Trained as an evolutionary biologist, Dr. Tamsin Woolley-Barker kept noticing patterns in nature that also revealed insights about our own human nature. When she learned about the field of biomimicry (innovation inspired by nature), she realized she was not alone in recognizing all that evolution could teach about cultivating more innovative organizations. With clients that now include Cisco, Google, Facebook and IDEO, the corporate world is starting to evolve too! What else can nature teach us about building more innovative, conscious organizations? Tune in to this episode recorded live at Conscious Capitalism 2019!

Dr. Tamsin is an Evolutionary Biologist, Innovation Consultant, and Biomimicry Professional with a doctorate in Evolutionary Anthropology from New York University. She was among the first cohort to receive the Biomimicry Masters degree from Arizona State University’s Biomimicry Center, where she now serves as Adjunct Professor. Her book TEEMING: How Superorganisms Work to Build Infinite Wealth in a Finite World is an a #1 Amazon Bestseller in Organizational Learning, Environmental Economics, Ecology, and Animal Behavior—testament to its interdisciplinary nature. The book has been read on every continent and is entering its second printing.

Dr. Tamsin puts her 30 years deep expertise in evolution and 20 years in business to work to provide biomimicry innovation for a global clientele—everything from aerospace and automotive design, material science and consumer products, business models, resilient cities, green build and circular economy, leadership and organizational design, while transforming management-heavy institutional machines into living things that thrive on change—just as she did.

Once reliant on the "Big Three" employers of Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb, Rochester's "entrepreneurship by necessity" leveraged the talent and infrastructure of the region to EVOLve its economy to be both more diversified and resilient. A key to that EVOLution has been programs like The Entrepreneur's Network (TEN), which trains entrepreneurs and helps to cultivate an ecosystem that can support their growth.

Despite that success, Rochester was reflective of the broader entrepreneurial community with inadequate support and access to funding for female entrepreneurs, with less than 5% of venture capital funding going to women-led tech companies. Thanks to a partnership with Chloe Capital, a female-led fund investing in female-led startups, TEN had their first class focused exclusively on female entrepreneurs. Now, they're doubling down with another all-female cohort! Tune in to hear more about how TEN is beating the typical startup success rate, and get an application in for the next cohort by 8/31!

Jean Kase plays a strategic role for Monroe County and NextCorps, connecting people and resources in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She has recruited and served more than 300 founders and senior managers of startups and small businesses throughout Upstate New York.

Rooted in the Rochester community, she previously served as vice president of public affairs for the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, representing 2,100 member firms in government matters affecting the regional business climate. In this capacity, she advised CEO’s on legislative and political issues.

Jean is an active investor in the Rochester Angel Network (RAN,) comprised of 85 accredited investors and serves as a judge for several regional business plan competitions. She provides clients with advocacy, business development and project management services. She earned her undergraduate degree at St. John Fisher College and an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Ray Isaac often says that only 4% of family businesses survive past the 3rd generation. Yet when he's inducted alongside his father into the Rochester Business Hall of Fame later this year, it won't be for merely surviving. Under his leadership, Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning has grown by any measure, especially in its impact on the community. Yet you might be surprised to hear that he doesn't expect employees to be passionate about Heating and Air Conditioning. In fact, that isn't his passion either. It's merely the WHAT and the HOW to achieving his WHY of creating jobs and growth opportunities for employees, while also giving back to the community.

Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning was founded by Ray's grandfather in 1945, and has grown to become one of the nation’s largest privately held heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractors, servicing more than 35,000 clients a year. Ray is one of four brothers who make up the third generation of Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning and he currently serves as President and CEO.

Ray is also the President of the Small Business Council of Rochester and recently served as the Campaign Chair for the United Way. He holds a BS in Management/Marketing from St John Fisher College. Ray is a proud winner of the Rochester Small Business Person of the Year in 2012 and will soon be inducted along with his father in the Rochester Business Hall of Fame.

In 1919, John A. Doyle started Doyle Security as a private investigator service. In the 100 years since, the "mission has never changed, just the way we deliver it has evolved" says John G. Doyle Jr., who proudly serves as the fourth generation President and CEO. Today, Doyle Security Systems is honored to protect more than 35,000 families and businesses and they take pride in their commitment to the communities they serve. Jack Doyle represents the fifth generation and pursued diverse experiences in sales and entrepreneurship before joining the family business in 2015.

Tune in to this episode for 100 years of wisdom on:

-Family business succession

-Aligning your business practices with your values

-Taking action on feedback from culture surveys

Kiva exists because they believe that "dreams are universal, but opportunity is not." They created a system of character-based underwriting to provide zero interest loans of up to $10,000 for entrepreneurs whose incomes and credit scores prevent them from accessing traditional loans. In the three years since Rochester opened its own Kiva office, there have been 82 loans totaling $423,500. Borrowers have an average credit score of 575 and median income of $35,000. Further, 1/2 of those loans have been to women and 3/4 have been to people of color. Tune in to this episode to hear how Kiva Rochester is building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, the inspiring stories of two current borrowers and their perspective on how to create more inclusive prosperity in Rochester.

Amy Ventura is the Director of the Kiva Rochester program, where they are building a more inclusive and equitable economy in Rochester by connecting entrepreneurs with 0% interest microloans.

She is an AmeriCorps VISTA alumnus, a board member of Rochester Young Professionals and RocCity Coalition and Co-founder of the Roc IDEA Connection (Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, and Action), which hosts monthly workshops for Rochester's future leaders on community change-making through a racial equity lens. Amy is also pursuing a certificate in Social Impact Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Shappelle Thompson wanted to give better voice to voiceless and created OpenMic Rochester to fill a void when he felt that mainstream news outlets weren’t fully covering certain issues, concerns and problems in the community. Shappelle is committed to fact-based journalism that always seeks to get to uncover the truth, but OpenMic is not here to just tell the news. They're here to grow and better the Rochester community using information to properly empower and engage residents. Rochester is transitioning quickly but its future won’t include everyone without proper information and action.

Rosa Marie Curtis began educating small children when she was just 10 years old, under the apprenticeship of her Grandmother who successfully operated a warm, loving, family-focused child care center for 30+ years. Rosa knew from a very early age, that she wanted to continue in her grandmother’s footsteps. Noting a gap in services for those in poverty, working overnight shifts or in need of last minute child care, and unable to find an organization that embodied her Grandma’s strength, virtue or wisdom, Rosa created Marvelous Mind Academy.

Bret Garwood had experience leading in the nonprofit and government sectors before his current role as CEO of Home Leasing. Yet the transition to the for profit sector hasn't been as tough as you might think. While Home Leasing is in the for profit sector, they're also "for purpose." For Home Leasing, becoming a B corp wasn't about the certification. The purpose was to become the company they envisioned.

Tune in to this episode to learn about the journey:

-Measuring impact and more broadly sharing rewards

-Advice to job seekers on a Conscious Capitalism journey

-The two-way benefits of mentoring

-The similarities and differences of leading in the nonprofit, government and for profit sectors

Bret Garwood serves as Chief Executive Officer for Home Leasing and Home Leasing Construction. Before Home Leasing, Bret served as Senior Vice President for Multifamily Programs for New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), overseeing the development of affordable housing programs for 272 projects with more than 39,000 total housing units, generating a total investment of $15.7 billion in urban, suburban and rural communities.

Prior to that, Bret served as Director of Business and Housing Development for the City of Rochester, planning the City’s economic development, housing and real estate functions under a mission to enhance Rochester through real estate development, neighborhood revitalization, business attraction, housing production and rehabilitation, and workforce development.

Bret holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from Lehigh University and a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. He is a member of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing, and a recipient of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) 2015 Advocate of the Year award and the 2012 Rochester Business Journal Forty under 40 Award.

Bob Bechtold was always fascinated with sustainability. Experiments as a child led to renewable energy projects in his home and eventually found their way to his business endeavors. Yet when Bob went to the bank for loans for wind turbines, they weren't as fascinated by environmentalism as he was. He quickly learned to make the economic case for sustainability and has been a pioneer of eco-economics ever since.

Tune in to this episode to hear:

-The economic case for renewable energy, biophilic design and the journey toward becoming a zero waste, carbon positive company

-The struggles of "sensitizing stakeholders" to start to see your conscious practices as a reason to do business with you

-The tenacity required to be a pioneer of sustainable practices

Bob is the president and founder of Harbec Plastics, Inc., a progressive injection molding company located in upstate New York, which provides a full service of model making, precision mold making, and complex precision plastic injection molding. His company believes strongly in the value of Eco-Economics and during the past decade he

has developed an energy management strategy that includes a cogeneration project which currently provides a portion of their electricity, heat, and air-conditioning requirements, in conjunction with two on-site wind turbines.

Currently, Harbec is focused on quantifying its Carbon Footprint with the help of the EPA’s Climate Leaders Program, DOE’s Better Buildings - Better Plants Challenge, ISO 50001/SEP Platinum certification and they became Carbon Neutral in 2013 and Water Neutral in 2015.

In 2002, Harbec was awarded the EPA Energy Star for Small Business. In 2011 the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded Harbec the National Award for Innovation in Sustainable Manufacturing and in 2012 they received the Manufacturing Leadership Award for Sustainability.

Can "economies of collaboration" compete with "economies of scale?" Chris Hartman is cultivating a values-based supply chain of "Good Food" to prove that it can. Good Food is local, regenerative, human, fair, clean, fresh, diverse and independent. Best of all, "it's not like you need to eat cardboard to save the world, we're talking about the best damn food out there."

Chris is the Founder and President of Headwater Food Hub, an organizing and social entrepreneurial force in the Rochester area working towards a sustainable food system in and around New York State. Chris has worked for more than 20 years as a farmer, engineer, educator, community organizer, and as an entrepreneur to create positive change in the food system.

Headwater Food Hub works collaboratively with a network of regional farmers and food producers to coordinate a Good Food System that delivers top-quality, sustainable foods year-round. Headwater Food Hub is connecting the dots of Farm to Table and brings transparency and integrity to the food supply chain. They are committed to a Good Food System that positively impacts our Community’s Health and provides our customers with the best Good Food options possible.

Tune in to this episode to learn how Headwater

-Brings transparency and integrity to the food supply chain

-Is co-creating an EVOLving definition of "Good Food" practices, and helping farmers to EVOLve their own practices

-Why Chris decided to start a business rather than a non-profit, and why he believes in "local businesses as tools for community revitalization"

In 2017, GreenSpark Solar was named Rochester's fastest-growing company at the Chamber's "Top 100" Awards. The award calculates growth over a 3-year period and Kevin doesn't think it was a coincidence that the award came exactly 3 years after GreenSpark decided to pursue B corp certification: "From the time that we outwardly said that we were subscribed to a Triple Bottom Line, we grew over 600%...we believe that's absolutely linked."

Kevin Schulte founded GreenSpark with his best friends in 2002 and was named CEO in 2008. He provides the leadership, vision and passion that drives the growth and success for the company. While Kevin’s leadership can be calculated in megawatts he would point to being named Rochester’s Top Workplace in 2017 as his highest professional accomplishment. Kevin’s vision of a creating a values-led, mission-driven company is contagious and resulted in not only the top workplace award, but also in receiving The Leadership Award from Rochester’s Top Workplaces – as voted upon by the entire team at GreenSpark.

Tune in to this episode to get a look inside Kevin's mindset of relentless improvement, his advice to leaders beginning on the Conscious Leadership journey and lessons learned from B corp certification process.