Lessons From BLD PNW 2025 to Realize Impact: Staying Rooted While Weathering Change

Using B Local PDX’s Impact Framework to Reflect on Lessons Learned and Moments Shared

• Knowledge and Resources Shared Freely — B Corps can openly and accessibly share tangible resources and beneficial knowledge to their entire spectrum of stakeholders, from customers, collaborators, and competitors to the local and international populations impacted by their operations.
• Thriving Business — The policies, initiatives, and shared knowledge/resources of a B Corp can tie directly back into their operating model in a way that produces positive impacts felt at all business levels, including employee health & wellness, operational alignment, and baseline performance.
• Thriving Community — The direct actions and advocacy of the B Corp can generate outward positive impacts within local communities while also building connections that are strong, multi-faceted, and create positive circular or reciprocal relationships.

Knowledge and Resources Shared Freely

One of the most memorable moments of the conference, for me, came from the breakout session “Before and After the Fire: Building Forest Resilience Through Tradition, Restoration, and Regeneration.”

Panelists Marko Bey and Belinda Brown talked about their work at the Lomakatsi Restoration Project. For 30 years, the non-profit organization has worked to restore forests and watersheds in Oregon, northern California, and Idaho. They’ve also partnered with organizations like Sustainable NW Wood to build circularity and ecosystem care directly into product supply chains.

A “big takeaway” moment came from learning about Zero Foodprint’s impact as part of the breakout “Investing in Regeneration: How B Corps Are Advancing Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Health in the Pacific Northwest” Their work really opened my eyes to the extent of how regenerative practices can be used to restore ecosystems and strengthen community resilience.

What they do is leverage small donations—as little as 1% of total proceeds from a particular product or revenue stream—and they use that money to support projects like restoring soil health and accomplishing soil-based carbon capture. It’s a great partnership opportunity for food-based businesses, one that takes something relatively small to collectively accomplish something big.

Thriving Business

Ellonda L. Williams — Interim Co-Executive Director, B Lab U.S. & Canada

During the breakout session “Design Therapy: Step Into the Fire to Heal Your Organization,” Scott Smith and Talie Smith of the agency Smith & Connors framed “courage” in a way didn’t expect. Businesses often talk about the world they’d want to see if factors outside their control were aligned more closely with their own values. But the truth is that misalignment in values and perspectives often comes internally, as well. These misalignments represent big opportunities to manifest your organization’s values in a way that can be seen and felt directly around you.

Individuals within organizations have to have the courage to take steps to surface, address, and heal these misalignments. They can then bring about impactful, deep change through policies and changing the world from within—both within oneself and the organization in which they operate.

It’s all about putting culture first: misalignment undermines credibility and compounds outcomes, both positively and negatively. It’s also about accounting for outer perception—because what people see as real often becomes the way things are framed.

The question is, if you want change to happen, but the value driving that change isn’t showing up in your operations, can you confront and rectify that difference? And it all comes down to organizational will-power: do they truly want the change? Do they allocate what’s needed for it? Will they build the capacity to make it a reality?

Jaime Coyle — Manager, Community Engagement

During a discussion group, I had the opportunity to hear first-hand how the act of getting certified as a B Corp has a halo effect that serves as a powerful differentiator.

Attending reps from CTL said something to the effect of “B Corp Certification sets us apart—we are the only ones that did this in our market.”

Another attendee representing Sensiba effectively said that people come to them by virtue of the fact that they are a Certified B Corporation. People are tired of the normal accounting world and want something different. They gave an example of how they were at a job fair and everyone attending was going to the big accounting firms. Then they put the B Corp logo on their sign and got equal, if not more, student interest than the bigger, more recognizable accounting firms.

We also heard B Corps talk about “finding your impact lever.” As a B Corp, you don’t need to do everything all at once. Start where you have an impact. Doing everything all at once is a recipe for doing nothing.

Thriving Community

One of most memorable breakout sessions for me was also the first one of the day: “The Power in Your Pocket—Aligning Your Money with Your Values.” It was all about putting your financial infrastructure in line with your mission and your values.

A huge takeaway was to avoid doing anything that’s only looking at the short-term, whether it’s something you see as positive or something that delays positive value alignment for a short-term reason. Short-term-ism is detrimental. Focus instead on stakeholder engagement. Talking to people—whether they live in your home or work at your company—can help you start building out a long-term plan, right here and now.

Keep your eyes on that road map, and you’ll stay focused on getting where you want to go. Hone in on one area at a time, too, like switching to a B Corp-certified bank or a financial services provider that prioritizes diverse representation in its senior staff. Trying to do it all at once can result in not doing anything at all.

Doing advocacy and challenging the status quo takes time. You also shouldn’t expect results immediately for taking values-aligned moves some may see as risky. Think 5 years, not 90 days.

Ellonda

We had the chance to see some really exciting effects that can come from continual participation in local business and interpersonal communities. There are some really cool collaborations we saw that have 2 or 3 B Corps and non-B’s supporting each other.

As someone who has the potential to grow our own impact as an organization, I see these results and ask: how can we capitalize this energy from within? And can this be the lever to pull that shows the emergent business development opportunities that can be achieved through certification?

Kel

People in this community genuinely enjoy each other’s company and want to see each other succeed. There is such a focus on collaboration over competition. One example was in our debrief session, there were two different local B Corp Development Companies (Killian Pacific and Adre) who were talking about how they appreciate having more B Corp developers in the area so they can approach advocacy with the city together. It allows them to make a stronger case when there are several businesses who are pushing for similar things.

Key Closing Takeaways

Calling BLD PNW a conference doesn’t really cover it. It’s a rebellious celebration, a masterclass seminar, and group therapy all rolled into one. It’s a high trust gathering of values-aligned leaders who would rather share knowledge with competitors than practice extractive, soul-sick business as usual.

BLD topics are a mile wide; you can choose your own adventure. We put a trash expert and a bread savant on stage to talk about electric vehicles. We got real about fast fashion and AI impacts, reparative development and soil regeneration, leadership and impact. We drank at least 9 different local B Corp beverages. We spent a lot of time outside and brought lessons from nature into our organizations.

The work of BLD is in sinking our roots deeper into this community. The joy of BLD is in sparks catching — new relationships and partnerships renew our energy for the movement. BLD is asking each other tough questions with heart and hope. BLD is biz dev in the style of family reunion. BLD is a bunch of awesome people who walk their talk. It’s the hardest thing I do every year, and I can’t wait to plan the next one.

Rose

BLD PNW is critical to bring together the B Corp Community in the region. I saw strengthened connections, inspiring content, and smiling faces. B Local PDX’s event is one of most impactful gatherings we have on the organization’s calendar. It brings together the community to grow and connect and sets the stage to increase our collective impact as business leaders.

At this year’s gathering, I was particular taken by B Local PDX’s new Impact Framework model. It showed what the organization is focused on and how, as a community resource, it can set the stage for greater growth, development, and positive impact—even in conditions that seem unfavorable to the movements you want to succeed.

About BLD PNW

Organized by B Local PDX, BLD PNW is the largest gathering of B Corps and purpose-driven organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Formerly a 1-day event, it was expanded into a 3-day event for 2025 to allow more room for breakouts, presentations, activities, and chances to connect with others in the B Corp Community who share our passions and align with our missions.