MANUFACTURING
The New Industrialists
Meet four entrepreneurs in the Capital Region who are making a positive difference
BY Russell Nichols | PHOTO BY Fred Greaves
he old ways of doing business just aren ’ t good enough . This message from consumers has echoed loud and clear in recent years . Younger generations in particular have pushed for companies to prioritize social good over financial gain .
In the past decade , this evolution of values has bulldozed its way into boardrooms . It has been almost 10 years since California became the seventh state to allow entrepreneurs who want to incorporate green initiatives and social causes into their businesses to file as benefit corporations — a for-profit company that prioritizes improving the community and environment in addition to making money — instead of going the traditional nonprofit route .
The Capital Region is trending that same way . With the support of organizations like UC Davis ’ Venture Catalyst and the new California Mobility Center , the region will continue to see technology developments that will have a lasting impact on people ’ s day-to-day lives , says Christopher L . Russell , a Stoel Rives partner and chair of the Sacramento Region Innovation Awards that launched in 2016 .
Diana Eastman , founder and owner of ThermēShade , has worked to modify her product that doesn ’ t block visible light but reflects the sun ’ s radiant energy .
42 comstocksmag . com | May 2021