Birmingham-based CAVU Benefit Corp. has received Pending B Status from B Lab.
B Lab is an international nonprofit based in Pennsylvania known for certifying B Corporations, which are companies that it determines to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
In order to become Pending B Corp, a company must meet a legal accountability requirement that means it must incorporate stakeholder governance into the legal structure of the startup, according to B Lab's website.
"This means that your company is legally accountable to people — your workers, customers, clients and the communities in which you operate — and the planet," the website states.
Becoming a Pending B Corp is not the same as becoming a Certified B Corp. A company must go through the full verification process with B Lab to become a Certified B Corp, but Pending B Corp status is a first step.
“CAVU was founded as a benefit corporation so that we could work toward making the workplace more equitable while also being a profitable business, and it’s really rewarding to see the benefit aspect of our business recognized in an official capacity,” said Chris Sims, CEO and founder at CAVU Benefit Corp., in a news release. “I’m also proud of my team for working hard to go above and beyond the minimum qualifications for Pending B Status so we‘re in a position to pursue full certification once we’ve been in business for a year.”
CAVU, which offers on-demand courses and instructor-led training, coaching and book clubs for the workplace, will celebrate its first anniversary in October when it will become eligible to apply for full Certified B Corp Status from B Lab.
CAVU recently signed a $1 million contract to provide virtual Agile training on a B2B basis for a Fortune 250 company, a partnership that will continue and expand into 2023. It has over 700 users in its system who have completed at least one of its training programs. It also received a $100,000 grant from the Alabama Power Foundation to start a LevelUp Scholarship.
