The Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit’s “Business for World Benefit Clinic” connects students to aspiring B Corporations to help them improve their environmental and social impact.
About B Corps
Have you ever wondered how companies become B Corps? B Corps—such as Warby Parker, Ben & Jerry’s, New Belgium Brewing, and Patagonia—are "for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency."
B Corp Certification is the only certification that measures a company's entire social and environmental performance. Certification doesn't just prove where companies excel now—it also commits companies to their mission for the long term. Globally, there are more than 7,000 B Corps across 70 countries and 150 industries and more than 100,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment.
Get involved as a Student
The Business for World Benefit Clinic is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to help companies strengthen their social and environmental impact.
Companies are matched with a team of students (intentionally designed to include students from multiple schools and disciplines) to go through the assessment process and identify strategies they can take to improve their B Impact Assessment (BIA) scores. Students will gain hands-on consulting experience and the chance to learn about social and environmental impact assessment and sustainable business models.
Why Participate?
- Drive social and environmental impact
- Open to undergraduate and graduate students of Case Western Reserve University across all disciplines
- Work on a semester-long consulting engagement with a local company
- Enhance teamwork and presentation skills
- Take part in networking opportunities
Email fowlercenter@case.edu with any questions. More information will be released soon.
Get involved as a Company
The Business for World Benefit Clinic is looking for companies, organizations and businesses that thrive on a mission to create a positive impact.
These companies can be value-driven social businesses, new ventures or for-profit organizations that seek to enhance their societal impact using the B Impact Assessment (BIA), a social and environmental impact assessment model aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and developed by the global non-profit, B Lab. The BIA is a free, confidential platform designed to help measure and manage your company's positive impact on your workers, community, customers and environment.
Whether you're a traditional business working to become more sustainable, an aspiring B Corp pursuing certification or a certified B Corp focused on continuous improvement, The Business for World Benefit Clinic can help!
Why Participate
- Open to companies across Ohio from start-ups to multinationals
- Work with creative, interdisciplinary teams of students
- Use the B Impact Assessment to strengthen your social and environmental impact
- Become a certified B Corporation or simply be like a B Corporation
Interested? Email fowlercenter@case.edu for more information.
Companies we have worked with
Get involved as a Coach
The Business for World Benefit Clinic coaches are leaders of Certified B Corporations that have generously donated their time to help our students teams and participating companies succeed. This provides an additional level of expertise throughout the process for each organization and student team.
If you have assisted your organization with their B Corp Certification and are interested in supporting a Business for World Benefit Clinic team, please reach out to the Fowler Center fowlercenter@case.edu for more information.
Coaches we have worked with
Lorraine Schuchart, APR is the founder and CEO of the impact relations agency Prosper for Purpose. The company helps change makers impact the world and the bottom line by accelerating growth through brand strategy, public relations and marketing. Prosper for Purpose was founded in 2013 and became a Certified B Corporation in 2016. B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Lorraine is also a founding member of WetheChange, women CEOs of Certified B Corps, and the Ohio Ambassador for the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization.
Coby C. Williams is founder and principal of New Reach Community Consulting. He is a strategist and practitioner with over 15 years of professional experience in community engagement, group facilitation, issue advocacy strategy and digital outreach planning. His thought leadership is regularly tapped for national topics related to community engagement. He has partnered with organizations throughout the United States to help move local, state and national initiatives forward. New Reach is a Black-owned and purpose-driven small business based in Columbus, Ohio. New Reach is a Certified B Corp and provides public affairs services for government, nonprofit and philanthropic initiatives. Its mission is to help organizations engage with communities to improve the quality of life for the people they serve.
Laura Steinbrink is the managing member of Emerald Built Environments. Laura has been leading project teams to discover and implement sustainability goals since 2008. She led Emerald’s growth to an internationally sought after partner to owners and their architects and project teams. Laura excels at facilitating eco-charrettes and strategy sessions that align the owner’s business and financial objectives with their renovation, new construction, or ongoing operations projects. Guided by the firm’s core values of "constantly raising the bar" and "cultivating the team", clients look to her to help establish clear goals and strategies for project delivery. Her experience spans heavy industry, retail, housing, commercial, education, medical facilities, and roads and bridges. Most recently, she led the firm’s development of its Sustainability Playbook and carbon neutrality services for companies looking to enhance their performance and reporting.