{"id":12938,"date":"2019-12-18T09:15:22","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T14:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news-new\/?p=12938"},"modified":"2020-04-23T12:40:57","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T16:40:57","slug":"home-depots-jarvis-pushes-practicality-in-mba-582-guest-lecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/2019\/12\/18\/home-depots-jarvis-pushes-practicality-in-mba-582-guest-lecture\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Depot’s Jarvis Pushes Practicality in MBA 582 Guest Lecture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Home Depot Chief Sustainability Officer Ron Jarvis gave a no-frills lecture about accomplishing corporate sustainability objectives in Jessica Thomas\u2019 MBA 582: Sustainability and Business course Oct. 30 at Nelson Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarvis\u2019 visit was part of a guest-lecturer series in MBA 582 that has included 12 speakers<\/span> during the fall 2019 semester.<\/span> His role as the sustainability lead at Home Depot<\/a> fits in nicely with the vision Jessica Thomas<\/a>, director of the Business Sustainability Collaborative<\/a> at Poole College of Management, has for the series.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy goal with the guest lecture series in MBA 582 is to showcase examples of how visionary business leaders are using sustainable business strategy to drive innovation and impact,\u201d Thomas, who was reached by email, wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

I believe the business of business is sustainable business. \u2013 Ron Jarvis<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t hurt that Jarvis is also a 1983 graduate of NC State University, with a bachelor\u2019s degree in business management.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI first got to know Ron [Jarvis] about two years ago when the Business Sustainability Collaborative was partnering with the NC Clean Energy Technology Center to identify a keynote for the 2018 North Carolina State Energy Conference,\u201d Thomas wrote. \u201cI reached out to him with an invitation to return to campus to share the impact of his work with hundreds \u2026 . He graciously accepted the invitation and we’ve been trying to find a good reason to bring him back to campus since then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarvis\u2019 experience in home-improvement retail goes pretty far back. After a 12-year stint at Lowe\u2019s, he joined Home Depot in 1995 and has been there ever since, serving in various managerial and executive roles.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That thorough experience in an industry that relies on sustainable sourcing and is frequently subject to external pressure allowed him to speak with the grounded expertise Thomas assumed he would provide. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing in the corporate world, you can’t be rigid,\u201d Jarvis said. \u201cYou got to be flexible. You got to roll with the flow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He went on to speak about how he fell into his sustainability role, the products and sourcing his team has transformed and the importance of practical application.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake the path of practical application, getting stuff done,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if you do, you’ll have a lot more credibility with a company.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview following the lecture, he explained that practical application means focusing on the market-applicable areas of sustainability in which the greatest impact can be achieved, not spending time and money on the \u201cshiny objects,\u201d the trendy topics.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s saying, \u2018I hear ya. I hear all the stuff that you\u2019re doing\u2019,\u201d Jarvis said. \u201cBut let\u2019s talk about what\u2019s practical. Where does the rubber meet the road, and what does it mean?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

[The] goal with the guest lecture series in MBA 582 is to showcase … how visionary business leaders are using sustainable business strategy to drive innovation. \u2013 Jessica Thomas<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For example, he said, while converting straws from plastic to paper is a noble effort, the small percentage of plastic in the oceans that comprises straws makes the effort secondary to, say, the emissions produced by load-and-go trucks.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something we can impact,\u201d Jarvis said, \u201cso let\u2019s focus on that instead of whatever is the environmental flavor of the day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical application also extended to the course and its students given the collaboration on a case study between MBA 582, Jarvis and Home Depot.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe case [study] will be designed as a teaching tool to help future business leaders, inside and outside of Poole College, understand the complexities of making strategic sustainability decisions that can have significant implications for employees, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders,\u201d Thomas wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making those impactful sustainability decisions, Jarvis said, are more achievable at the corporate level given the resources and the greater possibility of affecting large-scale issues.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a corporation, you can make things happen,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have that reputation and the rest of the company knows that you understand the business and you\u2019re not going to do something they can\u2019t back, then you have credibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also thinks, contrary to the traditional profit-driven position, that one of the main purposes of business is to be sustainable.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe the business of business is sustainable business,\u201d Jarvis said, riffing on economist Milton Friedman\u2019s argument that the only social responsibility of business is to expand its profitability.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Home Depot, a major provider of construction materials in the U.S., that makes perfect sense, especially in light of its chief sustainability officer\u2019s practical mindset.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re saying the right thing to do is to be a responsible corporation and a sustainable corporation, then, yeah, take the chemicals out of the paint that\u2019s harming us \u2014 that we can do,\u201d Jarvis said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to change the way it works or the cost. Just do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n

One thing in the corporate world, you can’t be rigid. You got to be flexible. \u2013 Ron Jarvis<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That notion of activating one\u2019s principles and tackling a company\u2019s sustainability issues are what Jarvis most wanted students to retain. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t wait for somebody else to do it,\u201d he said. \u201cJust do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That emphasis aligns with the purpose of MBA 582 to explore the ways in which businesses drive innovation and build business value from sustainability practices, as well as the tools businesses use to successfully apply sustainability measures. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was also that uncanny connection between Jarvis\u2019 \u201cjust-do-it\u201d perspective and the university and college\u2019s think-and-do mentality, which made this collaboration all the more worth doing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you end up in a sustainability position, take the mindset of the business,\u201d he said. \u201cLook at what they’re trying to do and do it for them. Because you can make it happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

Home Depot Chief Sustainability Officer Ron Jarvis gave a no-frills lecture about accomplishing corporate sustainability objectives in Jessica Thomas\u2019 MBA 582: Sustainability and Business course Oct. 30 at Nelson Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarvis\u2019 visit was part of a guest-lecturer series in MBA 582 that has included 12 speakers<\/span> during the fall 2019 semester.<\/span> His role as the sustainability lead at Home Depot<\/a> fits in nicely with the vision Jessica Thomas<\/a>, director of the Business Sustainability Collaborative<\/a> at Poole College of Management, has for the series.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy goal with the guest lecture series in MBA 582 is to showcase examples of how visionary business leaders are using sustainable business strategy to drive innovation and impact,\u201d Thomas, who was reached by email, wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe the business of business is sustainable business. \u2013 Ron Jarvis<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t hurt that Jarvis is also a 1983 graduate of NC State University, with a bachelor\u2019s degree in business management.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI first got to know Ron [Jarvis] about two years ago when the Business Sustainability Collaborative was partnering with the NC Clean Energy Technology Center to identify a keynote for the 2018 North Carolina State Energy Conference,\u201d Thomas wrote. \u201cI reached out to him with an invitation to return to campus to share the impact of his work with hundreds \u2026 . He graciously accepted the invitation and we've been trying to find a good reason to bring him back to campus since then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarvis\u2019 experience in home-improvement retail goes pretty far back. After a 12-year stint at Lowe\u2019s, he joined Home Depot in 1995 and has been there ever since, serving in various managerial and executive roles.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That thorough experience in an industry that relies on sustainable sourcing and is frequently subject to external pressure allowed him to speak with the grounded expertise Thomas assumed he would provide. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing in the corporate world, you can't be rigid,\u201d Jarvis said. \u201cYou got to be flexible. You got to roll with the flow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He went on to speak about how he fell into his sustainability role, the products and sourcing his team has transformed and the importance of practical application.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake the path of practical application, getting stuff done,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if you do, you'll have a lot more credibility with a company.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview following the lecture, he explained that practical application means focusing on the market-applicable areas of sustainability in which the greatest impact can be achieved, not spending time and money on the \u201cshiny objects,\u201d the trendy topics.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s saying, \u2018I hear ya. I hear all the stuff that you\u2019re doing\u2019,\u201d Jarvis said. \u201cBut let\u2019s talk about what\u2019s practical. Where does the rubber meet the road, and what does it mean?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[The] goal with the guest lecture series in MBA 582 is to showcase ... how visionary business leaders are using sustainable business strategy to drive innovation. \u2013 Jessica Thomas<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For example, he said, while converting straws from plastic to paper is a noble effort, the small percentage of plastic in the oceans that comprises straws makes the effort secondary to, say, the emissions produced by load-and-go trucks.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something we can impact,\u201d Jarvis said, \u201cso let\u2019s focus on that instead of whatever is the environmental flavor of the day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical application also extended to the course and its students given the collaboration on a case study between MBA 582, Jarvis and Home Depot.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe case [study] will be designed as a teaching tool to help future business leaders, inside and outside of Poole College, understand the complexities of making strategic sustainability decisions that can have significant implications for employees, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders,\u201d Thomas wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making those impactful sustainability decisions, Jarvis said, are more achievable at the corporate level given the resources and the greater possibility of affecting large-scale issues.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a corporation, you can make things happen,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have that reputation and the rest of the company knows that you understand the business and you\u2019re not going to do something they can\u2019t back, then you have credibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also thinks, contrary to the traditional profit-driven position, that one of the main purposes of business is to be sustainable.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe the business of business is sustainable business,\u201d Jarvis said, riffing on economist Milton Friedman\u2019s argument that the only social responsibility of business is to expand its profitability.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Home Depot, a major provider of construction materials in the U.S., that makes perfect sense, especially in light of its chief sustainability officer\u2019s practical mindset.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re saying the right thing to do is to be a responsible corporation and a sustainable corporation, then, yeah, take the chemicals out of the paint that\u2019s harming us \u2014 that we can do,\u201d Jarvis said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to change the way it works or the cost. Just do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing in the corporate world, you can't be rigid. You got to be flexible. \u2013 Ron Jarvis<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That notion of activating one\u2019s principles and tackling a company\u2019s sustainability issues are what Jarvis most wanted students to retain. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t wait for somebody else to do it,\u201d he said. \u201cJust do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That emphasis aligns with the purpose of MBA 582 to explore the ways in which businesses drive innovation and build business value from sustainability practices, as well as the tools businesses use to successfully apply sustainability measures. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was also that uncanny connection between Jarvis\u2019 \u201cjust-do-it\u201d perspective and the university and college\u2019s think-and-do mentality, which made this collaboration all the more worth doing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you end up in a sustainability position, take the mindset of the business,\u201d he said. \u201cLook at what they're trying to do and do it for them. Because you can make it happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Home Depot Chief Sustainability Officer Ron Jarvis gave a no-frills lecture about accomplishing corporate sustainability objectives in Jessica Thomas\u2019 MBA 582: Sustainability and Business course Oct. 30 at Nelson Hall.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":12939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"Ron Jarvis, Home Depot chief sustainability officer, gives a lecture in Jessica Thomas\u2019 MBA 582: Sustainability and Business course Oct. 30 at Nelson Hall.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[606,137,468,286],"tags":[114,1693,330,1691,1694,1692],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-12938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-sustainability-collaborative","category-industry","category-mba","category-newswire","tag-bsc","tag-businesssustainability","tag-hidden-homepage-feature","tag-homedepot","tag-ncstatemba","tag-ronjarvis"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12938"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14770,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12938\/revisions\/14770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12938"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=12938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}