March is “B Corp™ Month,” a celebration and acknowledgment of companies around the world that are working hard to meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. B Lab, the non-profit organization that certified B Corps™, is working to create greater awareness of B Corps™ among Congressional offices, establishing relationships and cultivating allies in Congress, while helping to tell the story of how B Corps™ are serving purpose beyond profit. On March 24, they hosted a virtual fly-in with Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer’s office, and Senior Wealth Strategist Glen Goland, JD, CFP®, attended as a representative of Arnerich Massena.

“I was joined by representatives from other Portland-based B Corps™, and we spent our time talking about why our companies went through the certification process and why the designation is important to our clients and our employees,” Glen said about the meeting. To become B Corp™ Certified, Arnerich Massena went through a rigorous and highly selective assessment process that measured our governance, workers, customers, community, and environmental policies. “We heard from a variety of intelligent, thoughtful Portlanders who are building solutions to solve for textile waste, helping treat those who have experienced trauma, and creating sustainable supply chains at large grocery stores. It is inspiring to know that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with such an impressive group.”

The B Corp™ mission is to transform the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. B Corporations® range from multinational corporations to small businesses serving local communities and Portland is home to more B Corps™ than any other city in the country. Arnerich Massena’s ethos and business model is closely aligned to the B Corp™ mission, as we strive to work in partnership with community and to serve a higher good. We live this mission in many ways, whether it’s discovering impactful investment opportunities, caring for our clients’ and colleagues’ well-being in all facets of their lives, or contributing to local non-profits. We meet the high standards for being a B Corp™ through our governance practices and intentional investing, but we aspire to go above and beyond. Here are a few of the activities we are working on now that we believe earn us the B Corp™ status that we are so proud of:

Rock The Street Wall Street: Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS) is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides financial and investment education to high school girls to spark their interest in finance. Arnerich Massena is the inaugural Oregon sponsor of the program, making this the first time that RTSWS will be available locally (starting at Grant High School). Many girls opt out of math at an early age and fail to choose a math-oriented career because they lack role models in the real world. RTSWS provides programming that connects girls with female finance professionals who teach investing and budgeting in a classroom-based setting and provide mentoring opportunities.

Oregon Council on Economic Education: Arnerich Massena continues to sponsor this important organization, chartered with supporting the state’s high school teachers as they instruct our youth on financial and budget-related subjects. Our team members assist in running contests for high school students based on the stock market and we will be a sponsor and speaker at their year-end banquet this spring.

Arnerich Massena Annual Giving Guide: We publish a holiday Giving Guide annually that features more than 20 non-profit organizations that are doing amazing work in our community. The guide is a celebration of their achievements and a resource for philanthropists seeking a way to help over the holidays. On #GivingTuesday, we randomly select three organizations and donate $1,000 to each.

Celebrating women in investing: Since Arnerich Massena’s founding, we have understood the importance of gender diversity; our leadership and advisory teams have always had a balance between men and women. We have made a dedicated effort to generate awareness across the financial services industry (which significantly lags other industries) of the importance of having women on advisory teams, through social media campaigns, research papers, and hosting events.

Arnerich Massena Diversity & Inclusion Committee: Arnerich Massena is committed to raising awareness, offering resources to staff, and guiding us toward a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future. This year, we brought in a Diversity & Inclusions trainer to facilitate more sensitive and courageous conversations, and our Diversity & Inclusion Committee recommends books, websites, and films to help our team continue to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment at Arnerich Massena. You can read our Diversity & Inclusion Manifesto here. We are proud to have received recognition as an InvestmentNews Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards finalist in 2021.

Learn more about B Labs and B Corporations® at https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/. You can see Arnerich Massena’s B Corp™ profile at https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/arnerich-massena-inc/