The sixth annual B Corp™ Leadership Development Conference Pacific Northwest (BLD PNW), a one-day conference event designed to inspire and connect B Corps™ will be hosted on October 6, 2022 at The Redd in Portland. This year’s theme, “Building Connectivity,” will “explore the connectivity that is core to who we are as humans, as a social species, and to our broader ecosystem, resiliency, and economic health.” Keynote speakers for the event include Susannah Morgan, CEO of Oregon Food Bank, and Reyna Lopez, Executive Director of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN). “Amid the uncertainty and disconnectedness of the last few years,” notes the event host, B Local PDX, “the B Corp™ movement has not just persevered — it is exploding.”

We are excited to contribute to the event and be part of bringing together B Corps™ to use business as a force for good; Senior Research Analyst Matt Bryant will be leading a breakout session panel: “Intentional Investing: Investment as a Tool for Community Development.” How organizations and individuals invest their money is a reflection of where they are focusing their energy and intention. In this session, he’ll share new investment structures and opportunities that make it possible to support and develop the local and regional community, while offering potential portfolio growth. Matt will discuss the idea of intentional investing, aligning one’s investments with their personal values, and lead a panel that includes Caroline Lewis, a partner at Rogue Venture Partners, a disruptive early stage technology fund that focuses on underrepresented and undercapitalized markets; and Jason Hilton of Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO), which focuses on poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship in minority communities and distressed areas.

We’re pleased to showcase these local fund managers and entrepreneurs who are finding investment opportunities that provide funding and support for regional businesses, that are women and minority-owned, that are working for racial and economic justice, that are building affordable housing, and that are supporting regional economic development. We’re looking forward to the event and excited to share this information with the B Corp™ community!

For more information about the event, visit https://www.blocalpdx.com/bld-pnw-2022 While the majority of attendees are registered B Corps™, the event organizers welcome businesses that are actively working on their B Impact Assessment, are non-profits or public sector organizations, students and academics, and anyone aspiring to increase their social and environmental impact.