WMSBF Names Sustainable Business of the Year Award Winners

West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum will honor local organizations and professionals at its 10th Annual Triple Bottom Line Bash on Wednesday, October 18 at the The Goei Center in Grand Rapids. The sold-out event is the signature function of the region’s sustainability and sustainable business community. 

The Forum will recognize six local companies and institutions as West Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year Award winners.  The award is selected by a committee of past honorees and local business and community leaders, recognizing organizations that are advancing decarbonization goals and climate solutions, racial equity and environmental justice, green stormwater infrastructure, or the creation of a circular economy.

• Atomic Object is a custom software design and development consultancy with a progressive and innovative business culture, a template for forward-thinking organizations and corporate citizenship admired by peers across Michigan.  It has been ranked by industry observers as the #1 certified-B Corps to work for in the country.
• Gentex, a Tier 1 automotive supplier, is being recognized for its best-in-class supplier diversity and inclusion programs, and its accelerating environmental sustainability initiatives. It recently piloted a Limited English Proficiency Program for Spanish-speaking workers, and now operates bilingual production lines on all three shifts in two facilities.
• Grand Valley State University is being recognized for its work to advance green stormwater infrastructure and sustainable design on campus. Through its stormwater initiative, it set a goal to reduce stormwater run-off to predevelopment levels. 
• Management Business Solutions is a minority and female-owned staffing and consulting service that is creating employment opportunities for underrepresented populations while promoting diverse hiring practices, inclusive policies and community engagement.
• Perfect Circle Recycling is a materials management firm that has filled a long-unmet need for food de-packaging in the region, a key asset in Michigan’s efforts to reduce food waste. 
• Samaria J’s Salon is being recognized for its service as a space for community leadership, providing a platform for environmental and racial justice, climate leadership, and sustainable business innovation in Grand Rapids.

The Forum will also induct three local professionals into the West Michigan Sustainable Business Hall of Fame: Lynn Spurr, Senior Environmental Specialist at Fishbeck, Mary Ellen Mika, Director of Sustainability for Steelcase, and Shelley Padnos, Chairman, PADNOS.

The West Michigan Sustainable Business Hall of Fame is a lifetime achievement award that recognizes extraordinary contributions to the growth of sustainable business in the West Michigan area over the course of a career.