Jay Friedlander
Sharpe-McNally Chair of Green and Socially Responsible Business
207-801-5716 | jfriedlander@coa.edu

Jay Friedlander is the Sharpe-McNally Chair of Green and Socially Responsible Business at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. College of the Atlantic, the first climate neutral college in the U.S., has been cited by the Princeton Review and GRIST as an international leader in sustainability.

In his academic pursuits, Jay has developed a unique model demonstrating how to leverage socially responsible business practices into competitive advantage.

Prior to joining College of the Atlantic, Jay was the chief operating O'Naturalist for O'Naturals, Inc., a natural and organic fast-food restaurant group revolutionizing the food industry.

Since opening its first store in 2001, O'Naturals has received numerous awards for sustainable business and has been recognized for its innovative approach by: The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, and Vogue, as well as in media in Europe and Japan.

Jay was involved with all elements of the start-up, including fundraising, concept development, daily operations and expansion strategy. Under his leadership, O'Naturals developed a franchising relationship with the $19.5 billion Compass Group.

In addition to his start-up experience, Jay has worked as a strategy consultant, developing and implementing global brand experiences and customer-centered growth strategies for Fortune 100 clients.

Jay has a wide range of work and life experiences. He has served in the Peace Corps in Mauritania; written an ecotourism business plan in Costa Rica; broke fundraising records for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; counseled Native American students; taught environmental education; and been a ski bum.

Recent honors include being a ceremonial speaker for the Yale and Goldman Sachs Foundation on Non-profit Ventures; presenting at an International Human Ecology Conference; serving as an adjunct professor in new venture creation at Babson College; and serving as a board member for the Maine Tourism Association.

In addition to speaking English, Jay is conversant in Spanish, French and Hassiniya Arabic.

Jay received his MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, where he specialized in new venture creation and graduated Summa Cum Laude, Valedictorian of his class. Jay earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University where he graduated with Honors.

Jay is an outdoor enthusiast and has spent time living and traveling throughout North America as well as Africa, South and Central America, and Europe. His son Max has recently joined Jay and his wife Ursula in their adventures.

B.A. Colgate University 1990
M.B.A. Olin Graduate School of Business, 1997

Jay holds the Sharpe-McNally Chair in Green and Socially Responsible Business
The Sharpe-McNally Chair in Green and Socially Responsible Business is named for three people whose commitment and dedication of the college has been transformative: Henry and Peggy Sharpe and Jay McNally. Henry is a Life Trustee of the College and owner of Brown & Sharpe, the world’s largest metrology group. Peggy has provided volunteer leadership for environmental organizations including The Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Law Foundation. Jay McNally, a COA graduate, founded Ibis Consulting, Inc, a pioneering firm in the electronic discovery industry. The chair was established to help future business leaders leverage the power of environmentally- and socially-focused strategies to bring about positive change in the world, while also gaining competitive advantage.

Courses Taught

HS723Launching a New Venture

This course will cover the process of new venture creation for students interested in creating businesses or non-profits with substantial social and environmental benefit. It is designed for student teams who have an idea and want to go through the formal process of examining and launching the enterprise. Topics covered in this course will include: opportunity recognition, market research, creating a business plan, producing financial projections and venture financing. As part of the course, all students will submit their ideas to the Social Innovation Competition. In addition, students will make a formal business plan presentation. Level: Intermediate/Advanced. Signature of instructor. Class limit: 15

HS742Business and Non-Profit Basics

Anyone who is involved with for profit or non-profit enterprises needs to understand a wide variety of interdisciplinary skills. This introductory course will introduce students to marketing, finance, leadership, strategy and other essential areas of knowledge needed to run or participate in any venture. This course is meant to build basic skills and expose students to a variety of business disciplines and is REQUIRED for all future business courses. Level: Introductory. Class limit: 18. *HS*

HS763Sustainable Strategies

Business has tremendous societal ramifications. Inventions and industries from the automobile to the internet impact everything from air quality to economic and political freedom. Entrepreneurs, who are often at the forefront of business and thus societal innovation, are changing the way business is conducted by creating businesses that are beneficial to the bottom line, society and the environment. Through cases, projects and present day examples, the course will challenge students to understand the impact of business on society and the challenges and pitfalls of creating a socially responsible venture. In addition, it will offer new frameworks for creating entrepreneurial ventures that capitalize on social responsibility to gain competitive advantage, increase valuation while benefiting society and the environment. The final deliverable for the course is an in-class presentation in which student teams will either: (1) recommend ways to improve the social and environmental impacts of a company, while increasing competitive advantage and bottom line; or (2) benchmark two industry competitors, a socially responsible company versus a traditional company. Level: Intermediate. Class limit: 15.

HS790Financials

Business, like all disciplines, has its own language. Being able to speak the language of business is critical for activists, social entrepreneurs and business owners alike. Financial statements are a key component of this language. These statements measure the fiscal health of both non-profit and for-profit organizations. They provide insight into all areas of the company. They are a powerful tool for determining investments, competitive positioning and have extraordinary impacts on all of an organization's stakeholders. Unfortunately, most people, including many who run a wide variety of organizations, fail to grasp this language. In doing so, they undermine their organization's opportunity for success, as well as create obstacles to using business as a means of social change. Without guidance, looking at these financial statements is similar to examining hieroglyphics for the first time. Starting from a basic level and layering in complexity, the course will seek to demystify these statements in a way that is informative and unintimidating. In addition, time will be spent advancing students' understanding and familiarity with spreadsheets. Topics of the course will include: Creating and analyzing cash flow statements, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, as well as common sized income statements; Differentiating between each type of financial statement; Relating these statements to each other, tying them together and varying statements depending on business models; Comparing non-profit and for-profit financial statements and approaches; Examining key financial ratios and how they are different for different businesses; and Spreadsheet management and design. By the end of the class students will create their own financial statements and analyze a business through various financial statements. This class is positioned within the business program to provide the students' skills for business plan projections, exploring investing, general management, lead