a Naap by Lowel Doweny M any businesses in Napa Valley have begun to use a new model for acheiving success, one that uses the priorities the Thriving Communities movement. Under this model, the successful business does best in a compassionate community surrounded by a healthy natural environment. The desired outcome of work is for our children to be safe, educated and fed; and for lives to have purpose. The base of this desire is gratitude for the earth, which provides us a bounty of life, fresh air, and clean, natural water that nurtures our food and gives us sustenance. Mark Hiddleston, owner of Specialized Storage Solutions in Napa, is one of those business people, and applies this kind of nurturing to his business. This precept of his business can also be found in Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People: Begin with the End in Mind. “Everything is connected,” Mark says. “Business is a living system. It is about creating value, opportunity and resources. It is all based on relationships, and relationships are based on trust. Being compassionate is taking into consideration other people’s concerns, and caring about them. “To do business well is about creating strong relationships, even with competitors,” Mark adds. “Together we reinforce the importance of our work.” He believes in the “triple bottom line” of three interdependent elements woven into his business plan: profit, planet, people. To have a healthy triple bottom line, he says, requires trust in relationships, investment in employee success, and generosity to the community and planet. This philosophy is part of a larger Thriving Communities movement that has evolved from the green and sustainability movements to form strong coalitions between leaders from the public, business, nonprofits, and environmental and government sectors, with the shared purpose of creating strong practical solutions to solve our local and world problems. After many years, such collaborations have fostered a dedication to the triple bottom line. The movement has arrived in the Napa Valley. “Thrive Napa Valley has developed out of the need to move beyond the concept of sustainability,” says Bonny Meyers. Meyers and Bob Massaro, creator and producer of the OHOME, and Jeff Vander Clute, executive director at New Stories, which sponsors projects related to building thriving and resilient communities, have joined others in the Napa Valley community to give voice to this movement. With a focus on economics, the second Thriving Communities Conference at the Whidbey Institute on Whidbey Island, Washington took place in mid-March with approximately 100 participants from Seattle, the San Juan Islands, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. For three days the conference focused on thriving business models, learning from each other, and collaborating on ways to improve our effectiveness. Thriving economies are based on cooperation, connection and compassion. Bellingham and Port Townsend, Washington, are excellent examples of cities committed to these principles. One model that is spreading around the region is the Local Investing Opportunities Network, or LION (https://l2020.org/LION). LION began when local citizens came together to build and invest financially in prosperous local businesses. Their website states, “Our membership consists of local citizens who want to invest their money locally. Keeping funds local facilitates greater economic self-sufficiency, job growth, and economic development.” 54 www.nAPAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine. c om To understand this approach, imagine our local businesses as a watershed. As we all know, protecting the watershed helps insure a healthy ecosystem. In the same way, protecting our local business community fosters the triple bottom line. The bottom line is threatened, for example, by the influence of large megastores. Accepting a large megastore such as Costco into Napa does not support a healthy local business environment. Costco belongs on the freeway of life, not near the heart of our culture and vitality. Using this watershed model, let’s think of our future being the habitat downstream. The Costco dam will irreversibly alter the footprint of local entrepreneurship by capturing significant market share from the small winemakers and farmers who ensure the cultural and economic vitality of Napa Valley. Thriving economies resist the pull of tax dollars from megastores, preferring instead the long-term resilient and organic growth that a local economy provides. At a recent Green Drinks event sponsored by Thrive Napa Valley, Napa County Public Health Director Dr. Karen Smith, who is dedicated to the health and vitality of our community, spoke about adopting the Charter of Compassion (http://charterforcompassion.org). The Charter of Compassion is spreading throughout the world. Cities and institutions are adopting this charter to reflect their values and commitment to their communities. Embrace a thriving community. There are many ways to build a strong business and participate in growing a resilient community: partner with others, support local farmers, share food or a community garden, engage the children in creating their own future, share tools and knowledge, join your neighborhood organization, and foster compassion in our daily life. We all live downstream. We all breathe the same air and drink from the same water. There is a call to action. What can you do today? Lowell Downey is owner of Green Team Wisdom and Art & Clarity Fine Photography. business that Mark Hiddleston (Photo by Art & Clarity)
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