B Corp

Why Are We a B Corp?

The structures we build, the products we use, the way we practice business, even the food we eat all play crucial roles in the health of our environment. True stewardship is rooted in community, for communities rely on a healthy environment to thrive. Vital communities need three things to exist: Place, People, and Heritage. These three things are synergistically connected; the place, or environment, we live in influences our actions, our actions define our history/heritage, and our ownership of this history determines how we treat our place. Through this circle of events, we have the power and the choice to build strong communities that will sustain our future generations.

Since its inception in 1987, Rice Fergus Miller has made a commitment to meaningful projects and  strengthening communities. Rice Fergus Miller is also a Certified B Corporation. B Lab was established in the USA to recognize for-profit organizations that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. They certify businesses that meet their standards as ‘B Corporations’, or ‘B Corps’. In some ways, B Corp certification is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee.

Today, there is a growing community of more than 2600 Certified B Corps across 60 countries and over 150 industries, all working together toward one unifying goal: to redefine success in business through using business as a ‘force for good’. Of those 2600 Certified B Corps there are only 37 Architecture/Design/Planning organizations, and we are honored to be a part of a movement of like-minded businesses that are contributing to raising the awareness of the choices we make.

Becoming a Certified B Corporation legitimizes our pursuit of sustainability both in operations and practice and gives us the opportunity to educate others. It provides an internal framework for transparency and accountability. It gives us a tracking tool to measure success and efficiency of our processes. We want to do the right thing — to use our practice for creating vibrant communities.