Profit Because People – Going Beyond the Binary

Profit vs. people – it’s the oldest conflict in business, right? For centuries public and private employers have all tried to figure out how to make the equation work.

But what if our society has been getting the equation wrong? Why must the dichotomy of profit vs. people exist? What if it were possible to profit because of people?

Profit because people: that’s the stance we take at PointNorth. Nowhere were the benefits of that highlighted to me better than in this last presidential election.

For people like myself who hold identities that are constantly under threat, our very existence is examined, questioned, and dehumanized every election cycle. So to say that I pay attention to electoral results is definitely an understatement.

On election night, I enjoyed the comforts of my home while I played Mario Kart with my husband. In between the Mario mayhem, we would quickly check results before starting the next round of competition. When things were still undecided after our usual round of race and battles, we went to bed, hoping for the best, and fearing the worst.

When our alarm went off on November 6th, I woke up with an overwhelming sense of dread, but I was determined that Kyle and I conduct our normal morning routine before looking at our phones and checking results.

After we finished our breakfast and coffee, we picked up our phones, and the dread truly set in.

Elections are snapshots of what we collectively value as a society. That’s why, when reviewing election results, I always like to dig into the details of the local, state, and national results to gain a better understanding of what our society might value versus what my neighbors and community might value.

And that’s where I found some reason to hope.

As I checked statewide results, I noticed voters rejected ballot initiatives 2117 and 2109, which threatened the livelihood of transit agencies and families across the State of Washington.

Initiative 2117, if passed, would have repealed the Climate Commitment Act, which directed the Department of Ecology to design and implement a cap and invest program to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions and help Washington transition to a low-carbon economy. A repeal of this program would have impacted transit agencies.

Initiative 2109, if passed, would have repealed a capital gains excise tax. A repeal of this tax would have eliminated more than $5 billion in funding for early learning, childcare, K-12 education, and school construction over the next five years.

The results of these measures were especially important to me because PointNorth had a helping hand in making them a reality.

This year, we won contracts with the Washington State Transit Association and the Clark County Children’s Council and we were actively involved in their efforts to educate voters to vote no on I-2117 and I-2109.

Voters choosing to reject both ballot initiatives made me feel both grateful and proud. Grateful to work somewhere I can serve the people I live and work with in our community without sacrificing the values I hold dear because we believe in “profits because of people.” Proud of the fact that when PointNorth is involved, we win.

I feel fortunate to work somewhere I can show up as my authentic self, express my thoughts, and work for clients that share my values. Can you say the same?