Part of being a B Corp is creating positive impacts for our own workers. In 2021 we were honored to receive the distinction of Best For the World in the "Workers" category , meaning we ranked in the top 5% of B Corps worldwide. We earned this honor because of company initiatives such as employee-ownership, paid family leave, and flexible scheduling. As individual co-owners, we are always trying to better ourselves internally as well.
Every employee-owner at ReVision gets an annual education stipend that they can use for professional development; in the past employees have used this to attend conferences, enroll in classes, and participate in community leadership programs. But beyond this individual stipend, ReVision is always looking out for external opportunities that offer value and growth to whole teams and departments.
When possible, we love working with other B Corps. Of course, this means supporting our B Corp neighbors: buying coffee from Wicked Joe and Coffee By Design , and equipping our installers with Badger Balm sunscreen. But there are also a variety of B Corps that provide services to other organizations, spreading their B Corp values through valuable trainings and events. Below are just a few that we've worked with recently.
In 2020, ReVision Energy partnered with Drew Bonfiglio and his team at Emzingo , a fellow B Corp, to design a homegrown leadership program with content customized to the needs of ReVision Energy employee-owners. Emzingo offers training programs around the world, focusing on responsible leadership and equipping individuals to tackle global challenges. Throughout 2021 we rolled out the leadership training to groups of ReVision employee-owners, focusing on topics such as connection, trust, and communication. Emzingo's team helped run these trainings and created strong bonds in the groups, which spanned departments, teams, and geographic locations.
The South Portland team participates in an Emzingo workshop, October 2021
At our first in-person branch meetings, held outside after months of interruption from COVID, Emzingo helped ReVision rollout a series of workshops on Courageous Conversations to employees at each of our five branches. Together, ReVision co-owners explored successful strategies for managing personal and professional conversations.
Roughly a quarter of ReVision's fast-growing staff have completed the five-session ReVision Energy Leadership Program with the help of Emzingo. We continue to collaborate on extending this training to all of ReVision Energy's co-owners and incorporating additional opportunities to integrate Emzingo's work into our company's fabric.
"Emzingo has been a great partner in helping us strengthen our ability to develop connections across the company amidst all of the challenges of operating a construction business during a global pandemic," said Vaughan Woodruff, ReVision's Director of Training. "ReVision's efforts to address the climate crisis requires us to continue to invest in growing a new generation of clean energy professionals and to demonstrate the ability for business to be a force for good. Our success hinges on our ability to provide a place where people feel connected, supported, and able to effectively manage the myriad challenges we face as we work to create a vibrant future for our communities. Having another B Corp like Emzingo who understands these challenges and can provide a critical outside perspective about how we strengthen ourselves in this effort has been invaluable."
Solar Charging Trailers Headed to Puerto Rico, 2017
ReVision Energy is a proud member of the Amicus Solar Cooperative, a nationwide purchasing cooperative of independent solar companies, jointly owned and democratically managed by member companies. By banding together small, mission-driven solar companies like ReVision can purchase solar panels jointly, thereby getting the bulk discounts given to the large national companies. Amicus' mission is to support values-driven, independently-owned solar energy companies working every day to create climate justice. Amicus itself is a B Corp, and many of the member companies are also B Corps, including SunCommon, Positive Energy Solar, and Namaste Solar. In 2017 we partnered with Amicus to bring solar to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
In addition to the bulk-buying benefits, we also work closely with other Amicus members to share best practices, brainstorm new ideas, and generally work together to uplift solar in America. Smaller, position-specific groups such as marketing and sales, meet monthly to discuss successes and challenges, and a Women of Amicus group meets frequently to support women across roles in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
"I like the group because it's women in different roles with different experiences, but they're all scenarios that could be happening at ReVision," said ReVision Marketing Manager Brittany Angelo, "We are able to relate and connect to each other's work because we are in the same industries, but we are all so different. I learn so much and it's fun to be open and hear from others with similar challenges"
Based out of Boston, Habitus teaches communication skills to organizations who are working towards environmental and social justice. They've given our New Hampshire and Massachusetts teams valuable resources to better relay our own values and highlight our mission in our daily work. One of Habitus' specialties is negotiation trainings. Since we don't use "negotiation" in the true sense of the word, this was more about what strategies we, as solar designers, can employ to ask better questions, listen more carefully, and essentially cater our custom designs in a way that meets client goals better from the first pass.
"We want to arrive at a deeper common understanding more quickly," said Sales Director Malcolm Sonnett, "This is Habitus' specialty. So the ideal end result is we are more efficient with everyone's time and are creating a better experience."
