July 2010 President’s Corner

Although summer has officially hit the Boston area and our lovely local beaches, I spent a majority of the last week enjoying the sun and surf in Key West, Florida. Half of the island faces the Gulf of Mexico, so as I sat wiggling my toes in the sand, I couldn’t help but think about the stretch of coastline from Louisiana to Northern Florida that has been horribly disrupted by the BP oil spill.

While the source of the oil leak is too far away to have any effect on the environment and economy in Key West (the views are still beautiful, the ocean swimmable, the seafood edible…) there are a host of towns and cities not too far away that have not been so fortunate and have had their livelihood taken from them. The damage caused to the Gulf and all those involved can’t be undone, however, I’m hopeful that this disaster will serve as a reminder that business exists within a larger community and as such it should operate sustainably, safely and appropriately, even if it is more expensive.

On that note, I’m proud to be part of an organization that understands the power of business and the positive impact that it can have, if used correctly. Net Impact Boston is currently working on a couple of key projects to continue to strengthen our community including a soft launch of our own social networking site on July 1st as well as a member survey.

If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to complete our Net Impact Boston Member Survey – sent out by Monica Sullivan – by Friday July 9th. We are gathering feedback on how Net Impact Boston can provide the events and opportunities that matter most to you. Also, please mark your calendars for the July installment of our Summer Happy hour series, which promises good conversation and good times, slated for Wednesday July 21st.