GRAND RAPIDS – The West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (WMSBF) is pleased to announce the official receipt from the Internal Revenue Service of its tax exempt status under section 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Formed in 1994, the WMSBF started with a handful of organizations dedicated to sustainable business practices.  Originally a program of the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, the WMSBF continued to grow to a membership of over 100 businesses, academic institutions, non-profits, government agencies, entrepreneurs and students.  In 2008, the WMSBF gratefully acknowledged the long term support from WMEAC and separated to petition the IRS for the tax exempt status, allowing the WMSBF to evolve and enhance its mission as an educational resource for sustainable business practices.  According to board president, Marylu Dykstra, principal of Sirius Resources LLC, “We are ecstatic.  The application, the documentation and follow up efforts were enormous and the board really pulled together to create a package that clearly demonstrated our value and long-term intent to be the ‘go-to’ for sustainable business practices in the region.”  Ms. Dykstra further points out that the board is particularly grateful to one of its own, attorney Mark Lenz of Thompson Coburn Fagel Haber, out of Chicago, who put in countless hours as a volunteer to ensure the process was ‘handled perfectly’.

Gayle DeBruyn of Lake Affect Design Studio, board vice president, will assume her term as president in May 2010 and looks forward to leading the organization into its next phase, indicating,  “We have a lot of work to do, with new systems, educational resources and more in-depth programming on the way.”  The WMSBF is currently engaged in transferring its Self-Assessment Guide for Sustainable Business into a web-based reporting tool, creating an Energy Assessment Guide, a Social Responsibility Guide and collaborating with a number of co-conveners to create principles, indicators and measures for a sustainable region.  In order to support these efforts, the WMSBF Administrator, Kyle Ten Broeke states, “I am looking forward to pulling together new business systems and processes that are now available to the WMSBF by virtue of our new 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) status."

For more information, please contact Kyle at kyle@wmsbf.org or visit the WMSBF website at www.wmsbf.org.

The West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum membership represents a broad cross-section of large area industries, medium and small-sized businesses, and individual contractors. Together, we are dedicated to developing the expertise and the means necessary to achieve our triple bottom line objective. We strive to expand and share our knowledge base through monthly meetings featuring guest speakers, periodic seminars and conferences, and special projects. 

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