This annual gathering is an opportunity to celebrate SBN's accomplishments over the past year, engage in plans for the year ahead, weigh-in on the election of new Board Members, and connect with members of the sustainable business community while mingling over local food and drinks. Scroll down to view the full agenda.
GENEROSITY MARKETPLACE
This year marks the much-anticipated return of the Generosity Marketplace! The Marketplace gives attendees the opportunity to share their biggest business challenge and have SBN members weigh in with their experience and expertise to find solutions. Come prepared to talk about something in your business that you are looking to improve. After the discussion you will leave the meeting feeling inspired and revitalized! The Marketplace will be presented and facilitated by SBN members Colleen Bracken and Erin Owen.
SBN MEMBERS: INVITE YOUR COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS
Encourage your colleagues and friends who are not yet SBN members to attend this event to learn more about our mission and our plans for the year. For every yet-to-be member that registers for the meeting and lists you as the person who invited them, your name will be entered into a special prize drawing. The more people you invite, the better your chances of winning! Just remember to tell your invitees to list your name when they register for the meeting.
2016-2017 MEMBER DRIVE
Also at this meeting, the prize for the 2016-2017 Member Drive will be presented to the SBN member who recruits the most new members (at least 3) between November 17 and January 17. Do your part to build and strengthen the SBN network, and you will be eligible to win a 5-course dinner for 4 with wine pairings at R2L!
AGENDA
6:00 – 6:45 PM: Arrive, register, networking reception
6:45 – 7:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions
7:00 – 7:20 PM: “State of SBN” presentation
7:20 – 7:30 PM: Governance Activities, including board elections
7:30 – 8:10 PM: Generosity Marketplace
8:10 – 8:20 PM: Member Drive Recap and Winners Announced
8:20 – 8:25 PM: Adjourn
8:25 – 9:00 PM: Reception continues
GOVERNANCE ACTIVITIES
When SBN members register for this meeting, they will be asked: "Currently our bylaws allow up to 15 members to serve on our board of directors. We would like the option of bringing more members onto our board. Do you support amending our Bylaws to increase the maximum number of board members from 15 to 18?" Members will be required to answer "Yes" or "No" to this question.
SBN Board of Directors 2017 Candidates
Christopher Jacobs: Solutions for Progress, CEO
Chris is the Chief Executive Officer of Solutions for Progress (SfP), a mission-driven Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp that combines technology and public policy with a commitment to community outreach to deliver practical solutions to the complex problems of poverty— moving households from Crisis to Choice. In Philadelphia, as well as throughout Pennsylvania, and multiple other cities and states, SfP provides a set of web-based services that enable outreach partners to help low- and moderate-income individuals and families stabilize through enhanced access to federal, state and local work and income supports, grow by obtaining assistance in job preparedness, and build and manage the resulting financial assets.
SfP was one of the first 10 companies to register as a Benefit Corporation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is an active contributor to the new Philly B Local. SfP is proud to have been recognized in B Lab’s 2013 and 2016 lists of the “Best for the World”. Internally and externally, SfP works to ensure that "sustainability" encompasses the economic needs of low-income urban and rural communities, the equitable capital requirements of social impact companies and the recognition that workers must balance effort with replenishment to avoid burn out.
Chris brings more than 30 years’ experience in the international information and communications technology industry, with an emphasis on marketing, operational management, strategic planning and capital formation. He has been in leadership positions in Fortune 100 companies, as well as a leading contributor to entrepreneurial ventures and international consortia in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Australia and the U.S. He is recognized for his ability to communicate complex issues understandably and is a successful author of “Change Management and the Momentum of Open Systems”, Prentice Hall and "Discovering OMNIPoint — A Common Approach to the Integrated Management of Networked Information Systems", Prentice Hall. (More than 30,000 copies sold).
Chris served on the Technology Leadership Group for Mayor Rendell’s Private Sector Task Force on Management & Productivity, served on the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Small Business Board and spent several years as a Portfolio Manager for Ben Franklin Technology Partners. He was elected to and served as a member of the National Executive Committee of a UK labor union and has acted as a campaign manager and/or field director for over 20 political campaigns in the UK and PA. Chris has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wolverhampton (U.K.).
Ben Block: Clean Markets, Marketing and Communications Manager
Ben is the Marketing and Communications Manager for Clean Markets, a Philadelphia-based market development firm focused on growing market share for sustainability solutions. Ben brings ten years of program management, media and communications experience to support Clean Markets’ utility and government clients. He has successfully developed and executed advertising and public relations campaigns that have resulted in measurable increases in program participation and engagement.
Prior to joining Clean Markets, Ben managed business-to-business outreach and communication campaigns for the Verified Carbon Standard Association, the largest certification program in the voluntary carbon market, and he served as staff writer for the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research group. His articles for World Watch magazine were frequently republished by The Guardian andChristian Science Monitor, among various other publications. He has also written for Smithsonian, Popular Mechanics and The Baltimore Sun.
Ben holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania in addition to a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland. He lives in South Philadelphia with his wife Emmy and his terrier Gus.
Melissa Muroff: Roofmeadow, President
Melissa Muroff, Esq. is the President and managing principal of Philadelphia-based Roofmeadow. She oversees strategic partnerships, risk management, business development and government affairs for Roofmeadow, a 20 year old national design firm, specializing in green roofs and other depth limited landscapes – including playspaces - in challenging urban sites. On behalf of Roofmeadow and the local green infrastructure industry sector, Melissa actively advocates for policies and strategies that promote well-designed vegetated stormwater management practices. Prior to joining Roofmeadow, Melissa lived in Washington, DC where she provided government affairs and communications services for health care providers and for large trade associations. Melissa earned a MS in Medical Genetics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a JD from IIT Chicago Kent College of Law.