Students learned about the B-Corp movement and networked with local B Corps.
Local B Corps met with more than 40 Elon University and N.C. State University students on April 11 for “B the Change: Benefit Corporations as a Force for Good in the World,” an event focused on raising students’ awareness of the B Corp movement.
B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
Eight B Corps participated in the event: Forrest Firm, HQ Raleigh, Larry’s Coffee, Lulu, Participate, Seventh Generation, The Redwoods Group, and TS Designs. These companies represent eight of the 45 B Corps in North Carolina.
The event began with a welcome address from Alyssa Martina, director of the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Elon University, and Jessica Thomas, director of the business sustainability collaborative in the Poole College of Management at N.C. State University.
After the welcome address, Chris Lawrence, co-founder and vice president of Ten Dots, and Liz Tracy, director at HQ Raleigh, gave a B Corp 101 presentation to inform students of the benefits and certification of B-Corps.
The companies in attendance then gave short pitches explaining their mission and philosophy.
The event concluded with recruitment roundtable discussions and a networking reception.
“B the Change: Benefit Corporations as a Force for Good in the World” was sponsored by the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Elon University, the N.C. State University Poole College Business Sustainability Collaborative, and the Student Professional Development Center at Elon University.