Contact: Jared Michael Lowe, jared@sbnphiladelphia.org, 215.922.7400 ext. 102
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN) Establishes Partnerships with Nationwide Institutions to Support the Region’s Small, Values-Driven Businesses
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN), the region’s only advocacy and membership organization for values-driven small businesses committed to improving their environmental and social impact as well as their profitability, announces partnerships with regional and national institutions that support local, independent businesses and their efforts to remain sustainable in their practice.
To date, SBN has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN), the Center City Business Association (CCBA), Circular Philadelphia, and Consult for America (CFA).
“I’m excited to announce our institutional partnerships with these like-minded organizations in Greater Philadelphia and across the US that will undoubtedly advance our shared goals and priorities to support our local values-driven business community,” says Devi Ramkissoon, SBN’s Executive Director. “The pandemic hit our local business community especially hard. It’s nearly impossible for any individual business or organization to recover in isolation. For this reason, we’ve established a supportive community of organizations. I am confident that through these unique partnerships, we’ll be able to provide the businesses in our network and beyond with the resources necessary to rebuild and recover.”
“ASBN is excited to embark on a new partnership with SBN to better support, connect, and share resources with Greater Philadelphia’s values-driven business community,” says David Levine, Co-founder and President of ASBN. “Through this partnership, we believe this alignment will prove valuable to many businesses across the region and thus make progress toward ASBN’s vision of a sustainable economy that is stakeholder-driven, regenerative, just, and prosperous.”
Each partnership allows members of SBN’s network to access valuable shared resources, programming, education, funding opportunities, and opportunities to collaborate on advocacy efforts that will help local, values-driven businesses to grow and thrive in the years to come. In turn, SBN will also offer opportunities for each organization to advance its own goals and amplify our joint impact.
This notion of shared impact is echoed by Ben Frank, Executive Director of CCBA, who notes that ”The Center City Business Association understands that true collaboration is the best way to make great things happen. We look forward to our partnership with SBN and know that when members come together, great opportunities abound.”
SBN’s partnership with Consult for America (CFA) at the University of Pennsylvania is one example of how these institutional partnerships provide exclusive and tangible benefits for SBN’s member businesses. CFA is a student-run organization that offers pro-bono consulting services to small businesses across the Greater Philadelphia region that are facing strategic challenges. Each semester, CFA will guarantee at least one spot for SBN members to receive a consultation at no cost.
“A sustainable business operates on circular economy principles,” says Nic Esposito, Director of Policy and Engagement of Circular Philadelphia. “With so many overlapping members already, it was a perfect alignment for Circular Philadelphia and SBN to work more closely together.”
For more information about SBN’s work with these partners, please visit our website.
About the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia
The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN) is building a just, green, and thriving economy in the region. We empower the local business community to be change agents in the movement towards equity and climate resilience, and we advocate with them and on their behalf so an equitable and climate-resilient local economy grows and thrives.
Since our founding in 2001, SBN has remained the region’s only membership and advocacy organization playing the critical role of serving Greater Philadelphia’s independent values-driven business community.
###
