Photograph by Andrew Doench
When employees at Mike Albert refill their reusable bottles at work, the water dispenser displays a running count of how many plastic bottles were saved. To date, that number exceeds a half-million. If stacked on top of one another, that many bottles would reach the edge of space—62 miles above our beautiful, fragile planet.
For Evendale-based Mike Albert, one of the country’s largest vehicle leasing and fleet management companies, sustainability is nothing new.
Photograph by Andrew Doench
They installed their plastic waste-reducing water dispenser 10 years ago. A year before that, they began managing electric vehicles for their clients and subsequently added EVs to their own fleet, allowing their associates to sign them out to run company errands. Three years ago, the company converted its high-wattage parking lot lights to energy-efficient LEDs.
“When it comes to sustainability, we don’t face the same regulatory and reporting requirements that public companies do,” says Jeff Hart, the president of Mike Albert. “Our motivation comes from a genuine belief that helping Mother Nature by reducing our carbon footprint is the right thing to do. The fact that sustainable practices are often good for the bottom line is a nice bonus.”
Photograph by Andrew Doench
Hart and the rest of the Mike Albert leadership team are not resting on their sustainability laurels. Far from it. They’re currently evaluating options and making plans for indoor LED lighting, solar energy collection, and the introduction of water-saving modifications to their landscaping.
These efforts are part of their broader Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives—a framework that helps companies become the best corporate citizens possible. “Sustainability is about more than environmental improvement,” says Bruce Shaffer, vice president of strategic initiatives at Mike Albert. “It’s also about everything a company must do to keep itself sustainable as a viable enterprise with happy employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders.”
Photograph by Andrew Doench
“When it comes to ESG, matters of diversity are essential,” Hart adds. “We believe it’s diversity of all types, but especially of thought, that will keep our company evolving and adapting so that we sustain ourselves for 100 years and beyond.”
Mike Albert celebrates its 65th birthday this year and its 100th in the year 2057, assuming, of course, that today’s sustainability efforts keep our planet healthy and habitable. If more companies follow Mike Albert’s lead, the odds look quite promising indeed.
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