Sustainability in Business series features entrepreneurs based in Portland, Oregon, who practice sustainable marketing and promote sustainability in business practices.
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Renee Spears is the founder and CEO of Rose City Mortgage, a provider of socially responsible mortgage financing. We met recently over tea to talk about the S-word, how she built her company into a Portland sustainability mainstay, and her new venture in the making.
That her company has been one of 100 Best Small Companies to Work for in Oregon twice in a row (#14 in 2007, #4 in 2008) is no coincidence: it all started with people. Equipped with banking expertise, Renee helped a close family member get financing despite discrimination by lenders. The path to helping other disadvantaged members of her community opened naturally.
Over time, Renee shaped the business into a company she’d always wanted to work for. A place where employees enjoy working (and look forward to going to work every day), a place offering a solid work-life balance, a place that is fun. I’d visited Rose City’s previous suite; the offices centered around what was essentially a living room, with a couch, love seat, armchair, coffee table, lamps, and plants. Even the new, downscaled location serves as a gathering space for employees, most of whom now telecommute.
Back in October I’d seen Renee participate in a GoGreen ‘08 conference panel, “Drive Green Brand Values Through Your Organization. Leverage for Recruiting and Retention”. In all hiring decisions, Rose City evaluates the applicants’ commitment to sustainability to determine a fit. The guy proudly driving a Hummer didn’t get the job.
All decisions Rose City makes filter through a single question: “Whom does this benefit?” Everything is sourced locally with the environment in mind. As a mortgage broker, the company relies heavily on electronic documents, with a single electronic signature serving all the materials traditional lenders compile into inch-thick stacks of paper. Rose City only works with banks and other partners who have made a transition into paperless transactions. Similarly, a prospect who requires paper copies of all documentation won’t become a client.
After ten years of running Rose City Mortgage, Renee is looking forward to launching her new sustainability-focused venture next year. What’s going to happen to Rose City? Renee is selling the company to the employees. They are the answer to the filter question. I’d wanted to profile Rose City Mortgage after my conversations with Lorie Clements, who loves working there as a loan officer and who is a fellow member of Bridges, a green business networking group. Needless to say, Lorie’s excited and proud to become a business owner!
