Vision & Principle

By: Monica Plawecki, SMSBF Staff Writer As our nation still struggles to contain cases of COVID-19, one thing has become increasingly clear: we need to think collectively. In fact, with a concerning number of Americans choosing to ignore calls to mitigate the virus’ spread, including by wearing masks, avoiding crowded spaces, and limiting social gatherings, …

Me the People? A Crisis of American Individualism in Society and the Age of COVID-19 Read More »

By:  SMSBF, Exec. Dir., Mike Shesterkin The images we’ve seen and the experiences many of us have undergone during the last few weeks – the uprisings against police brutality and white supremacy – are more than what they appear to be: They are symptoms with a much more deeply rooted cause. That cause is the …

What do We Value? Read More »

By: SMSBF writer, Monica Plawecki The past few weeks have been marked by an incredible amount of unrest throughout our country. Both peaceful and not-so-peaceful protests, calls for racial justice and police defunding, and #BlackLivesMatter sentiments echoing from every corner of social media have come in response to the senseless killing of George Floyd by …

Demonstrating with Our Dollars: Supporting the #BlackLivesMatter Movement on a Local Scale Read More »

By: SMSBF writer, Monica Plawecki In recent articles, we’ve explored the importance of a just wage, focusing specifically on how a living wage allows workers to fully participate in and deepen connections within their community. We also looked at a handful of small businesses in Detroit that have embraced Triple Bottom Line (3BL) business practices …

Women, Pay and Sister Pie Read More »

Let’s face it, whether you’ve stayed in Detroit your whole life, or you’re from the burbs and are just now discovering the meaning of urban existence, there’s excitement in the air. It’s always been here – I believe it’s the spirit of the city – and it has always been driving change. But for a …

Opinion – What Does a Just Wage Have to Do With Pursuing Happiness? Read More »

Are America’s most powerful corporations starting to embrace Triple Bottom Line concepts? Well, maybe. They are taking a step in the right direction at least. The Business Roundtable recently published a new definition of the purpose of a corporation, and it includes more than padding the pockets of shareholders. The Business Roundtable is made up …

Providing Long-Term Value – Business Roundtable Signs New “Purpose of a Corporation” Read More »

We Americans are an interesting lot: for all of the great qualities of our “anything is possible” culture, there are some that defy imagination. The reaction to the most recent United States Business Roundtable (USBR) statement is a case in point. As we read in this month’s lead story, the USBR statement is certainly a …

Opinion – Things Evolve and All is Emergent Read More »

Op-Ed by Mike Shesterkin, Executive Director, SMSBF We live in an age of income and wealth disparity. A recent Pew Research study indicates, “The highest-earning fifth of U.S. families earned 59.1% of all income, the richest fifth held 88.9% of all wealth.” Other measures indicate equally disturbing trends. What is it about this system that …

Opinion – A Hedge Against Wealth Disparity: Employee Owned Businesses Read More »

In the wake of the recent economic downturn, corporations and organizations began to reveal some of their internal practices, speak about what they were doing, where they were going, and why. What grew out of an effort to regain the trust of consumers, is now embraced by successful organizations of all sizes. This transparency in …

Transparency in Business – A step toward a more sustainable practice Read More »

Our recent Triple Bottom Line (3BL) Forum, titled “The Power to Change Things,” highlighted many avenues our community can pursue to change the very nature of the businesses we own, work for, and aspire to be. One such theme that arose from several presentations discussed the rise of the emerging local economy here in the …

An Emerging Local Economy – what does that mean for cities like Detroit? Read More »