Bringing World-Class Entrepreneurial Talent to our Backyard — And Changing the World
by Scott Tillitt and
Ajax Greene
Current events in the
Hudson Valley have us feeling incredible bullish on the Hudson Valley. We truly
believe that our region can and should be a leader in the Localism movement. It
is the locally owned, independent, triple-bottom-line businesses found up and
down the river that will lead our economy — and our communities — to a place of
vibrancy.
One way to do this is
to have more thoughtful, savvy and connected business owners. Which is exactly
what Social Venture Institutes (SVI) have been doing for almost 20 years. SVIs
provide emerging values-driven entrepreneurs and innovative nonprofit leaders a
forum to share challenges and get expert advice in a safe, trusting
environment. Founded by Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm, the SVI model
provides an interactive and practical way to connect with and learn from peers
and experts alike. We like to think of it as an ad hoc advisory board, with
depth.
SVI is a program of
Social Venture Network (SVN), a community of the world’s leading social
entrepreneurs working together to create transformational innovation, growth
and impact. Since 1996, SVIs across North America have provided more than 1,500
entrepreneurs the opportunity to strengthen their business skills, network, and
rejuvenate their vision. This is a proven path for social entrepreneurs to
succeed.
We’re doing our own
independently organized version here: SVI Hudson Valley.
The people and
organizations behind SVI Hudson Valley are some of the original thinkers and
doers of the social enterprise movement. It’s being presented by Re>Think
Local, Antidote Collective and On Belay Business Advisors in partnership
with Omega Institute and Social Venture Network.
We’re bringing
world-class entrepreneurial talent to our backyard.
A signature SVI
feature is True Confessions, whereby leading entrepreneurs share their
trials, tribulations and triumphs in creating their socially responsible businesses.
Our Saturday night keynoter is Dal LaMagna, who started Tweezerman in 1980 and
built it into a multinational personal-care-tool brand that practices
responsible capitalism and corporate social responsibility. He’s currently the
CEO/CFO of IceStone, which makes countertops out of recycled glass and cement,
and an active investor in social impact businesses. Dal has recently taken root
near Rhinebeck, and we’re luck to have him share his insights.
Case Studies, however,
are the core of the SVI model, where the greatest learning happens. In these
sessions, a presenter poses a specific business problem to a panel of “expert”
respondents or seasoned socially responsible entrepreneurs. Panelists and
retreat participants alike offer advice based on their experience and
expertise. Each Case Study receives an hour of focused problem solving. It's a
powerful way for the entire group to work together and gain a wealth of
practical ideas about how to deal with the challenges of running a socially
responsible company.
It can be painful for
the presenter — as direct, constructive criticism can be — but the learning
that occurs can be immeasurable. Reinventing the way the world does business is
no easy task. To be a successful social entrepreneur fundamental change must
occur. (As of this writing it is not too late to apply to be a presenter.)
We’ll combine all that
with mindfulness-based practices, community-building and strategic visioning, a
vogue-ish high-level exercise in business, urban planning, nonprofits… anywhere
where thinking strategically about future direction is helpful.
People say that the
real learning and the true value at most conferences come from the downtime,
the unscheduled time, the time between the panels and sage-on-the-stage talks.
At SVI, those times are built into the program as a central part of the format.
This is what makes it so different from most business conferences (aside from
the values alignment).
SVI Hudson Valley is a
weekend of profound problem solving, visioning and connecting, at one of the
world's premier educational retreat centers. It’s not just about learning a new
tactic or discovering a new resource. It’s about harnessing collective
intelligence in an inspired setting to actually work through creative solutions
to vexing challenges. It’s about injecting new life into your business (or
organization)… and yourself.
SVI Hudson Valley will
be held May 9-11 at Omega Institute near Rhinebeck, NY. Details at
www.svihudsonvalley.com. A portion of the program fee supports Re>Think
Local in its continuing work to “co-create a better Hudson Valley.”
Posted by Chris Hewitt
on 10:39 AM.
Filed under
Feature,
Rethink Local
.
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