Daily News
City of Cincinnati Honors Sustainable Small Businesses
25 small businesses recognized for advancing sustainability
CINCINNATI – The City of Cincinnati continued its efforts to recognize small and large businesses that have embraced the principles of sustainability on Friday at the second annual Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit.
During this year’s event at Xavier University’s Cintas Center, the City’s Department of Economic Inclusion presented awards to individuals and companies that demonstrate vision, innovation and achievement in support of the Green Cincinnati Plan.
This year 10 companies received the SEMS™ Certification Supplier Award of Excellence for successfully developing and implementing a sustainability plan by integrating sustainable business practices and procedures throughout their operation. Another 15 companies received Certificates of Commendation to Advance Sustainability for making a commitment to transition to sustainable operations and finding new ways of doing business that demonstrates environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic viability.
“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in our sustainability program,” said DEI Director Thomas B. Corey. “Last year we only had a few companies recognized that were minority owned businesses. This year we have 25 minority-owned and women-owned companies. A lot of credit goes to Joan Carroll-Flowers and her company, ACF Enterprises LLC for coordinating the program and helping each business as they worked through the process.”
The SBE Sustainability Education Program consists of webinars, brown bag workshops, online sustainability training, a sustainability assessment and report, and technical assistance to develop a sustainability action plan. There were a total of 591 attendees for both the live and recorded versions of the webinars, with some companies attending multiple webinars.
“The Department of Economic Inclusion has done a fabulous job in promoting this program,” Joan Carroll-Flowers added. “Companies here in Cincinnati/Hamilton County are truly interested in sustainability. They understand environmental stewardship and can leverage sustainability to restructure and take advantage of emerging market innovations.”
Companies leading the way received special recognition including the Kroger Co. and the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority which received the 2016 Economic Inclusion Advocate of the Year award. Other outstanding award winners were:
- Trayak, LLC - Supplier Innovation of the Year
- ATMOS360 Air Systems Solutions - Sustainable New Business of the Year
- Journey Steel - Emerging Sustainable Supplier of the Year
- Alex Alvarez, President & CEO of Business Management Services - Sustainability Advocate Lifetime Achievement
- Theresa Stark - Unsung Sustainability Hero of the Year
This is the second year DEI has offered sustainability education programs. Additional programs are slated to begin in the fall of this year.
About the Midwest Region Sustainability Summit
The Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit brings together businesses, government representatives, experts, nonprofits and ordinary citizens committed to building a more environmentally sustainable and economically vibrant region.
The Summit provides a platform to share resources and best practices throughout the region as well as to inform participants of national and international trends and opportunities. The Summit presents knowledge that attendees can use: successful ideas, new trends, and innovative technologies and practices as well as access to supply chain opportunities. The sessions and exhibits are designed to generate dialogue on valuable ideas in environmental sustainability and create connections and opportunities for regional collaboration and business.
You can find out more about the event at this link: http://bit.ly/1OgnAVR