But what exactly does this mean? Keep reading to learn about employee stock ownership and why it matters.

What is employee ownership?

Employee ownership means that every employee owns shares of stock in the company.

Unlike publicly traded companies where stocks can be bought and sold on the open market, an employee earns shares of stock gradually as the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) buys the company from the original owner.

An employee earns shares usually after they have been with the company for at least one year. As a company becomes more successful, the value of those shares should increase over time. The longer an employee stays with a company, the more shares they have.

An ESOP is actually a qualified retirement plan that is designed to benefit employee-owners long-term. Meanwhile, employee-owners still have access to traditional retirement plans, such as 401(k)s.

Customer Benefits: Buying from Employee-Owned Companies

• Better Customer Service: Employee-owned companies have stronger morale and with that comes exceptional customer service. Employee ownership brings a sense of pride that positively impacts the quality of both the products and overall customer service experience.
• Supports ALL Employees: There’s something special about supporting a company that genuinely cares about their employees and shows this through financial opportunities. When you purchase a product from an employee-owned company, you’re truly supporting ALL the employees and not just the top leaders.
• Supports Small Businesses: A significant portion of employee-owned companies are small businesses so the overall shopping experience is more personal. Also, you vote with your dollars so support small businesses when you can!

Employee Benefits: Working for an Employee-Owned Company

• Pride in Ownership: It’s so important to love what you do and employee-owners feel very connected to their work. There is a true pride in ownership.
• Community: An employee-owned company believes in the power of community and teamwork. The business thrives through the collaboration and dedication of all employee-owners.
• Financial Benefits: Employee-ownership means having actual financial incentives beyond a paycheck. As previously mentioned, employee-owners have stock in the company.

Support Savvy Rest

If you like our business model and want to show your support, check out our organic mattresses, bedding, and furniture!

We offer a vast array of customizable products that can benefit every type of sleeper.

Tranquility

The Tranquility is made just like the Serenity organic mattress, but with two 3″ layers of natural, organic latex.

Unity Pillowtop

The Unity Pillowtop has four 3″ layers: it is simply the 3-layer Serenity organic mattress with the Harmony latex topper on top.

Serenity

Our flagship organic mattress. Customizable for any body type with personalized combinations of Soft, Medium and/or Firm.

The post What is Employee Ownership? Benefits & Why It Matters appeared first on Savvy Rest.

To all of our wonderful customers,

Today we have some very exciting news to share but first, we wish to talk about our mission and why we started this company.

Why We Started Savvy Rest

Savvy Rest was founded on the desire to bring comfortable, customizable, and healthy sleep to a population that had very few options at the time. We’ve long been a leader in the organic mattress industry and have invested heavily in our community, our employee-owners, and in new products and initiatives to ensure that we have a lasting positive impact for generations.

Over the last few years, the mattress industry has changed significantly. While we have gone through expensive certification efforts to ensure that many of our finished products are certified organic to the GOTS standard, other manufacturers have bypassed these crucial steps. Some companies offer mattresses with one or two organic materials, while others offer absolutely none.

We’ve strived to build trust with our customers by undertaking these rigorous efforts and focusing on transparency. While every business, of course, must be profitable in order to be successful and sustainable, we believe true success can be achieved without sacrificing the quality and purity of our products, nor the health and satisfaction of our customers.

We recognize everyone needs to do their own research and make the best selection for his or her needs when shopping for a mattress. But we also feel a responsibility to do what we can to make our certified organic products more easily accessible for those looking to make their home a natural, safe, and comfortable space.

The Big News

So, today, we have a gift for all of you. Many Savvy Rest products—including our most popular organic mattress—now have reduced pricing. Making this change requires some hard work on our part as well as a shared vision with our dedicated dealers, but we know many of you would love to own a Savvy Rest mattress if it only fit into your budget. We hope these price reductions make it so you don’t have to sacrifice customization or certifications when shopping for a mattress.

We’re excited to start this new chapter and distribute our products at more affordable pricing for many years to come. From all of us at Savvy Rest, thank you for supporting our brand and our passion for natural living. We appreciate each and every person who has been part of our company’s story.

Sincerely,

Savvy Rest

The post A Letter to our Customers appeared first on Savvy Rest.

Have you thought about how a Savvy Rest organic mattress is made? It shows up at your door packed in boxes but there’s a story behind that comfortable mattress. Before that mattress was at your door, it was shipped from our warehouse in Crozet, Virginia. But before it could be shipped, the latex and casing needed to be inspected to make sure it met our high standards.

A lot of hard work and skill goes into creating our luxurious natural mattresses. Keep reading to hear the story behind those layers of latex.

Rubber Tree Sap

It all starts with the rubber tree. Farmers wake up early in the morning to begin the process of tapping the rubber tree in order to extract the tree sap. This is done by creating a slanted opening in the bark which allows the white serum to trickle out of the tree. This serum is the very basis of your Savvy Rest organic mattress.

Natural Latex Layers

The rubber tree sap cannot turn into cozy latex layers on its own though! It needs a little help.

We offer two types of natural latex in our mattresses: Dunlop and Talalay. Both start off with the same manufacturing process of whipping the serum into a froth. However, before Talalay is baked, it is first vacuum-sealed and flash-frozen. This ensures an even consistency throughout the entire layer of latex. These extra steps also make Talalay slightly more expensive than Dunlop.

All natural latex needs sulfur and zinc oxide in order to bake. If you were to simply bake the serum in the oven without any additives, it would stay as a liquid and not transition into solid layers. These curing agents make up about 3-5% of the total latex layer. They are non-toxic and meet the requirements of Greenguard GOLD.

At the Warehouse

So, what happens once the latex arrives at our warehouse?

The latex is cut to the appropriate size and then inspected to make sure there are no air bubbles or imperfections that would compromise the feel of the layer. Natural variations such as slight discolorations or small tears are very normal and do not affect the integrity of the latex or the overall comfort of your mattress.

Once the latex passes inspection, it is rolled and then placed in a Savvy Rest box. Our mattresses are shipped in multiple boxes. For example, a Queen Serenity mattress is shipped in three boxes. Each box contains a rolled up layer of latex (or two half layers, depending on what you ordered). One of the boxes will also contain our organic mattress casing made of certified organic cotton and certified organic wool, a natural flame barrier.

These boxes are then shipped to their new homes via FedEx!

Mattress Assembly

Assembling your Savvy Rest mattress is easy! Watch the video below for a quick tutorial and then you’ll be all ready to enjoy your new sleep oasis.

Savvy Rest Layered Mattress Assembly

Need some help assembling your Savvy Rest layered mattress? Dominick and Windy demonstate on a Serenity mattress.

The post The Story Behind Your Savvy Rest Organic Mattress appeared first on Savvy Rest.

While we think you should absolutely choose our products, we understand that you might need a little bit more information than that.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we hear (and our answers):

• Why are your mattresses more expensive than other mattresses?
• What is the difference between Dunlop and Talalay latex?
• What certifications do you have?
• Is the Talalay in your organic mattresses GOLS certified?
• Does a Savvy Rest mattress last?
• How is Savvy Rest different from other mattress companies?
• Do you have a return policy?
• Why does one size not fit all?
• How does the mattress arrive?
• What is the difference between the Harmony and Vitality topper?
• Does natural latex smell?
• Does linseed oil smell?
• What kind of wood do you use in your furniture?
• Do we sell custom sofa cushions?
• Is there a dealer near me?

Why are your mattresses more expensive than other mattresses?

It’s not secret that our mattresses are more expensive than companies such as My Green Mattress, Sleep EZ, and Avocado. But there are several reasons for this.

For one, our organic mattresses are completely GOTS-certified organic, from the cotton to the wool to the finished product as a whole. Our Serenity, Tranquility, Unity Pillowtop, SerenitySpring, and Pastoral mattresses are certified, as well as our manufacturing facility.

As you can imagine, all of our certifications come with a price tag, so our impressive resume also means that the cost of our product must be higher than those who have not met these standards. Sourcing organic materials is expensive but we believe the quality and peace of mind are worth every penny.

Our mattresses are also customizable for couples so you and your partner can have your own configurations without having to sacrifice comfort.

While a few other mattress companies have this option, it is not very popular in the online-only mattress industry.

To add to the customer experience, we’ve also made our products available to try out in stores. This makes the mattress buying process so much easier. You can figure out what you want in person instead of crossing your fingers and hoping what you ordered online works for you.

We have dealers all across the country (as well as in Canada and Mexico) who are ready to help you find your dream Savvy Rest mattress.

What is the difference between Dunlop and Talalay latex?

We offer two types of latex in our organic mattresses: Dunlop and Talalay. The main differences between the two are certifications and feel.

The Dunlop latex we use meets the requirements of GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard). It’s an overall denser and firmer latex than Talalay, offering stable support.

Talalay latex is Cradle to Cradle Gold and FSC-certified. It’s known for having a plush and luxurious feel that is excellent at pressure point relief. We usually recommend at least one layer of Talalay latex for side sleepers.

Savvy Rest is the only mattress company in the world with GOTS-certified organic mattresses containing Talalay latex.

When choosing your Savvy Rest configuration, you can opt for all Dunlop, all Talalay, or a combination of the two.

What certifications do you have?

You can find a full list of our certifications, along with proof of certification, here.

Is the Talalay in your organic mattresses GOLS certified?

No, there is currently no Talalay latex manufacturer that offers GOLS-certified Talalay. Our Talalay latex is Cradle to Cradle Gold and FSC-certified. It has also met testing requirements for GreenGuard Gold.

Does a Savvy Rest mattress last?

Yes. Longevity is just as important as safety when it comes to sourcing our organic materials.

Besides toxic off-gassing, a major difference between natural latex and memory foam is that memory foam mattresses retain your body heat which allows the mattress to conform to your body’s curves. Over time, the memory foam will have trouble bouncing back, leading to significant dips and sags.

Our latex mattresses are built to last and come with a 20-year limited warranty (the Earthspring has a 10-year limited warranty).

Cheaper mattresses are not designed with longevity in mind. We do not believe you should have to buy a new mattress every five years. It should be around for the long run.

How is Savvy Rest different from other mattress companies?

Besides offering completely GOTS-certified and customizable natural latex mattresses, we’re also both a B Corp and an employee-owned company.

What is a B Corp?

Our B Corp certification means that our business focuses on more than just profit. We also care about positively impacting our community and producing products that are natural and safe for the home (and the planet).

We’ve joined forces with local women’s shelters and created the Safe Sleep Pillow program. Savvy Rest has donated almost 3,000 pillows to women who have escaped dangerous home situations and are looking for a safe space before continuing their journey. After leaving the shelter, they can take the pillow with them. We know a pillow can’t save the world but we hope it brings comfort and healthy sleep to these brave women.

Employee Ownership

As mentioned, Savvy Rest is an employee-owned company, meaning everyone shares in the company’s success.

It didn’t feel right to have only one person benefit from a company’s growth when a company’s success is to due a collaborative effort. All our departments are working hard to introduce the best organic products, to help customers, and to ship all the Savvy goodies to your door.

Every person and voice matters at Savvy Rest so participating in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) made sense.

Learn more about what sets Savvy Rest apart.

Do you have a return policy?

While online-only mattress companies allow returns, this is not possible with our organic products. The materials we source are expensive and we would not be able to resell a returned product due to health reasons (and the product would not longer meet organic requirements).

However, there is good news! We have a 90-Day Latex Exchange Policy for our mattresses that gives our customers peace of mind.

Let’s say you feel your mattress is too soft and want to switch out a layer of Soft Dunlop for Medium Dunlop. Just let us know and we’ll ship you the layer of latex and you’ll send us whichever layer you don’t want! It’s that easy.

Why does one size not fit all?

One size does not fit all because we are all different shapes and sizes. We all have different medical needs and injuries to take into account. We all sleep differently, whether on our back, side, or stomach. We need to embrace our differences and Savvy Rest does this by offering mattresses made for EVERYONE.

Customization means you get exactly what you want in order to get the healthy sleep you need.

You want a plush mattress? We’ve got that. You want something super firm? We’ve got that too. Prefer something in the middle? You guessed it–we’ve got it.

Your side of the mattress can even differ from your partner’s. No one should have to compromise comfort, especially when you’re spending top dollar for a quality mattress.

To read more on the topic, check out this blog.

How does the mattress arrive?

Our mattresses are shipped via FedEx. The latex layers are rolled and placed into separate boxes.

What is the difference between the Harmony and Vitality topper?

Both are natural latex toppers but there are three major differences: casings, customization, and warranties.

The Harmony has the same casing as our organic mattresses. It is fully customizable topper so you can select any type of latex you’d like. The Harmony comes with a 20-year limited warranty when used with a Savvy Rest mattress (3 years when not).

The Vitality has a 3-year limited warranty. The casing is an organic cotton jersey knit. It’s super stretchy so you can really feel the softness of the latex.

The Vitality comes with Soft Talalay latex. You may request a different density of Talalay or even opt for Dunlop but a fee of $100 will be added to your purchase. Please email us at info@savvyrest.com, or call 866-856-4044 to request a custom Vitality.

Does natural latex smell?

This is a tricky question because everyone has a different sense of smell. Some people are incredibly sensitive to certain smells while others can barely smell anything.

Typically, you may smell the latex for a few nights. This does not mean that your mattress is off-gassing harmful chemicals. It’s simply the scent of the natural latex.

Some of our customers find that once the latex is encased for a period of time, the scent goes away. It’s that initial period right after you’ve moved the layers and assembled the mattress that you may smell the latex. For most, this is temporary and does not affect their sleeping experience.

If you are still concerned about smell, you may order a latex sample kit so you can see and touch the latex before purchasing. We recommend keeping the latex sample by your bed as you sleep.

Does linseed oil smell?

We offer several zero-VOC finishes for our furniture, one of which is linseed oil. We let our finishes dry on our platform beds for two days before they are boxed and shipped. This lets the stain breathe so smell should not be an issue.

What kind of wood do you use in your furniture?

We use maple in our Verona organic sofa line and a combination of maple and poplar in our natural platform beds.

To learn more about where we source our wood and why we have chosen maple and poplar, read this blog.

Do we sell custom sofa cushions?

We do upon special request. Please email us at info@savvyrest.com, or call us at 866-856-4044.

Is there a dealer near me?

We hope so! The answer is here.

The post Savvy FAQs (And Our Answers) appeared first on Savvy Rest.

At the time, memory foam was really big. There were a couple companies that made natural mattresses, but they were awful. I bought an innerspring to try to sell and the person who made it said it was really good and comfortable, but it was dreadful. Right out of the box it was saggy. On the other side, there were comfortable mattresses, but they were filled with chemicals.

My wife Heather was always healthy her whole life. We’d been yoga teachers for over 20 years. We ate pretty healthy and had a healthy lifestyle overall. She found herself waking up with headaches and we had no explanation as to why until someone asked, “do you think it could be your mattress?”

Those two experiences dove-tailed. I knew there was a market for a safe and comfortable mattress, not safe or comfortable.

What was most important to you when designing the Serenity mattress?
The design for the Serenity came to me all at once in a flash.

One of the reasons people have disturbed sleep is because of pressure points. Most people sleep on their side, so it’s going to tend to create pressure in the shoulders, and sometimes in the hips and legs. That pressure is going to cause people to wake up and turn. We want to have as much undisturbed sleep as possible.

Really, what everybody wants is something that is supportive but soft enough that you have pressure point relief. It’s different for everybody because you have people who are 95 pounds and 95 years old, and then you have people who are 275 pounds and 25 years old and everyone in between.

Everybody will naturally want something different to suit themselves. Having a system where people can make their mattress as firm or soft as they like just made sense to me.

To offer both Dunlop and Talalay latex also made sense to me because Talalay allows for a certain kind of softness that you can’t quite get with Dunlop. That’s why we wanted to offer both and to have three densities.

We also wanted to be able to send the mattress through a small parcel service so it would be available nationwide.

What was the initial reception to the Serenity?
It was a huge success because there wasn’t anything that was both comfortable and safe. We were really the first ones to do that, so there was a big response.

The green and sustainability movement was beginning to be more prevalent. A lot of dealers picked it up, and our website became more popular.

Savvy Rest has four values: Empathy, Health, Empowerment, and Sustainability. How do these values speak to you?
I lived in a spiritual community for 20 years, and we believed that the differences we find among people aren’t as great as they seem. We have a lot more commonality. We’re all human beings on this Earth and we all have hopes, struggles, and sufferings that we go through. We all have relationships that begin and end. We have so much in common and the differences are a lot more minimal than what people think.

Sales training, in general, is often about taking control of the situation with a customer and adding on products to make more money. That was never my goal when speaking to customers. I always felt like I was speaking to another human being and I genuinely wanted to help and support that person. I felt I was always as selfless as I could be when working with a customer, and I felt that way with employees too. It was never my goal to have a bunch of employees, but when that happened, I never felt I was separate from them, or that I was smarter or better.

I took a vow of poverty when I was in the spiritual community. I know what it’s like to have no money and feel really poor and to not have a job. I wanted to do whatever I could using the resources that came through the business to support fellow human beings because that’s just how I feel. So that’s Empathy.

Health is something that is important to us. We want to do what we can to support everyone’s health. We feel that our products do that, and in the workplace, we want to keep our employees safe so we have a good safety program. We have insurance to help people maintain their health.

Just being around other people who are healthy and who participate in a healthy lifestyle, and particularly get healthy sleep, makes a big difference.

I should add that almost every health-related thing you read is about getting more exercise or eating a healthier diet or doing yoga. There’s very little that encourages getting enough sleep. Most people in the western world don’t get enough sleep. There are countless studies that point to the correlation between sleep and health. The body needs sleep in order to rejuvenate.

Empowerment comes from a deep sense within me of the inequality that exists in the world. I encourage people of any age, gender, race, etc to speak out. I want people to use their voice because every voice is important. It doesn’t mean that everyone’s opinion has to go their way. Certainly, things don’t always go my way, and that’s the way it should be. That’s the way the universe works. There are forces beyond ourselves that make everything happen, and once we realize that, there’s no place for anyone to force their own opinion or will on anyone else.

I don’t want to be the person who thinks they know it all, and our Savvy Rest leadership team doesn’t know it all. We enjoying hearing from voices who otherwise wouldn’t be heard. We have a dialogue that opens us to all different kinds of views. This inspires a stronger community.

The last one is Sustainability. If something is not sustainable, it’s going to end. In one sense, everything dies and fades away. Even though this body I’m inhabiting will fade away also, while I’m here I want to participate in things that are sustainable. That means helping to sustain this Earth, helping to create a sustainable business that can last 100 years if possible. I would like young people to work here their whole career and feel fulfilled. If I can help create something that makes people happy and fulfill their life’s purpose, why would I want to do anything else?

When did Savvy Rest become an employee-owned company? Tell me about that decision.
In 2012, Savvy Rest became employee-owned. I always felt like it wasn’t up to me solely to make an organization successful–it takes a lot of people. I wanted to embed ownership in the company so that if there are 40 of us that are driving the company’s success, let us all share in that success, and if it isn’t successful, we will share in its lack of success. I wanted to make it as equal as possible.

Most people don’t have the chance to own a company, and it’s cool to understand how it works, how finances work, and the give-and-take that goes along with it. It can be very complex.

I think employee-ownership is a wonderful way to create more engagement and involvement within a company.

It’s a lot more fun when you own something because it puts your heart into it. It’s easy to just feel like you leave your heart at work and you come to work and do a meaningless job for someone else. But when you’re financially invested in it, it makes a difference. It’s yours.

There are so many different brands in the mattress industry today. What sets Savvy Rest apart?
I’ve always wanted to create credibility. There’s no reason for a customer to trust that what we’re saying is true, so I’ve always wanted to have third-party verification, whether related to organic certifications or being free from harmful chemicals. And I think we’ve done a really good job with that.

Our products are as safe and comfortable as they can be. There are lots of options that we’ve developed over the years besides the Serenity.

Most companies are interested in selling and they aggressively sell. They’ll do whatever they need to do to sell more. I think our salespeople feel that they’re there to serve, not just to sell. We care about having a good relationship with our customers and dealers. It really matters.

The post A Look Back: An Interview with the Founder of Savvy Rest appeared first on Savvy Rest.

The insert is carefully crafted in Charlottesville, Virginia at the Savvy Rest woodshop with natural maple and poplar wood. We’re all about quality construction and sturdy designs that you can rely on. It’s also super easy to assemble because we think complicated instructions and countless tools are unnecessary and just painful. We wanted to create a product that was high-end, effective and safe, but also affordable and stress-free. So, how exactly is this insert useful? Keep reading.

It’s important that our organic mattresses have the support and airflow they need. A traditional box spring usually does not allow for this. Latex is on the heavier side and has the ability to crush a box spring if said box spring is flimsy or unstable (and let’s be honest–a lot of them are). If you’re investing in a new mattress, you want to make sure that it’s taken care of properly. Mattress pads are helpful as well as keeping your evening cup of chamomile tea on the nightstand instead of splattered all over your cozy oasis. But what about what your mattress “sleeps” on? We recommend sturdy, wooden slats that are 2.5″-3″ apart. This gives the mattress the stability it needs as well as breathability so your mattress can stay in tip-top shape for years to come.

Learn more about our mattress foundations

Natural Bed Rug

The bed rug is porous and allows air circulation between the bottom of a mattress and a platform bed’s surface.

Savvy Rest Mattress Foundation

Our matching foundation replaces the boxspring in a bedstead or frame.

But wait—there is another benefit to the platform bed insert and it has to do with your wallet! A platform bed insert is a smaller investment unlike a foundation or a whole new platform bed. While we could rave about our stunning Afton and Esmont platform beds all day, we understand that some would prefer to upgrade what they already have. Our insert gives you that option.

We have high standards when it comes to the products we design and present to our customers. We stay away from toxic chemicals and materials that lack durability. Savvy Rest products are meant to be a lasting positive addition to your home. We hope the platform bed insert is just that.

The post The Platform Bed Insert: An Easy Alternative appeared first on Savvy Rest.

The meaning of working for a B Corp

What does it mean to you that Savvy Rest is a certified B Corp?
A B Corporation must prove it’s creating benefits for workers, the environment, and communities—not just profits. We stand by our employees and make sure that everyone is in a good position in life, not just at work. It means a lot to me that we have taken that step—it isn’t just handed out. You have to earn it.

In your work with the nonprofit you and Shawna created, the Banks Collage Basketball Association, what are some community benefits?
We bring the community together and unite people from all different walks. For example, in our league we have doctors, high school coaches from different schools, along with normal everyday citizens. Different cultures come together for good, just watching some basketball or the BCBA dance teams.

What kind of effects can these activities have?
Say you have a doctor playing and they get to know the people who’re coming out to the games. When you come to the hospital next time, the doctor is more likely to think, I know that you don’t have a lot of resources but I know you. And I care about what happens to you. It has a really positive ripple effect.

In 2009, Damien and his wife Shawna noticed their community in Charlottesville, Virginia, was becoming an unfriendly place and their local park—once home to a vibrant basketball culture—was all but abandoned. In an effort to make a positive change, Damien founded the Banks Collage Basketball Association (BCBA) hoping to bring the community together in a positive way. As the years passed, the league grew and today games now serve as a community gathering place for all to enjoy.

How it feels to be an employee owner

How is working in an employee-owned company different than other places?
You actually have an end goal when you work. You want the company to be doing well when you’re not able to or don’t want to work any more. If the company is doing well, that’s going to be to your benefit in the end.

Does it change how you feel about your work?
Your work has your name on it. It’s your company and who you represent. At another place, say if I worked at McDonald’s, I might not honestly care how much cheese I put on your burger.

How does employee ownership change your future?
It brings a lot of clarity to your end goal. At Savvy Rest, we have people who help you to understand it all, set you up with a 401K plan and so forth. We will teach you about it and train you to be good at managing your money. There are a lot of companies that don’t push the learning the way Savvy Rest does. Our team has regular meetings about it.

Originally created to give community members a safe and family-friendly outlet, the BCBA has expanded to charitable endeavors, with school supplies and winter coat drives to benefit those in need.

Now for the adventure

How’d you like your first airplane flight?
It was fun! It changed my perspective on travel. Before, I hated driving so I didn’t like going to faraway places. Any time I have a motor sound near me I get very sleepy. In the barber chair when I hear the clippers, I get sleepy! But now that I liked the airplane, I want to travel a lot.

Where did you go?
We flew to Miami, then cruised to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. We returned to Miami after seven days on the ship.

How did you sleep?
I slept a lot because the ship rocks so much, you feel like a baby being rocked to sleep. I took two naps a day.

What else did you do on the boat?
We ate a lot. People from the TV show Top Chef cooked for us. There was some raw flounder—and beef tartare. I didn’t realize that tartare meant “raw!” But the rest of the food was great.

Did life in the ports seem different?
I felt in a way like I was in Miami the whole time, but there was a different look to it. Most of the cars were banged up from accidents, and there weren’t many stop lights. Plus, they drove on the other side of road in St. Thomas. That was different. People at the beaches were very laid back, but we didn’t see many large groups. Over here, there’ll be lots of people out together at once but there it was the middle of the week.

What was the most relaxing thing you and Shawna did?
Going to the beach in St. Thomas. It was the first time we’d ever seen water that clear. The view was relaxing, too.

Did you talk to people on the ship?
There were about 60 award winners among a couple thousand people, and we wore these Community Celebrity stoles the whole time. So we got to meet a lot of people. Everyone would ask, who are you, who do you work for, what’s your company like, and so on. I told everyone about organic mattresses, which a lot of people hadn’t heard of. I talked about Savvy Rest everywhere we went.

What was the most fun for you of the entire trip?
Being able to go to this buffet every night for ice cream at 1:30 in the morning. And the constant activity. By the time we got to our room at night we were really sleepy.

Any interesting animals?
It’s funny, but I did not see one fish the entire trip. Iguanas though—they’re like squirrels over there, in St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Those lizards were huge.

If you could bring home a message to family and friends, what would it be?
Go on a cruise at least once in your life. It’s so relaxing. The boat is nice—everything is just set out for you and all you have to do is be there. I definitely look forward to going again. We’re planning and we’re going to save up.

And this was my first flight. I was nervous at first but at one point we were flying above a storm and looking down on the clouds, and it was just amazing. I can’t wait to fly again.

The post A Surprise B-Corp Benefit appeared first on Savvy Rest.

An employee who feels a sense of ownership has a unique motivation to perform well and take her or his responsibilities seriously. All the management speeches or maneuvers in the world can’t hold a candle to knowing your own effort can create real financial security for your family. The skill, reliability and dedication you put into your work will, if your company profits, pay off as your shares in the company grow.

A dream revived

Many employees in our culture have had the experience of being milked and manipulated throughout their working lives to produce profits they’ll never meaningfully share in. For many workers, secure, stable jobs, unions and pensions have disappeared and the traditional American dream has become a nightmare of disappointment. For too many, burnout and broken health have become more likely than a safe and happy retirement.

Employee owners are creating a different narrative, a story arc that promises better outcomes for their years of hard work. They get no pass on performance and are still measured on the quality and value of their contributions…but they are empowered.

Employee ownership offers a brighter future. And that is the most empowering motivation of all.

The difference for consumers

How does all this matter to you, as a customer? When you order a product from an employee-owned company, that product is going to go through all the same stages it would if the company was owned by a “soulless” corporation. The product has to be invented and marketed, so you’ll know it exists in the first place. Then it has to be manufactured, packaged, and delivered—to you or your nearby store.

The difference is, when an employee who markets, sells, builds or ships that product is an employee owner—this person has more care, more pride, and more investment in YOUR happiness. Selfless and self-motivated workers abound in all kinds of companies, employee-owned or not. But those who know their efforts carry the promise of real reward are extra-motivated to take great care of their customers.

At Savvy Rest, our customers’ expectations of a positive experience with us and our products is why we, as employee owners, feel so engaged in our work. In every call we take, product we make, box we pack, or word we write…ownership is our own skin in the game.

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On the one hand, terrorist cells continue to break out, the middle class is shrinking, and corporate greed seems worse than ever. Let’s face it: the front-page news is bad. On the other hand, there is increasing use of sustainable energy in the world, more funds are being donated to charity and more people donate their time. And underneath the din of negative media there is a sense of compassion and understanding…when we look for it.

A Sustainability Surge

Here is some good news from Green Money Journal: “In the early years of the sustainable investment industry, most companies did not recognize sustainability as a materially relevant concept. As time passed, some companies warmed to the concept. Today, the paradigm has shifted again and many companies embrace sustainability. The Governance & Accountability Institute reported that 72% of the S&P 500® published sustainability reports in 2013; this is up from 52% in 2012 and from 20% in 2011.”

Cynically, we could say that most of the companies are doing it just to paint a prettier picture of themselves. There is no doubt some truth in that, but it leads to the question: why is having a sustainability report suddenly prettier than not having one? That’s what this post is about.

All change takes time. It took time to win independence from England. It took time to free the slaves. It took time to win voting rights for all Americans, but “the pace of change is accelerating,” says management consultant Ichak Adizes.

The Urgency of Openness

The demand for transparency underlies much of this change. The culture is demanding it, and even though technology companies promote transparency to serve themselves, there is no stopping the trend. There are still secrets, but they’re gradually getting smaller and more contained. Individuals will always have human secrets that may never be discovered–lies, affairs, desires, and so forth—though it’s getting more difficult to hide them. Because the internet casts no shadows, the pace of those blowups is increasing.

Governments and many organizations and institutions are facing a greater demand for transparency. It makes their secrets harder to maintain. If you consider banking, mining, health care and lobbying groups, the sheer volume of secrets they hold is overwhelming. However, over the course of a generation or two, the climate that sustains secrecy and hypocrisy is undeniably changing. Consumers and citizens have a much lower tolerance for lying and for misleading statements from leaders.

A Savvier Public

Younger generations seem to be more adept at challenging the status quo, and these challenges matter. More of us just want to be told the truth. We can deal with reality, even if it’s unpleasant. We can make adjustments and improvements if we know the truth. However, we can’t do much with fiction, or gross exaggerations or understatements.

As more young people and more well-informed people of all ages populate the workforce, organizations slowly change. It’s unavoidable. The groundswell of support for creating a more just society with conscientious policies about the environment is mounting, day by day and year by year.

We may not see it over the course of a few years or even 10, but within a generation powerful changes are coming, and they’re undeniable.

At Savvy Rest we promote transparency by using independent laboratories to run our VOC and materials testing. We also have GreenGuard test our natural latex mattresses—in their entirety, not just individual components—to ensure that our products meet the GreenGuard GOLD standard. Transparency matters to us as much as to our customers.

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As a freshman I transferred into Virginia Tech’s business school. But by my sophomore year, I realized that track would not be for me. Classes that focused on the conventional motive to maximize profits above all else frustrated me. Inherent in that motive is the assumption that money—all else aside—is the answer to well-being.

So, I switched to a school of thought that has historically clashed head-on with business. My new major, Environmental Policy and Planning, allowed me take a step back from financially-driven decision making. I began to learn about more productive goals that take a larger view of well-being. Money certainly makes well-being possible in many ways, but I wanted the global perspective.

From Despondency to Determination

The learning was painful. At first, I was immersed in the gloom and doom of environmental and social injustices. For several years, I learned how the consequences of modern life and consumption include passing the acute burden of their high costs to those who can least afford them. At times, studying the worldwide effects of climate change, deforestation, and pollution left me feeling helpless.

But there is hope, and it comes from some remarkable sources, including factory owner Ray Anderson, author of Confessions of a Radical Industrialist. According to Anderson, the answer lies within the problem. He is convinced that business and industry have a powerful capacity to forge a brighter environmental future–and why not? His manufacturing company, Interface, and many others, are now embedding environmental considerations deeply into their business models.

We also want to be one of the brighter lights in business. At Savvy Rest, we strive to provide quality products while minimizing and offsetting our environmental impacts. For the past three years, we have offset our carbon footprint through the Carbon Fund, and we are continually looking for ways to reduce our impact.

Starting Where We Are

Tracking our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) was the way to begin a more focused effort. With a better grasp on Savvy Rest’s emissions, we can explore new routes to further reduce them. So in 2013, we began our greenhouse gas accounting project. The most widely-used standard, the Greenhouse Gas Corporate Standard, provides a template. The standard tracks three emissions categories, so companies can identify responsible parties and evaluate the potentials for change.

The first category includes emissions that a company creates directly. For Savvy Rest, this includes fuel to power our delivery trucks and natural gas to heat our Vienna location.

The second category includes emissions from purchased electricity. Savvy Rest currently has five locations—four retail stores (one located within our corporate offices) and a production/warehouse facility. Electricity heats and cools most of our locations and powers our production equipment. Aside from those key demands, it doesn’t do much more than give us light, keep some food cold, make some food hot, and power a few microwaves, fridges, and coffee machines.

According to the Greenhouse Gas Corporate Standard, reporting the third category is optional, because these emissions are produced by third parties. But we still wanted to dig a little deeper. Third-party transportation emissions, primarily shipping, create the bulk of this category. Employee commuting is our next-biggest third-category source. Though tracking these is optional for the standard, we believe the more information we have, the better.

Accounting and Accountability

Now that we have our baseline data, we’re seeking more opportunities to reduce. On the bright side, our direct emissions are fairly minimal, limited to fuel and electricity. On the other hand, this means achieving further reductions will be more difficult. But we don’t take challenges lightly, and our commitment is to continue to do whatever we can to make our planet a better place to live.

We’ll keep you posted on our progress; we know we have a lot of company (and companies) who will continue to inspire us in this urgent movement for change.

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