Benefit Corporations for Good was proudly founded in the Pacific Northwest!

About Us

Practicing the 3 P's of "People, Planet and Profit” lies at the very heart of benefit corporations. From the environment to equity, we admire how these companies focus on the greater good in their businesses, communities and in their states.

At Benefit Corporations for Good, we believe in empowering such beacons of light through education, communication and advocacy.

Building a community of purpose driven businesses that are creating meaningful change in the world.

Our Founders

Tom Hering Headshot

Tom Hering, Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Mary Anne Harmer, Co-Founder Emeritus

  • Tom’s work is focused on growing the benefit corporation community in Oregon and throughout North America. When he and Mary Anne Harmer launched Benefit Corporations for Good, they both realized the positive impact small businesses could have on their employees, their communities and their planet through commitment to a triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit. Today, the certified Benefit Corporations for Good stamp is seen in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

    Tom has worked as a creative director, copywriter and brand strategist. Before starting his strategic marketing communications firm, he worked for well-regarded agencies in the NW as copywriter, and creative director. He attracts clients who place high values on collaboration, creativity and responsiveness. Tom has guided various projects for highly respected national and regional companies such as Nike, Intel, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, NorPac Foods, Boyd’s Coffee Company, Wild Oats Natural Markets and Oregon State University.

    His background includes work with major healthcare organizations including Providence Health Systems, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, Oregon's Health Insurance CO-OP, The Corvallis Clinic, Broadway Medical Clinic as well as Good Samaritan Hospitals in Corvallis and Portland. His nonprofit experience involves work for ImpactNW, Wallace Medical Concern, Loaves and Fishes, Project H.E.R. (Susan G. Komen grant) and Oregon Special Olympics.

    He currently serves as the advocacy co-chair for the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty, an organization dedicated to fighting generational poverty. He is the co-author of the book, Putting Soul Into Business: How the Benefit Corporation is Transforming American Business and 25 Building Blocks to Create a Conscientious Organization.

    Tom has received Clios, Addys, Tellys and Rosies awards for the work he has created. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon's School of Journalism.

  • Mary Anne brings passion and energy towards improving the physical, emotional and spiritual health of ALL individuals, families and communities across the spectrum of economics and cultures.  She has held a number of leadership positions including Director of Marketing at Legacy Health System, Corporate Director of Marketing at Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, Director of Emerging Markets (the Latino Initiative) at Regence, and Director of Outreach and Marketing at Oregon’s Health Insurance CO-OP.   In the non-profit world, she was Executive Director of Healthy Communities, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Mary Anne served as Executive Strategist at DOJO agency, a branding agency with a focus on health and nonprofit clients.

    Mary Anne has served on numerous nonprofit boards and national advisory Committees. Her involvement includes the City of Beaverton, Human Rights Advisory Commission, Wallace Medical Concern, Region X Health Equity Council, the African American Health Coalition, Coalition for Livable Future, and Community Advisory Committee for Oregon’ Office of Equity and Inclusion. 

    She is the co-author of the book, Putting Soul Into Business: How the Benefit Corporation is Transforming American Business and 25 Building Blocks to Create a Conscientious Organization. An Honors Graduate of the University of Oregon, Mary Anne also holds a graduate level public health certificate from Portland State University. She speaks Italian and conversational Spanish.

Our Advisory Council

The Advisory Council provides BCFG with new insights, guidance and support to help us challenge the status quo. These advisors are respected leaders in their industries and representative of our growing community. Their knowledge and advice will help us continue to grow and carry out the BCFG mission of helping small businesses be a force for good as triple bottom line companies.

Kasia Bilhartz

Trever Cartwright

Michael Jonas

Cinthia Manuel

  • Kasia achieved professional registration as a horticultural therapist (HTR) from the American Horticultural Therapy Association in 2017. She has an extensive background in gerontology and hospice work. In 2014, she began working with children and youth as educator and facilitator for nature-based programs, and maintains involvement with organizations that connect people to the natural world. In 2019, Kasia co-founded Larkspur Portland, a houseplant shop that funds and provides low and no-cost therapeutic horticultural programming to the Portland community. She is a graduate of Prescott College in Arizona.

  • Trever is the founder of Coraggio Group, a nationally known strategic consulting group that helps leaders and organizations make their most important strategic decisions and then turn those decisions into action. His client work has included Colorado Tourism Office, Oregon Health Sciences University, Visit California, Nautilus, San Francisco Travel and the Port of Portland. He is a regular contributor to Forbes.com. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon.

  • Michael is the founder of Rational Unicorn Legal Services, a law firm that specializes in helping small business leaders, nonprofits and creative entrepreneurs in Oregon, California and Washington. He is an activist in the LGBTQIA+ community and advocates for the underserved including the BIPOC and Latinx communities. He is also an instructor at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Business Builders for Legal Issues. He is a graduate of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law and earned his MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology.Description text goes here

  • Cynthia is an equity, diversity, inclusion, and leadership development consultant, facilitator, strategist, and coach. She and her firm, Autentica Consulting, work across multiple dimensions of difference to help organizations develop equitable and inclusive strategies that facilitate communication and system-wide change. She is a recent TedX speaker. She holds a Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management Certification from Georgetown University and completed an MBA from George Fox University.

Our Manifesto

We dare to believe that every business can positively impact the world.

We believe that by joining the benefit corporation movement you reinvigorate the planet with sustainability, transparency and empathy.

We believe in the 3 P’s practice of putting People and Planet first because it means more Profit for those who see the wisdom in serving the “greater good.”

We believe in helping empower companies to become benefit corporations because we know that a rising tide lifts all boats. Call us crazy, call us dreamers but we have the audacity to believe we will answer JFK’s words, “If not us, who? If not now, when?