The PEAK Fleet was conceived as a purpose-driven, triple-bottom-line company from its inception in the Fall of 2016. It was always the intention of the founders, Jen Coyne and Brian Stinson, to show organizations how they can better accomplish their goals by focusing on people.

Our Mission and Manifesto

We believe that the future of work belongs to people. Our Mission is to help organizations succeed by creating an engaged workforce that thrives together. We want to help create people-first organizations that foster inclusion, enable authentic interactions within teams, and an environment of trust. 

We believe by doing this, we will enrich the lives of, and provide improved opportunities to, more members of the community. We want our organization to role-model that type of organization. We share our experiences and approach with the community in an affordable way that also supports a living for us and our consultant Fleet.

The foundational values of the company, or PEAK Values® are incorporated into our name using the acronym “PEAK,” which stands for Persistence, Empathy, Authenticity, and Kindness.

Persistence

• We are dedicated to creating a new renaissance where creative, inclusive environments abound
• We like solving difficult problems
• We are for purpose, not just for profit

Empathy

• We create an inclusive environment that fosters diverse thought
• We are conscious of our bias and take action to counter it
• We actively take on other perspectives

Authenticity

• We create an environment of trust through vulnerability
• We create a safe space for risk-taking and innovation
• We embrace the opportunity to learn and grow through success and mistakes

Kindness

• We assume good intent
• We practice kind and caring confrontation
• We strive to not take things personally

How We Serve Our Clients

Our clients span a variety of industries, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions. Our aim is to provide affordable solutions to all of our clients and provide free and reduced-cost services to schools and non-profit organizations.

We feel that engagement is fundamental to organizations operating effectively and providing the best experience possible for their members. Companies that increase employee engagement also reap financial rewards for doing so, which contributes to business stability. 

Our approach is not prescriptive or one-size-fits-all. We seek to understand the unique challenges that each organization faces and recommend customized solutions that meet both their goals and their budget. We work with our clients to define realistic cultural goals and measures of success. Based on where a client is currently at, we design a strategy that fits their abilities and pace of change as well as their budget.

Being honest and ethical is a baseline foundational principle of us doing business. We are upfront about our capabilities and what we can deliver; we are transparent about our pricing and margins and strive to be consistent about the discounts we offer. We are clear in setting expectations for engagements, including how and when we’ll communicate and when our clients can expect to see results. Because much of our work takes months if not years to become fully embedded in organizations, we are upfront about what a customer can expect to see happen and don’t set unreasonable expectations for change. 

Our Benefit Corporation Journey:

The PEAK Fleet‘s values, philosophy, and purpose align extremely well with Benefit Corporation for Good’s standards. We believe in the triple-bottom-line philosophy that making the world a better place should be inextricably woven into making a living. We applied for and gained BCFG certification in February 2019. 

The PEAK Fleet operates in keeping with the values and standards of the Benefit Corporation for Good. First and foremost, we operate with the highest standards of honesty and integrity. 

We let our clients know they should expect full candor from us about the challenges they face. While we maintain our integrity of arms-length independent consultants, we also immerse ourselves to be exceptionally strong partners that go beyond a transactional relationship.

We are always open and honest with our clients about our capabilities, and meet the commitments we make. We set clear expectations with our clients. This allows us to put our efforts into exceeding expectations. We don’t wait until the end of a contract to see if our clients’ needs were met. We check in throughout the process to see if we’re making progress and to make sure our clients understand and approve of the changes we’re assisting them to make.

We communicate to our audience in a clear, easy-to-read, manner. Our website, and everything we publish, is checked for ease of understanding. We ensure that our content is tagged properly to support accessibility for all capabilities. We avoid jargon and wording that is culturally exclusive. We strive to be concise in our communication with customers to keep things as clear and easy to understand as possible. 

We also strive to ensure that we’re easy to reach, whether someone wants to reach us by phone, email, or in person at our office location. We want to connect with people, and we want to make it easy for people to reach us, especially when they have feedback or concerns.

The PEAK Fleet has an open door, and the effort has been made from the start to create a culture that allows for risk, mistakes, and healthy conflict. Resolving problems in a healthy way sets the basis for the kind of positive, engaging work environment we’re helping our clients create for themselves.

Finally, we are a majority woman-owned business that continually strives to work with a broad spectrum of people, representing a diversity of backgrounds and identities. Fleet partners include people of color, people with different gender identities and sexual orientations, people from a variety of generations, and mentally and physically differently-abled people.

Our commitment to building a more just, equitable, and sustainable society

Giving back to our local communities and taking a stand about social and environmental issues is in alignment with our PEAK Values®. This commitment can be seen in 3 distinct ways:

1. Our give-back in the form of free and reduced services to schools and non-profits in our communities
2. Our operational policies and processes which favor environmental responsibility and social justice.
3. Volunteer efforts chosen by our Fleet Members to help in ways beyond donating PEAK Fleet services, leveraging our time and talents in other unique ways.

1) Our Community Investment (Partnerships and Reduced Cost and Pro Bono work):

2022 saw The PEAK Fleet again achieving the business growth it began prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This growth has allowed us to ramp up donation of services, volunteering, and reduced-fee services provided to schools and non-profit organizations, as we continue to commit to at least 20% give-back to our community.

In 2022, we provided discounted or free services valued at over $30,000 to: 

• Non-profit organizations in the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area
• Non-profit organizations and public school districts in the Phoenix metropolitan area
• The Tempe (AZ) Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Tempe Authority, and Tempe Tourism Office
• The Greater Vancouver (WA) Chamber

Jen and Brian continue to work at Arizona State University as Venture Devil Mentors, working with entrepreneurs and new start-ups to guide them to establish solid business foundations and compete for venture funding. These engagements are provided at a reduced rate as an investment in the communities where The PEAK Fleet does business.

Our community investment also includes charitable giving. Approximately 1% of our profits are donated directly to charitable organizations. In addition, with our Board seats, we have contribution & fundraising targets equivalent to another 2-3% of our profits. 

2) Our Operational Policies and Processes

As noted above, we are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and social justice (DEI, JEDI, DEIB). We are also devoted to whatever efforts are within our control to help our environment. We advocate for peaceful solutions to issues, and reduction of gun violence. These are not just philosophical commitments, but influence our decision-making and translate into action.

These actions include:

• We continue to operate according to the One Community Unity Pledge we signed that commits us to advance workplace equality and equal treatment in housing and public accommodations for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families.

• During our engagements, we advocate for DEIB efforts and call out when we see injustices or inequities occurring. 

• We evaluate whether we will engage with clients or take on projects based on our values as well as their stances on the environment, social justice and racism, and gun control. 

• We have made a commitment to sustainability and the environment by signing the (city of) Tempe Sustainability Pledge  (http://tempe.pledge.green).

• We developed a web-based version of our Core Values exercise, which allows a greater reach of our product and company mission without additional resources necessary for production and distribution. Each time we develop a new product, we look for ways to reduce consumption of natural resources and consider the environmental impact.

• We make every effort to reduce paper use and print double-sided whenever possible.

• We recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, and other renewable resources, including use of Ridwell services and james Recycling in our Portland location to significantly reduce our garbage waste.

• We reuse packages and packing materials for our own product shipments.

• We leverage technology to reduce our carbon footprint by reducing our need for travel and commuting when possible.

3) Volunteer Contributions

We believe very strongly that discovering personal and organizational values is something that everyone should be able to do. Each year we allocate resources to volunteer with various non-profit organizations and schools. In 2022, these volunteer efforts exceeded 400 hours.

Our team’s volunteer efforts included:

• Values exercises and Future of Work workshops for Empowerteen, Events and retreats to help teens and tweens build self-esteem, confidence, and wellness skills.
• Brian has continued on the leadership team as City Organizer for House of Genius PHX,  a non-profit that brings together a diverse mix of collaborators from the community for a monthly evening of disruptive thinking, authentic feedback, and creative new ideas.
• Brian is the Director of Fundraising for the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Bike charity mountain bike ride, which benefits the Marine League Charities of Northern Arizona. His efforts have increased fundraising exponentially over the past 5 years.
• Jen joined the Live Wire Radio Board of Directors, and is on their annual fundraiser event committee. Live Wire is an independently produced program that brings underrepresented voices to the stage and on-air for honest conversations that educates and influences its listeners (www.livewireradio.org).
• Volunteer staff with Neighbors Helping Neighbors PDX in Portland, helping homeless residents have safer, cleaner living conditions.
• Community Radio:
  • Jen entered her 4^th year of hosting the monthly radio show “Authenticity Matters” which airs on KXRW.fm Vancouver and XRAY.fm Portland and over the air on several FM stations. Each episode of “Authenticity Matters” focuses on a different facet of authenticity and how it plays out in both personal life and professional organizations. Jen welcomes guests each episode who have transformed their lives and/or organizations with authenticity and intention being at the forefront. The show is a way for The PEAK Fleet to reach out to the local community and listeners around the country, and beyond, to spread the message of one of our core values, Authenticity. 
  • PEAK Values Operations manager Steven Glickman has donated significant time to KXRW.fm and XRAY.fm as programming manager, show production manager (Blazer’s Edge), and show editor (multiple shows). He ensures KXRW keeps up and running with programming and equipment as well as growing new content by teaching members of the community how to record and edit their own shows.

Looking Ahead

Emerging from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have entered an era of a “new normal”. We were able to ask ourselves, again, “what are we trying to accomplish?” For the first time in a while, we felt like that was a question we could ask and answer. In 2023, Jen and Brian have started to look at figuring out not just what they could be doing with their business but what they truly wanted to do, even if it meant less revenue overall. The PEAK Fleet has always looked to “put a ding in the universe.” Now Jen and Brian can and have started to re-evaluate how they’re doing that. We don’t know entirely what that will involve, but we do know we are called to share Core Values and Intentional Behaviors across the globe.

With BCFG’s commitment to aligning with and advancing the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) https://sdgs.un.org/goals, The PEAK Fleet has committed thought leadership to what actions can be taken by small businesses to also support the SDGs. In particular, #10, Reduced Inequalities, #11, Sustainable Cities and Communities and #12, Responsible Consumption and Production, are those that The PEAK Fleet believes are most relevant to our power to drive change both internally within our company and within our community. We will be incorporating specific action plans into our business strategy plans.

Jen, Brian, and Steven continue to evolve and commit further to their volunteer efforts. 

• Jen is joining the DEI committee for Live Wire Radio and continues her Live Wire fundraising event work
• Brian has joined the Board of The Million Dollar Teacher Project.
• Steven has started volunteer efforts with Open Hearts, Open Minds, an Oregon-based non-profit supporting individuals in their transition from incarceration to living as returned citizens.

Our commitment to BCFG’s manifesto of believing that every business can positively impact the world has never been stronger. We look forward to continuing to raise the expectations on ourselves in serving People and Planet before Profit.