Innovators, Exhilarators - Change Makers

Simply stated, Oliver Russell is a purpose-driven marketing firm that works with like-minded people. We’re inspired by our clients and our job is to make sure the larger world is, too. In short, we help spread inspiration. And after 25 years in the business, we’ve met some pretty amazing people.

In early 2014 I began thinking about all these people, the ones who’ve pushed me to do more and do better, and who continue to change the world around them. Some are clients, some are business partners, some I call friends, and some are simply people that fill me with awe. All of them impress and humble me. And that got me thinking—my job is to help spread the word.

Enter Oliver Russell’s “Change Makers” series.

25 Men and Women You Need to Know

Our first Change Maker was Carsten Henningsen, founder of environmental investment firm Portfolio 21. That interview went online in April of 2014 and since then we’ve gone on to profile another 24 amazing individuals. I can’t imagine their words and their work will fail to inspire you.

Which one will resonate the most?

Maybe it’s Greta Gladney’s story. After earning her MBA in Manhattan, Greta realized she had unfinished business in her hometown of New Orleans. Returning to the Lower Ninth Ward, Greta founded The Renaissance Project and now works to reduce poverty through access to fresh food, enhanced educational opportunities, and economic development.

Perhaps Curt Bowen will be the one. Curt’s a recipient of the Ashoka Emerging Innovators award and one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” social entrepreneurs. With a background in environmental and rural development, he now heads Semilla Nueva, a nonprofit dedicated to helping rural Guatemalan farmers through education, better-quality seeds, and improved farming methods.

Or what about Dan Price? As CEO of Seattle-based Gravity Payments, Dan was appalled by the income inequality running rampant through the Emerald City. Dan proceeded to shock the business world (and his employees) by slashing his million-dollar salary so he could raise everyone else’s to $70,000.

The Common Thread

Though all very different, there’s a commonality to each of these individuals: They’re willing to risk their own wellbeing in order to enhance others’. Consider the following, from Change Maker Greg Hampikian:

It took Mother Nature a billion years to get life out of the water, another half-billion to get it six feet off the ground. But human beings went from bicycles to six feet off the ground at Kitty Hawk in one lifetime—another lifetime and we were on the Moon. Risk defines our species. Mother Nature’s investment strategy is sound, but extremely conservative—maximally diversified. That’s why there are so many different types of butterflies, but none on the Moon. Considering that we inhabit a middle-aged planet circling a middle-aged star, I believe the human penchant for risk is life on Earth’s best hope.

Does it seem like Greg is someone you might want to get to know a little better? Click on over to our eBook. I hope you enjoy the stories that follow as much as we’ve enjoyed writing and collecting them.