The Net Impact Conference and the “Why Not?” Mandate

by Travis J. Bjorklund  

Note: Next years Net Impact conference will be in Porland, Oregon. Here is why you should go...

This year’s Net Impact Conference was in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The University of Michigan is brimful with brilliant, engaged, and vibrant people, and never more so than when hosting the Net Impact Conference, the most inspiring business conference we have. Unlike Black MBA or NSHMBA, attendees at NI come together because of an idea: The business can do better. That making a profit means more than just money. That long term sustainability isn’t the next best thing: it’s the same big thing it’s always been. It’s no surprise that the world’s biggest companies are starting to treat environmental stewardship, for example, as more than just lip service. As a job fair, this makes Net Impact so much more meaningful, too. Attendees typically bring a passion and a level of related experience that no other job fair can match: this is why more and more employers are sending recruiters to find these talented, passionate managers. NI made me realize that I was part of a major movement toward sustainability in business. Sustainability is no longer on the fringes. Speakers In the sessions I attended, I heard stories and advice from employees of REI, Nike, Terracycle, Stonyfield, Dupont, Accenture, and many others. After each session, the attendees all stuck around to answer questions and to network. Apart from the speakers, there was an entire contingent of professional attendees that were also there for inspiration and networking. The man sitting a few chairs down from me asked a question of the panel and introduced himself as a brand manager at L’Oreal. For we South Carolinians, I was happy to find that speakers and company representatives were more interested in the quality of your ideas, questions, and passion than your academic pedigree. Job Fair Many employers, from SC Johnson to GE, made it very clear that they were specifically hiring from the pool of Net Impact attendees (some, less agreeably, were also only hiring from a specific dozen universities). Many had specific internship programs based around sustainability, too, particularly in marketing. The CEO of Stonyfield, one of the most aggressively independent thinkers and successful-on-his-own-terms managers in America, was the most inspiring speaker. In the various organized social events, break periods, and even the local bars, I found interesting and inspiring people happy to talk to me about their own passions, inspirations, and, yes, professional networks. If you’re interested in networking your way to an internship or a future job (and you should be), I highly recommend the Net Impact Conference Attendees: From the IMBA Class 2011 · Kim Mitchell · Brooke Beadle · Mandy From the IMBA Class 2012 · Julia Kramer · Abhinav Sharma · Noah Thomas · Kyle Sox · Travis Bjorklund From the Master of International Business (MIB) Program · Christine Hauer