Ivans Esperance
Sam Sutherland
St. John's University
Charles Wankel
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ImpactU.Film is a production company founded by Steve Distante to share stories of impact through the lens of entrepreneurship, impact investing, and innovation.
One of the main goals of Impact U is to collaborate with entrepreneurs who are making a conscious effort to align their business with the 17 United Nations Global Goals. By collaborating with and inspiring one another, Impact U hopes to create a “ripple effect expanding and increasing impact” within the world.
In his recent documentary "Igniting Impact," Steve Distante and his team assembled what they call “Impact Entrepreneurs” to share their stories of how small acts of services from big corporations and entrepreneurs are creating more value than we think! In this documentary, we get to see a range of entrepreneurs who are tackling issues like “Life Below Water,” “Sustainable Cities and Communities,” and “Peace and Justice.” These stories are meant to inspire and awaken the desire within business owners to look beyond “profit” and help the world become a better, more secure place.
Mr. Distante is the CEO of Vanderbilt Financial Group, an Independent Broker Dealer and Registered Investment Advisory that manages over $1 billion in assets. As a thought leader in the impact space, Mr. Distante takes great pride in using his business as a force for good to enhance the community and make a positive impact as it grows. In 2013, he completely renovated Vanderbilt Financial Group’s headquarters to make it more energy efficient.
Steve Distante shares that entrepreneurs are "the solution to be able to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges through their businesses.” Just as he renovated his company's headquarters to make it more energy efficient, Mr. Distante hopes that other brilliant and creative minds will learn to use their businesses as a force for good.
Not only is ImpactU.Film inspiring, educating, and celebrating entrepreneurs who are solving some of the world’s greatest challenges with their business, they are also giving back to the community. For any individual who is looking to take their impact investing to the next level, ImpactU.Film is providing a 15% discount to enroll in Concordia University's online Sustainable Investment Professional Certification program.
From eradicating poverty to gender equality to climate change, the entrepreneurs and industry experts featured in ImpactU.Film take us on a journey from the origins of corporate social responsibility to the transformation of capitalism using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) as a framework for how the business world needs to evolve. Each story is unique—some touching, some empowering—but all illuminating the impactful change happening now.
Mr. Distante urges entreprenuers and business owners from all walks of life to "consider being in business but finding your purpose in the next version of your business." Then, "use the UN sustainable development goals as your pallet, as your architecture to create something meaningful to you and in turn, something meaningful on this world." What we will have found when we do this is an increase of employee productivity, an increase in purpose, and more importantly, and increase of positive impact on the world.
The insightful stories and magnetic individuals highlighted in ImpactU.Film's documentaries are providing tremendous inspiration and support for those who have chosen to align their businesses with the17 United Nations Global Goals. As more entrepreneurs and business owners feel supported and recognized for their outstanding contributions to the world, it will foster even more of a desire within the business leaders to continue developing sustainable business models, ideas, and initiatives!
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Steve Distante, Founder
