Every business owner comes to a moment in the development of their business when they are faced with the question: where do I find the money to finance more growth? Start ups, small businesses, existing enterprises with stable cash flow but a desire for more, the quest for capital is fundamental. This panel hosts seven local experts on finding funding for your enterprise in the new green economy. Come early to find a seat, as this will be popular, standing room only!

Moderator
Christopher Peck, Natural Investments LLC

Panel
Gary Abriem Corporate Sustainablity
Kim Kasiolanis; Circle Bank
Gary Groff; New Resource Bank
Cliff Detz, Innoventure
Bobbi Hoff Beehler, Pisenti & Brinker, LLP
Mark Quinn, District Director, San Francisco District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration

Employees are the most vital resource in successful companies. In a time of economic challenge, innovation requires diverse perspectives. Uncover unconscious assumptions that may be limiting your company’s workforce. Through a combination of experiential activities and an informative presentation, you may discover how our social identities impact the success and growth of sustainable businesses. Discover practical tools for talking about race and racism as well as class and classism. Social equity is an essential element in the emerging green economy.

Presenters
Stephanie Puentes of Equity Action
Laurie B. Lippin, Ph.D. of Equity Action

New energy efficiency programs like Sonoma County’s Energy Independence Program, bring the business owner outstanding opportunities to immediately lower their energy bills 30-50% through efficiency retrofits like insulation installation, weatherization and water conserving systems without an upfront cost. Solar has never been a better deal with rebates and SCEIP financing. Businesses often incur costs by storing or discarding valuable equipment that instead could be used by nonprofits, diverting it from landfills. How do you get started today slashing your business costs while reducing greenhouse gases, waste, and conserving energy? This workshop will be a lively presentation of tools for saving money by reducing your operations’ energy footprint.

Presenters
Liz Yager, County of Sonoma, Energy & Sustainability
Ken Kurtz, CEO, iReuse
Craig Carlock, Chair of Solar Sonoma County

Whether you are a professional seeking a clearer sense of direction, or a manager wanting to equip your workforce with skills as the new green economy takes shape, this workshop and panel will provide tools, tips, and additional resources for planning your next steps (or navigating your journey). In the workshop you will clarify your interests, transferable skills, and work values, expand your knowledge of options using a green career map, and learn about a range of green training options in the North Bay and beyond from a panel of representatives from local programs offering training for green careers.

Moderator
Anne Greenblatt, MA in Career Development, Green Career Transitions

Panel
John Stayton, Dir. Green MBA Program, Dominican University
Chuck Robbins, Dir. Economic Development, Santa Rosa Junior College
Alex Hinds, Interim Director, Center for Sustainable Communities, Sonoma State University
Tanya Narath, Exec. Dir. & CEO, Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy

As "organic", "fair-trade" and "sustainability" have become mainstream terms, farmers are finding that they are becoming less clear, not more, about what having a truly sustainable farm is. In this roundtable discussion, hear from local business leaders about how they define sustainability, how they practice it, and how they have maintained these efforts over time.

Moderator
Armand Gilinski, Ph.D., Professor of Ag SSU specialist on wine industry

Panel
Jennifer Lynn Bice, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery
Joseph McIntyre, Ag Innovations Network
Steven Canter, Quivira Vineyards & Winery Winemaker/Winegrower
Deborah Parrish, CFO, Straus Family Creamery

This session provides practical tips on how to get sustainability initiatives implemented from industry experts and what the rewards and challenges are of doing that. We will be looking at these questions:

• How to create a sustainability policy, and what does it include
• What are the internal challenges of gaining buy-in for these initiatives
• Practical tips on specific ways to reduce your company's carbon footprint
• How having a sustainability policy increases your business opportunities
• What are some best practices of a mid-size company and large company
• What are the implications of future regulations and legislation

Moderator
Mary O’Connor, Sustainable Leadership Institute

Panel
Bruce Thorpe - Vice President, WSP Environment & Energy LLC.
Jonathan Storper - Hansen Bridgett Law Firm
Tim Smith - Senior Director of Sustainable Development, Shaklee Corp

Sustainability Marketing in a World of Radical Transparency

Social media technology is driving the shift towards a more open culture, a more open government, and most notably, a more open way of marketing. People are Twittering about your brand right now and the way you respond today will determine the future of brand management.

At the same time, corporate sustainability marketing initiatives are getting labeled as green washing because they lack transparency that is foundational to building authentic brand trust.

In this talk, you will learn how to leverage social media technology to be an Open Brand leader, transcending green washing and building trusted relationship with your customers. See current case studies of corporate green initiatives that have succeeded and failed. Learn how to show your green, authentically.

Presenter
Joey Shepp

Certified B Corporations meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental standards and legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of interests of all stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, community and the environment. During this lively roundtable, hear several prominent business leaders describe how the B Corporation model is adding credibility and strength to their brand with its tools to evaluate and improve the social and environmental performance of their companies.

Moderator
Deborah Hirsh, B Lab/BCorporation

Panel
Michael Hannigan, Give Something Back, Inc.
Matt Reynolds, Indigenous Designs, Inc.
Mal Warwick, Mal Warwick Associates
Haven Bourque, Straus Communications

More about B Corporations.

This session will feature a hosted dialogue between representatives of two successful companies engaged in sustainable business practices within the construction industry. It will provide a penetrating insight into how their corporate vision of sustainability is changing the essence and operations of their businesses, and the impact it is having on their industry. Through a casual, focused conversation, critical issues such as the challenges of driving eco-initiatives within and beyond the company, addressing social equity, engaging uncertain or unconvinced stakeholders, and allocating resources will be explored. One company, Serious Materials, is relatively new and has its roots in sustainable business, the other, Webcor Builders, is an established company that has learned the art and skill of sustainable construction, with such notable projects such as building the LEED Platinum California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Moderator
Terry Taylor - Global Genesis

Panel
Kevin Surace, CEO, Serious Materials
Phillip Micheal Williams, VP, Webcor Builders

Assemblymember 6th District

Elected to the Assembly in November 2006, Assembly Member Jared Huffman has quickly earned respect as a legislator who tackles complex public policy challenges, works tirelessly, and gets results – often by forging consensus on seemingly intractable issues. In his first two years, Huffman was among the state’s most prolific lawmakers, passing 28 pieces of legislation.

His determination, candor, and independent thinking are reminiscent of his hometown hero, President Harry S. Truman. Growing up in Independence, Missouri, Huffman’s earliest political memory was seeing Truman walking around the town square. Huffman still collects memorabilia and books on President Truman.

Huffman’s priorities include protecting our environment; fighting global warming while creating jobs and building a “clean and green” 21st century economy; promoting sustainable water, land use and transportation policies; revitalizing public education; and reforming our broken health care system.

Founder and Principal, Earthsite.net

Joey Shepp is an Internet entrepreneur, sustainable brand expert, and a social technology speaker.

Mr. Shepp is the Founder and Principal of www.Earthsite.net, a new media agency for sustainable brands. He is also the Founder and Editor in Chief of www.GreenMaven.com, the world's most comprehensive search engine for environmental and social websites. For the past 7 years he has served as the Online Marketing Director for Green Festival, the world’s largest sustainability event.

President & Founder, Global Genesis

Terry D. Taylor is an independent consultant who has worked successfully with small non-profits to international Fortune 500 entities, in all areas of the globe and with multi-cultural teams. Terry studied educational and social psychology as an undergraduate and graduate at Stanford University. He currently owns and serves as President for Global Genesis, a small consulting firm that specializes in training, coaching and consulting in the arenas of change management, leadership, negotiations, conflict resolution, high performance teamwork and strategic planning. A few of his past and present clients include Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computers, Marriott International, the Singapore Government and Samsung Corporation. Services have been delivered in over 60 countries worldwide.

President & Co-Founder, Indigenous Designs

Matt has over 14 years Experience in organic and fair trade cottage industry production and has been responsible for Spearheading a new production financing model for fair trade knitting cooperatives throughout South America. In addition to their memberships with Co-op America, Social Venture Network, BALLE, Organic Trade Association, and the Organic Fiber Council, Indigenous Designs is a Founding B Corporation.