Living Room Realty (www.livingroomre.com), a real estate company specializing in Portland’s urban neighborhoods, proudly announces it has earned B Corp certification.

B Corp certification is awarded to companies, which use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems and meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. B Corp certification for businesses is like Fair Trade certification for coffee or USDA Organic certification for milk. Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions not only on their shareholders, but also on their stakeholders (e.g., workers, suppliers, community, consumers, and the environment).

Living Room Realty is one of 842 corporations from 60 industries in 27 countries who have achieved B Corp status, granted by B Lab, a non-profit based in Wayne, PA. The unifying goal of B Corps is to redefine success in business.

“We’re so proud to have achieved B Corp status,” said Jenelle Isaacson, owner of Living Room Realty. “We wanted to become a B Corp because of our belief that we build a business by building community one great neighbor at a time. It was an extension of our company's social, environmental and ethical values and an ongoing measure of our success and goals. We are honored to have a way to show that we actually walk the walk and are committed to our community, consumers, and the environment.”

Living Room Realty joins Portland area companies such as New Seasons and Bamboo Sushi in achieving this prestigious designation, as well as international brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia and Warby Parker and will take part with them in leading the movement to leverage the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

By voluntarily meeting higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance, Certified B Corps are distinguishing themselves in a cluttered marketplace by offering a positive vision of a better way to do business.

In June, Oregon Governor Kitzhaber signed Benefit Company legislation, a legal designation administered by the state. Earlier this year while still undergoing the B Corp certification process, Isaacson was invited to Oregon’s capital by Secretary of State Kate Brown to speak about her B Corp certification experience in support of the legislation. While different than B Corps, Benefit Companies share the common goal to work to solve social and environmental issues.

About Living Room Realty
Founded in 2008, Living Room Realty is a group of professional, experienced, licensed real estate agents that specialize in representing buyers and sellers in Portland’s inner urban neighborhoods. We have cultivated a deep knowledge of the diverse neighborhoods and personalities that make Portland a great place to call home. Our expertise spans from vintage homes and historic neighborhoods to mid-century modern architecture and green building. Living Room Realty is the only real estate firm to be awarded the Sustainability at Work Silver Certification by the city’s Best Business Center & the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. www.livingroomre.com

About B Corp
Certified B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. As of February 2013, there are more than 690 Certified B Corporations from over 60 industries and 24 countries, representing a diverse multi-billion dollar marketplace.

About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiative: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) passing legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (12 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation); 3) driving capital to high impact investments through the use of GIIRS Ratings and Analytics (more than 60 investors with over $3B in impact assets under management use GIIRS); and 4) providing free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 7,000 businesses use B Lab’s free B Impact Assessment).

Living Room Realty

Living Room Realty

About Living Room Realty Founded in 2008, Living Room Realty is a group of professional, experienced, licensed real estate agents that specialize in representing buyers and sellers in Portland’s inner urban neighborhoods. We have cultivated a deep knowledge of the diverse neighborhoods and personalities that make Portland a great place to call home. Our expertise spans from vintage homes and historic neighborhoods to mid-century modern architecture and green building. Living Room Realty is the only real estate firm to be awarded the Sustainability at Work Silver Certification by the city’s Best Business Center & the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. http://livingroomre.com.

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