The Green Edge: Differentiating your Business & Improving Bottom Line May 13, 2010

Does your business have the green edge? Find out with a group of local award-winning business pioneers as we explore how to make green business good business.

Over the past few years, green has moved into the mainstream as consumers and business clients have begun making a point of patronizing businesses that offer green products or services and have greened their business operations. At the same time, consumer enthusiasm is tempered by skepticism due to rampant "greenwashing" and false claims being made by those companies hoping to profit from this shift in priorities.

For this panel, we have invited a group of distinguished local business owners to recount the paths they have taken to build or transform their companies into successful, award-winning, authentically green businesses. These entertaining and charismatic green business pioneers will share inspirational stories and provide proven strategies of how they have differentiated their companies and improved their bottom line in the current cultural, political and economic climate.
From this session, you will learn:
* Key challenges and solutions to establishing and maintaining a green business
* Unique considerations for transforming successfully from a traditional to a green business
* Marketing techniques to boost sales by positioning a business as green
* Specific ways that greening your business operations can also improve the bottom line
* Which third party certifications provide businesses with credibility

This ASP event is co-sponsored with Green Zebra. Attendees will enjoy hand-crafted beer from ThirstyBear Brewing Company, as well as hors d'oeuvres. All attendees will be eligible to win one of several valuable raffle prizes donated by participating businesses.

Moderator:
Anne Fisher Vollen - Green Zebra

Panelists:
Rick Karp - Cole Hardware
Jeff Marcous - Dharma Merchant Services
Ron Silberstein - ThirstyBear Brewing Company
Allison Tryk - EarthLust

Official Website: http://www.strategyplus.org/chapters/NorthernCalifornia.php