Brand on Purpose

ABLE Founder and CEO Barrett Ward joins Aaron to discuss how the ethical lifestyle brand works to end generational poverty by providing jobs for women. Together they discuss the 2008 trip to Ethiopia that inspired the creation of the company, the famous celebrity-loved leather bag, the importance of supporting brand authenticity and not taglines, and COVID-19’s impact on the business. Tune in to learn more about ABLE’s radical transparency and reporting system and shop at www.livefashionable.com. Brand on Purpose listeners can use the code “BOP25” on the ABLE website for 25% off a purchase to support a purpose-driven small business during this challenging time. Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special panel episode, Aaron is joined by Vita Coco CMO Jane Prior, TentCraft CEO and founder Matt Bulloch, Tattersall Distilling co-founder and Chief Officer Jon Kreidler, and Lemontree Head of Community Kasumi Quinlan. The panelists discuss how their companies and organizations have pivoted their traditional business functions to support their communities and relief efforts during COVID-19 including making hand sanitizer in a distillery, matching volunteers with local food pantries, providing tents for drive-thru medical screening, and donating $1 million to charities in under 48 hours. Tune in to hear about the ways these resilient brands are stepping up during this time, and visit their websites to learn more: tattersalldistilling.com, vitacoco.com, lemontreefoods.org, tentcraft.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Farmgirl Flowers CEO and founder Christina Stembel joins Aaron in-studio to talk about how she built the world's largest e-commerce flower arrangement business. Aaron and Christina discuss the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, the importance of supporting farms who pay living wages, and how to trust your instincts in a leadership position. Tune in to learn how this floral business flourished, and learn more at farmgirlflowers.com. Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This conversation with Gary Knell, Chairman of National Geographic Partners, is way better than Tiger King, really. Gary joins Aaron to discuss how the company is continuing to live up to its standard of excellence through strong and unbiased journalism, the balance of giving people what they want versus need, and the incredible photographers that make National Geographic what it is. Gary and Aaron also highlight how readers look to National Geographic for context, rather than just breaking news, and why that’s so important in today’s news environment. To that end, National Geographic launched NatGeo@Home, a free digital hub that includes educational resources and offerings for future explorers to fill their time and minds during the coronavirus pandemic. Tune in to learn about how the creative and talented people of National Geographic inspire Gary daily, and learn more at nationalgeographicpartners.com.Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Belgium Brewing CEO Steve Fechheimer joins Aaron to discuss how the beer company acts as a force for good. Founded in 1991, this B Corp Certified, Colorado-bred brewing company was built on the core beliefs of environmental stewardship, making world class beer, and having fun. Listen in to the pre-outbreak conversation to hear Aaron and Steve discuss the importance of beer culture and brand community, what it means to be a platinum certified zero-waste company, and how to bring craft beer to a more diverse audience. Aaron kicks the episode off highlighting New Belgium’s authentic and thoughtful approach to supporting the communities it serves during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Bar and Restaurant Relief fund, which will support food and beverage companies in the brewery’s manufacturing homes of Fort Collins and Asheville. Discover the buzz about this company and find where you can taste their beer at newbelgium.com.Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air Co. CEO and Co-Founder Gregory Constantine joins Aaron in studio to talk about bringing the first carbon-negative vodka onto the market. Developed through technology that uses carbon as an ingredient rather than an emission, Gregory and Aaron discuss Air Co.’s mission to help, not hurt, communities and the environment. Air Co. is currently living up to that mission as it has pivoted all production to creating carbon-negative hand sanitizer (and donating it for free to in-need New York locations) during the COVID-19 outbreak. Tune in to learn about this unique and sustainable company, and learn more about Air Co. at aircompany.com.Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special Season Three finale, Aaron looks back at some of the interviews he's had with B Corp Certified brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Intrepid Group. Designed to hold businesses to legal standards of ethical, social and environmental responsibility, acquiring the B Corp Certification allows companies to express to the world that being a force for good acts as the foundation of their business. Tune into this clips episode to learn about how becoming a Certified B Corp affects change at a global scale – and hear a sneak peak of our upcoming episode with New Belgium Brewing. Discover more about the certification process at bcorporation.net.Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a special episode of Brand on Purpose, associate producer Meg Ruocco turns the tables on creator and host Aaron Kwittken and interviews him. They discuss his thoughts on the vitality of communications during the COVID-19 outbreak from the importance of honesty amongst industry leaders to the need to support non-profit organizations, and the broader implications of how this pandemic will affect everyone on an individual and global scale. An expert in crisis and issues communications, Aaron leverages his years of experience to share best practices  for communicating with employees, stakeholders and customers during this unprecedented moment in history.Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In celebration of International Women's Day on March 8, Aaron is joined from Washington, DC by FINCA Impact Finance VP & Regional Director for the Middle East & South Asia, Zar Wardak, CARE USA Director of Gender Advocacy, Gayatri Patel, and National Democratic Institute Senior Advisor for Gender, Women and Democracy, Caroline Hubbard. Aaron, Zar, Gayatri and Caroline discuss the ways access to finance empowers women around the world, how financial inclusion leads to women's political participation, and the role corporations should play in the fight for gender parity. Tune in to hear what International Women's Day means to each of these incredible leaders on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration. Learn more and get involved at fincaimpact.com, care.org, and ndi.org.Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

B Lab CMO Anthea Kelsick joins Aaron in studio to talk about the nonprofit organization behind the B Corporation Certification. Aaron and Anthea demystify the certification by discussing just how businesses become a B Corp and how B Lab acts as an advocate for actionable change in the marketplace. The two discuss how industry stories are helping to shape our global culture and how B Lab ensures its certified companies are doing real, authentic good in an age of “purpose-washing.” Tune in to this un-B-lievable episode to kick off B Corp Month, and learn more about B Lab at bcorporation.net.Production Credits: Aaron Kwittken, Jeff Maldonado, Dara Cothran, Lindsay Hand, Katrina Waelchli, Meg Ruocco, Julia Brougher, Parker Jenkins, and Mathew Passy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices