Consultance Accounting Services adopts green practices and community commitment

by Susanna Parker

Orin Schepps, CEO of Consultance Accounting Services, is no stranger to community involvement. His company has a longstanding commitment to both corporate and personal social responsibility, supporting a variety of nonprofit organizations with missions that include promoting theater and cultural arts, protecting DC’s water supply, and helping restore tree cover to communities around the world. In addition to providing pro-bono financial guidance and bookkeeping services to Bethesda Green and other groups, the firm donates 5 percent of its fees to qualified nonprofit organizations of their clients’ choosing.

Orin got involved with Bethesda Green after hearing about its mission and approached Executive Director Dave Feldman with his offer of help. The relationship has been meaningful on both sides, leading to new associations and further involvement in the local green business community. Consultance Accounting Services does more than just support green business – they have adopted green practices as well.

Despite handling 180,000 pieces of documentation, Consultance uses a paperless system for all their bookkeeping and accounting services, saving trees and conserving resources.  They do more than work in a paperless environment – all of Consultance’s services are offered remotely, allowing each employee to work from home, reducing gasoline usage and cutting emissions to the environment. Consultance Accounting Services also helps its clients to go green, assisting them in their changeover to paperless processing for their accounting and bookkeeping needs.

In addition to adopting more green practices in Consultance’s future, Orin has hopes that more firms in the accounting industry and other businesses in general will go paperless. He explains that, with technology that is readily available, paper files are needed less and less in today’s business world. With nearly 4 billion trees cut down annually, just for paper, imagine the positive impact on the environment if all businesses went paperless.

Consultance Accounting Services offers accounting, bookkeeping, comptroller, and CFO services for businesses and nonprofit organizations. Visit their website at http://consultancellc.com

Susanna Parker is a recent college graduate and volunteer with Bethesda Green. Her interest in sustainability leads her to look for green solutions in uncommon places.

 

What Investors Are Looking for and How To Pitch

Entrepreneurs looking for financing?

Bethesda Green is presenting the second of its five finance workshops — What Investors Are Looking for and How to Pitch — on Thursday, January 31, 8-10 am. The panel includes two angel investors and an entrepreneur actively fund raising, who will share their first-hand experience about what it takes to impress investors.

SPEAKERS:

• Anthony Millin, Lerch, Early and Brewer, moderator
• Casey Berman, Berman Ventures, Dingman Angel
• Jason Shrensky, Dingman Angel in Residence
• Greg Merril, CEO, Brain Sentry

LOCATION: Bethesda Green, 4825 Cordell Avenue, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814

FEE: $15, no charge for incubator companies. Click here for more info.

DATE/TIME: Thursday, January 31. General networking and light refreshments at 8 am; program runs 8:30 – 10 am.

CONTACT US: Email Robert Snyder at rsnyder@bethesdagreen.org or call at 240-396-2440 x103 if you have any questions.

Register here

The Finance Workshop Series is sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

 

Growing local green businesses

Bethesda Green has launched a Finance Workshop Series & Investor Forum to help grow the green business economy in the region.  The series focuses on educating entrepreneurs about financing opportunities and preparing them to present to investors.

Next workshop:
“What Investors Are Looking For and How To Pitch”
Thursday, Jan. 31
8 – 10 am
Bethesda Green
4825 Cordell Ave, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814

This workshop will address what investors are looking for in an early stage company and how to make an effective presentation to them.  The program panel will include both qualified investors and entrepreneurs who have extensive experience in what it takes to raise funding.  The discussion will go beyond the typical business plan outline to address the key points and approaches that will make your business attractive to potential investors.

Fee: $15 per workshop

General networking and light refreshments available at 8 am; program begins at 8:30.

Tickets available here.

 

Green job opportunities keep rolling in

Even though it’s been a month since the Bethesda Fields of Green Internship Fair, the green job opportunities keep rolling in. Check out this exciting opportunity for women interested in the green building trades.

A free, 6-week pre-apprenticeship training program in the green building trades, funded through the Department of Labor and administered by the Community Services Agency of the ALF-CIO, is starting in May 2012. An information session about the Building Futures class is scheduled tomorrow, Tuesday, March 27. Interested parties should immediately contact Jennifer Gajdosik, jgajdosik@wowonline.org or call (202)464-1596 ext. 109.

Back on February 25, Bethesda Green hosted its third annual Fields of Green Internship Fair, attracting 24 green employers and more than 120 intern prospects. The employers represented both national and international environmental organizations like The Student Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy and Habitat for Humanity.  Several smaller local companies and non-profits including Rock Creek Conservancy,  Savenia Labs, Anacostia Watershed Society, DC Greenworks, Calleva Outdoor Camp and  Common Cents Solar participated as well.  Over one hundred paid and unpaid environmental internships were available through the employers participating in the event.

The overall feedback from students and employers was that the Fields of Green Internship Fair filled a great need for local area green jobs.  For many of the students who attended this will be their first step in the professional job arena.  And, for our employers who were hoping to attract top talent to their business, they weren’t disappointed.  Bethesda Green strives to create a sustainable community and support green jobs in our local economy.  There is no question that the annual Fields of Green Internship is doing just that!

For more information about employers that participated and internship descriptions, check out the Bethesda Green website.

 

Cleantech Open Reception March 6

Entrepreneurs with the next great idea for energy efficiency, green building, water conservation, waste reduction or green technology take note: Cleantech Open, the nation’s leading clean technology business competition, is starting soon in the Washington, DC area.

Bethesda Green will kick off the Cleantech Open competition at a reception on March 6, 5 – 7 pm at its office, 4825 Cordell Avenue, above the Capital One Bank.

“I’ve been involved with technology business incubators for more than 25 years, and I believe that the Cleantech Open competition is one of the best ways to foster sustainability, innovation and business success,” says Robert Snyder, Incubator Manager at Bethesda Green. “We are delighted to offer this opportunity to local businesses and student entrepreneurs – and excited to see what they have to offer.”

Local start-up entrepreneurs and students with businesses (or business ideas) in energy efficiency, green building, water and waste conservation, energy storage and green transportation are invited to compete at the regional level starting in the spring, with national finals held in the fall.

Cleantech Open offers winners substantial funding, as well as access to the advice and guidance of a network of more than 3,000 professional volunteers. By lending time and expertise to entrepreneurs who may otherwise not be able to get their ideas off the ground, Cleantech facilitates the growth and positive impact from clean technology industries.

Since its founding in 2006 by Silicon Valley leaders, the Cleantech Open organization has established itself as the leading force for accelerating clean technology entrepreneurs. Of the nearly 600 companies Cleantech has worked with, 80 percent remain viable today and they have gone on to raise external capital exceeding $660 million.

More information about the Cleantech Open Reception is available at the Bethesda Green Meetup website.

 

BG Incubator Celebrates a Year of Success

by Robert Snyder, Bethesda Green Incubator Manager

The Bethesda Green Business Incubator developed and matured in 2011 as a place for young green companies to grow.  Some of our initial companies graduated, while new companies were added; our physical space grew; and services to our companies greatly expanded.   Today, we have 10 companies and two nonprofits, with several more waiting to join.

Four companies graduated this year:  SeeEco, Glen Eco Vapor Systems, Energy Light + Control, and Bkind Vending.  Three of the four were purchased by larger companies and their products and services continue to be sold.

The incubator welcomed five new companies this year, adding new vitality and diversity to our industry profile:

• Footprint Free, offering carbon offsets to small businesses
• Doo Consulting, offering LEED planning services for businesses and local governments
• A.I.R. Lawn Care, offering natural lawn care services
• Rock Creek Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the Rock Creek watershed
• Geostellar, offering geospacial imaging services to the solar industry sector

At the end of 2010, with the generosity of Capital One Bank, the incubator expanded its offices to include an additional 1,000 square feet of space to accommodate full-time resident companies.  We are delighted to have filled that space this year with two existing companies and two new ones—Savenia Labs, Mark Leisher Productions, Rock Creek Conservancy and Geostellar.

Most importantly, we have expanded the services provided to our companies, increasing their access to business and technical expertise.  We are particularly proud to have launched a partnership with the University of Maryland for access to their wealth of business and technical resources.  These resources have included the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship in the Smith School of Business; Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTech) and the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) in the Clark School of Engineering; and the Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center in the Law School.  In addition, the staff of the Small Business Development Center’s Capital Region office has worked closely with our incubator companies to provide counseling services.  Our incubator continues to work closely with Montgomery County’s Department of Economic Development, particularly with its Business Innovation Network where we share expertise and education and training programs.

The incubator has offered a robust lunchtime speaker series that has featured distinguished entrepreneurs and business services providers.  Our distinguished entrepreneurs included Seth Goldman, Honest Tea; Scott Nash, MOM’s Organic Market; Devin Schain, Campus Direct; Lawrence Winkler, Consolidated Green Services; Charles Segerman, Clean Currents; and Tony Clifford, Standard Solar.  Our business services providers spoke on a variety of topics including social media, company branding, angel investment, legislative issues in the Maryland legislature and deal structure for investments.

Our coming year promises to be an even better one:  more great companies and even better services.  Watch us grow!

 

Fields of Green Internship Fair May 7

In response to the great need for job creation, Bethesda Green is planning its second annual “Fields of Green” Internship Fair, Saturday, May 7, 10 am – 2 pm, at Bethesda Green, 4825 Cordell Avenue, Suite 200, located on the second floor above the Capital One Bank branch at the corner of Woodmont and Cordell Avenues.

The goal of this event is to connect interested and talented young adults, ages 18-24, with local vocational and educational opportunities in our evolving green industry.

More detail, including a listing of regularly updated opportunities can be found here.

We expect to attract hundreds of students from local universities and colleges to visit over two-dozen tables showcasing local business, government, non-profits and academic institutions.

Register to Attend

 

Internship Fair connects young people to green jobs

Bethesda Green volunteers Ann Dorough, Karyn Miele and Rosalie Grazzini (L-R) at the March 27 Internship Fair. Photo by Ralph Smith.

Among efforts to stimulate the local economy, the inaugural Bethesda Green Fields of Green Internship Fair March 27 proved to be an exciting step in the right direction.  With more than 200 young people registered to participate and over two dozen businesses, nonprofits and academic institutions exhibiting, the day-long event hosted at the BCC Regional Services Center successfully connected scores of young people into entry-level internship positions offering experience toward landing green jobs.

Bethesda Green Volunteer Coordinator Rosalie Grazzini led the effort to organize the fair. “We were prompted by both ends of the employment spectrum, those looking for internship opportunities and those looking for interns,” said Grazzini, “The goal is to create green jobs through raising awareness and inspiring young adults and students to pursue careers in Fields of Green.”

In addition to meeting company representatives and applying for internships, attendees heard from a panel of experts — Sunshine Brosi, Frostburg State University; Amy Lindsey, Environmental Planner with Montgomery County; Anca Novacovici, Eco-Coach; Randi Steiner, Montgomery College; and Esi Waters, GreenShape — on hot new careers in Fields of Green and what qualifications are needed in the job market.

Representing Workforce Development & Continuing Education, Steve Greenfield helped promote the event to Montgomery College students.  “What a well-organized and high-spirited Fields of Green event,” wrote Greenfield in feedback.  “We really enjoyed participating and look forward to the next one.  Congratulations to Bethesda Green.  I know how much hard work went into this effort.  We feel privileged to be a participant in our community’s effort toward environmental responsibility and stewardship.”

Internship opportunities will continue to be listed online.   And Bethesda Green will track the experience of a select number of interns over the summer.  Stay tuned for a number of exciting plans for the future and the second annual Fields of Green Internship Fair next year.

The Fields of Green Internship Fair was sponsored by the Reznick Group and Perfect Settings.

 

Sustainable Investing: Managing Your Money for Good

Four financial and investment professionals engaged in a stimulating panel discussion at Bethesda Green February 18 around the topic of Sustainable Investments and the Green Economy.

The panelists and audience covered topics from microfinance to macroeconomics, as well as socially responsible investing, credit unions, small business loans, green jobs and sustainable agriculture.

Participating as panelists were Paul Hilton, Director of Advanced Equities Research at Calvert Investments; Tim Brown, Manager of the Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union’s Bethesda branch; Chris Belchamber, owner of CB Investment Management; and Art Stevens, Relationship Manager at the Calvert Foundation.

(L to R) Paul Hilton, Calvert Investments; Tim Brown, Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union; Chris Belchamber, CB Investment Management; Art Stevens, Calvert Foundation

Hilton, Brown and Stevens discussed what their organizations are doing to promote sustainable business practices and a healthy environment. For example, Calvert Investments–a mutual fund company–pushed Dell to start a computer recycling program. Mid-Atlantic Federal will give you a lower car loan rate if you’re buying a car that gets 25 mpg city or higher. And Calvert Foundation invests in things public investors usually avoid, such as low-income housing and elder care.

Belchamber gave an overview of the current economic mess and explained how the current U.S. monetary system, with its exponential debt and growth, is unsustainable. Investors are moving into physical assets, he said, and more people are becoming aware of the shortcomings of the current system, giving him hope we’re moving toward a better way.

At times the talk rose to esoteric and technical levels about first-loss funding, currency debasement, fiduciaries and community development financial institutions.

But there were some simple messages to take away. Hilton noted that your money has social and environmental value, in addition to financial, and that you can use it as leverage to create change, just like Calvert Investments does. For example, he said if your company’s 401K plan does not have a Socially Responsible Investment option, ask for one.

Belchamber recommended thinking about who has your money: Is it a big national bank or a smaller local institution? If you keep your money in the community, you have more control over it—and what gets done with it.

Brown echoed that sentiment and explained how credit union members are actually owners, too—unlike bank customers. When you join a credit union such as Mid-Atlantic Federal, you have a say in board elections and credit union policy.

Stevens added that credit unions do not face market pressures that publicly-traded banks do. Often credit unions have 5 to 10 year strategic plans; their vision doesn’t stop at the next quarter. Taking the long view makes them inherently more sustainable.

It was an information-packed evening. In the end, the main messages included: There are Socially Responsible Investment options out there for investors big and small; your money and investments can have an impact on corporate behavior and the environment; local, community banking options exist that give you more of a voice and may be more responsive to you; and it pays to become more mindful of your money management.

 

Is Economics a Green Issue?

“Green and the Economy — Make it work for you,” the new message topping the Bethesda Green website, is a particularly timely theme, given the political emphasis evident from President Obama’s State of the Union address.

We offer a unique take on the question, Is Economics a Green Issue?  Much more so than you might suspect, according to Susan Belchamber, who submits a thoughful feature essay for your consideration.

Belchamber explores the interrelationships among “four forms of capital”:

• Financial — cash, stocks, bonds, intellectual property
• Physical — buildings, roads, infrastructure, ports, bridges
• Social — community/family, social networks, quality of life
• Natural — clean water & air, biodiversity, renewable resources

Read the article then come back and submit a comment.