Best for Colorado Statewide Initiative for Businesses Launches
Best for Colorado, a statewide initiative led by a coalition of 30 businesses and governmental groups, invites all Colorado companies to strive to be the best for Colorado’s workers, communities, and the environment.
“Businesses in Colorado have an incredible power and opportunity to be an agent of change against the economic and social challenges that our workers and communities face. I am encouraged that so many businesses have already stepped up, and I urge others to join them now,” says Governor John Hickenlooper.This landmark program kicks off this month by asking 500 Colorado companies to complete the Best for Colorado Challenge by December 11, 2017. Currently, 125 Colorado companies are already participating ranging from Snooze Eatery to New Belgium Brewing to DanoneWave. Fallene Wells, owner of Let em Have It Salon says, “We offer flexible scheduling, paid holidays, and paid days to volunteer, alongside regular and on-going professional development about our industry. And this program helped us affirm these investments into our employees and consider how we could transition some of our staff to full-time.”
The Best for Colorado Challenge is a free, online tool that helps businesses learn what is best practice – best business practice in creating higher quality jobs, stronger communities, and preserving the environment. Once businesses complete the Challenge, the tool shows how they compare to other companies regarding these practices and provides pointers on how to improve.
Over 30 program partners representing influential civic, University, nonprofit and business network organizations have stepped up to help businesses improve on their practices through workshops and one-on-one support with Best for Colorado. Partners include B Lab, the Colorado community of Certified B Corporations, Colorado Companies to Watch, Denver Metro SBDC, Metro Chamber of Commerce, B: Civic, the Colorado Office of Economic Development (OEDIT), the City and County of Denver, the City of Lakewood, the City of Fort Collins, Accion, Colorado Enterprise Fund, The Commons on Champa, Worklife Partnership, The Piton Foundation, and many others.
The program launches with an event on June 8, at the Governor’s residence, historic Boettcher Mansion, where more than 100 business and civic leaders will gather to celebrate the businesses already participating and doing great things for our state.
Colorado is one of four U.S.-based regions piloting a similar program this year alongside New York City, Philadelphia, and Rhode Island.
To learn more, visit www.bestforco.com and connect on at Facebook/bestforco.
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About Best for Colorado
Best for Colorado is a program that teaches all Colorado businesses how to create higher quality jobs, build stronger communities, and preserve a healthier environment.
We have an historic opportunity to harness the power of business to address our state’s greatest challenges. Some businesses in Colorado already play a powerful role on issues ranging from youth incarceration to payday lending to food deserts. And we are proud to launch Best for Colorado to make it easy for all businesses to learn about these practices and improve their impact.
We envision that one day all companies in Colorado will compete not only to be the Best for Colorado, but to be the Best for Colorado.
This program is made possible by a coalition of partners, including municipalities, business associations, banks, large employers who are committed to supporting your business in this journey.
About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world and society will enjoy prosperity for all for the long term.
B Lab drives this systemic change by: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) passing benefit corporation legislation to give business leaders the freedom to create value for society as well as shareholders; 3) helping businesses measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance with the free B Impact Assessment; 4) driving capital to impact investments through use of its B Analytics and GIIRS Ratings platform.