Deborah Corn (Print Media Centr & Girls Who Print) speaks with Lou Raiola, Director of ESG at Vella Companies, about what it truly means to scale a print business with purpose.
Lou shares insights from his 40-year career at the intersection of social impact, sustainability, and business strategy, explaining how companies can move beyond profit-first thinking and instead embrace stakeholder value—including employees, customers, communities, and shareholders.
Key Takeaways:
•.Scaling with Purpose is about integrating core values into every level of your business—not just for marketing, but for real, measurable impact.
• Inspired by the Business Roundtable’s 2019 shift toward stakeholder value, Lou emphasizes long-term thinking, alignment, and authenticity.
• He uses Patagonia as an example of a company succeeding by embedding purpose into their DNA—not just their messaging.
• Printers must assess their own “why,” as popularized by Simon Sinek, and embed it throughout operations—from supply chains to employee engagement.
• Technology and data play a key role in enabling sustainability—especially in tracking emissions, waste, and energy use, and in helping customers meet their own ESG goals.
• Measuring real impact requires KPIs beyond just profit: emissions, water usage, waste, worker safety, and even cybersecurity for data governance.
Final Thought:
Lou encourages printers to embrace the role of enabler—helping clients meet their goals through sustainable, transparent, and purpose-led practices. He reminds us that purpose is a journey, not a checkbox—and that the rewards come through alignment, innovation, and trust.
