Audio Access To access the audio portion of this presentation:

Dial 1 +(888) 858-2144

When prompted, enter the Meeting Access Code: 7177356#

Webinar October 21, 2014, Noon Mountain TimeU.S. Small Business Administration

presentersMatt Varilek, SBA Region VIII Administrator

Martha Young and Graham Russell, Sustainability4SMEsLaury Hammel, Longfellows Clubs

Michael Green, Climate Action Liaison Coalition

Objectives of this Conversation: Demonstrate the economic value of implementing

sustainable business practices;

Demonstrate how social responsibility leads to stronger businesses and communities;

Provide concrete examples of no cost/low cost opportunities for small and medium sized businesses;

Provide links to resources available specifically for small and mid-sized companies

PresentersMatt Varilek serves as the SBA’s Region VIII Administrator and is based in Denver. He oversees the agency’s

capital, counseling, and contracting services in Colorado, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Martha Young is an analyst and writer with over 20 years of experience in information technology, small to mid-sized enterprises management and the full spectrum of energy technology.As an analyst, her current project is co-producing pioneering research into the economic value of implementing sustainable business practices within small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Graham Russell is a sustainable business professional and educator. He brings 25 years of CEO experience in small to mid-sized companies in the environmental services and transportation industries. Russell teaches sustainability at the University of Colorado Denver. He also manages the outreach and development efforts for the Managing for Sustainability program at the university.

Michael Green specializes in strengthening small and mid-sized businesses with the intent to build stronger, vibrant communities. As an advocate, Green has played strategic roles in several of the largest national, as well as international campaigns dedicated to fighting climate change. Since 2012, he has served as a representative to the United Nations focusing on international climate science and policy.

Laury Hammel is the President and CEO of The Longfellow Clubs in Wayland, Sudbury, Natick, and Franklin, Massachusetts, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Longfellow has been a leader in the sustainable business movement for several decades. 1988, Hammel founded the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts-Boston (SBN). In 1991 he co-founded the national business group, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR). In 2001, he co-founded the national organization The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

SBA and How it Supports Small Business

Matt VarilekSBA Region VIII Administrator

The 3 Cs Capital

Counseling

Contracts

SBA as a Capital and Counseling Source for Energy Efficiency Solutions

How to access Capital and Counseling:

-Certified Development Company ‘green’ 504 loans and other SBA finance options

-SBDC and SCORE counseling

Bottom line: SBA is able to assist businesses at every stage of development and growth with information, resources, expertise and funding opportunities

Benefits of Sustainability Initiatives Recognized by Large Enterprises

Social

Community acceptance of the business/License to operate

More business traffic through name recognition

Employee Wellness

Savings through investing in employee wellness

The high cost of employee turnover

Happy employees stay

Large Enterprises Also Recognize: Economic Benefits

Risk mitigation/license to operate

Free money through efficiencies

By not spending, money stays in the business

Infrastructure: Upgrades reduce energy demand (building, lighting, equipment, etc)

New Market Opportunities Innovative products and services

Large Enterprises + Sustainability = an Environmental Impact Less water used

= lower costs

= Reduced waste water management

Recycling

= reduced dumpster loads

Less energy consumed

= lower energy costs

= reduced emissions

Case Study: High Tech Pro Services

Sustainability begins at the Core of the Business B-Corp

Location

E-vehicle

Employee Wellness Supported employees have spawned other businesses

Employee retention

Impact on clientele

Case Study: High Tech Pro Services New Revenue Opportunities

Evolution of the business: hardware to professional services

Hardware and software support and management

Leveraging technology to enhance SME clients’ businesses

Bottom Line: Sustainability, integrated into the overall business strategy, is best implemented in strategically focused, manageable steps.

Case Study: Manufacturing Started with Emphasis on Utilities

Lighting

Air Conditioning

Equipment ramp up speeds

Added water reduction and reuse

Then added waste management

Collectively the various Utility-centric initiatives: lighting, evaporative cooling, and vacuum furnace ramp-up timing are saving the company $25K-$30K a year, or 12.5-percent of its overall electricity costs.

The Longfellow Clubs

A case story about the impacts of Lighting upgrades directly from the company’s CEO, Laury Hammel

Change started with exploring options in the marketplace

Worked with engineers to develop an effective solution

The Longfellow Clubs Lighting upgrades: Impacts and Hurdles Typical hurdles and impacts of lighting upgrades

Infrastructure upgrades disrupt the business

Still functional equipment goes to the landfill

The Longfellow Clubs The solution and its economic and environmental impacts

Longfellow Clubs Total Resource Percentages Saved

Facility Location Years Measured % Decrease from the 1st Year

Wayland: Water 2006-2013 37.29%

Wayland: Electric FY10 to FY13 12.12%

Wayland: Gas FY09 to FY13 26.51%

Natick LSC: Water 2008 to 2013 0.96%

Natick LSC: Electric FY11 to FY13 7.74%

Natick LSC: Gas 7.41%

Natick NRC: Water 2008 to 2013 64.51%

Natick NRC: Electric FY07 to FY13 26.65%

Natick NRC: Gas FY08 to FY13 32.39%

Internally Driven Action

Internal Sustainability Messaging

Behavioral Change The importance of having a ripple effect on your staff and

customers

Smart consumer decisions start with mission driven businesses Businesses need to look at their full supply chain, production

models to make sure that we are making the smartest product to offer the customer

Community Driven Action Businesses need to connect their internal goals with

external goals

Sustainability can’t end once we get to Main Street. Businesses need to act as community leaders and push for the new economy which they envision Carbon tax

Investment priorities

Getting Started: Resources for Small Businesses

CALC Sustainable Performance and Reporting Kit (SPaRK)

Join strategic policy groups for a collective voice (ASBC)

Next Steps: Information & Resources www.SBA.gov

www.Sustainability4SMEs.com Includes links to other case studies by vertical industry

Link to national survey on SME adoption (or not) of sustainable business practices

www.LongfellowClubs.com

www.ClimateActionCoalition.org

www.GreenImpactCampaign.org Provides a central clearinghouse, by vertical industry, for

SMEs to share ideas on sustainable business initiatives

USSBA Does Not Endorse the Products or Services of the listed resources.

Wrap Up