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#220 - The Family-Owned Company Fighting Climate Change By Achieving Net Zero Emissions By 2030, with Rebecca Hamilton, Co-CEO of Badger [REPOST]

April 12, 2022

#220 - The Family-Owned Company Fighting Climate Change By Achieving Net Zero Emissions By 2030, with Rebecca Hamilton, Co-CEO of Badger [REPOST]
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In celebration of Earth Month, we are resurrecting some climate crusading episodes from the archives. Today we’re revisiting this episode with Rebecca Hamilton of Badger Balm from September, 2020.

Product manufacturers use a lot of chemicals that are harmful to the environment. But one family-owned business has a mission to reduce its product impact on the environment. Can they continuously create a product that would generate good for both people and the environment? 

In celebration of Earth Month, we are resurrecting some climate crusading episodes from the archives. Today we’re revisiting this episode with Rebecca Hamilton of Badger Balm from September, 2020.

Rebecca Hamilton is the second-generation owner and Co-CEO (Co-Collaborative Executive Officer) at Badger Balm. Badger is a family-owned company of natural and organic personal care products known for its mission-driven spirit, pioneering family-friendly benefits, and high engagement in the certified B Corp community, being themselves a certified B Corp since 2019.

In this episode, Cory and Rebecca discuss Badger Balm’s climate initiatives to be a sustainable business while reducing their impact on the environment. They explore the environmental commitment the family-owned company has made, especially with their partnership with Revision Energy, and their commitment to being Net Zero emissions by 2030.

During the conversation, Rebecca shares the significance of Badger being a family-owned company, her relationship with her sister as the Co-CEO, her family, and the entire Badger team. She highlights Badger as a values-driven business that comes from having core leadership from their tight bonded family.

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🗣 TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • Badger Balm's history of being a family-owned business
  • What a Co-CEO role represents in business leadership
  • The changes within the company after their transition as Co-CEO
  • How they streamline their business processes and focus on prioritization 
  • Badger’s partnership with Revision Solar as they implement one of the largest ground and roof solar arrays in the region
  • The story behind their commitment to go to Net-Zero emissions by 2030
  • What their first step is in accomplishing the regenerative project
  • Purpose of the declaration of interdependence in B Corp

 

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Transcript

Rebecca Hamilton  0:00  
We look at ourselves as being a mission driven business first and foremost. But in order to fulfill our mission, we actually are a for profit business that has to make money or we can't afford to do any of the nice things that we do. And so putting mission first, but recognizing that money is the fuel that's going to get us to be able to fulfill the things that we want, means we have to look at the business and say structurally, what do we need to do to keep the engine running to keep that flow of money so that we can afford the things that we want to do? And then how can we streamline our processes, so that we can maximize the good that we're doing? Because, you know, as a family business, that is not beholden to any investors, we want to have the business be doing things that we feel good about, like, that's why my sister and I are part of this business. And it would be a lot less interesting to us if it was just kind of money for the sake of money. That's not really what drives us.

Cory Ames  0:59  
Hey, y'all, it's Cory here with the social entrepreneurship and innovation podcasts, always grateful to have you here, especially now, during the Earth Month 2022 When we're resurrecting a couple climate, crusading episodes from our archives, so many conversations we've had on the show that haven't been listened to remotely enough folks whose work I think is really well worth resurrecting and continuing to amplify for as long as we can. So if you haven't heard this one with Rebecca Hamilton, the Co CEO of Badger Balm, and I highly recommend you stick around. We're diving into this family owned company's story and their goal to fight climate change by achieving net zero emissions by 2030. 

Rebecca is the Co CEO, the Co collaborative executive officer, not Chief Executive Officer. So Rebecca is a second generation owner at Badger Balm, which is a natural organic personal care manufacturer. And they are known for a unique company philosophy. They've pioneered family friendly benefits. They're highly engaged in the certified B Corp community, being themselves a certified B Corp since 2019. And they've also received a mountain of awards and different recognition, including real leaders 100, New Hampshire's Business of the Year B labs best for the world. They've even landed a spot on Forbes' small giants list. So they're located in Gilson, New Hampshire, and their products can be found all across the world. So in today's reposted episode here with Rebecca Hamilton, we touch on the significance of badger being a family owned company, what that means for the strategic vision, their ethos, the values, their mission, and why that's so significant. And as well, we talk about the relationship between her her sister, her family, and the entire badger team. We also delve deep into the environmental commitments to true climate action that the Badger family owned company has made, most notably that being the net zero emissions by 2030. Alongside now well over 700, other certified B Corporations all across the globe, to be at really the forefront of environmental sustainability and business. So we get nitty gritty on some of their climate initiatives that they've taken on as well. We do talk about a project where they've undergone making their facilities entirely run by renewable energy, solar power, and we talk about that as well. So a lot of information covered in this episode. really exceptional chat with Rebecca here, and I'm excited for you to hang around and get a chance to listen to this one if you didn't when it first got posted. I know there might be a lot of new listeners now, gratefully, that we didn't have here two years ago. So before we dive into this episode with Rebecca, I want to invite you to sign up for my better world weekly newsletter. That's my weekly newsletter that I write, curate, and publish myself. Send out every single Monday. That's my conversation with our community of changemakers here at grow ensemble from all sectors all over the globe. So go to growensemble.com backslash newsletter to get that next one in your inbox. I hope you do, and you'll see it next Monday. Alright y'all, that's growensemble.com backslash newsletter. Here's Rebecca Hamilton, co CEO of badger

Rebecca Hamilton  4:28  
My name is Rebecca Hamilton. I'm second generation family owner and Co CEO of the WS badger company. We manufacture organic personal care products and sunscreens out in rural New Hampshire. And I have the great pleasure of running the company with my sister. And also my parents were still involved her family and day to day.

Cory Ames  4:48  
I'd love to start there as to what does it mean to you and maybe to the greater badger family to be family owned and second generation What's that like? Like, what does that feel like for you?

Rebecca Hamilton  5:02  
Well, I get along really well with my family. So overwhelmingly an amazing positive experience, I'm sure that for a lot of people, it could be a really challenging experience as well. What that means for me is that as a mission driven company, rather than just having one person making the decision and holding us to our mission and our values, there's four of us. And so I feel like with four of us working together, one person kind of falters and is not sure whether or not we would hold firm on our mission, the other three can kind of bolster that. And I think what ends up happening is that we are an incredibly values driven business. And I think it comes from having a core leadership, which is a tight bonded family unit.

Cory Ames  5:48  
I think that that certainly shines through in doing a little bit of research and delving into the whole badger history that I've been doing. The last few days in preparation here, I'm interested in particular as to how the Co CEO, role feels is that's just, you know, for any type of business, family owned, or otherwise, it's something that's a little unordinary. But that with your sister, Emily, I'd love to hear more about it.

Rebecca Hamilton  6:13  
Well, I think it's daunting for a lot of people, because the traditional business model is this idea that you have one CEO, who has the ultimate say in how you're directing the office. And our actual titles aren't co chief executive officers, their collaborative executive officers, and it's a little bit tongue in cheek, but we chose those titles because we feel like they more accurately represent what we do in our business leadership. And we actually day to day run the business with a strategic leadership team. So that's my sister and I are on a team with the rest of the directors in the business, who each hold a different part of the company. And so while we might have kind of a ultimate say, in in the long term vision and direction of the business, we rely heavily on this larger team, because we recognize that each of them bring expertise from their area of the company, and that we can make better decisions as a team than we would be able to as individuals. And so we've been doing that for a number of years long before we became co CEOs. And so the transition to co CEOs was very, very simple, in a lot of ways, because we'd already been running the business as a collective, starting as a collective family, then with our strategic team, and now with my sister kind of taking the helm on visionary work, but also day to day running it with the strategic team.

Cory Ames  7:40  
And so from what I understand, you and your sister moved into that role in 2018, right. And so how has the two year transition been? What feels different now than then the work of your role, and maybe your sisters on the day to day before,

Rebecca Hamilton  7:57  
when we took over as Co CEOs, I think we thought nothing would change, because we've been slowly transitioning toward this Co CEO leadership for many years, our father had been stepping back out of the role. In fact, a full year before we took on that role, he stopped working at Badger to build a house for himself and for my mother. And so he wasn't coming into work at all. And about halfway through the year, we asked him, you know, are you retired? Are you on sabbatical? You know, we haven't seen you at work in a while. He's like, no, no, just sabbatical, I'll come back. And then after a year, he's like, you know, I don't think this title CEO really fits the work that I'm doing. I think it's time to officially transition. So all that to say that, in some ways, it was very smooth and seamless, because we've slowly been having this transition happen over many years and had been really relying on the expertise and guidance of our parents, but also taking on more and more of the leadership of the company day to day. That said, in the last two years, so much has happened. From you know, we took on the manufacturing of our sunscreen, which involves doubling the size of our manufacturing, building, becoming an FDA drug facility, building a quality control laboratory, changing all of our systems and procedures. That was one major thing that happened. And then we have a changing landscape in terms of Whole Foods being one of our core customers being bought by Amazon, transitions in the marketplace. And then we had a pandemic. So business as usual in the last few years is it's hard to really understand what things would have been like if we hadn't had such major things going on. But that's also the life of running a business. So - and something on a more mission based level, we're, on Monday, officially flipping the switch to transition all of our manufacturing to solar. So in the midst of the pandemic, we had started this project, which we had collaborated with another B Corp on and we're officially going to be a solar powered drug manufacturer. So a lot of different things going on. And it's it's hard to say which ones are connected to us being in the position of Co CEOs, and which ones are just... a part of business. 

Cory Ames  10:21  
Circumstantial... Right? I'd love to dive into the solar projects here in a moment. But my guess, you know, with all that there's so much that you brought up given the worldly context in the transition and the new manufacturing. And I'm curious, how do you feel you're you and your sister, and maybe your your leadership team? How are you all keeping things sorted as to, you know, what to prioritize, to, to focus on? You know, how are you working through that, and I know this, this moment that we're in right now, might make that even more challenging, but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on that sort of focus in prioritization,

Rebecca Hamilton  10:59  
that is the question that we deal with every day, and it changes. So you know, we look at ourselves as being a mission driven business, first and foremost, but in order to fulfill our mission, we actually are a for profit business that has to make money, or we can't afford to do any of the nice things that we do. And so putting mission first, but recognizing that money is the fuel that's gonna get us to be able to fulfill the things that we want, means we have to look at the business and say, structurally, what do we need to do to keep the engine running to keep that flow of money so that we can afford the things that we want to do? And then how can we streamline our processes, so that we can maximize the good that we're doing, because, you know, as a family business that is not beholden to any investors, we want to have the business be doing things that we feel good about, like, that's why my sister and I are part of this business. And it would be a lot less interesting to us, if it was just kind of money for the sake of money. That's, that's not really what drives us. So it is a delicate balance, we do have to prioritize keeping the doors open. But not, it's always the balance of trying to figure out how to not sacrifice those values that are the reason we're in business.

Cory Ames  12:18  
I guess, then into the solar projects, which is something that has seemed to balance both of those needs been something that has been a very savvy business decision from this sense of consumption and savings, to as well overlapping with what's important as far as it relates to your mission. So I'd love to hear this was actually what reminded me, I think I may have bothered you a few times, as I've loved to have you on the podcast for a while. But this is what reminded me to reach out once again was this article from your friends at Revision Energy. So I'd love to hear more about this project, what went into the decision and how it's been I didn't know reading the articles in the updates that the switch was getting flipped here soon. So that's good.

Rebecca Hamilton  13:00  
Yeah, it's excellent timing. And it's very exciting. I think that in this whole process of trying to prioritize things, there are these golden wins when you actually have something that is going to be a cost saving, that's going to improve quality and is going to do the right thing based on your [??], and the solar was just one of those where we were able to partner with Revision, they were able to find investors to put the money up front. So we were looking at actually saving money in this investment in our future. In being able - we have property, so we're able to do one of the largest ground and roof solar mounts in the region. And so we're able to provide all of the power needed for our manufacturing, and it looks like quite a bit extra that can then go to power the grid, our own grid. So you know, having the opportunity to actually move forward on something, even though it's a really difficult time. This is kind of a ray of light, you know, we're able to provide kind of, I guess, through this project provide jobs during the pandemic where people were outside and able to socially distance and ultimately transition to renewable energy which fit in with what we're trying to accomplish as our company, being a company that's really having more positive impact wherever we can in terms of climate change, and the environment.

Cory Ames  14:24  
And so what I was able to pick up is that you signed this agreement to endure on this project with revision the day after y'all made the commitment at 25. Can you share that story? Is that accurate? 

Rebecca Hamilton  14:39  
That is accurate, that literally happened. Yeah. Well, we had heard that a number of B Corps were going to the COP 25 And were going to make a public statement about moving to net zero emissions by 2030, which is an ambitious goal of course, but B corps are known for being ambitious. And badger you know having this be a core mission based principle, I felt that it was something that we could and should be part of. And so we made the public statement that we were going to go to net zero by 2030. And we had started the process of looking at solar, when we were thinking about making the statement. And we've gone through a process of kind of mapping out what we would need to do to achieve that goal. And the first step that was really close to happening was this idea of moving forward on solar. And so in some ways, the timing just worked out that we were able to make that public announcement. And we were ready to sign the documents for going forward the next day. And in some ways, we were kind of pushing the two along at the same time. And we felt like That was the first step on our plan and to be able to actually take action, that soon after making a commitment felt really authentic to us. And since it was such a big, ostentatious goal, we wanted to have a tangible first step that we were doing right away to show that we were actually we meant what we had committed to and that we were going to follow through on that.

Cory Ames  16:08  
I think calling that a first step is not exactly accurate. I'm sorry to correct you it seems like you'll have quite the list of initiatives that you've taken on previously in energy savings, waste reduction.

Rebecca Hamilton  16:20  
That's fair. After making that commitment first.

Cory Ames  16:25  
Sure, sure. I mean, you probably have to take some baby steps before and during on something of that scope, which it seems like you'll have taken quite a few. So I mean, then speaking of I'd love to hear more about some of those, and maybe what's forecasted in the near future. I mean, you know, looking through my notes here, I've seen the I think the Save Every Drop program, you all are doing some really innovative stuff in regenerative soil. And yeah, I'd love if you could share a little bit more of what y'all might have up your sleeve as if that was the first milestone for you what's next in this area of sustainability and stewardship.

Rebecca Hamilton  17:05  
when we were looking at going to net zero by 2030, we started with, of course, you have your scope-one, two and three emissions. And so our scope-one emissions, our factory was our first place to start. And that's why even though you can't really set goals without starting by measuring your baseline. So our first step was to measure our baseline to understand what our impact was to understand what kind of emissions we already have. But then the really the tangible step of of addressing that was to go solar and to have all of our scope-one emissions, be renewable energy. The regenerative project is a much, much larger and more complex project, because we don't know how to accomplish that. And so our first step on that was to do a regenerative project on site at the Badger property. So we have about 16 acres that the Badger manufacturing facility is built on my father designed and led the building of all of our manufacturing. So it's beautiful wooden posts. And we have organic gardens that we've had for quite a few years. For a while we were supplying our lunch program with the organic gardens. And the last couple of years, we've been doing a gleaning program where we supply the local food kitchen with fresh veggies from the garden. And then we have the grounds, which right now is partially solar panels, but there's grass and wildflowers in between there and then the lawn in front of our property. 

And so we wanted to look at what would it take to have a mini regenerative project on site because if we were going to start talking to our suppliers about that, we should have an understanding of of what that meant to us. And so we started implementing regenerative practices on our own property, we worked with local university to have students come in and measure our soil carbon, and above and below down ground biodiversity to kind of get a baseline. And then we worked on creating bioreactor which is basically like an intensive composting system with microbes that will be ready in a few months. And the idea is that you spread that over the ground, and that helps to retain water and build up soil carbon. So we've got a number of things that we're working on right now. And the hope is that in a year or so, when we measure our soil carbon again, that will have increased it. And then we can use that story as we start talking to our suppliers about whether or not they have commitments toward regenerative practices.

Cory Ames  19:38  
So I'm interested in as you know, as these are such as pretty demanding initiatives to take on. It seems like from maybe start to finish in some ways you kind of have to learn the ins and outs of whether whatever sort of project you're taking on and deciding to implement into the operations and, you know, ultimately supply chain and working with your partners there. I know you're I've been a certified B Corp since 2011. And this this Climate Commitment to go net zero by 2030s was originally done by 500 plus B corps. I think it's now 700 or so, I'm trying to get to, you know, what is the significance of that community to you to the kind of greater Badger family and having all these other companies in that space, taking the same pledge, and commitment, and perhaps working on it. As voraciously as y'all are. At the same time?

Rebecca Hamilton  20:31  
Well, we work quite a bit with a larger B Corp community. When we first became a B Corp, we actually had learned about it. And we were in the process of moving from our original building, which was, you know, a house and then a garage, and then a warehouse, and they're all kind of haunted. And then we built this beautiful new manufacturing facility. And we're growing really rapidly. And even though we're moving into what felt like home, there was a lot of concern that as we expanded, we would lose the core kind of family mission base spirit that we have, and we were a much smaller company. And so when we discovered the B Corp certification, we saw that as a tool that we could use to build our mission into the DNA of our business, that we could grow gracefully, and not lose the things that made us badger - the mission base things, the sustainability, the community, the way that we treat our employees. And, and so we didn't really think about the B Corp community, we just thought about the impact assessment as being a good tool, we weren't even looking at the marketing potential or anything like that, just pure and simple. Let's use the impact assessment. And then we barely got a high enough score to become a B Corp. And we thought, well, we got just over 80, lets become a certified B Corp, why not. 

But when you become a B Corp, you also sign a declaration of interdependence. And the goal of it, which I think is really cool, is that it's not just a certification that sets businesses apart. It's a certification that brings businesses together with a common goal of creating a new sector of the economy, or business as a force for good. And that's really compelling to me. Because if you asked my younger self, if I was ever going to get into business, I would have told you it was a dirty word, and I was gonna go do some kind of activist thing had nothing to do with business. And the B Corp community gives a mechanism for mission driven businesses to work together toward greater good charter, greater purpose. And so the first time I went to a retreat with other B corps, I actually, again, seeing the value, which is that this is a community of mission driven businesses that have a similar goal of wanting to have a positive impact. And the willingness of sharing best practices of working on projects together of bringing the whole community up is just unheard of in the business community. And so I think that's really the value that you get from becoming a B Corp is that you actually get this beautiful community of businesses that are willing to work together and help everyone to be better.

Cory Ames  23:19  
So as it relates to y'all's environmental initiatives, is there a lot of collaboration going on between some of your your B Corp colleagues?

Rebecca Hamilton  23:28  
we actually just a few years ago, started this really lovely Summit, which is a climate change summit, which is CEOs in the B Corp community. And it's a working Summit, which is really cool, and that you actually go there for three days. And when you leave, you've all made agreements on specific action based and monetary goals that you're all going to work on together to help further your environmental mission. And so I have found that that community has been incredibly helpful, and has helped us to have a better understanding of what we need to do as a business that wants to have a positive environmental impact.

Cory Ames  24:09  
And so I guess I'm curious to hear maybe more about the goals or maybe where in your opinion, not just for badger, but maybe holistically for the business community, like where do you feel is the gap and obviously, you know, Net Zero 2030 is a goal and we aren't there yet. But I'm curious, you know, there are so many wonderful things happening within this community as an example, but where do you feel is the gap between us confidently being able to achieve markers like that and the business community and where we are now?

Rebecca Hamilton  24:40  
There's a very big gap. I think that aspirationally we envision a future where a very aspirational business. I mean, we have our storytelling and the badgers and magical lands and we believe in a utopian future. It goes back to my father being a storyteller and being a believer in this possible bright, utopian future. And so I think that in the utopian future, we would create products that would generate good. So you would have for every product that you've purchased, more good would happen than that. And I don't think we're there yet. I think we're a long ways off from that. We have products that are packaged in plastic that comes from a dirty petroleum industry, even if it's post consumer recycled, it still is. we have products that are in metal that comes from also a mining industry that can be damaging to the earth. And even if we try and use recycled metal, at some point, it was coming from the earth, it was probably damaging. We have ingredients that even though they're organic, or regenerative, and have short supply chains, they're still shipped here using fuel. And so when we look at the idea of having a consumer product that generates good, we're a long ways off from that. But I think it's possible. And that might be my utopian mind. But I think it is possible. And I think you can start to quantify each of your products and look at what are the ways that you're having a negative impact? What are the ways that you're having a positive impact? And how do you shift so that people are actually creating a positive impact in the world by their purchases? That's what we're working toward. That's the ultimate goal. Going to net zero emissions by 2030 is just one piece of it.

Cory Ames  26:32  
Hmm. And so I guess, to that flip side, from the gap to you know, maybe where you're hopeful, I'm wondering, what do you feel like you understand now about maybe the behaviors of businesses in business leaders in this realm of achieving a much more environmentally sustainable way of doing business, ideally regenerative way of doing business? What do you feel like you've learned maybe most recently, or an understanding that you've come to about this movement in this area of change that you you hadn't previously? 

Rebecca Hamilton  27:05  
Well, I think the people in this movement are really creative. And they're willing to throw out the status quo for something different. And I think that if we actually are going to achieve that goal of generating good with each product that people purchase, something has to change. And it has to be pretty drastic, and I don't know what it is yet. And so that's really where I think the true digging comes in, we can all pat ourselves on the back about going solar and using sustainable packaging and having good organic ingredients. But nobody is doing it perfectly. Probably nobody will ever, but we have a long, long way to go. And so there's a huge room for improvement for everyone in our community. But I think that they're willing to do the work and they're willing to try things that are maybe a little bit edgy, or maybe haven't been done before. And that's really exciting, because I think that's what's needed.

Cory Ames  27:58  
I certainly agree. Well, Rebecca, before we finish up, can I hit you with a few rapid fire questions?

Rebecca Hamilton  28:03  
Oh, I'm ready. Okay,

Cory Ames  28:04  
so the first one, and I ask everyone this one, how long have you been DJing?

Rebecca Hamilton  28:13  
Haha! I did not expect that one. Since 2013.

Cory Ames  28:18  
I attended the B Corp champions retreat in LA, and I went to that like wanderlust party. 

Rebecca Hamilton  28:22
Oh, yeah. 

Cory Ames  28:23
And I was walking through that the room that you were performing in, and I looked up and I was like, oh, maybe that's a local artist, you know, and it's like, Oh, "thanks to Rebecca Hamilton from Badger!" Like, Oh, I know that company. You're very talented, you have quite a few skills, it would seem.

Rebecca Hamilton  28:41  
I started DJing because I actually have an arts organization. And when we first started putting on events in rural New Hampshire, we didn't have DJs. And so I had a certain kind of music that I knew I wanted to play. We were bringing in installation art. And so I just had to become a DJ in order to get the beats I wanted for the events I was putting on. 

Cory Ames  29:00  
Well, there you go. You were called to it. You know, you didn't you didn't choose it. It was it was a calling. 

Rebecca Hamilton  29:05  
It was just a means to an end.

Cory Ames  29:08  
Sure. Okay, maybe more of a traditional question. I'm curious, has there been a book that's impacted you recently? Or maybe something you always come back to that you'd love to recommend?

Rebecca Hamilton  29:18  
Oh, yeah. Well, from a long time ago, when I was first in business school, one of our books that we read was The Patagonia Let My People Go Surfing. And that was a very early introduction to mission driven businesses and I haven't read it in years, but I just love the the message there and I think that was a lovely, lovely introduction to what we have in our business community.

Cory Ames  29:46  
Mm, I'm with ya. Next one, do you have any particular morning routines or daily habits that you absolutely have to stick to?

Rebecca Hamilton  29:55  
I do. So at Badger we have a gym and it has was 25 foot ceilings and so when we built the warehouse I had them install big bolts so I could hang aerial silks. So I do aerial silks every day at Badger before lunch.

Cory Ames  30:15  
pretty routine, pretty routine. Yeah. Let's see outside of maybe the deejaying and the silks are they any other particular hobbies or enthusiasms that you're pursuing outside of your work?

Rebecca Hamilton  30:27  
Probably too many. Let's say, I think this past year, I started ice climbing over the winter and doing a little bit of rock climbing, which eventually led to doing climbing Mount Baker this last week. I've been enjoying kind of the multiple outdoor activities that fit with climbing mountains. I also enjoy a little bit of sailing and surfing this summer. And I like collecting wild edibles. I do have a restaurant bar, so I like working on fancy cocktails.

Cory Ames  31:08  
Wow, man, quite an eclectic skill set

Rebecca Hamilton  31:12  
Kind of a random assortment, Yes. 

Cory Ames  31:15  
Very cool. Okay, very final question. What piece of advice might you give to the aspiring or as well active, purpose driven business leader

Rebecca Hamilton  31:26  
You don't have to do everything. And every business is different. So if you look at other businesses, and think that you should be doing whatever they're doing, that can be really discouraging. But if you have the right intention, and you look at every choice, and you say, how can I make a choice that I feel is kind and thoughtful and doing the right thing, then you're going to end up with an incredible mission driven business.

Cory Ames  31:50  
Wonderful, wonderful bid to end on. All right, Rebecca, thank you so much. Finally, any last places to plug or direct folks for anything unique or special with badger at the moment? 

Rebecca Hamilton  32:02  
Oh, my gosh, that's, that's actually a really tough question right now. There are a lot of things. I mean, I'm most excited right now about this idea of sunscreen powered by the sun since we're about to flip the switch and go solar and a week. And we are largely a sunscreen manufacturer. And this year, we have a new product, which is a sunscreen, in a tin, only has four ingredients, which are certified organic, sunflower oil, organic beeswax, vitamin E, and zinc oxide. So it's this incredibly simple product. And I feel like it's the closest we've come toward this idea of a product that generates good or we're on that path. We're still a long ways, but I'm pretty excited about that product.

Cory Ames  32:48  
Wonderful. Well, we'll make sure folks can find that this sunscreen, powered by the sun at our show notes at growensemble.com. Thank you so much, Rebecca. 

Rebecca Hamilton  32:56
Thank you, Cory. 

Cory Ames  32:58
All right y'all that's a wrap on another episode of the social entrepreneurship and innovation podcast, as always so grateful to have you listening in. If you love the show, please leave us a review on Apple podcasts or hit subscribe wherever it is that you get yours. And as well. I want to invite you to sign up for our Better World weekly newsletter. This is our weekly discussion with our community of social entrepreneurs and changemakers on all things building a better world does the newsletter I write and publish send out myself every single Monday go to growensemble.com backslash newsletter, to join in on that discussion, all things building a better world. Go to growensemble.com backslash newsletter to get the next one in your inbox. And finally, if you know of a company or work within a company or run a company that might be interested in sponsoring the social entrepreneurship and innovation podcast, we always love starting conversations with potential partners who share our vision of building a better world together, go to socialentrepreneurship.fm backslash contact. There, you can fill out a quick form, start that conversation with us. And these sorts of partnerships fuel our mission to build a better world together. All right, y'all. Until next time.

Rebecca HamiltonProfile Photo

Rebecca Hamilton

Co-CEO

Rebecca Hamilton is a second-generation owner and Co-CEO at Badger, a natural and organic personal care manufacturer known for its unique company philosophy, pioneering family-friendly benefits, and B Corp community engagement. Badger has received numerous awards and recognition, including Real Leaders 100, New Hampshire’s Business of the Year, B Lab’s Best for the World, and landing a spot on Forbes’ Small Giants list.

In addition to her role as Co-CEO, Rebecca leads marketing and sustainability initiatives. An advocate for issues concerning the environment, ingredient transparency, and societal change, Rebecca has spoken at the White House, addressed the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in support of organic and regenerative agriculture, testified before Congress on behalf of safer cosmetics, and attended Senate and House briefings on Capitol Hill in support of family-friendly workplace practices and chemical reform.

Rebecca also spearheaded the passing of Benefit Corporation legislation in New Hampshire, a for-profit status that incorporates the pursuit of positive environmental and social impact in addition to profit. She was recently appointed to the National Women’s Business Council, a nonpartisan federal advisory committee comprised of women business owners, policymakers, bankers, representatives of women’s business organizations, and other stakeholders. The Council is charged with discussing potential solutions to the challenges facing national women business owners, and recommending solutions to the administrator of the SBA, Congress, and… Read More