Best for Colorado: Honoring companies with a higher calling.

• Author: Sukin, Gigi

Some businesspeople define success as having a positive influence and valuable impact on their community, locally or globally. A small group of pioneering professionals has set the bar even higher, operating their companies thoughtfully and holding their teams to rigorous standards, earning the loyalty of their customers, investors and employees.

That group of 16 companies was celebrated June 7 at the second annual Best for Colorado Awards Gala. Organized by B Lab, the statewide program was officially launched June 8, 2017 to help companies measure their positive impact and improve their social and environmental practices.

The overarching vision of the program and awards is to "equip and celebrate the companies creating higher-quality jobs, stronger communities and preserving the environment through the vehicles of their businesses," says Liz Swanson, Best for Colorado's program manager.

"Any company, regardless of size or revenue, is really welcome into this community," Swanson adds.

Locally, that includes 325 companies--from a sandwich shop to an advertising agency--that participated in the program, completing a 30-minute online "challenge" assignment, followed by a pledge to continue measuring their impact, management and improvement.

The Best for Colorado program presents the opportunity to formalize corporate practices and share the stories and strong commitments these companies have. Thanks to an easy-to-navigate platform, companies can take the B Impact Assessment and follow up with shared best practices and networking events.

"The way we've scaled it so far is with a coalition of 30 partner organizations," Swanson says of the chambers of commerce, municipalities, nonprofits and more, that are all "mission-aligned."

THE PROOF IN THE PUDDING

Since restaurants traditionally have notably large environmental footprints, Denver-based Snooze an A.M. Eatery received the Best for Colorado recognition for its high level of performance across the four areas of the B Impact Assessment. That includes, specifically, food and material sourcing; energy, water and resource conservation; and its people-centric policies. The 26-location brand is not a certified B Corporation, although the company has used the assessment as a tool to evaluate its impact.

"I always like to tell people our 'why,'" Snooze's Director of Sustainability Megan Jorgensen says. "Our motto is, 'It only takes a moment to make a difference.' That holds true with our interactions...