B Local PDX Member Spotlight: Metropolitan Group
Since its inception, Metropolitan Group (MG) has had a community-oriented mission focusing on social impact issues affecting people at the local, state, national, and international levels. They are a strategic and creative services agency working at the intersection of public health, environmental sustainability, and social justice. Based in Portland, Oregon, MG also has offices in Washington, D.C.; and Mexico City, home of sister company Impacto Social Metropolitan Group (ISMG). MG has intentionally designed its organization to be a place where all people and communities are welcome to build movements, advocate for justice and equity, and realize social change. Founded in 1989 by Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, chief executive officer and creative director, MG is a Certified B Corp and ISMG is a Certified Sistema B, meeting the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. The independent nonprofit B Lab has recognized MG as being one of the top 5% of social impact companies worldwide. In 2013, MG led legislative efforts to pass the State of Oregon’s “benefit company” law. They were named one of the first companies in Oregon to become a benefit company.
MG has worked exclusively on behalf of social-purpose, mission-driven organizations, including some of the world’s leading nonprofits, foundations, public agencies, and socially responsible businesses.
In 2020, MG unveiled its new headquarters, The Public Will Building, previously known as The Balfour-Guthrie Building. The Public Will Building is located in the heart of Portland's downtown; it is a national historic landmark and LEED Silver certified. Designed and renovated with Scott Edwards Architecture and Todd Hess Building Company, The Public Will Building houses spaces for interaction, connection, and contemplation—there’s an entire floor dedicated to convening, which is open to staff and community members. Since the headquarters’ opening, they have hosted a number of leadership workshops; happy hours; diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings and events; community luncheons; board meetings; and other gatherings to support community-based organizations and advance social change.
Building community by deepening authentic relationships is at the core of MG’s mission and vision. The Public Will Building, while a functional office space, is also an active civic resource where community members gather to share ideas and work together. Recent events MG has hosted in partnership with B Local PDX are a B Learning breakfast event exploring alternative ownership models and a B Lab BIPOC leadership happy hour, which was a precursor to the BLD PNW Conference. MG has hosted many community-based partners at The Public Will Building with whom it has long-standing relationships, including Audubon, Partners in Diversity, Friends of Green Loop, New Seasons, The Cart Blocks, Central City Concern, Multnomah County’s Department of County Human Services, Portland Street Response, The Portland Parks Foundation, and North Star Civic Foundation. The Public Will Building is the physical embodiment of their mission, which is to craft strategic and creative services to amplify the power of voice of change agents in building a just and sustainable world.
Yvonne Tengwall, chief operating officer and a principal at MG, is the agency’s resident B-keeper. She has fostered relationships with like-minded B Corps in the Portland area and around the country, partnering and collaborating with leaders who run businesses similar in mission and size to MG. Through the B Corp community, MG has been involved with a human resources cohort that directly influenced the equitable well-being policies and practices they incorporate into daily operations. Being part of this community has allowed MG to expand and diversify its networks and find people with a variety of lived experiences and backgrounds who are now part of the team. By having access to information and resources from other agencies and learning from their best practices, MG has been able to improve its business model, make it more sustainable, and share that knowledge with others.
As we all experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way work is done continues to shift and change. More people work from home or in a remote environment, and the traditional office building has taken on a new role in our major cities. In many instances, the modern office building is now empty and lacking activation. The Public Will Building is a living, civic space that challenges this norm. Yes, it is a place where business is conducted, but it is also a hub for Portlanders to build culture, participate in advocacy, and strengthen the bonds we have with one another. One of the roles MG has taken in helping to revitalize the downtown area is to actively engage with other neighboring organizations and small businesses. MG is working with The Cart Blocks and offering The Public Will Building as a place to host food cart owners’ training sessions. The Cart Blocks is a community-based food cart pod that preserves, promotes, and advances food cart culture in Portland through a partnership between The City of Portland and Friends of Green Loop.
MG is thankful to work with its clients, partner organizations, coalitions, vendors, volunteer leaders, and communities to advance equity, justice, and sustainability in Portland and around the world. As a mission-driven, values-based organization, they support and build the capacity of people to leverage their power of voice; shift inequitable narratives to powerful new ones that open civic space and create possibilities for positive social change; and advance the policy, practice, behavior, and attitudinal changes that build public will and shift mindsets and expectations for a more just and sustainable world.
If you’d like to learn more about MG’s business or team, or if you would like a tour of our building, please contact hello@metgroup.com. We would be honored to welcome you to The Public Will Building.
