One of the challenging parts of leading an Evergreen® company is finding balance between and honoring imperatives that occasionally seem to come into conflict. For example, is it always possible to honor both Profit and Purpose, or does one sometimes dictate that the other must take a back seat? In non-Evergreen companies, the answer to this is easy–profit first, always–but for leaders who strive to honor all seven of the Evergreen 7Ps® principles, it can be hard. Two Tugboat Institute® members, Lance Walker Jr and Michael Spraggins, have recently undertaken a collaborative venture that is grounded in their shared conviction that business can be both a force for good and a strong investment. They have found a way to honor Purpose and Profit simultaneously.

Lance and Michael were old college friends from Auburn University. They lost touch, but reconnected a few years ago, which was the happy circumstance that led Lance to Tugboat Institute. As they rediscovered their friendship, their alignment through their Evergreen mindset and, importantly, their faith, brought them close again. But they could not have predicted it would lead them across the globe to Rwanda.