Solutionists Making Moves: October 15-22 2021

Welcome to this week’s edition of Solutionists Making Moves. 

From established ESG professionals to rising Solutionists, we want to share their successes and celebrate the achievements of those leading the charge in bringing net-positive solutions to the world. Here’s this week’s roundup of Solutionists making waves in their respective industries.

Leading construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar recently announced a series of ESG focused initiatives. This includes the appointment of Julie Lagacy as the company’s first Chief Sustainability & Strategy Officer. Caterpillar announced that it will begin incorporating ESG factors in its executive incentive plan in 2022. The company stated that today’s announcements reflect feedback from stakeholders and symbolizes the company’s long standing commitment to sustainability. CEO Jim Umpleby said, “Sustainability is an important element of our long-term strategy for profitable growth. Caterpillar is committed to contributing to a reduced-carbon future and helping our customers achieve their climate-related objectives as they build a better, more sustainable world.”

North America’s largest greenhouse lettuce grower, Revol Greens, recently announced the hiring of Matt Roy as Vice President of Food Service. Roy brings decades of experience in fresh produce and agriculture sustainability to the role. “We are excited to have Matt join the Revol team. His deep understanding of how to translate customer needs into achievable strategies is a perfect fit for our leadership team of experienced growers, marketers and greenhouse operators,” said Tom Thompson, Chief Revenue Officer of Revol Greens. “I have been a longtime proponent and advocate about the controlled environment agriculture space, and the ability to grow a quality, sustainable product closer to the end user is only going to become more important,” said Roy.

Central Illinois cooperative FarmFED has recently hired a general manager in Cindy Jackson. Jackson has been a local food advocate in central Illinois for almost ten years, most recently serving as interim executive director/operations director for the Decatur farm-to-table soup kitchen Good Samaritan Inn. She has also worked with DIGG INC., a non-profit urban initiative tasked with creating jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for low-income residents by teaching sustainable farming techniques. This infrastructure will serve as a bridge to allow local farmers to sell frozen local products to local institutional buyers such as schools, hospitals and retailers. Her new role symbolizes her continued dedication towards achieving a sustainable food industry.

Density, Inc. has recently hired Nellie Hayat as its first ever Workplace Innovation Leader. Hayat will oversee workplace innovation, looking at what the workplace will look like in the future, how it can become smarter and more sustainable. “The pandemic accelerated the need to examine and redefine what purpose our workplaces serve and how they should be designed,” said Andrew Farah, co-founder and CEO of Density. “There’s a sizable gap between the intent of a space and how it’s actually used. Employees aren’t just coming back to occupy a desk, they’re returning to the office for community, collaboration, learning, and co-creation with peers. We’re thrilled to welcome Nellie to Density to help our customers navigate this novel time, help design the workplace of the future, embrace new ways of working, and inform real estate strategy.”

Arctaris Impact Investors, LLC, recently announced the addition of Richard Hampson as a Principal of the firm to oversee and expand the firm’s ESG and Impact Investing practice in Michigan and Ohio. “We are pleased to welcome Richard Hampson, with his breadth of commercial banking expertise to our leadership team,” said Uche Osuji, Managing Director at Arctaris. Arctaris is committed to hiring financial experts located in the program geographies who provide an insider perspective and regional representation, resulting in customized investment options that address the most pressing issues facing these communities.