Santa Monica College will present a panel discussion next month, “Sustainability vs. Profit – Or Both?,” featuring representatives from pioneering companies that have designed profitable business models with built-in social and/or environmental benefits.
The free panel discussion will be held at 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 1 in the Theatre Arts Studio Stage on the main SMC campus, 1900 Pico Blvd.
The event is a follow-up to a panel held in March that was an introduction to socially enterprising business models such as TOMS shoes.
The panel Dec. 1 will delve deeper into these successful business models and address such issues as why the model works and what the outcomes are.
The speakers are:
• Brent Freeman, CEO and Founder of Roozt.
Roozt is a daily deals website offering up brands that make a positive impact on the world to socially conscious consumers. Launched in fall 2010, Roozt already has a user-base of more than 70,000 members and was selected to Forbes Magazine’s “Names You Need To Know in 2011 List,” which seeks to identify the people, places, ideas, products and companies poised to become central to the global conversation. Freeman is also a volunteer at Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship. He will talk about the socially enterprising business model and its future over the next five years.
• Libby Balsiger, Marketing Consultant, Chipotle Mexican Food Grill.
Chipotle’s philosophy is “Integrity with Food.” Challenging the norms of fast-food mass production and supply, for the last 10 years Chipotle has been committed to choosing the best ingredients, raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers. She will address the issue of why being socially conscious in business can be profitable.
• Gregory Wendt, Vice President of Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI) with EP Wealth Advisors, Inc.
EP Wealth Advisors is a well established and recognized registered investment advisory firm based in Los Angeles with more than $1 billion of client assets under management. Having been in the business since 1991, Wendt, a certified financial planner, has earned a reputation as one of California’s leading experts in sustainable and responsible investing. He will talk about “green investing” and how to be sustainable on a personal level.
The panel discussion is sponsored by the SMC Social Enterprise Group and the SMC Global Citizenship Council.
The Social Enterprise Group is a student club that educates students on sustainable businesses otherwise known as for-benefit businesses.
These businesses consider the sustainable value of each stakeholder involved and design profitable business models that have a built-in social and/or environmental spin-off.
Seating is on a first-arrival basis.
For information, call 310.434.4209.
