#36: The Mt. Rushmore Series

Which four companies would you enshrine on Mt. Rushmore? Why does each company deserve the honor? In most previous iterations of this long running series, I wrote from the heart. For this particular entry, I also did a little research/fact checking; wanted to be reasonably sure the salient facts were accurate. In alphabetical order:

1.) Ben & Jerry's: When these two Long Island hippies opened their first ice cream shop in Vermont in 1978, having a social mission as part of a business plan was not that common. I'm not sure how well that mission has withstood the 2000 transition after Ben & Jerry's became a subsidiary of Unilever. But the current Board Of Directors gives me hope the initial idealism hasn't faded. Anyway, the ice cream is still amazing.

2.) Body Shop: "We dedicate our business to the pursuit of environmental and social change". Anita Roddick's 1976 social mission pre-dated Ben & Jerry's. Because of their commitment to fair trade (long before Starbucks) and ethical treatment of animals, when buying cosmetics for my wife, I've frequently gone out of my way to find a Body Shop. Roddick sold her brand to L'Oreal in 2006, the year before she died.

3.) Marriott: Of the four on my mountain, this is the most personal. In the years I worked for the Commission For The Blind, before the passage of The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, I witnessed firsthand the Marriott Corporation's leadership hiring people with disabilities. When traveling, I try my best to stay at Marriott.

4.) Newman's Own: Since Paul Newman and AE Hotchner founded the company in 1982, all after-tax profits generated by the sale of Newman's Own products have been donated - through the Newman's Own Foundation - to charity. The main recipients of the Foundation's largesse - $430 million according to the website - have been educational and ecological organizations. BTW, the vodka spaghetti sauce is very tasty.

This post is dedicated to my daughter who suggested this version of Mt. Rushmore.