Becomes the only 100% Employee-Owned, Certified B Corp Publisher and Distributor in the US.
Gibbs Smith, an employee-owned publisher and distributor, announced today it is officially certified as a B Corporation (B Corp), joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. Gibbs Smith was certified by B Lab as having met rigorous social and environmental standards, representing its
commitment to goals outside shareholder profit.
Gibbs Smith is now part of a community of over 6,200 businesses globally certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the US, representing a broad cross-section of industries and sizes, includes well-known brands such as Cotopaxi®, Bookshop.org, Coursera®, and Bombas®.
“As a member of the Gibbs Smith Board of Directors, I’m delighted that Gibbs Smith is part of the B Corp community,” says Annie Agle, Sr. Director of Impact and Sustainability at Cotopaxi. “Certification shows that they adhere to the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Welcome to the movement of businesses determined to create positive change in the world.”
CEO Brad Farmer states, “We are 100% employee-owned and are accountable and transparent to employee-owners as we work to contribute to their financial, physical, professional, and social well-being. We give back to local communities with in-kind charitable donations and by giving our time and skills to help them thrive. We continually improve our environmental stewardship. Our physical office facilities, business travel, production/printing, and outbound shipping are all carbon neutral. Being a certified B Corp is a perfect fit for us."
Employee-owner McKensie Shiner, Web Content Specialist, feels that “Being a certified B Corp makes me so proud of Gibbs Smith as a whole, from our transparency with one another in terms of revenue and environmental practices, to knowing that the work we put in every day will be given back to us with benefits like our unlimited time off policy and profit-sharing bonuses. “
Gibbs Smith was founded in 1969 and was organized as a Benefit Corporation when employees purchased the first half of the company in 2017. It officially became B Corp Certified on February 4, 2023.
Gibbs Smith is a 100% employee-owned, B Corp-certified independent publisher and distributor. We believe in using business as a force for good. We positively impact the communities we serve, including employee owners, local communities, the book and education industries, and the planet.
Read more of our story at Gibbs-Smith.com/our-story.