John Imes
You may already know John Imes as the entrepreneur who founded Arbor House, An Environmental Inn with his wife Cathie, or the executive who managed a national award-winning environmental program for Quad/Graphics, one of the state’s most successful and progressive companies, or the nonprofit leader who has brought business, environmental groups and government together to work on common goals and find win-win solutions.
Enlightened corporate environmentalism
In 1987, John joined Quad/Graphics, one of the state’s most progressive and successful companies. During his tenure at Quad, the company won numerous national awards and its environmental commitment was highlighted in several books including: “The E Factor: The Bottom-Line Approach to Environmentally Responsible Business” and “Beyond the Bottom Line: Putting Social Responsibility to Work for Your Business and the World.”
John left Quad/Graphics in 1998, and became executive director for Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WEI), a nonprofit he co-founded and served as Board Chairman since 1995.
WEI’s programs and initiatives show that economic and environmental good are not mutually exclusive, and people can accomplish both goals if they’ve got the right information and incentives.
John also challenged business and industry, state agencies, the Legislature and environmental groups to look beyond the top-down, prescriptive solutions of the past and to examine strategies and policies that can lead to positive environmental results and a more productive business climate. For example, John has been a leader in supporting performance-based strategies like “Green Tier” as the next generation of environmental management with an emphasis on environmental performance, flexible compliance, legal accountability, management systems and other incentives.
Travel Green Wisconsin
Over the last two years, John has worked with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism on Travel Green Wisconsin, a voluntary program that reviews, certifies, and recognizes tourism businesses and organizations that have made a commitment to continuously improve their operations in order to reduce their environmental impact.
The pilot phase featured thirty businesses from Bayfield, Door County, Rhinelander and Madison and the program has received significant media attention with articles in The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities Pioneer Press, and numerous Wisconsin news sources. As a result of the successful pilot, the Department will be implementing a statewide ecotourism strategy that “…focuses on the promotion of Wisconsin’s diverse ecological systems, local indigenous assets, environment, local communities, history and culture…” In short, Travel Green Wisconsin will be the unique selling point for tourism to support the Wisconsin brand, and give the state and hospitality business a marketing edge, promote smart business practices, educate travelers, and protect the beauty and vitality of Wisconsin’s landscape.
In addition to his work with stakeholders in areas such as business strategy, agriculture, shoreland development, land use and the bioeconomy, John has been active in many public-private partnerships with government agencies, environmental groups and business affiliations over the years. His current engagements include work on the Governor’s Consortium on Biobased Industries, Green Tier Advisors Committee, DNR Innovation Stakeholders, Wisconsin Agricultural Stewardship Initiative, Sustainable Tourism Ad Hoc Committee and the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute. John also recently completed the Civitas 10-part series of forums focused on government finance, public education services and finances, and an analysis of government services.
John received his associate’s degree in environmental technology from MATC and a B.S. from Carroll College. His wife Cathie has an MBA and she manages the inn with a staff of five. The Imes’ have four children – Jack, Cora, Ben and Grace.
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