Eco-Friendly

Interview with Jason Schwartz: What it’s like to Work for a Benefit Corporation

Leah Stonefeld is the winter semester marketing & communications intern at Clean Currents. She is a graduate student at American University where she is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Global Environmental Policy. Leah has a passion for renewable energy completed undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, School of Sustainability. Besides renewable energy, one of Leah’s main reasons for wanting to intern at Clean Currents was our B Corp status.

As a new intern at Clean Currents, I wanted to discover why staff chose to work for a Benefit Corporation. I met up with Jason Schwartz, V.P. of Sales at Clean Currents to discuss what makes working for a Certified Benefit Corporation so unique.

Prior to working with Clean Currents, Jason was the Senior Sales Strategist for Kurlan & Associates. He also has experience as an entrepreneur, starting his own business Bkind Foods, LLC in 2009. Jason has extensive experience consulting on executive level coaching, sales team training and development, and leadership development. He has a M.S. in Organizational Change Management from the New School University.

LS: What’s the buzz regarding Benefit Corporations and social responsibility?

JS: By now it’s clear that business are changing and evolving to meet higher social and environmental expectations. Customers expect more than just a good product, and in a highly competitive business setting a good product backed by a well run socially and environmentally conscious team can help set a product or service apart.

LS: But what does it take to make that extra step and become a sustainable business leader?

JS: At Clean Currents, it’s the people who are committed to something bigger than themselves. A sales or marketing position becomes more than the title suggests, at a Benefit Corporation it becomes a channel for action. Working in sales the goal becomes more than making the deal, it’s about understanding how your product or service will impact customers in a positive way. You have to understand the norms and values your customers have in their personal life or business and reflect that in your operations.

LS: What really attracted you to work in sales for a Benefit Corporation?

JS: As a Benefit Corporation, we’re committed to more than profit. We are more than you’re energy supplier. We’re an advocate for your goals and values. When you work with us to power your business or home you’re going to have a partner to help you reach your goals. It may seam like a challenge for the sales department of a business to focus on more than transaction. Having an objective beyond maximizing profit creates a new space to work within and create positive change.

Watch Jason’s recent employee spotlight at the top to better understand his passion for Clean Currents and how it connects to his life.