The ArcStone Group, GBC – Now a Certified B Corporation
We’ve shared in the past about our desire and dedication to becoming a Certified B Corporation, also known as a B Corp. It’s something that we as a company have believed in and worked towards for years, and over the last year we really put our nose to the grindstone. After 13 months of dissecting our business operations, writing policy, working with attorneys, engaging our team, and supplying verification analysts with ample documentation and reporting, we’re extremely proud to share that we are officially a Certified B Corporation.
What is a B Corp?
If you’re new to the B Corp scene, a global organization called B Lab offers a certification to for-profit businesses looking to be held accountable for their social and environmental impact. The accreditation is only given to companies that pass the rigorous assessment and can provide documentation supporting their claims. Additionally, each company must make a legal commitment, often leading to a change in corporate structure.
We are now officially The ArcStone Group, GBC. GBC stands for “general benefit corporation,” which is a public benefit corporation that states in its governing documents that the company pursues general public benefit. This means that the decision makers of the company are legally required to consider how purchases and operation of the company will affect the stakeholders, the public, and the environment.
Our B Corp Journey
How did we get here? What have the last 6 months looked like? Where do we go from here? We’ve previously shared some of our journey and the work we were doing, but a lot has happened since. And for Certified B Corporations, the work is never finished. Let’s walk through the milestones.
During the summer and fall of 2023, we got down to business. Using the B Impact Assessment as a guide to our changes, we drafted multiple policies, wrote a Code of Ethics for our company, and set up documentation systems for both internal and external experiences. We also revisited our employee benefits and healthcare offerings ahead of open enrollment, ultimately making adjustments to provide better care and autonomy for our employees. We had the opportunity to get out in the community and volunteer during the holiday season, and we revamped our annual employee review process and resources. These are just some of the highlights! Suffice it to say, we were putting in some elbow grease.
In January 2024, we submitted our assessment. We’d gotten our score above the passing grade, with a few points to spare. We were warned that the verification process would take months, and that it did. It wasn’t all crickets, however. Little did we know, our initial work was not done!
The Verification Process
It took a few months to get through the Evaluation queue, but then we entered the next phase and were assigned a Verification Analyst. While going through our responses, our analyst had some additional work for us, which was ultimately supplying supporting documentation for some of our claims to responsible operation. These tasks were fairly data-heavy, but we sorted it out and got it completed within a few weeks.
A couple of more months flew by, it was June, and we had reached a new level of the verification process. We were assigned a higher level analyst, and had a full video conference to go through our assessment in detail. We did feel that it went well, but even so there were additional tasks that followed. After supplying more reports and documentation, we were told we would be entering the final stage of the process. The final analysts were not people that we engaged with at all, but assume were checking the work of each previous analyst and reviewing everything one last time. Fortunately, we didn’t hear from them asking for further data, but instead got a notification at the end of August that we had passed and were now certified.
After receiving the fantastic news, we registered for a B Corp Onboarding call. B Lab US & Canada host a group onboarding call over Zoom once a month. It was an excellent opportunity to not only learn about the exciting road ahead, but about the B Corp community and the amazing individuals that comprise it.
What’s Next?
There’s plenty to do in the launch phase, such as getting the logo and branding integrated into our platforms, sending out a press release, and getting up and running on the B Lab platforms. We are looking forward to being part of a like-minded community who has proven to have values that align with ours. We are also thrilled to learn that there is a B Corp community specific to Minnesota’s metro, and are excited to engage locally.
Another part of being a Certified B Corporation is sharing an annual Impact Report. This report will detail changes, impact, and engagement from our company over the past year as it relates to our social and environmental impact. The report will be available to the public each year and featured on our website, so keep an eye out in the coming months for what we hope will be the first of many.
Thank you for your support, and for following along on our fulfilling journey of becoming a Certified B Corporation. It’s a badge we wear proudly, and an experience we are grateful to share with you.
To learn more about the B Lab mission, visit their website at: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/
To view ArcStone’s profile, or find other B Corps, visit the directory on the B Lab website: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/arcstone/