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Legacy Vacation Resorts becomes first B corporation certified multi-state hospitality company in the US

LVR, Indian Shores Bedroom.

The certification for LVR comes on the heels of a year-long process to align every aspect of the company with B Lab’s requirements.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA – Florida-based Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR) has officially achieved Certified B Corporation Status, becoming the first multi-state hotel and vacation ownership company in the country to secure the prestigious designation. Administered by the non-profit, B Lab, Certified B Corporations are businesses that voluntarily meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose through third-party review. The certification for LVR comes on the heels of a year-long process to align every aspect of the company with B Lab’s requirements. In that time, LVR has introduced multiple efforts towards a more sustainable business model, including carbon footprint offsetting, waste reduction and enhanced recycling efforts, sustainable lifestyle awareness campaigns, green-focused renovation projects and a living wage initiative for employees in its eight locations across four states. 

Certified B Corporations, or ‘Certified B Corps’ are accelerating a global culture shift by building a more inclusive and sustainable economy through a redefinition of success in business. Certified B Corps use profits and growth as a means to achieve positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment. In order to secure the designation, Certified B Corps must achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment, a rigorous appraisal of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment, that will ultimately be made public on their website for complete transparency. Furthermore, the certification does not simply prove where a company currently excels, but actually amends legal governing documents for the business, committing ownership to consider stakeholder impact and the balance of profit and purpose for the long term.

“At the start of this journey, I simply began researching ways that I could utilize my resources and abilities to improve society. Through that process, I learned of others directing the prosperity of their businesses towards the greater good,” said Jared Meyers, Co-Owner of Legacy Vacation Resorts. “The most credible businesses doing so were Certified B Corporations. They stood out to me because of their wholistic view of the business, the rigorous verification of business practices, and their values aligned with mine. I am beyond excited to be part of the team that achieved this distinguished certification for Legacy Vacation Resorts.” 

Hoping to inspire other organizations to follow a similar path, Meyers co-founded the Florida for Good movement, which funds free resources and events to facilitate the spread of business for good and Certified B Corps. Since its inception, LVR has donated more than $50,000 to the group’s charitable endeavors, with Meyers also dedicating a significant amount of his personal time and income to its growth. As part of their missions, LVR and Florida for Good encourage companies to take the free impact assessment so they can learn how they measure up against other businesses and learn about the areas in which they can most improve.

Each of the new initiatives introduced as part of the certification process led to the debut of a shift for LVR toward a more sustainable legacy. As part of these efforts, travelers can now offset 100% of the carbon footprint from their stay when booking directly through the resort. In addition, the company offers an option for guests to donate 5% of their reservation to a charity of their choice. Furthermore, they have forged a partnership with Clean the World, another Certified B Corp, that recycles their used hygiene products and repurposes them back to vulnerable communities around the globe. They are also working on their existing buildings to create green renovations by utilizing eco-friendly materials and energy star appliances and fixtures, and they supply electric vehicle chargers at each property, further encouraging the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Internally, they are creating a culture of sustainability with employees by encouraging them to make sustainable choices in their daily lives, making a commitment to spend $300,000 annually on raises to ensure each employee is paid a living wage and offering opportunities to receive paid time off in pursuit of volunteer activities as part of their “Day of Hope” campaign launched in 2018. 

“This brand relaunch showcases our commitment to a more sustainable future,” said Tony Picciano President & Chief Operating Officer. “We are so pleased to have been officially awarded our B CorpTM Certification and look forward to the continued implementation of sustainability efforts throughout each of our properties. Our mission at Legacy Vacation Resorts is to help families and friends create unique and lasting memories on their travels in a way that is respectful to the environment, employees and the communities where they are found, and we feel that we will now be able to deliver on that mission better than ever before.”

In addition to becoming a Certified B Corporation, LVR is the only multi-state hotel company to be a member of 1% For The Planet, a network of more than 1,500 member businesses, numerous individuals, and thousands of nonprofit partners in more than 40 countries. The organization is fostering a global movement, inspiring businesses to support environmental solutions by making a simple commitment to donate 1% of their revenue sales to various charities working in one of six core focus areas including climate, food, land, pollution, water, and wildlife. The company is also a proud partner of Conscious Capitalism International, an organization that maintains a philosophy based on a simple idea that when practiced consciously, business innately elevates humanity. 

“With these various internal changes, partnerships and our B CorpTM certification, I sincerely believe we will experience company growth, as well as an additional type of traveler at our properties,” said Meyers. “These new travelers will share our values and place importance on social responsibility, environmental responsibility and sustainable travel when it comes to selecting their accommodations. I am looking forward to the relaunch of the brand and the many ways in which the company will contribute to the greater good for years to come.”

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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