During a trip to Australia in 1999, Stephanie Carter and Lenya Shore discovered that the Australian secret to sun protection was a simple (and stylish) one: wearing UPF 50+ crushable fabric hats. These hats journeyed back to the United States with them where they were an instant hit. Naturally everyone wanted one, but none were available for sale in the country. Together, Carter and Shore launched Wallaroo Hat Company, dedicated to creating colorful hats that keep heads safe from the sunlight. Read on to find out more about them and their Boulder, CO-based B Corp.
What drew us to become a B Corp: “When the idea of becoming a B Corp was first presented to me at a CEO group, I was intrigued by the idea of giving back and meeting voluntary standards of transparency, accountability and environmental sustainability. I was not certain we would be able to meet the rigorous requirements but after working with the staff at the B Corp offices on systems and processes, we were able to become B Corp compliant. We are proud to be members of the B Corp movement because it is changing the way business is done in the United States. We like being in partnership with other B Corps to ensure that there is transparency in work environments, employee relations and environmental sustainability.”
What you need to know about being B Corp certified: “Achieving B Corp status is not something to be undertaken lightly. It requires a significant amount of work, time, and energy, but it is worth it. Wallaroo was recently re-certified for the second time and the process was even more rigorous than the first time. If you are a company that is passionate about the world around you and the way things work, being part of the B Corp community is essential.”
What Wallaroo does to “B The Change” daily: “We pride our business on cultivating an environment where our employees are happy to come to work and love what they do. Years ago we made a decision that every day we would have lunch together as a company and shut the phones off for 30 minutes so that everyone could enjoy time together and talk about their lives. While we don’t require our employees to have lunch together, most people choose to sit together and share in the events of their lives. It has created a culture of closeness and friendship that we are told is different from many other companies. Our employees look forward to this time together to relax, laugh, and eat their lunch. As owners of the company we feel it is important to be with our employees during lunch time so they don’t feel there is a barrier between us. We want to continue to engage with our employees in both corporate and non-corporate settings so that they will know who we are and what we believe in. We have had years of laughs and tears and friendship from this lunchtime practice and it is something we hope to continue for years to come.”
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About Wallaroo Hat Company
This has been a Fantastic B Corps post, MyCorporation’s salute to the entity that gives back to business and society. Join us biweekly for a glimpse at the entrepreneurs using their small business to “B The Change” in this global movement for good.
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