Six years ago, Michael Scott Cohen and Jon Alagem established Harper+Scott (asi/220052) with a focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. Since then, with locations in New York City and Guangzhou, China, the company – named a Counselor Best Place to Work in 2018 – has become known for its high-end products and sourcing capabilities.

Harper+Scott has recently taken a serious next step in its mission for good by receiving a B Corporation certification after a rigorous six-month process, which assessed governance, financial transparency, employee satisfaction, vendors, environmental practices and overall customer engagement.

Cassandra Ross, director of operations, joined the company in March 2019 because of its larger purpose, and she knew she wanted to help the company work toward this certification.

“Sustainability is about materials, as well as looking at using products that people will keep longer,” says Ross. “And the B Corp is about using business as a force for good that enriches people’s lives.”

As a matter of routine even before the certification process, Harper+Scott has had all vendors and employees sign a social responsibility agreement and continues to educate its team on what social responsibility, sustainability and, now, the B Corp mean for the company.

“There’ve been companies that were willing to spend a lot of money with us, but we chose not to work with them from an ethical and CSR standpoint,” says Alagem, president and co-founder.

Now, especially since the company is located in the Big Apple, the country’s coronavirus epicenter, it has successfully pivoted to provide much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE). Cohen, the CEO and co-founder, says Harper+Scott has set out to be kind, connected, proactive, supportive, flexible and humble during this crisis, all characteristics of B Corps.

“We wanted to get involved and keep our doors open,” he says. “None of our employees were furloughed or laid off because we’ve pivoted. We’ve been sourcing sanitizer, thermometers and masks for clients, but also hospitals, government entities and large corporations. This has been the most rewarding part of my career so far.”

As the coronavirus forces companies’ physical locations to stay shuttered, Ross says the way her company has dealt with the situation proves it’s worthy of the B Corp certification. “We’re checking in with individual employees and clients,” she says. “Everyone’s dealing with emotion and anxiety, but we’re all in this together. We feed off each other’s hard work to keep going. We’re innovative, flexible, a force for good, and we provide support and motivation. We couldn’t have done all that without our employees.”