Reinhart Joins 'Partnership for Sustainability' to Help Businesses

MILWAUKEE – Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. announced that the firm has signed on as a Sustainability level sponsor of Partnerships for Sustainability (PFS), a private-public initiative of the Waukesha County Economic Development Corporation (WCEDC).

PFS is a regional initiative designed to provide practical steps that improve top-line revenue streams and bottom-line efficiencies through sustainable business practices for small- and medium-sized companies in southeast Wisconsin.

"Our firm sees an evolution throughout the supply chain where companies are winning business because they can demonstrate sustainable business practices in addition to being price and service competitive," said Michael H. Simpson, chair of Reinhart's Environmental Practice. "We joined this initiative because of its goal to create practical tools to help businesses jumpstart their understanding and implementation of sustainable business practices."

Reinhart's Environmental Law Practice works closely with clients, in-house lawyers, professional engineers and other external professionals to creatively solve environmental issues. With credentials in several scientific and technical fields, Reinhart's Environmental Practice provides a single source of service to resolve environmental problems.

"Sustainable business practices will soon become the rule of the road regardless of whether it is driven by regulation or market forces," Simpson said. "And in today's economy, sustainability is also about survivability. Businesses of all sizes are beginning to realize that if they implement sustainable practices, those practices will not only help their bottom line but may take them well beyond current compliance standards and keep them out of the regulatory web all together."

Aimed at helping to provide growth and efficiency for small? and medium?sized companies, PFS creates a mentoring environment where businesses learn, share and profit from one another. Companies with demonstrated success in sustainable business practices have agreed to serve as mentors to selected companies with fewer than 250 employees, which comprise 90 percent of businesses in the M7 region.

"Across the country and around the globe, there will be new compliance requirements and business standards focusing on a business' impact on the environment," Simpson concluded. "Those companies that become more efficient by adopting sustainable practices will have a leg up when these requirements and standards become a reality."

"Reinhart's commitment significantly strengthens Partnerships for Sustainability by bringing experience and solutions that help businesses balance environmental and business concerns," said Bill Mitchell, WCEDC executive director. "As a recognized leader in nearly every aspect of environmental law, Reinhart works with large and small manufacturers, developers, lenders and municipalities to connect the necessary resources for business success."

Businesses from Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties comprise the PFS Sustainability Advisory Team, which has worked for nearly a year designing this innovative business development strategy. Companies represented include Quad/Graphics, Kohl's, American Transmission Company, Johnson Controls, RA Smith National, Engberg Anderson, MSI General, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, and Karl James & Company Public Relations.

About Partnerships for Sustainability

Partnerships for Sustainability is an initiative designed to provide practical steps that improve top-line revenue streams and bottom-line efficiencies through sustainable business practices designed for small- and medium-sized companies in southeast Wisconsin. WCEDC focuses on two business development initiatives: Accelerating Innovation and Advancing Sustainability. These efforts are made possible through major underwriting from Quad/Graphics, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Aurora Health Care and Pabst Farms Development. WCEDC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, whose mission is to prepare Waukesha County businesses to compete in a global and innovation economy.