Construction Business Basics: Building a Triple Bottom Line Business, Nov 8, Newton MA

What does it mean to run a sustainable business? Is your company making a profit? Are your employees and clients happy? Do you have a good work/life balance? Is your business doing its part to fight climate change? Are you active in your community? This workshop will cover what it means to have a triple bottom line business, touching on how our businesses can address the 3Ps of People, Profit and Planet.

AGENDA 1:00-1:30  Welcome & Context
• Introductions
• Agenda review
• What is a triple bottom line business?
• What are the challenges we face as business owners related to People, Profit and Planet?

1:30-2:00 Planet
• Selling high performance
• Integrated design process is key to high performance
• What are we tracking and why? EUI, ACH50, carbon footprint
• Sustainable vs. natural vs. high performance
• How do we explain what we do to homeowners?
• Embodied energy

2:00-3:00  Profit
• Start with financial sustainability
• What is Gross Profit Margin (GPM) and how to calculate it
• Intro to P&L statement
• Developing an operating budget
• From operating budget to defining GPM to determining markups
• Estimating tips

3:00-3:30 People
• Finding the right people – employees / HR
• Finding the right people – clients / Sales and Marketing
• Personal sustainability – workload, delegating, building on your strengths

3:30-4:00  Wrap up, Q&A, additional resources & follow-up

INSTRUCTOR
Kate Stephenson is an experienced leader in the fields of green building, professional education, sustainability, and business management, and is co-owner of HELM Construction Solutions. She’s worked with established and emerging businesses and non-profits to achieve triple bottom line metrics, develop business systems, and plan for a dynamic and resilient future. Prior to co-founding HELM in 2016, she led the Yestermorrow Design/Build School for over thirteen years. Her design and planning expertise includes a foundation in regenerative design principles and master plan development. Kate helped to develop and is a facilitator for NESEA’s BuildingEnergy Bottom Lines program. Kate is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program, the Chair of the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, and serves on the Board of the Vermont Council on Rural Development. She is a Certified Passive House Builder and a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor. She holds a MS in Management from Antioch University New England and a BA in Anthropology and Environmental Science from Haverford College.