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Davis Net Impact Visits Clif Bar

On January 26th, UCD Net Impact members joined members from Haas and USF for a site visit to CLIF Bar as part of the Net Impact Day on the Job series. Our host and tour guide for the day was Ted Witt, Director of Operations. After viewing a dramatic re-enactment of owner Gary Erickson’s famous “Epiphany Ride,” we had a revealing tour of the CLIF Bar facilities. What a place to work! Amenities include a climbing wall, full gym and yoga studio, hair stylist, theater and stage, and bike workshop. But it’s not all fun and games. Employees work hard to maintain CLIF’s five bottom lines – business, brands, planet, people, and community.

CLIF Bar remains a private company, and Erickson’s vision and values really permeate the culture. CLIF now produces organic products, and works with its partners on sustainability. Rather than just carefully select partners (based on sustainability requirements, etc.), CLIF strives to influence a change in processes, seeking to be restorative and actually turn the tide on the problem. We met with Cassie Cypress of the Sustainability group, which is responsible for employee education, empowerment, and the Ecosystem Assessment (begun in 2006).

Steve Grossman, VP of the CLIF Portfolio, spoke about brand management, strategy and new product development. CLIF Bar uses non-traditional marketing techniques. They don’t advertise much, but instead rely on word of mouth – CLIF prefers to connect with consumers, creating a positive experience and achieving and intimacy and passion not granted to other products. Director of Finance Devon Clementine shared some of CLIF Bar’s trials and triumphs, including the near-sale of the company in 2001.

A looming challenge for CLIF Bar will be to maintain its rapid growth (they are now about 170 employees strong) while maintaining the culture that makes CLIF Bar, Inc. so unique. This superb Day on the Job concluded with an opportunity for candid questions, samples of CLIF products, and copies of Gary Erickson’s book “Raising the Bar.” For more information on CLIF Bar, Inc., visit www.clifbar.com. To learn more about Net Impact’s Day on the Job series, click here.