Forum Invites Members to Join New Communities

Michigan Sustainable Business Forum is launching two new permanent committees of its Board of Directors that will allow it to better advance its mission and strategic plan: a now statewide membership committee, and for the first time since the organization’s founding, a Policy Committee.

The Membership Impact Committee will focus on the recruitment of new members, expansion of the Forum footprint, and improved engagement of corporate and professional members through local events, identification of resource needs and development of awareness campaigns.  It will also lead the nomination process for the annual Sustainable Business of the Year Awards. 

The Membership Impact Committee will include five sitting directors of the board, at large members, and up to eight regional champions for West Michigan, Southwest Michigan, the Lakeshore, the Capitol Area, Northern Michigan, Great Lakes Bay, Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor.  It will be supported by Operations Manager Carrie Veldman and Sustainability Associate Hanna De La Vega Sanchez, and co-chaired by Roger Cargill, president of FinitePhoenix LLC.

The Policy Committee will evaluate policy proposals and recommend positions to the Board of Directors.  It will include two sitting directors of the board and an estimated 10 at large members of the Forum that understand and support its strategic goals: expand sustainability programs and investment, mobilize business to advance environmental justice, support the creation of a circular economy in Michigan, and eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions in the state. 

The Policy Committee will work closely with the Membership Committee and its regional subcommittees, as well as the Forum’s six councils and relevant working groups.  It will be co-chaired by Mike Csapo, General Manager, Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County and Executive Director Daniel Schoonmaker, with staff support from Sustainability Associate J Heise.

Evolution of the Forum’s Infrastructure

When the organization became an independent non-profit organization in 2009 following an amicable separation from West Michigan Environmental Action Council, it chartered nine committees reporting to the Board of Directors.  The three infrastructure (program, marketing, fund development) and six “value-added” committees formalized the ad hoc groups and initiatives that emerged over the 15 years the Forum spent as a WMEAC program, when the organization grew from 10 to 80 active corporate members between Greater Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon. 

The value-added committees focused on Sustainable Design, Social Responsibility, Scholarship Award, Tools & Resources, Energy Demand Management, and Sustainable Business Practices. 

All of the infrastructure and value-add functions were consolidated or centralized as the organization matured and hired full-time staff.  For the past decade, the Forum has favored roundtables and working groups aligned with strategic initiatives and market transformation goals.  Several of the Forum’s long-standing working groups went into hiatus post-pandemic as their members became increasingly scheduled with meetings and other obligations.  Since then, the Forum has prioritized participatory campaigns and projects. 

As it enters its new chapter as a statewide organization, there is now a need to focus more on membership engagement and activation.  The new committees of the board will support the now statewide Board of Directors and its seven councils.  Current and prospective members interested in serving on any of the Board committees or relevant Forum Councils can apply aquí.