If you were among the over 41 million people who watched the 82nd Academy Awards telecast last Sunday, you might have seen one of our 2010 Top Small Company Workplaces award finalists: outdoor clothing designer/distributor/retailer Patagonia.
During the program American Express ran an ad for their Members Project, a new partnership with social action network Takepart.com. Here's the commercial if you missed it:
The ad features Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, who according to their application for our award – and the company's own press materials – is still actively involved in the business he established almost 40 years ago.
This post on Patagonia's employee and customer blog explains the set piece in the ad, the Matilija Dam, and why removing it would be good for the planet and people (which, along with profit, make up the three pillars of the growing triple bottom line business movement).
Patagonia's work maintaining a strong triple bottom line is readily apparent. On their website homepage, a vast Environmentalism section is given equal weight to revenue-friendlier sections such as Clothing & Gear and Product Information.
This perfect weave (pardon the pun) of company mission and like-minded employees and customers has kept business strong, even in a down economy. I can't get into specifics, because our Top Small Company Workplaces media partner Inc. Magazine will share those with you in its June issue should Patagonia be named a winner for 2010. But trust me that they're doing very well on the key business metrics you're concerned about in your own organization.
Watch for the June issue of Inc. on newsstands to read about this year's winning firms and their workplace culture improvement and team engagement activities, which you can adapt for your company. You can also subscribe to Inc. and get the issue as soon as it comes out.



Time is money, and in a down economy you might as well double whatever you think your – and especially your stakeholders' – time is worth.
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