Palo Alto, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/23/2011 -- Businesses committed to generating social and environmental benefits in addition to profits have begun to achieve success despite many challenges from the greater business community. Many of these companies are becoming B Corporations, an exciting initiative to support and institutionalize “for benefit” corporations.

Please join Sustainovation along with co-sponsors Bay Area Society for Organizational Learning, Continuing the Conversation, Sustainable Silicon Valley, and World Centric to learn why B Corporations matter and how B Corporations are changing the game. In addition, hear how innovative practices used to create new standards for environmental and social responsibility can have positive systemic effects.

Challenges and opportunities that companies face when they make a commitment to environmental and social change will be explored. Further discussions will include how the landscape has changed since B Corporations started and where B Corporations are headed. The evening will include time for networking, presentations by the panelists, and conversations.

Monday March 21, 2011
6:30 PM -7:00 PM Networking
7:00 PM -8:00 PM Presentation
8:00PM -9:00 PM Dialogue

Location: World Centric
2121 Staunton Court
Palo Alto, CA 94306

Registration
$15 advance online registration, $20 at the door (Cash only)
For online registration information go to http://www.sustainovation.org
For online registration information please visit Sustainovation on the web.

About the speakers
Aseem Das, Founder and CEO of World Centric

Aseem Das, founder and CEO of World Centric, has managed the overall operations and growth of the company since its founding in 2004.

Aseem is passionate about social and environmental change and envisions a new breed of businesses driven by values and not profits. Before World Centric, Aseem was an armchair activist and worked as a software engineer and architect in the area of user-interfaces, knowledge based systems and knowledge representation. He has worked at NASA, Boeing, TIBCO, Vertical Net and other software companies and has an M.S. in Computer Science. http://www.worldcentric.org

Dermot Hikisch, Director of Business Development-B Lab

Dermot oversees B Lab's community development of Certified B Corporations, focusing primarily on North America with new inroads now beginning globally. Dermot is the former Head of Research for ENDS Carbon and Wind Power Intelligence. Since 2007, he has been running an independent carbon ratings and consulting business, annually rating over 100 multinationals for the organization Climate Counts. He has produced reports on business and climate change for the UNPRI, water insecurity for Ethical Corporation, true cost accounting on food and natural resources, and contributed a chapter to the World Guide to CSR. He has consulted SMEs, multinationals, NGOs, and municipalities in Europe and North America, and worked on an internal sustainability team while at Procter & Gamble. www.bcorporation.net

Jeff Mendelsohn, Founder and President of New Leaf

Jeff is the founder and president of New Leaf Paper, a company with the mission of driving a fundamental shift toward sustainability in the paper industry. Paper manufacturing is one of the most polluting and resource intensive industries in the world. Jeff envisions a complete redesign of the paper industry to incorporate the principles of sustainability, and is a frequent public speaker on this topic. He leads New Leaf Paper’s product innovation, creating a wide selection of market leading environmental papers that fit this vision. Since it was founded in 1998, New Leaf Paper has seen real change in the marketplace through its efforts, and inspired some of the largest paper companies in the world to pay attention to environmental concerns. www.newleafpaper.com

John Montgomery, Montgomery & Hansen, LLP

John is committed to accelerating the growth and success of his clients' businesses using a blueprint distilled from working with some of Silicon Valley's most successful, venture capital financed companies. John works primarily with high potential entrepreneurial teams and applies the law to help them realize their visions. John also assists clients in mergers and acquisitions and has helped his clients buy and sell businesses in transactions involving companies like Cisco, Intuit and Google. John's experience in having closed hundreds of M&A transactions empowers his clients to focus on the critical process of integrating the businesses and their people to ensure a successful outcome. John also advises established companies on improving their corporate governance in alignment with the principles of Conscious Capitalism. In addition to being a frequent speaker on venture capital at such forums as the Future Salon, Haas School of Business and NexGen, he also leads continuing legal education programs about the process of raising venture capital.

Having practiced corporate law in Silicon Valley since 1984, John has represented clients in connection with venture capital financings, public offerings and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to co-founding M&H, John was the co-chairman of the venture capital practice at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP. Earlier in his career, John was a corporate attorney at Baker & McKenzie, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and The Cooper Companies. John holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Northwestern College of Law, Lewis & Clark College. www.mh-llp.com/