Jason Popp Of Moss: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become More Sustainable
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Business is hard work — if you don’t make it fun, you won’t last very long. I’ve always tried to incorporate some levity in my work and informality when dealing with my teams.
As part of our series about how companies are becoming more sustainable, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Popp.
Jason Popp is President & CEO of Moss, a global production partner for branded experiences. Jason has been a leader in the global exhibition market for over 20 years, previously serving as President of International for GES, one of the largest tradeshow general service contractors operating globally. Jason earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA in marketing and international business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I started my career living and working overseas for about ten years in a variety of management and strategy roles. I was really fortunate to spend time in Hungary as it was opening up in the early 90s, Spain as it really started booming following the Olympics in Barcelona, and London in its pre-Brexit globalized years. I moved into the global branded experiences world by joining one of the leading exhibit design and build firms just as the industry was beginning to globalize. I’ve been fortunate in my career to be in the right place at the right time, I guess!
What is the mission of your company? What problems are you aiming to solve?
Moss is a well-known leader in producing printed tension fabric, structures, frames, graphics, and other dimensional elements for tradeshows, events, retail, sports, and corporate environments. In fact, we introduced tension fabric to the tradeshow industry 40 years ago, in 1983, when our founder Bill Moss brought his patented “pop tent” to the Outdoor Retailer Show. The rest was history.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
Climate change is a huge issue for the global events industry. At Moss, we produce things. That inherently creates waste and carbon emissions. So we take our responsibility to be a leader in sustainability very seriously. One way we’re trying to impact our carbon emissions is by being a signatory of the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative. That commits us to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. We have already begun to reduce the carbon footprint of both our European and US operations through a variety of initiatives. One simple example is reducing our scope 3 emissions which include the carbon associated with our staff commuting into our facilities. To positively impact that we’ve installed EV chargers at both facilities and have even provided a “Moss subsidy” to US staff to trade their current vehicle in for an EV. Combined with free charging at the office, that becomes a value proposition, particularly since the state and federal governments also provide subsidies. The quicker we can accelerate EV usage by our staff, the quicker we’ll reduce scope 3 emissions. In the meantime, as that process plays out, we’re also committed to offsetting those emissions through a wind farm project in South Dakota.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Greater sustainability increasing your cost base is a false dichotomy that needs to be disproven, so I’m glad you asked. We’ve found ways to decrease our overall energy usage — for example by installing motion-activated LED lighting throughout our facility. That has reduced our overall energy load which has reduced our cost base, particularly as energy prices have spiked recently. We’ve selectively looked at areas where we could bring our supply chain closer to home. Again, during a time of price increases for logistics and freight forwarding, that has had positive impacts on our cost base.
The youth led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion what are a few things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.
I remember the Climate Strikes very well — my oldest daughter was a leader at her school and that was the year I became a trained climate leader by attending the Climate Reality Leadership Corps. One thing we can all do is shine a brighter light on the climate challenge and sustainability initiatives. For example, at Moss, we always include a section at our Board Meetings focusing on updates to our sustainability initiatives. That ensures that sustainability takes an equal footing along with other, more traditional, business issues such as client service, profitability, and staff-related initiatives.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
Only 5? It has taken me about 30 years in business on a variety of continents to learn these so here it goes.
- You’re only as good as your last project. There is no “autopilot” in business. You need to always be on your A-game.
- Transparent communication with your team creates an enormous leverage point in business. If people know where they are and where you want to go, my experience has been that their talent and motivation will get you there.
- Details matter. Get your head under the hood early in your career.
- Ensure every day that you bring more value to your job than you extract. If you can do that 9 days out of 10, you’re on your way to a successful career.
- Business is hard work — if you don’t make it fun, you won’t last very long. I’ve always tried to incorporate some levity in my work and informality when dealing with my teams.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
I’ve always told my family to “make every day a masterpiece.” It’s a bit aspirational but I certainly try to live up to that every day.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Our team at Moss loves to show off the inspiring work we do on behalf of our clients. Follow our LinkedIn page and website for up-to-date case studies, images, and stories related to the work we produce or the sustainability initiatives we’re pursuing.
This was so inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Jason Popp Of Moss: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become More… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.