Community Building
The Need
Dana Oxford asked us to help navigate the B Corp certification process in mid 2019. The Community Building is a collection of buildings on W Main Street near Division Street in Spokane. The business was started with the intent to revitalize a previously neglected part of downtown and develop community bonds through shared space and access to services. Their business provides office and retail space to for profit and nonprofit organizations (sometimes at below-market rates allowing them to access services they otherwise may be unable to afford). To build upon the existing recognition for their community-based approach, Dana and the Community Building leadership team wanted to add B Corp certification as further evidence of their commitment to the community and environment.
The Work
While the Community Building had a solid foundation for community and environmental impact, Dana wanted help working through the B Impact Assessment (BIA) to understand the questions, to navigate some of the nuances, and to begin building the necessary operational tools and processes to achieve certification. We partnered with Dana to establish a project management structure to create accountability. Dana then worked independently to make the needed changes and bring her team along with new approaches she was implementing.
The Impact
Using the BIA provided a baseline for current operational practices and helped Dana better understand best practices that she could apply and identify opportunities for improvement. In other cases, the process provided motivation and incentive to implement changes that she and the leadership team were already considering. Through the B Corp process, the Community Building is further aligning their business practices with their community and environmental commitments. They certified in 2021!
