News

Business

Networking On Purpose: How B Corps Are Creating Connections And Building Their Community In The Southeast U.S.

Christopher MarquisContributor Entrepreneurs I write about how companies are creating a more resilient and sustainable capitalism. Florida-based Legacy Vacation Resorts works to build a socially responsible business ecosystem in … [+]...

November 2, 2020

Business

Florida for Good highlights stakeholder message at first conference

October 31, 2020 By Margie Manning Photo credit: Institute B Companies across the southeast United States that balance purpose and profits will come together for their first conference to learn...

Business

Orlando Sentinel: Jared Meyers: Minimum-wage amendment good for business and Floridians

Op-Ed By Jared Meyers Orlando Sentinel, Oct 17, 2020 People are at the center of the hospitality business. How we treat people matters every day — from our employees to...

October 23, 2020

Business

BUSINESS Ken LaRoe, founder of First Green Bank, wants to focus on climate change with new venture

When Orlando-based First Green Bank merged with Seacoast Bank in 2018, customer Ben Johansen was most upset about the loss of his branch’s building in Winter Park, which sported solar...

October 13, 2020

Business

New Florida Bank to Support Sustainable Businesses & Solar Panels

By Yalman Onaran October 9, 2020, 8:00 AM EDT Climate First Bank plans expansion in Florida and beyond Bank is run by Ken LaRoe, who founded First Green Bancorp  ...

October 12, 2020

Business

Never Skip Veggies Again – Innovative Ice Cream Brand Peekaboo Introduces Its Newest Assortment

New specialty flavors Cookie Dough and Unicorn, plus vegan flavors Mango and Strawberry, all with hidden veggies Adding vegan options was very important to us. By popular demand, our two...

August 27, 2020

Business

Community Voices: The importance of corporate civic responsibility

Welcome to the Catalyst’s Community Voices platform. We’ve curated community leaders and thinkers from all parts of our great city to speak on issues that affect us all. Visit our Community Voices...

August 19, 2020

Business

LVR’s Dedicated Duo Pushes Company Toward 2025 Targets

Names: Alex Smith and Leigh Deforest Titles: Alex: Director of Social Purpose and Analytics; Leigh: Social Purpose and Sustainability Manager Company: Legacy Vacation Resorts, Orlando, Fla. Years in Current Position:...

August 18, 2020

Business

The B Corp movement is accelerating during the pandemic

BY MCKENNA MOORE July 7, 2020 5:30 AM EDT   Subscribe to CEO Daily for must-read business insights from Fortune CEO Alan Murray, delivered free to your inbox. To Emmanuel Faber, CEO...

July 11, 2020

Business

Conscious Business in the Time of Corona

Maintaining values alignment in the time of a Pandemic Driven Crisis while co-creating an equitable and prosperous future for the planet and its people By Jared Meyers Co-Owner Legacy Vacation Resorts, Legacy...

June 23, 2020

Business

Florida For Good Launches National B Tourism Network

ORLANDO, Fla. (March 30, 2020) – Florida For Good (FFG), an organization that helps bolster the business for good movement in the state, has just launched the B Tourism resource platform for sustainable...

March 31, 2020

Business

The coronavirus is changing how big companies contribute to America’s safety nets — rethink capitalism

B Lab co-founder talks coronavirus and stakeholder capitalism – Business Insider

March 27, 2020

Business

It’s Time for the Business Community to Step Up

How our corporate leaders act now is critical to beating the coronavirus. Over the past few years, we have watched the American business community move beyond caring simply about shareholders...

March 19, 2020

Business

Jared Meyers: “Here are 5 things we must do to inspire the next generation about sustainability and the environment”

Lead by example — Ralph Waldo Emerson said “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” When you practice sustainable efforts at home and in...

March 9, 2020

Business

What’s ahead for St. Petersburg’s sustainability and resiliency work in 2020

Five years after it was created, St. Petersburg’s Office of Sustainability & Resiliency isn’t slowing down. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, solar co-ops and equity investments are among the projects on...

February 3, 2020

Business

Legacy Vacation Resorts sets the pace for social, environmental change in the hospitality industry

Published on January 22, 2020 By Margie Manning The hospitality industry should be doing a lot more to address social and environmental issues, a St. Petersburg real estate developer says....

January 23, 2020

Business

Getaways for Good: These B Corps Help Travelers Build a Better World on Their Journeys

B The Change Follow Dec 11, 2019 · 4 min read If you’re looking to give a gift that stands apart or planning next year’s vacation, consider Certified B Corporations that offer getaway...

January 17, 2020

Business

INSIGHT Catalyze 2020: Jared Meyers

By Margie Manning This holiday season, we asked some of St. Pete’s best and brightest citizens to share one catalyzing idea for making St. Pete a better place to live....

December 31, 2019

Business

St. Pete real estate developer pumps profit back into the community

By Margie Manning The Royal groundbreaking Salt Palm Development will use half of its profit on its latest real estate project to benefit the St. Petersburg community. Mayor Rick Kriseman...

Business

This isn’t just your everyday luxury townhome development

By Susan Taylor Martin Published 1 hour ago ST. PETERSBURG — Townhomes are popping up all over the Tampa Bay area but the 13-unit Royal in St. Petersburg has an unusual distinction....

December 19, 2019

Business

Rubio Names Mother Kombucha as the Senate Small Business of the Week

OCT 16 2019 Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, named Mother Kombucha of St. Petersburg, Florida as the U.S. Senate Small...

December 16, 2019

Business

St. Pete real estate developer pumps profit back into the community

Salt Palm Development will use half of its profit on its latest real estate project to benefit the St. Petersburg community. Mayor Rick Kriseman and Jared Meyers, chairman, Salt Palm...

Business

Take an exclusive sneak peek at a new tool the UN hopes will revolutionize the way companies track their sustainability goals

Richard Feloni, BI Prime Dec. 14, 2019, 12:03 PM   Around 600 of the roughly 3,000 B Corporations pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. B Lab is a nonprofit launched in 2007 that...

December 14, 2019

Business

Davos Manifesto 2020: The Universal Purpose of a Company in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

02 Dec 2019 Klaus SchwabFounder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum A. The purpose of a company is to engage all its stakeholders in shared and sustained value creation. In...

December 3, 2019

Business

Going Beyond ‘Green Travel’ to Create a Lasting Impact on the Hospitality Industry

Legacy Vacation Resorts is dedicated to providing vacation experiences for families and friends to create their unique moments and lasting memories in a manner that respects our environment, employees and...

September 13, 2019

Business

Travel Guide: 10 businesses that give back while you travel

The human impact of travel and the tourism industry takes a huge toll on our environment each year. The United Nations Environment Program identified three significant environmental affects of tourism:...

Business

Delivering on the Promise of Purpose Beyond Profits

By Bobbi Silten and Greg Hills August 19, 2019 Do you believe that companies should have a purpose beyond profits? If your answer is yes, you’re in the right place. Fortune’s fifth...

Business

B Corps Use Business to Improve Social and Environmental Factors that Have a Big Impact on Our Well-Being

While many people equate health with traditional (and typically costly) medical care, the factors that most influence an individual’s well-being are where they live, work and play. Known as the...

September 6, 2019

Business

Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and 30 other companies tell the Business Roundtable CEOs to put up or shut up

BY MICHAEL GROTHAUS A week ago the Business Roundtable, a lobbying group composed of the nation’s leading CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, announced a decision to change...

August 29, 2019

Business

Shareholder Value Is No Longer Everything, Top C.E.O.s Say

By David Gelles and David Yaffe-Bellany Aug. 19, 2019 Nearly 200 chief executives, including the leaders of Apple, Pepsi and Walmart, tried on Monday to redefine the role of business in society —...

Community

High school is billed as Florida’s first public K-12 net-zero energy campus

The Osceola County district is opening NeoCity Academy, a STEM-themed campus, in a high-tech corridor in Kissimmee. Mike Kennedy, EC&M | Aug 08, 2019 The Osceola County (Fla.) district is ready to open a new...

August 21, 2019

Business

Why Business for Good is Good for Your Business

Lorin Augeri Follow One of the essential functions of the Certified B Corporation community is helping to create an inclusive and regenerative economy. B Corp businesses pride themselves on the...

Business

Legacy Vacation Resorts Among the First Hotel Companies To Become a Certified B Corporation

By Lodging Staff – July 25, 2019 LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—Florida-based Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR) recently achieved Certified B Corporation status, becoming the first multi-state hotel and vacation ownership company...

July 26, 2019

Business

Importance of the Social Impact & Sustainability Initiative

By Dr. Kristin Joys Positively impacting the lives of students and the community is a priority at the Warrington College of Business. One of the important ways that happens is through...

July 22, 2019

Community

Stop being trashy: St. Pete launches composting program

Stop being trashy: St. Pete launches composting program “Kitchen and yard waste make up about 30% of what is thrown away.” By Janelle Irwin Taylor on July 17, 2019 The...

Business

Central Florida for Good partners with Ben and Jerry’s for Winter Park scavenger hunt

by Annabelle Sikes July 18, 2019 at 1:28 PM Photo via Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream/Facebook Central Florida for Good, an association of “purpose-driven” businesses, and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream...

July 20, 2019

Community

Atlantic Beach Aims To Be Florida’s 1st LEED Certified City

The City of Atlantic Beach is trying to become Florida’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified city under a new U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) pilot program....

July 15, 2019

Community

Hollywood designated ‘Florida Green’ city by Florida Green Building Coalition

The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) says it has designated Hollywood as a “Florida Green” local government. The city achieved 32 percent of its 311 applicable points, earning them a...

Business

Tupperware Unveils Vision to Reduce Plastic, Food Waste by 2025

The company is now a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastic Economy Global Commitment to help create a circular economy for plastic. Waste360 Staff | Jun 07, 2019 Tupperware Brands...

June 7, 2019

Business

Solar United Neighbors improves RFP criteria to help solar co-op members choose best installer

By Kelsey Misbrener | June 5, 201 Solar United Neighbors has made an important step to encourage greater corporate responsibility within the solar industry. The organization helps thousands of people each year install...

Business

Rethink Your Business Before It’s Too Late – Podcast by RealLeaders

This week I had the opportunity to interview multi-business owner Jared Meyers of Legacy Vacation Club and Salt Palm brands who recently launched Florida For Good to help inform, inspire and connect...

Community

Orlando bans single-use plastics and polystyrene at venues and parks, including Amway Center, Camping World Stadium and Dr. Phillips Center

So long, single-use plastics and polystyrenes. No longer will Orlando or its contractors use items such as plastic straws, bags, cutlery and Styrofoam food containers and cups at city parks...

Activism

Artifishal film by Patagonia screens in Tampa Bay

Studio Movie Grill 12332 University Mall CtTampa, FL 33612 UNIVERSITYTAMPA (813) 241-3800 $10 Join St. Pete for Good at a screening of Patagonia’s #Artifishal for a film that explores wild...

Business

Legacy Vacation Resorts All In with Business for Good Approach

By Glenn Hasek May 3, 2019 In March, Orlando, Fla.-based Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR) announced that it had officially achieved Certified B Corporation status. Clean the World, also in Orlando, is another organization that has...

May 6, 2019

Business

Legacy Vacation Resorts becomes first B corporation certified multi-state hospitality company in the US

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA – Florida-based Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR) has officially achieved Certified B Corporation Status, becoming the first multi-state hotel and vacation ownership company in the country to secure the prestigious designation....

April 16, 2019

Community

A plan for a sustainable St. Petersburg

By Ben Siwinski Special to the Tampa Bay Times Published April 8 Updated April 8 Tampa Bay Times reporter Elizabeth Djinis ended her story on the long-range threat of climate change to our shorelines...

April 11, 2019

Community

Lake Nona Brings First Autonomous Shuttles to Orange County this Spring

Beep, a new Florida-based company that provides autonomous mobility solutions, announced an exclusive dealer arrangement for the state of Florida, with NAVYA, the global leader in the autonomous vehicle (AV) market and...

April 8, 2019

Business

Florida lifts ban on front-yard vegetable gardens

One couple’s infamous battle over the right to grow vegetables has resulted in a new bill. A couple in Miami Shores, Florida, had been cultivating a front-yard vegetable garden for...

April 7, 2019

Commerce

Florida For Good Announces Ownership Interest with Ethical Online Shopping Platform, DoneGood

Florida For Good is excited to announce a new partnership with fellow B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, DoneGood, an online retailer. Previously referred to as the ‘Amazon...

April 1, 2019

Business

How Women Are Rising in Business

The new arena for business is being built from recycled shards of the glass ceiling. It’s a welcoming space for women entrepreneurs, where collaboration, consensus and diversity rule. Much of...

March 18, 2019

Business

Brewing a Better World

Dan Bailey, owner of Amavida Coffee Roasters, grew up in the coffee-farming town of Yauco, Puerto Rico, and moved to Algeria in his early 20s to study engineering. He’s worked...

Community

The Magic Kingdom Is Going Green

By Bruce Horovitz Even the visionary Walt Disney probably could not have imagined this one. The Walt Disney Company is just months away from generating enough renewable solar energy to fully...

March 11, 2019

Community

Do right by the Wekiva River and take another look at the plan to save it

The Wekiva River’s water still runs clear — mostly. It remains one of the most peaceful and unspoiled places in Central Florida — for now. But a careful eye can...

March 7, 2019

Community

Lynn becomes nation’s 48th Fair Trade University

May 2, 2018 Lynn University today announced its official designation as a Fair Trade University. Lynn students, with oversight from the university’s new Social Impact Lab, spearheaded completion of the requirements in...

March 6, 2019

Community

Florida fights plans to drill for oil in Everglades

Local governments in Florida are getting a helping hand from the state in an effort to stop a new oil well from being drilled near the Everglades. The Florida Department...

February 27, 2019

Commerce

How to launch a B-Corp that generates results

By: Brian Hartz Tampa Bay Editor As the buying power of millennials and Generation Z increases, buzzwords like “conscious capitalism” and “triple bottom line” — people, planet, profits — have...

February 15, 2019

Business

Conscious Capitalism aims to expand in Tampa Bay

A national organization that promotes the idea that business must have a purpose beyond profit hopes to get a stronger foothold in the Tampa-St. Pete area. . “I think there’s...

February 8, 2019

Community

Orlando, Florida, offers free trees to residents for Arbor Day

Yards in Orlando, Florida, are getting greener and shadier – thanks to the city. In partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Orlando offers free trees to every city resident. People select a...

February 4, 2019

Community

St. Petersburg named 27th city in US Ignite Smart Cities Network

By Megan Holmes Major news came out of the inaugural Sunny Side Up Lecture Series held Wednesday morning at USF St. Petersburg’s Lynn Pippenger Hall. The event, which came out...

Business

Florida Governor Details $2.5 Billion Plans to Help Everglades and Fight Algae Blooms

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled plans Thursday to spend $2.5 billion to help restore the Everglades and get a handle on algae blooms that have fouled the state’s waterways and...

January 17, 2019

Community

Michael Bloomberg giving Orlando $2.5 million to fight climate change

Kevin SpearContact ReporterOrlando Sentinel Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg announced Friday that he is adding Orlando to the list of cities he is providing with $2.5 million to help fight climate change. A...

January 12, 2019

Business

St. Pete businesses taking pride in social responsibility

By: Sorboni Banerjee, FOX 13 News POSTED: OCT 26 2018 04:59PM EDT ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) – Americans are choosing to spend their money on goods and services that align with their values,...

January 9, 2019

Environmental

This South Florida Company Wants To Clean The Seas – And Prove It Can Make Money Doing It

Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze, two millenials and keen surfers, celebrated their graduation from Florida Atlantic University business school with a holiday in Bali in 2015. They were horrified by...

January 6, 2019

Community

Buildings Contribute To Emissions, Climate Change

If this unusually warm winter weather has you thinking about climate change, you’re not alone. Activists around the world and in the United States are growing increasingly urgent and forceful...

Business

St. Petersburg wins Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, $2.5 million in resources

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The city of St. Petersburg has won the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge and $2.5 million in resources to help combat climate change at the local level. Former...

January 4, 2019

Business

ORLANDO: AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CITY

Orlando, Fla., is shifting how the world eats through fleet farming – a small scale farming revolution to increase urban food access. As a result, the city is considered one...

January 3, 2019

Business

10 trendy foods you’ll soon be seeing everywhere

Every year, thousands of food brands head to New York to show off their wares and entice buyers from grocery stores to stock their products. It’s a trade show called the...

January 2, 2019

Business

New Portal Highlights Florida Business Leaders’ Demand for Clean and Renewable Energy

Florida Business Leaders Speak Out in Support of Clean and Renewable Energy A new online portal launched today features examples of business leadership in the investment and use of clean and...

December 26, 2018

Business

Mobile Greens Wellness is Launching in Central Florida

Mobile Greens Wellness, a health food growing and delivery service, will soon be hitting the streets of Central Florida, bringing nutrient-packed microgreens to farmers markets, restaurants, schools and even neighborhoods...

Business

Brewing Love, Life & Latte – the Amavida Story

The once small, independent coffee company roasting out of owners Dan & Sally Bailey’s home nearly 15 years ago, Amavida Coffee Roasters has not only grown beyond those humble beginnings and captured...

December 7, 2018

Activism

The HIVE presents Life Below Water in St. Petersburg

Join The IDEAS Hive On December 3 as they explore the challenges and opportunities for preserving St. Petersburg’s Life Below Water, while brainstorming solutions to protect oceans and marine life....

November 27, 2018

Business

Women thought leaders: Bridging the gender gap in Tampa Bay

Negative messages can crush a girl’s heart. So when Ingrid Harb’s high school counselor discouraged her from applying to four-year colleges, it could have scarred her for life. Instead, Harb...

November 13, 2018

Business

B Corps and a LEED Platinum Building: Low-Footprint Trip to a Neighboring City

By: Jenny Nazak Earlier this month I was invited to the inaugural event of Central Florida for Good, a new organization that’s promoting a higher level of corporate social responsibility through...

October 1, 2018

Community

These 10 cities are embracing 100% renewable energy – Orlando, St Pete, Largo and Sarasota

A new report published by the Sierra Club serves as proof that despite the geography, politics and social norms that divide American cities, a growing number of towns big and...

September 17, 2018

Business

3 Daughters infusing Good throughout St. Pete

Mike and Leigh Harting know how to make great beer. They also know how to make an invaluable difference in their community. The Hartings are probably best known as the...

September 12, 2018

Business

Shocker: Investors get purpose. They now want B Corps

When I ask entrepreneurs about investors, they often go politely silent. Some go stone-faced. When pressed, they confess to a strained or love/hate relationship with the investment world. Here’s what they...

Uncategorized

Protecting ‘real’ Florida means embracing smarter growth

“Environmentalism doesn’t always mean don’t build anything. It just means do it smarter.” Like the flick of an aperture, Will Dunaway snaps back to visions of his grandmother’s Hillsborough County...

September 4, 2018

Business

St. Petersburg mural festival SHINEs brighter with first-ever title sponsor

Salt Palm Development, a real estate developer, has matched the city of St. Petersburg’s $25,000 seed donation. For the first time in its short but mighty four-year history, SHINE —...

August 24, 2018

Community

PAL St. Pete welcomes hands-on support from area businesses

Sixty-person accounting firm Spoor Bunch Franz lends entire staff for entire day How many accounting professionals does it take to pressure-wash exteriors, clear and paint offices, build shelves, organize files,...

August 14, 2018

Business

Harris Rosen to employers: Take charge of health care

Having recently participated in the World Health Care Congress in Washington, D.C., I am heartened in the future of health care in America because of the wonderful ideas discussed from...

August 10, 2018

Business

First GREEN Bank’s Newest Location Receives Highest Designation for Sustainability

First GREEN Bank, an Orlando-based bank with a global mission and deep commitment to the environment, announces today their LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) ID+C Retail v4 Platinum...

July 31, 2018

Business

Disney promises to ban plastic straws, stirrers, cups and more

And what Disney does, little kids want to emulate! This could be big. The latest corporation to jump on the plastic reduction bandwagon is none other than the Walt Disney...

July 27, 2018

Community

St. Pete Businesses Join Efforts to Reduce Single-Use Plastics

ST. PETERSBURG — Business owners and elected officials on Tuesday unveiled a new campaign attacking an environmental scourge: The plastic straw. The “No Straws St. Pete” campaign hopes to convince...

July 17, 2018

Business

Karly Pulido Already Having Big Impact on Legacy Vacation Club

Name: Karly Pulido Title: Sustainability and Social Responsibility Specialist Company: Legacy Vacation Club Months in Current Position: Four Primary Responsibilities: “A lot of what I am doing is knowing where...

July 10, 2018

Business

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Raises $220,000 for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children at the 21st Annual Caring Classic Charity Golf Event

Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE: VAC) recently hosted the 21st Annual Caring Classic charity golf tournament benefiting Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in...

June 30, 2018

Activism

A Guide to Buying B Corp

Use this roadmap to find certified B Corporation products in your grocery aisles. If you’re a label reader then your eye is likely trained to recognize stamps for certifications like...

June 18, 2018

Community

Awareness blossoms at Innovation Montessori

A steel flower on the campus of Innovation Montessori Ocoee will allow the school to operate solely on solar energy. by: Amy Quesinberry Community Editor With a name like Innovation...

May 2, 2018

Business

Going Green at Orlando’s Theme Parks

Happy Earth Day! From recycling initiatives to animal conservation, Orlando theme parks are definitely on board with implementing sustainability into daily park operations. In honor of the the celebration of...

April 18, 2018

Activism

Don’t Boycott Bad Companies, Spend More With Good Ones

Just as in political elections, people would rather take action to make a statement. Especially this past year, the idea of “voting with your wallet” has taken on a certain...

February 24, 2018

Community

EA, Tupperware work to raise female impact in STEM

As corporations push to add women in tech fields — with high-profile backers including Lockheed Martin and Electronic Arts — some leaders say they are seeing results in Central Florida....

January 26, 2018

Community

Florida brewery unveils six-pack rings that spare sea turtles

Via CBS News – The threat of plastic waste to marine wildlife is well known; the most ubiquitous image of its impact is that of seafaring turtles and gulls ensnared...

November 11, 2017