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For some businesses, a mission statement isn’t enough.

Carleton Hart Architecture is set to become Oregon’s latest design firm to earn status as a certified B Corporation, tying its values to a third-party auditing process.

Principals with Carleton Hart Architecture and Waterleaf Architecture, which in 2016 became Oregon’s first architecture firm to earn B Corporation certification, said its advantages include marketing and client relations, employee recruitment and retention, and social accountability.

Carleton Hart, which has 37 employees, often works with public-sector and nonprofit clients on affordable housing projects and others that aim for a social good.

鈥淚t’s very important to demonstrate that we have a mission, that we have a set of beliefs that are in line with what our clients do,鈥� Carleton Hart founding principal Brian Carleton said.

B Corporations are more common in other industries such as food and beverage. Well-known local B Corporations include New Seasons Market, Grand Central Bakery and Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Green Hammer, a Portland design-build firm, also became a certified B Corporation in 2017.

The B Corporation certification process uses a ratings system that awards points in categories such as governance, workers, community, environment and customers. In some ways, it’s not unlike Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for a company instead of a building.

鈥淲hat we do architecturally and as citizens matters to us,鈥� said Michelle Black, a Carleton Hart principal. 鈥淭here’s something about making it formal, if you will.鈥�

Carleton Hart is engaged in a variety of mission-driven projects, including the Multnomah County Behavioral Health Center 鈥� a downtown facility that will offer drop-in day services, shelter beds and transitional housing for the homeless. Another is the Cedar Grove Apartments affordable housing project in Beaverton.

Such projects require a workplace culture that lends itself to cohesive solutions driven by shared values, Carleton Hart’s principals said.

鈥淲e are often brought into projects and part of conversations that extend past just the physical architecture,鈥� Black said. 鈥淚t’s more than just how long is the design drawing set going to take, or what is the permit process. We are asking so much of each other. We’re looking at problem solving on a much greater scale often.鈥�

Particularly with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, professional services firms are expected to communicate their values to potential clients.

鈥淭his is an era where we need to lead with our values and market with our values first,鈥� said Abigail Bokman, marketing manager for Waterleaf.

Becoming a B Corporation does not change a company’s legal organization. Waterleaf, for example, is a limited liability company, while Carleton Hart is organized as a professional corporation. In other words, B Corporation certification does not change a company’s for-profit status.

鈥淭hey definitely aren’t shy with being profitable, but they have an emphasis on doing something good at the same time,鈥� said Karen Lange, a Waterleaf associate partner.

For companies accustomed to privacy in their business operations, becoming a B Corporation requires a turn toward transparency. Among the scores that are posted publicly in the B Corporation directory are tallies for workers’ financial security and engagement and satisfaction.

鈥淭hat’s one of the biggest differences, is you become more transparent as a private company,鈥� Carleton said.

That may have benefits for recruitment and retention. At Waterleaf, which has 17 employees, the company’s B Corporation certification comes up in job interviews regularly. Prospective employees often ask about the firm’s social mission, Lange said.

B Lab, the organization that oversees B Corporation certifications, requires a minimum of 80 points to achieve certification. Carleton Hart .

Certification also links firms to a network of similar companies. There’s an online forum, B Hive, where executives can ask questions of their peers. There are also monthly lunch sessions, panel discussions, an annual regional conference and networking events. Portland has more than 100 certified B Corporations.

In the pandemic era, the B Hive has filled with helpful information on topics such as obtaining federal Paycheck Protection Program loans. Social and racial equity have also been at the forefront of the conversations.

鈥淚t’s become a very safe community to share and discuss some of these issues, which we’ve found very valuable,鈥� Lange said.