Helping Businesses along the path of Sustainability: An Interview with Jaime Nack.

The seventh installment in our on-going Leaders of Sustainability series of interviews with executives and entrepreneurs of sustainability-minded business is with Jaime Nack. Jaime is the President and Founder of Three Squares Inc., a sustainability consulting firm that helps its non-profit, government and corporate clients green their operations and create more sustainable businesses.

As always, our hope is that entrepreneurs and business leaders of sustainability-focused businesses will find this series helpful and instructive in growing their businesses and dealing with both the challenges and opportunities facing small business trying to make a profit at the same time reducing their impact on the environment. I spoke with Jaime from her office in Santa Monica, California.

Justin - Hi Jaime, it’s great to speak with you today. Before we discuss Three Squares, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your professional background?

Jaime – Thank you Justin. Well, my background is quite varied and fairly balanced between creative and technical disciplines. I have spent much of the past 10 years involved in one way or another involved with environmental consulting. I have been involved in project development for a variety of clean transportation, alternative fuel vehicle and emission reduction technology projects. I also have a strong background in marketing, public relations and events management.

Prior to starting Three Squares, I established an Events & Marketing department for a firm that provides marketing, outreach and event management for clients in various sectors including alternative energy vehicle manufacturers and government agencies like the US EPA.

The best way to summarize my past professional experiences is that I like to work where environmental consulting meets marketing, communications and event management.

Justin – Please tell us a little bit about Three Squares.

Jaime – Established in early 2008, Three Squares Inc. is a women owned business based in Santa Monica, California. First and foremost, we are a sustainability consulting firm; our expertise is in helping organizations incorporate sustainable principles. In addition, we provide our clients with strategic marketing services to help them better communicate their commitment to business sustainability.

We work with a wide array of organizations: universities, government agencies, political parties and corporations to name a few. In general, our clients are either already in the environmental arena or have, as part of their mission, to incorporate sustainable principles into their business operations.

Justin - As you head into your second year of business, how has the market response been to Three Squares?

Jaime - It’s been just fabulous. I think the timing of the company launch was pretty good. Today, more and more organizations are receptive to the type of service we offer.  Five years ago, it was a much different story.

The poor economy has had an impact, for sure, but the potential is huge, I think it’s just really just a matter of time until the majority of companies fully embrace sustainability. Companies, particularly today, are first and foremost looking for cost savings – and if you can show them that they can save money and be green at the same time, you are in good shape.

Justin - What is the primary impetus for clients contacting Three Squares? Are they simply looking to reduce costs through better resource management and efficiency, or are they also looking to benefit by being perceived as a more environmentally conscious organization?

Jaime – I’d have to say it’s a little bit of both.

We have a local university as a client of our Green Campus program. A piece of the project entailed surveying faculty, staff and students on their views of sustainability, and what changes they would like to see on campus. We found that students want to be proud of their campus, and have the opportunity to see events, movies, and take part in classes that focus on the environment and sustainability.

The students at this particular college campus are looking for a change in culture. This has given the administration and faculty additional reasons to continue their cost saving efforts through reduced energy and water consumption. They are now realizing there is this added benefit as well to their strategy; better student engagement, morale and school pride.

Justin - You served as Director, Sustainability & Greening Operations for the 2008 Democratic National Convention held in Denver, Colorado. This must have been an interesting project.

Jaime – It really was. I was brought into this role because, for the first time, the organizers of a large political convention wanted to reduce its environmental impact.

What’s interesting is that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a report which identified the “meetings and events” industry as the second most wasteful behind the construction industry. The challenge is that most people do not know where to start in order to reduce the environmental impact of their trade show and events activities

My job was to develop a plan that called for specific changes in all of the different departments involved in the convention: transportation; production (build of stage, podium, tenting); headquarters office, energy usage; waste diversion; public education and outreach; carbon measurement/analysis and a carbon offset program.

The most publicly visible initiative that we put in place, and the one that received the most media coverage, was our three stream (recycling, compost, and landfill) waste diversion program.

We had over 1,000 volunteers spread throughout the various facilities, positioned at one of the stations for all four days. Attendees of the convention could find a station every 30 to 40 feet and were provided with instruction on how to dispose of their waste into one of the 3 bins. Overall, the system was very successful in terms of minimizing the amount of waste that went to the landfill – nothing like it has been done before.

To see an on-line video with Jaime demonstrating the system at the Democratic National Convention, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0_ghCLrd2Y

To learn more about the mission of the greening plan, please visit: http://www.threesquaresinc.com/PDFS/DNC2008GreeningPlan.pdf

Justin - What has been your strategy for growing Three Squares Inc? How would you describe your marketing & business development strategy?

Jaime – The majority of our clients to date are as a result of referrals. To continue to encourage referral based business, we have implemented a program for employees, associates, friends and family. We think it’s important to encourage folks who can most accurately speak to the quality of our service to refer business our way; it’s much more effective for us than either traditional or internet advertising.

I’ve also been heavily involved in speaking at major trade shows and conferences about our experiences with the Democratic National Convention, as well as our trade shows & events greening strategies and consulting practice.

We’ve also found that leveraging some of the on-line networking tools like “Linked In” has enabled us to meet and interact with like-minded groups and individuals that may be interested in specialized services like ours.

Justin - What valuable lessons have you learned that you could pass along to other entrepreneurs or business leaders working in the areas of the environment and sustainability?

Jaime – Stay grounded in your commitment to educate others, and to learn. In this field, we are constantly evolving and new technologies are always being developed. There is a lot of new information out there; it’s important to be in the know, stay current, and up to date on what’s going on.

Justin - What’s your favorite business book of all time?

Jaime – The Power of a Positive No by William Ury (co-author of Getting to Yes).

Justin - What book are you currently reading?

Jaime – True North: Discovering Your Authentic Leadership. I’m also reading Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

Justin - And your favorite musical artist?

Jaime – That’s easy. I used to manage reggae bands from Jamaica so I would have to say Dennis Brown and John Holt. I also like Ben Harper.

Justin – And finally, is there an individual that inspires you in either your personal or professional life?

Jaime – I would say Gandhi, definitely. And on a recent trip to South Africa, I read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. It talks about how much work remains to reverse the damage from apartheid even after so many years.

Justin – Well, thank you so much Jaime for taking the time to speak today. If readers are interested in learning more about your company, how can they reach you?

Jaime - The best thing to do is visit our website

Jaime Nack, Three Squares Inc.

© 2009, Justin. All rights reserved.