Beth Peiffer’s vision for her company has always been unique. She had lots of ideas long before she was completely in charge as the owner and President. Her vision included a future where Ralph E. Jones Inc. was more than the best commercial painting contractor in the area. She wanted more than traditional success measures. Beth wanted to be a force for good.
That vision has materialized in many ways over the years. Most recently those goals became measurable with certification as a B Corp. According to Beth, “The goal was not to be a B Corp, but to be a force for good. The B Corp values and certification process are an excellent measure of our progress.”
B Corp Certification is a rigorous process. There is a verified scoring system. To achieve Certification requires a score of 80% for roughly 200 questions. Topics range from legal, impact on people, community and the environment.
The first step in the B Corp journey for Ralph E Jones Inc. was to elect to become a Benefits Corporation in PA. That means that “This corporation shall have the purpose of creating general public benefit”.
The legal structure in PA was just the beginning. To be certified, a ‘B Corp’ must complete the Impact Assessment which covers 4 areas. Ralph E Jones Inc demonstrated positive results in all areas.
- Governance
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Workers
- Compensation, Benefits & Training
- Work environment
- Community
- Local involvement
- Civic engagement & Giving
- Environment
- Land, Office Plants
- Environmental products and processes
Peiffer sums up her perspective: “B Corps are about using business as a force for good. The values are People, Planet, Profit (PPP). Profit is the third and it’s the last thing. It’s not the motivator. It’s People and Planet first. That gets me excited to get up in the morning. That’s why I’m here.”
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Ralph E Jones Inc (REJ) is an institutional, commercial and industrial painting, wallcovering and special coatings contractor based in Harrisburg PA. REJ is widely recognized for quality and reliability with over 95 years of ‘work that speaks for itself’ in the Central PA area and neighboring Mid Atlantic states.
Beth Peiffer is the Owner and President of Ralph E Jones Inc. in Harrisburg PA. She has been with the company for more than 20 years and is most proud of her work to ‘Paint a Better Community’. The incredible journey of the company is chronicled in her book, “The Values of Ralph E. Jones, Inc.: Celebrating 95 Years of “Work That Speaks for Itself” which is available on Amazon.com.