Ink Stain Joins Futurewave Consulting in North Carolina
Helps Sustainable NC Business Council
Define Sustainability for the State
A Sustainability Support Network to Attract New business is Born
(North Carolina Sustainability Event attendees participate in a Futurewave Consulting Ideation Program)
July 8th 2009
Contact: Joseph Coplans
303.459.2112
Cell: 303.882.8676
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA--
North Carolina has grown to become a major hub of "green" activity--there are multitudes of programs designed to do everything from educate people to provide tax incentives.
Sustainability: complex and often confusing
But that's part of a new kind of problem for progressive green states. There's confusion about what it all means. There's confusion about the policy language of sustainability, confusion about why business loans aren't being made, and what support small businesses need to succeed.
As much potential as North Carolina has to explode green policy and grow green and sustainable business, there has been an equal amount of confusion about how all of these efforts can come together to help small business.
Collaboration is key to revenue for small business
On May 21st, the Sustainable NC Business Council partnered with Ink Stain and Futurewave Consulting to host a unique and engaging "collaboratory" designed to discover new possibilities for future sustainability growth.
The collaboration brought together people from all sectors--nonprofits, foundations, universities, government agencies, associations and businesses--to work toward developing a comprehensive, accessible network of support for creating, growing and attracting sustainable companies in North Carolina.
The Futurewave team designed a unique process that guided participants through a series of interactive, thought provoking, engagement and dialogue processes. The goal was to coalesce and unify the diverse demographics at the event and enable participants to walk away with new alliances and informed ways to inspire action in their networks. Futurewave Consulting combined several processes: facilitation, multi-media, paired interviews, provocative questioning, visual maps and experiential exercises, to expand the thinking needed for collaboration and actionable conclusions.
Bridging the communication gap between small business, local government and the financial world is key
The Futurewave team designed a six-hour program that enabled participants to walk away with new alliances and informed ways to inspire action in their networks. Futurewave Consulting combined several other processes: facilitation, visual maps and experiential exercises, to expand the thinking needed for collaboration and actionable conclusions.
Ink Stain produced a working document first identifying the inability for small business owners to feel confident that their financial needs are being addressed. The Ink Stain document then outlines the communication gaps between small business owners, policy makers and the financial community.
The result: a foundation for creative campaigns
Ink Stain and Futurewave Consulting provided a blueprint for new ideas
At the day's end, new alliances between sustainability demographics took root. New communication portals and campaigns to align the efforts of sustainability strategists have found its beginnings.
"This is fascinating, thought-provoking material," said Katy Ansardi, director for Sustainable North Carolina Business Council, an NGO dedicated to accelerated adoption of principles and practices that optimize economic prosperity, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship in North Carolina.
This Futurewave Consulting document includes maps, summations and a video produced by Grasp Media and is a free download on the Futurewave Consulting site. Futurewave Consulting is now in talks with Duke University for an additional "Collaboratory" and is available for new collaborations. Reach Wendy White at 919-688-8920, info@futurewaveconsulting.com for more information.
Ink Stain, Inc., co-publisher of ifculture.com, is strategic messaging firm ensuring companies become outstanding in their marketplace. Ink Stain Inc. produces strategic messaging, award-winning copywriting and SEO based persuasion language, helping companies tell their stories with distilled, contagious and repeatable messaging for every form of web-based media.
