Testimonials

Thank you for the very kind and thoughtful words at the Annual Meeting yesterday. I was out with a sick 3-year old and came into the office this morning to a standing ovation by my team. It has been a true pleasure working with you. I look forward to continuing a strong working relationship so that we can keep our company in the forefront of good business practices.

As a result of negotiations with Investor Voice, Starbucks – the nation’s largest specialty coffee retailer – adopted leading-edge policies for disclosure of political contributions and payments to trade associations. To learn more about our work with Starbucks, visit our News posts.

Thanks for all you did to make Ethiopia’s request of Starbucks a prominent topic at the Annual General Meeting. You were wonderful partners! We raved about your hospitality, savvy advice, and masterful advocacy.

Starbucks trademarked the most famous names of the Ethiopian birthplaces of coffee. The Ethiopian government, unsuccessful in its petition for Starbucks to return these legal trademarks to the people and land of Ethopia, sought the help of Oxfam America. Oxfam created a campaign to move Starbucks, and they called on the Investor Voice team to elevate the conversation to Starbucks’ shareholders, Board, management, and the business press. In the end, Starbucks agreed to return the trademarks they had captured, and pledged not to pursue any additional trademarks of Ethiopian placenames.

You wowed them. I loved hearing you speak with such authority and clarity on such a complicated issue.

One of Virginia’s leading environmental organizations sought help turning back plans for two massive new electric transmission lines. These power lines were envisioned under special “national security” clauses embedded within the Energy Policy Act of 2005, that effectively allowed companies to circumvent all established siting protocols and environmental protections by designating so-called “National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors.”

These two corridors would impact more than 100 million acres of land across ten States, and critics saw it not as a matter of national security, but solely as a scheme to sell electricity from outdated and dirty coal-burning facilities in Ohio into lucrative Northeast markets.

The Investor Voice team crafted the nation’s first-ever shareholder resolution dealing with provisions of Homeland Security legislation, and presented it at two power companies. These efforts brought new attention to the matter and contributed to slowing down the process. The national security designations were then struck down in federal court in February, 2011.

You have accomplished so much and built an incredible movement within the shareholder community. I am humbled by the stories I hear of folks like you making such a big difference.

You did an OUTSTANDING job. I think many will enjoy your take on the season and your other important remarks regarding SRI. Thanks so much for the work you do.

I’ve always found Bruce Herbert and his team to be incredibly responsive and keyed into the social investing arena. They are a pleasure to work with, and have consistently provided thought and action leadership in this field.

I admire your work immensely.

You were amazingly generous with your time… and with something that matters more than time. Call it ‘listening’ or ‘attention’ or ‘human kindness and caring.’ It’s a rare and special quality even in a friend, never mind a business.

Just heard your segment on KUOW. A beautiful story, beautifully told in your beautiful low-key way. It is a privilege to be your friend and colleague.

Congratulations on some more fine work.

(The Bainbridge Graduate Institute created the nation’s first sustainability-oriented MBA program.)