Most organizations today realize their impact on communities and the environment are part of their corporate responsibility, but that wasn’t the case 20 years ago. Companies had to come together to start a movement known as the B Corp Community. It represents a global community of leaders who use their business for good. In fact, according to Vogue Business, “more than 100,000 businesses have signed up for the B Corp Impact Assessment since its launch in 2006,” but only 4,088 companies are currently B Corp Certified. Certified B Corporations must meet “the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.” Above all, the B Corp community works toward a more equitable world for all. Some of the many ways they achieve this is through building a more sustainable economy, creating a healthier environment, and creating more high quality jobs.
The B Corporation Certification doesn’t just assess a business’ product or service; it assesses the company’s entire social and environmental performance. The assessment is done through the non-profit B Lab. It reviews a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment. Certified B Corps are also required to have their board directors balance profit and purpose. Being part of the B Corp community is a powerful way to build transparency and trust for businesses.
Here at Varsity, we have been a proud member of the B Corp community since 2012. We have also been awarded “Best of Governance” in 2018, 2019, and 2021, as well as “Best for Workers” in 2013. We are committed to serving people and our planet. We uphold ourselves to high ethical standards, which ultimately drive every business decision we make — from who we hire, to what vendors we use, to the ways we deliver services to our customers. We are honored to be a part of the B Corp community and continuously strive to be better, especially to the clients we serve.
Social impact has always been in our DNA. In the early 1990s, while teaching at a public middle school in San Francisco, Varsity Founder Patrick Ciccarelli discovered an opportunity to help children learn by bringing technology into the classroom. After being inspired by seeing how impactful technology can be, Ciccarelli also helped launch the public/private partnership created the Cisco Networking Academy, which helps students prepare for careers in the IT industry. The academy soon became one of the largest training institutes of its kind in the US.
These experiences encouraged Ciccarelli to expand his impact. He says that, “As an educator and non-profit professional, I saw a wide gap in the marketplace and a terrible injustice that actually impacted communities and the environment. So I believed I could do something about it. I took my teaching skills and applied it to understanding the customer and their needs.”
Ciccarelli launched Varsity and has been proudly serving the Bay Area for over 22 years. Varsity works primarily with nonprofits to help them achieve greater social impact. “Relentless service to others” is one of Varsity’s core values. Varsity was built on bringing customers the best service and researching appropriate solutions to solve their unique business needs. At Varsity, our team of IT professionals will continually strive to find ways to use technology to enhance the impact of our client’s services.
As an organization, we are committed to maintaining sustainable technology systems and integrating sustainable practices into the work we perform for our clients. It’s one of the reasons we have consistently scored in the top 10% of all B Corps for overall social and environmental impact.
Here are some of the ways we practice sustainability:
- 100% carbon neutral: Varsity OneCloud Hosting Services
- 100% PZEV/Eco Hybrid Fleet Vehicles
- LEED Certified office building in San Francisco
- All IT hardware is Energy Star certified, EPEAT silver or higher
- Certified e-waste recycling to ensure toxic chemicals, metals, and plastics don’t end up in landfills
As a member of the incredible B Corp Community, we will continuously strive to use our business as a force of good. From our commitment to serving our clients to our commitment to sustainable business practices, we are honored to be a Certified B Corp. If your business is interested in learning more about how Varsity can achieve your technology goals, reach out to us. We look forward to working with you!
