Verve Inc. Puts Sustainable Bite on All-Natural Chewing Gum and Educational Candy-Making Kits for Kids

The Company
Verve Inc.
305 Dudley St.
Providence, RI 02907
Phone: [401] 351-6415
Web: www.gleegum.com/

Founded: 1996
Employees: Approximately 5
Annual Sales: $1 million - $1.5 million

Contact: Deborah Schimberg, Founder & President deborah@gleegum.com

The Business
Verve Inc. makes all-natural Glee Gum in six flavors [cinnamon, peppermint, tangerine, bubblegum, spearmint, triple berry], plus educational Make Your Own Candy Kits [chocolate, gummies, chewing gum] for kids.

Rather than use synthetic ingredients for its Glee Gum, Verve promotes grass-roots economic development by sourcing directly from chicleros who sustainably harvest their super-chewy natural chicle from Sapodilla trees in the rainforests of Central America. Instead of using artificial sweeteners [e.g., aspartame], Glee Gum is slightly sweetened with natural cane sugar and rice syrup. To watch the entire "Tree to Glee" process, click here.

The Partners
Education is at Verve Inc.'s very core. Online, kids, parents, teachers, group leaders and party planners can access a wealth of educational media that helps people connect with the global sources of their food.

Offline, Verve Inc. has affiliated with several prestigious nonprofit organizations to promote economic justice, environmental sustainability plus good, clean, healthy living:
* 1% For The Planet, a growing alliance of businesses -- currently, 1,158 companies in all [e.g., Patagonia] -- that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to 1,733 environmental organizations worldwide
* American Vegetarian Association [AVA], created to promote the interests and concerns of individuals and organizations involved in the preservation, propagation, and distribution of vegetarian ideas and products
* Feingold® Association of the United States, dedicated to promoting additive-, preservative- and synthetic food-coloring-free nutrition
* Green America [formerly "Co-op America"], whose mission is to harness economic power — the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace — to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society
* Trees for the Future, an agroforestry resource center helping people in developing countries improve their rural livelihoods through the introduction of environmentally sustainable land management projects focused on beneficial tree planting

The Buzz
"The Better World Shopping Guide -- 2nd Edition: Every Dollar Makes a Difference" is the leading source of info [pocket-sized and otherwise] for ranking consumer goods according to their producers' level of social responsibility, environmentally friendly [or not] manufacturing practices, etc. The guide gives Glee Gum top scores across the board.

For anyone seeking an all-natural chewing gum, Glee Gum is the best alternative to standard fare [e.g., Wrigley's]. According to Erin Nypaver, an Amazon customer/reviewer: "This is the best aspartame-free gum on the market!!! It was so hard finding a gum that didn't contain dangerous chemicals and artificial ingredients. This is it!"

GoodBiz113's editor and publisher also appreciates its artificial sweetener- and preservative-free quality, and is especially fond of cinnamon Glee Gum. [Think Dentyne, only healthier and sustainably sourced.]

Leadership Q&A
Kari Larson, GoodBiz113: Verve is primarily categorized as a toy and hobby goods wholesaler. In terms of your company's identity then, are your Make Your Own Candy Kits Verve's No. 1 driver, or is it Glee Gum?

Deborah Schimberg, Verve Inc.: Glee Gum is the No. 1 driver. Verve would probably be more accurately categorized as a natural candy manufacturer rather than a toy and hobby goods wholesaler. However, our two product lines [Glee Gum and the Make Your Own Candy Kits] can be categorized many ways. Both lines are "green"/eco-friendly and all-natural. The Candy Kits are also educational toys.


GoodBiz113: Verve is a member of 1% For The Planet, meaning that the company is part of a global alliance of businesses that contribute at least 1% of their revenues to help promote a healthy planet. Given all the doom-and-gloom noise about these challenging economic times, how does a small company like Verve manage to give back so generously?

Verve Inc.: The environment deserves support now more than ever. We do what we can and wish we could do more!


GoodBiz113: Verve has partnered with several organizations to promote education, environmental sustainability, social justice and grass-roots economic development. You could simply access chicle in conventional and, presumably, more cost-effective ways. Why devote the human and financial resources to partnering with local chicleros, etc.? Who benefits from such alliances?

Verve Inc.: Frankly, it would be much easier to get all-synthetic gum base -- much less expensive and much less hassle! However, the company was founded with the idea of providing an income for chicleros, who are essentially the stewards of the rainforest in the Petén. We feel strongly that we want our business to be a vehicle, to the extent that it can be, for sustainable development.


GoodBiz113: What does Verve's future hold, in terms of new products, market reach, partnerships, etc.?

Verve Inc.: We're working on Glee Sugar Free and some other new products. We also hope to eventually produce our own gum base and create as organic a gum as possible. And we recently became certified as a woman-owned business and hope to find ways to work with other WBENC [Women's Business Enterprise National Council] companies collaboratively.


GoodBiz113: What is the greatest lesson that any aspiring social entrepreneur could learn from Verve Inc.?

Verve Inc.: Keep on keeping on! Apart from that, stay as close as you can to the reason that you're getting involved with business in the first place. It's hard to compete and it's hard to get one's story out, so the more consistent you can be and the more involved you can be with the triple bottom line, the more you can differentiate yourself and your business.


GoodBiz113: Any other key points that you'd like to make?

Verve Inc.: We've got the cutest mascot...


Verve Inc.'s Glee Gum and educational Make Your Own Candy Kits are available online and throughout North America. Check out the company's handy-dandy store locator to find the retailer closest to you.
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Karen Gordon Mills Unanimously Confirmed as SBA Administrator By U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed late last night President Barack Obama’s nomination of Karen Gordon Mills [pictured] as the 23rd Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“Small business is the backbone of the American economy,” Mills said upon her confirmation. “The SBA has a vital role to play in supporting our nation’s small businesses, so that they can be the key driver in getting our economy moving again. I look forward to leading this critical agency at this important time.

“I want to thank President Obama for this opportunity to serve as a voice for our nation’s small-business owners and entrepreneurs. I would also like to express my appreciation to Darryl Hairston for his leadership as Acting Administrator during this transition, along with everyone at the SBA, for the hard work they are doing to implement the important programs of the Recovery Act.”

In testimony on April 1 before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Mills discussed her hands-on experience managing and helping to grow small businesses.

“I was there on the factory floor in Arkansas and Ohio, working to weather the recession of the early ‘90s,” she said. “Those experiences give me a deep understanding of what our small businesses need today to survive this downturn and to prosper in the years ahead. Since then, I have helped grow companies in organic food and women’s media, and spent time in rural Maine working with our boat builders and composite technology to help them compete throughout the globe.

“The sum of my experience is this: I am a believer in American small business. I am a believer in America’s ability to manufacture goods and services that are world-class, and I am a believer in America’s spirit of entrepreneurship. This spirit is one of our country’s greatest assets, and we need to cultivate it today more than ever.”

“The unanimous confirmation of Karen Mills to serve as SBA Administrator further shows that she is the right person to lead the agency at this crucial time,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu [D-La.], chair of the Small Business Committee, which unanimously reported Mills' nomination to the full Senate. “Ms. Mills’ background as an entrepreneur and community leader, coupled with her vast experience and education, put her in the right position to assume the reigns of the SBA. I am confident that, under her leadership, the agency will be better equipped to assist small businesses throughout the country.”

“I am thrilled that the Senate has approved Karen Mills’ nomination unanimously,” said Sen. Olympia Snowe [R-Maine], ranking member of the Small Business Committee. “Karen is a talented and intelligent entrepreneur, and she will bring her vast experience, remarkable intellect, and exceptional creativity to the SBA as a strong and passionate advocate for America’s 27 million small businesses.

“I was so proud to have recommended to the President that Ms. Mills, a fellow Mainer, serve as our next administrator of the SBA, and I look forward to partnering with her on bold initiatives to tackle America’s economic problems.”

As Administrator of the SBA, Mills will direct a federal agency with more than 2,000 fulltime employees, with a leading role in helping small-business owners and entrepreneurs secure financing, technical assistance and training, and federal contracts. SBA also plays a leading role in disaster recovery by making low-interest loans.

Mills, of Brunswick, Maine, was president of MMP Group and has a 25-year career of investing in, and growing, small businesses. In 2007, she was appointed by Maine Gov. John Baldacci as chair of the state’s Council on Competitiveness and the Economy, where she focused on attracting investment in rural and regional development initiatives. She also co-authored a Brookings Institution paper on competitive clusters.

Mills is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served as vice chairman of the Harvard Overseers. She holds a degree in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar. Mills and her husband, Barry Mills, president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, have three sons.

More information from the confirmation hearing of Karen Gordon Mills as SBA Administrator is available online at: http://tinyurl.com/c6x5kj.

You can link to Mills’ written statement to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship here: http://tinyurl.com/co3o99.

GoodBiz113's take: Indeed, having a Harvard Business School alum, venture capitalist, and thoughtful and compassionate visionary at SBA's helm is just what America -- and the world -- needs right now. We wish SBA Administrator Mills the very best.

SOURCES: Harvard Business School [photo], SBA Press Office, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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Landrieu Fights for Small-Business Contracts in Military Procurement Process

United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu [D-La.] wrote today to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin [D-Mich.] and Ranking Member John McCain [R-Ariz.] in support of the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 [S.454], which was marked up this morning.

Specifically, Sen. Landrieu indicated her support for Section 205, “Organizational Conflicts of Interest in the Acquisition of Major Weapon Systems,” and Section 203, “Maximization of Competition Throughout the Life Cycle of Major Defense Acquisition Programs,” which would increase meaningful opportunities for small businesses to compete for Department of Defense [DoD] projects.

Currently, the DoD procurement process sometimes lacks independent or objective analysis to determine the best firm for a particular contract. In her letter, Sen. Landrieu cited an example in which a small business was nearly put out of business because the DoD disregarded a conflict of interest when making a contracting decision.

With the help of the Small Business Innovation Research [SBIR] program, the company, NAVSYS Corporation, developed technology for a GPS navigation system for the Air Force, which the government found helpful. When the Air Force began to transition the technology into its GPS program, it asked the prime contractor to assess whether the technology should be used. The prime contractor, however, had a conflict of interest in determining whether the small business should get the contract or the prime contractor should do it themselves. The prime contractor ultimately decided to do it themselves.

“Small businesses are too often overlooked or harmed by the federal government’s contracting process,” Sen. Landrieu said today. “Section 205 of the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act will go a long way toward protecting small businesses from conflicts of interest, while eliminating waste and inefficiency at the DoD.

“Section 203 of the bill would also help to maximize competition for defense acquisition contracts, which will help small businesses because it creates more potential opportunities for them to participate.”

Sen. Landrieu’s letter to Sens. Levin and McCain is available online at: http://tinyurl.com/d7zc3s.

GoodBiz113's take: For far too long, greedy and gluttonous prime contractors have feasted at the DoD contracting table. It's time for them to share the wealth of DoD procurement opportunities with smaller, leaner and faster enterprises who bring real innovation and cost-effective efficiencies to the needs of our military forces. Bravo to Sen. Landrieu for her efforts to improve DoD's acquisition procedures to serve the greater good.

SOURCES: Library of Congress, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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