A chat with Jamie Gauthier, Executive Director of SBN Philadelphia

Every Wednesday at 4 p.m. PST / 7 p.m. EST (and every once in a while at other times) TriplePundit will take 30 minutes or so to chat with an interesting leader in the sustainable business movement. These chats are broadcast on our Google+ channel and embedded via YouTube right here on 3p.

On Wednesday, February 12th, TriplePundit's Founder Nick Aster chatted with Jamie Gauthier, Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) of Greater Philadelphia.

SBN strives to support the creation of a sustainable economy where businesses are investors in the quality of life for all citizens - building profitable enterprises that serve community needs, share wealth and protect the environment. For the Greater Philadelphia region, SBN is an effective resource for locally-owned businesses that are committed to improving their environmental and social impacts as well as their profitability. The SBN is a national leader and serves as a model for other cities across the country, embracing the vision of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), the international coalition of sustainable business networks: "Within a generation, we envision a global system of human-scale, interconnected local economies that functions in harmony with local ecosystems, meets the basic needs of all people, supports just and democratic societies, and fosters joyful community life."

If you missed the conversation, you can watch it now on our YouTube channel, or catch it here:

About Jamie

Prior to joining SBN, she held the position of Program Officer with Philadelphia Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and collaborated extensively with community based organizations on community economic development initiatives designed to bring new life to communities. This work provided Jamie with an in-depth view of how important small, locally-owned businesses are as sources of goods, services, jobs, and vitality for neighborhoods as well as the region more broadly. As such, she was extremely excited to join SBN and to lead the organization forward in its goals of improving the quality of life in communities, serving socially-conscious businesses and shaping our region’s economy into one that is more local, just, and sustainable.

As with her professional work, Jamie’s volunteer work has been dedicated towards the empowerment of individuals and the betterment of local communities. Jamie holds a Masters degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Temple University. Prior to her career in community and economic development, she worked as an Accountant in the for-profit sector. Jamie is a resident of West Philadelphia, and is mother to two sons, Xavier, 9, and Nathaniel, 5.