To earn a B Corp certification, a business must show high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.

Put simply, it takes a lot to be named a B Corp. Last year Los Angeles-based Westmount Asset Management proved it had what it takes.

“Earning that designation demonstrated that we are committed to using our business as a force for good,” said Sean C. Cauvel, managing partner at Westmount, adding, “We have a very socially conscious and active team.”

Attaining that accreditation was not the only lofty goal Westmount set.

In the depths of last year’s bear market, Cauvel said Westmount’s partners challenged the staff to focus on their retention rate, keeping their clients in-house. If they were able to meet their retention goal, then the entire team would be treated to a weekend away in Palm Springs with their significant others.

And that’s exactly what they did, even in the face of a fierce stock sell-off.

“It was our way of saying to our entire staff, ‘Thanks for the hard work you do’ and ‘You deserve this,’” Cauvel said. “And they certainly did.”

— Gregg Greenberg