Stories from Brad Edmondson
Corporate Responsibility
Ben & Jerry's Keeps Fans Close By Speaking Truth To Power
Advertisers and marketers love to praise Ben & Jerry’s for its expertise in using social media. The company spends about […]
September 12, 2016
Finance
Crowdfunding Links Small Investors To Social Enterprise Startups
New companies usually restrict their initial stock and bond offerings to “accredited investors,” otherwise known as rich people. Now there’s […]
July 26, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
In Philadelphia, A Bold Experiment In Sustainable Journalism
“People are starting to realize that serious journalism in big cities could actually go away,” says Terry Egger, publisher and […]
June 16, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Harpooners Buy Themselves A Beer Company
Dan Kenary, co-founder of Harpoon Brewery, regularly has to explain that he isn’t a left-winger. “I’m a huge believer in […]
May 23, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Ben & Jerry's Joins The Battle For Voting Rights with New Flavor
Ben & Jerry’s new flavor, EMPOWERMint, is peppermint ice cream with fudge brownies and fudge swirls. As you enjoy your […]
May 17, 2016
Finance
Chobani's Secret: Employee-Owned Firms Beat the Competition
Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder of Chobani yogurt, made headlines late last month when he gave 10 percent of the company’s […]
May 6, 2016
Finance
As Corporations Fade, A Search For What's Next
Apple’s market cap ($607 billion) is more than the GDP of Argentina or Sweden. But the dinosaurs got big, too. […]
April 27, 2016
Finance
Will Bad Companies Fail? Want To Bet?
Activists cheered when Peabody Energy, the world’s largest coal company, declared bankruptcy last week. These activists have been lobbying endowments […]
April 19, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Companies Push Back Against Hate Laws
Sure, North Carolina’s anti-LGBT “bathroom law” is terrible. So is the new Mississippi law that allows businesses to refuse service to […]
April 11, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Tracking Changes In Social Enterprise Law
There’s more than one way to run a mission-driven business in the U.S. Benefit corporations are allowed in 30 states […]
March 24, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Arizona CEO: Benefit Corporation 'A Big Competitive Advantage'
Adam (l) and Murray Goodman “I don’t think our customers really care that we’re a benefit corporation,” says Adam Goodman, […]
March 17, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Social Purpose vs. Benefit Corporations: Small Distinction, Big Difference
Corporate lawyers often react negatively to benefit corporations. “I thought the idea was kooky at the first meeting,” says William […]
March 1, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
For-Profit Colleges As Benefit Corporations: Where's The School Spirit?
For-profit colleges are a $25 billion industry that gets no respect. They claim just 5 percent of the $500 billion […]
February 23, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
The First Benefit Corporation IPO Is Coming, And That's A Big Deal
Last year, we saw Etsy become the largest certified B Corp to go public. Now, get ready for the first […]
February 4, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
The URL Of Every Corporation In The World? This Site's On It
Benefit corporations are like the goody-two-shoes in a school where everyone else misbehaves. While they voluntarily disclose all kinds of […]
January 26, 2016
Finance
Income Tax Law Makes Inequality Worse
Corporate law and taxes are dull subjects, and that helps the bad guys get away with it. Most reporters and […]
January 13, 2016
Finance
Living Wage Movement Now Amazingly Normal
The living wage movement went mainstream in 2015. Just ask the Floridian of the Year. Last year started with nationwide […]
January 6, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Is B Corp Star New Belgium For Sale? Does It Matter?
New Belgium Brewing might be in play. On Friday, a report citing unnamed sources said that craft brewer New Belgium, […]
December 22, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
Hundreds of B Corps are Sitting Ducks: Here's Why
Entrepreneurs who are growing the Certified B Corps movement need to learn from their elders’ mistakes. But B Corps in […]
December 11, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
Why Milton Friedman Would Have Been Okay With Benefit Corporations
In the mid 20th century, corporate CEOs and board members often described themselves as the custodians of a public trust. […]
November 30, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
The Deep Legal Roots of the Business Case for Sustainability
Benefit corporations are a new kind of business, but they are also the latest development in an 80-year-old debate. One […]
November 25, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
reSET to Benefit Corps: If You're Serious, Come to CT
Kate Emery believes that social entrepreneurs must rein in their desire for financial profit. “The folks we work with have […]
November 16, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
Certified B Corps Are Only Halfway Done
Steven Piersanti founded Berrett Koehler Publishers 24 years ago, shortly after being fired. Piersanti, an executive at Jossey Bass, refused […]
November 6, 2015
Energy
Ben & Jerry's Adds Racial Equality to the Ice Cream Mix
From left to right: Ben & Jerry’s activism head Chris Miller, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, Ben & Jerry’s CEO Jostein […]
October 30, 2015
Energy
Saving Basmati and Other Endangered Grains
If you think you’re buying basmati rice, think again. “Most of the rice sold as basmati in the United States […]
October 21, 2015
Energy
Intensifying Rice: More Crop Per Drop, So Why Stop?
Most of Asia’s rice paddies are smaller than an acre, and most people who tend to them use methods they […]
October 14, 2015