Winter had extensive exposure to the diverse projects of non-profits in San Francisco. When she established her freelance photography work, her first clients were mostly nonprofits due to her existing connections in the community. Over the next 25 years, Nita Winter Photography has continued to work with non-profits. Winter’s photographic specialty is people and she has become nationally known for the work she does with children and diversity.

Nita Winter Photography works mostly with nonprofit and philanthropic causes because it is the work she has found to be most fulfilling. It is her community involvement philosophy that if people had a stronger sense of community there would be less conflict and healthier children, and that a healthier sense of self-worth also contributes to having a stronger community. Early in her career, Winter realized the power of the photograph as a universal visual language and how she could harness that power to create stronger communities and to communicate the essence of a community with those outside of and different from it. 

Nita Winter Photography
3001 Bridgeway Blvd, Suite K #339
Sausalito CA 94965

www.nitawinterandrobbadgerphotography.com