Gordon & Frost

The importance of #innovation cannot be overstated - from improving individuals lives to addressing systemic challenges on a global scale. From large corporates innovating new business models, process, culture and management, as former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty stated, to the #job creation that investing in early-stage ventures can lead to, as former Governor and now U.S. Senator Mark Warner expressed. Secretary General António Guterres of the United Nations put it simply - "Without innovation, there is no way we can overcome the challenges of our time". Congratulation to those companies leading the charge as measured by Illuminas and the Responsible Business Center and the American Innovation index! 2024 Dual Category Winners Ford Motor Company John Deere Weber LLC Bridgestone Americas The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Samsung Electronics SoFi JetBlue New York Life Honda Sherwin-Williams Apple Music IKEA Toyota Motor Corporation Google 2024 American Innovation Category Amazon Costco Wholesale Charles Schwab Adobe Netflix Microsoft Victoria’s Secret & Co. TikTok Canva 2024 Social Innovation Category Chime GE General Motors Aflac Kaiser Permanente J.P. Morgan Navy Federal Credit Union RYOBI TOOLS EMEA LG Electronics loanDepot

"The cost of capital is currently higher than equilibrium". Roosevelt D. Bowman III, Senior Investment Strategist at Bernstein Private Wealth Management shared an abundance of insights for investors and executives at their private event on November 18th, in their brand new location at The Spiral at Hudson Yards New York. From a macro-economic analysis, to unpacking the impacts of the U.S. #elections, to insights on the forefront of the innovation economy (such as the need to integrate data scientists into executive leadership, and the tremendous opportunity of the energy transition driven in part simply by the price stability that renewables can provide), Roosevelt D. Bowman III shared invaluable, research-driven context to understand how the economy is moving forward internationally, and brilliantly set up Lance Wilkes, Managing Director and US Healthcare Services Senior Analyst to provide a robust framework for understanding how #healthcare, #lifesciences and #biotech sectors are going to drive future growth specifically. Lance Wilkes drew from research and from experience at companies leading today like Cigna Healthcare, Elevance Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and CVS Health. From a policy perspective, and what to expect in the coming sessions of Congress, to the deceleration of utilization, to price hardening in some sub-sectors, to the infusion and impact of #AI across the board (from digital-first plans, to care delivery and automation), Lance uncovered what leaders in the industry need to know and account for in driving forward strategic growth, profitability and impact. The team at Gordon & Frost and the Planet First Action initiative extend congratulations to the incredible team at Bernstein, in particular to Jeremy Levinson and to Alison Smith for continuing to drive forward innovation, and research-based and data-led solutions for the new economy. #innovation #impact

John Michael Kohler founded the Kohler Co. in 1873 to manufacture farm tools and hitching posts. Today, it is a global giant, earning $10 billion in revenue in 2023, and led by the 4th generation of the Kohler family. Laura Kohler is the Chief Sustainable Living officer at Kohler Co, and shared critical insights and an invaluable perspective as a leader of one of the largest privately owned companies in the United States, at the annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference 2024 on Wednesday November 13th. That in this watershed moment in history, businesses have both incredible opportunity and responsibility. That businesses thrive when they invest in supporting strong, healthy and resilient communities. That through authenticity, commitment to the truth, and a north star mission and vision, businesses can unlock tremendous value and growth. Laura shared her insights of what she 'sees around the corner' - what we need to be preparing for as communities across the country and specifically as the business community in the coming years, highlighting challenges of water access, education, and resilience, adding that the rest of the world is indeed moving faster. Juxtaposing the experience and lessons learned in Cape Town, South Africa with #DayZero, and Kohler Co.'s commitment to infusing sustainability and efficiency into each of it's own operations and products, the role of the private sector in addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow becomes abundantly clear. The team at Gordon & Frost and the Planet First Action initiative applaud Kohler Co. for it's leadership in driving innovation, investing in #communities, and building the operations and products to meet the needs for consumers and all stakeholders today, and tomorrow. Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council #innovation #water #resilience

Emerging from yesterday’s U.S. #elections, we know that many working across industries are still processing the results. Regardless of how political winds may blow, the team at Gordon & Frost know that the underlying factors and megatrends that are driving forward the economy, #investment, and technological #innovation are, as a whole, going to continue to march forward. Structural, deeply impactful, and #technology based developments across sectors of society and the economy will continue, regardless of politics, here in the U.S. and abroad. As Gordon & Frost, with our work supporting companies, nonprofits, and public agencies - and with our initiative Planet First Action, we have always focused on two things. One, the #action and #investment that, regardless of public discourse will continue to reshape the economy and our communities, and secondly, the critical nature of #collaboration. In a near 50/50 split this election, that emphasis on collaboration is more important than ever, and the team at Gordon & Frost look forward to driving continued collaboration, working with companies and nonprofits, with communities, cities and states, and with lawmakers across the aisle to drive forward action, investment, and progress.

As we head into the most consequential #election in history, one thing is certain. And that the significant increase in the role and responsibility of subnational governments in addressing climate #mitigation, #adaptation, and #resilience, not just as independent actors, but specifically through resource coordination, harmonized policies, and commitments that are both ambitious and attainable. From the nation-leading legislation that is New York State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (#CLCPA) to address climate change and reach net zero emissions at a state level, to New York City's leadership in building the infrastructure and creating the #jobs of today and tomorrow with the Green Economy Action Plan, the Gordon & Frost team are proud to support New York's leadership, advanced by those individuals and organizations at the heart of that innovation and collaboration: leaders like Rohit Aggarwala, the Chief Climate Officer for the City of New York, and Anthony Fiore, Chief Program Officer, NYS, who leads cross-cutting program strategy at NYSERDA. As the Chief Climate Officer for the largest city in the United States, Rohit Aggarwala has one of the most crucial jobs in the country, as he tackles 'sustainability' and environmental protection in its myriad facets, from building coastal resilience for the island, to working to improve local air quality for NYC residents, to designing policies that reduce friction in helping businesses decarbonize and transition, all while creating jobs and supporting underserved communities. In spearheading the latest development of the sustainability plan - 'PlaNYC' - Commissioner Aggarwala has advanced model policy for governments around the world to look to as it relates to #climate change, protecting our most vulnerable communities, and transforming this challenge into an opportunity to reimagine our communities and build a more #equitable, #healthy, and #resilient future. Building from a remarkable career leading environmental protection and energy management in New York City, and now as the Chief Program Officer for NYSERDA, Anthony Fiore is unique in his position and capability to drive outsized impact through multi-level coordination. As the engine catalyzing innovation and energy transformation across the entire state, Anythony Fiore's leadership at NYSERDA is central to the state's progress toward climate goals and net zero emissions, and the creation of #jobs and the resulting economic development and community revitalization that the energy transition will bring. As we head into this election and prepare for 2025 and beyond it is the leaders like Rohit Aggarwala and Anthony Fiore, leading legislation and policy like NYS's CLCPA and NYC's Green Economy Action Plan, and that type of multi-level and cross stakeholder collaboration that will serve as the foundation for continued and accelerated climate action. New York City Economic Development Corporation The Clean Fight

“A Goal without a Plan is Just a Wish”, remarked French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. And with that in mind, the Gordon & Frost team thanks Margot Brandenburg, Senior Program Officer for the Ford Foundation (as she shared, the second largest after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Vicky Lay, Partner & Head of Impact Investments at Artesian (Alternative Investments) and Amy Wang, Head of Private Credit at Blue Earth Capital AG for their incredible insights from the frontlines of financial innovation and deployment for impact at last week's 2nd Annual Good Business Conference at Fordham University. Drawing from diverse backgrounds and roles within the financial sector - from venture, to philanthropy, to private credit - Margot, Vicky, and Amy highlighted the 'Challenges, Solutions, Wins and Losses' behind what it takes to truly drive measurable impact for people and planet, recognizing the critical - though difficult - task of measuring impact so that organizations can truly have plans, and not just wishes. From her work at the Ford Foundation, Margot highlighted the critical importance of continuing to evolve toward a 'spectrum' of capital solutions in between purely market-rate and philanthropic, and expressed the challenges faced by many organizations working in impact as a result of unintended consequences of regulations, highlighting examples of cooperatives working to protect the #Amazon basin being excluded from international supply chains, inhibiting their work. Offering a nuanced view aligning with the insight shared by Newlab CEO Cam Lawrence, who have their second location on Ford Motor Company's new billion-dollar #mobility #innovation district in #Detroit, Margot affirmed the critical importance of #stories and their ability to motivate, drive action, convey emotion and foster human connection with the important caveat that stories cannot and should not substitute as a cornerstone for verifiable, auditable reporting on progress against #impact and #sustainability goals. Vicky Lay shared her deeply inspiring personal story, and built upon that idea of the challenges of dissonance between well-intentioned expectations and reality, highlighting that many promising impact-oriented startups are stymied by the reporting expectations of impact investors, drawing out for conversation that critical balance that must be struck to successfully advance these initiatives. Vicky Lay's advice: Don't focus on getting more data for data's sake, focus on the 'why' behind the data. Amy Wang highlighted some of the 'still early', but incredibly promising innovation they are leading at Blue Earth Capital to pioneer connections between #impact and #compensation. While it's not fully solved, Amy Wang highlighted some of the incredible work they are leading to get at the heart of measurable solutions that provide innovative financial mechanisms to more fully incentivize #impact. #ClimateFinance #Innovation United Nations Planet First Action

At the United Nations #SummitForTheFuture and throughout the General Assembly, one thing was highlighted time and time again by leaders from across the world stage - that effective climate action more than anything, rests on unlocking existing capital. And to that very end, the Gordon & Frost team and the Planet First Action initiative thank the Fordham Gabelli School of Business, the Family Stewardship Council at Fordham Gabelli, the Responsible Business Center and Investors Circle for a critically important convening this past week, to bring together #familyoffices, #venture, #philanthropy and more #capital providers to understand what investing in early stage social enterprises means in today's market and environment. That type of commitment to convening, research, and leadership is what the #climatefinance and #impact spaces, in particular, need right now, and is why the Gordon & Frost team and Planet First action are grateful to partners and leaders like Jeremy Levinson and Bernstein Private Wealth Management who are pioneering the data-driven and evidence-based path to the future for family offices, #HNWIs, and so many more. And why we are grateful to partners and leaders like Newlab CEO Cam Lawrence and the team at Newlab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation and the Detroit team working with Michigan Central and the Ford Foundation to help 'unblock' growth and for these new ventures and make them investable. Thank you to Benjamin M. Cole, the Managing Director of the Family Stewardship Council and the Loschert Chair for Technology Entrepreneurship at Fordham University, to Peter Lupoff, the Director of the Responsible Business Center and the Principal of Lupoff/Stevens Family Office LLC and Don Megrath, the Executive Director of Investors Circle and the Co-Founder and Managing Director of VectorPoint Ventures. Congratulations also to the exceptional early-stage social enterprises featured at the event, who each are trailblazing social entrepreneurship and impact across #healthcare, #sustainability, and #climate. - Anna Hammond, Founder and CEO of Matriark Foods - Eric Steinmeyer, CEO at Focal Technologies - Kristin Nuckols, Co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer and Chris Dugan, CEO of Imago Rehab. Thank you also to Gregory Otto for excellent moderation of the panel discussion featuring Nesha Mutuku, Principal of GoodLight Capital, Claude Arpels, Co-Chair of Slow Money, and Tara Joshi, Associate at Realize Impact. Thank you to the sponsors of the excellent event - Secro and Realize Impact! #investing #entrepreneurship #impact #innovation #Archewellfoundation AllianceBernstein Metabolic Climate-KIC BlocPower UNDP Open Earth Foundation One Earth Dark Matter Labs Energy Transition Finance LLC

Completing it's 8th annual event, the Marketplace of the Future, created by Amer Jandali and Future Meets Present, was a beacon of #action in the final days of #NewYorkClimateWeek. The Marketplace's self-described nature as a 'world's fair of sustainability, showcasing solutions from across the spectrum of GHG emission sources and sinks', the #MOTF drives to the core of one aspect of what #Newlab CEO Cam Lawrence recently described as fundamental to achieving net zero - the "retrofit and redesign every aspect of our economy with sustainability in mind” Featuring dozens of those companies who are creating the sustainable solutions of the future, today, and the customers and partners who are increasingly demanding their very products, the #MOTF event during #ClimateWeekNYC not only highlighted thought leadership and facilitated community and connections, but quite literally drove forward a key part of that retrofit of the economy that Cam Lawrence described. With leaders like Nico Pecchi of Quasicrystal and his work to move the fashion industry forward on sustainability. Thank you and congratulations to Amer Jandali and to James Flanagan for the exceptional event, and a special shout out to the incredible team behind so many leaders in the climate space right and core production partners for Planet First Action - Amin Abid, Heni Abid and Ahmed Dhouib of Abidmotion Studios, the official production partners for the #MarketPlaceOfTheFuture. #MOTF #ClimateFinance #SummitForTheFuture #UNGA #ClimateWeekNYC #SDGs #SustainableDevelopment #ArchewellFoundation #DeployDeployDeploy #CleanFirm #HarborClimateCollaborative Climate Group UNDP United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) UN Environment Programme UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations Youth Office Obama Foundation Clinton Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation Axios Travalyst The White House NYSERDA New York City Economic Development Corporation Newlab Metabolic Open Earth Foundation Pyxera Global Dark Matter Labs Climate-KIC One Earth Rewiring America

#NewYorkClimateWeek's magic in many ways is really about the connections, the bridge-building, and the relationships that are formed in between the keynotes, the panels, and the workshops. While those relationships are important across nearly every industry and initiative - they are especially so when it comes to working in #climate and advancing #sustainability goals toward a #just and #equitable transition that is 'government-enabled, and private sector led'. There are few leaders as important to achieving this public-private partnership that catalyzes the transformation of economic and social systems to be decarbonized, health-positive, and sustainable as Jahi Wise, the Founding Director, #GreenhouseGasReductionFund and Former Special Assistant to the President, Climate Policy and Finance. In other words, Jahi Wise is one of the principal architects of the policy and program that is deploying $27 billion dollars to decarbonize systems, develop new renewable energy projects, and catalyze transformation of financial flows to bring in additional private capital (a forecasted ~$150 billion). The Planet First Action Initiative, launched by the Gordon & Frost Agency, again extends a deep gratitude to Jahi Wise, David Widawsky and the entire team at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and beyond for this incredible program. Planet First Action applauds Montauk Climate and co-hosts SE Ventures, MUUS Climate Partners, NextEra Energy, Inc. and co-sponsors Kirkland & Ellis, HSBC Asset Management, Latham & Watkins, and Ramp for an excellent #ClimateWeekNYC event that focused in on building those bridges across partners and stakeholders so that we can move forward #together. Follow Planet First Action across social platforms and at planetfirstaction.com to participate in this effort to connect stakeholders, break down silos, transform #capital flows, foster the growth of new #jobs, and enable impactful #collaboration. ⚡ P.S. For those interested in learning more: Planet First Action interviewed the leaders from the front lines of deploying the #GGRF into communities, including Tony Curnes Founding Partner of Purpose Venture Group, Clare Doyle Dowd, Head of Policy at BlocPower, and Jackie Logan, Co-Founder and CIO of Raise Green. Watch the interviews and access additional resources here: https://lnkd.in/eKZAqTwm #ClimateFinance #SummitForTheFuture #UNGA #ClimateWeekNYC #SDGs  #SustainableDevelopment #ArchewellFoundation #DeployDeployDeploy #CleanFirm #HarborClimateCollaborative Gordon & Frost Climate Group UNDP United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) UN Environment Programme UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Obama Foundation Clinton Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation The White House Newlab Rewiring America Kirk Hourdajian | Jacob Frost | Jeremy Levinson | Jahi Wise | Ryan Gordon | Zeev Krieger

Congratulations to Montauk Climate, MUUS Climate Partners, SE Ventures and NextEra Energy, Inc. for an excellent #ClimateWeekNYC event! As was discussed extensively throughout #NewYorkClimateWeek events and the United Nations General Assembly, transforming and mobilizing #finance is the key driver behind achieving sustainability goals, the development of new #jobs, and the growth of the companies and initiatives that are designing and creating the future. The Gordon & Frost team and the Planet First Action initiative look forward to continuing to build bridges and break down silos between stakeholders to unlock that success. #ClimateFinance #SummitForTheFuture #UNGA #ClimateWeekNYC #SDGs  #SustainableDevelopment #ArchewellFoundation #DeployDeployDeploy #CleanFirm #HarborClimateCollaborative Jeremy Levinson Ryan Gordon Jacob Frost Climate Group UNDP United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) UN Environment Programme UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations Youth Office Obama Foundation Clinton Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation Axios Travalyst The White House NYSERDA Newlab New York City Economic Development Corporation