Meet Oliver Russell
Meet Oliver Russell
Let’s rewind to 1991, a time long before “social enterprise” became a buzzword in the business world and decades before Boise had a thriving community of mission-driven companies, Russ Stoddard walked away from a stable corporate career to start something different.
“I had a desire to be my own guy,” he said. “I had the mistaken notion that I'd have more flexibility… you quickly realize when you have your own business, it runs you.”
Yet Russ did not leave solely for independence. He left to build a values-driven business at a time when that phrase raised more eyebrows than applause, especially in Idaho.
A Radical Idea for 1991
Fresh from a corporate role, Russ started Oliver Russell. This was not only a marketing company with "some really smashing ideas", but it was a business with a simple yet mutual premise. It held that businesses could be creative, profitable, and socially responsible all at once.
Back then, social responsibility mostly meant writing checks to nonprofits and volunteering, so that's where he began. He gave back to the community, while telling every potential client up front that this company would operate differently.
“In 1991, when you talked about social responsibility, especially here in Idaho, people looked at you like, ‘What sort of crazy talk is that?’” he recalled. More often than not, word came back through the grapevine: creative folks, but kind of hippies. A perception that became both the challenge and the opportunity.
Differentiating by Doing Good
Now that he had his foot in the door, how was he to overcome this early reputation?
Russ leaned into three things:
Consistency. “We were persistent. We had a spirit that this is the business we want to create. “
Creativity. Boundary-pushing ideas won clients over, even skeptics.
Finding the right partners. Clients who believed in the mission made the work stronger.
The model proved itself over the years, over thirty-four years to be exact. In that time, Oliver Russell has not just survived, he has thrived. He overcame recessions, bubbles and volatility creative agencies often face.
“Our through-line is that we lived our values, very publicly, for better or worse,” Russ said.
Let’s Redefine Social Responsibility
As the company evolved, so did Russ’s definition of responsible business.
To Russ, donating wasn’t the full picture anymore. He was finding ways to create impact through his company’s operations, ways that could be more meaningful than writing a check.
Employee policies, environmental practices, profit sharing, and community engagement lived at the core of the company’s model. In 2011, Oliver Russell became Idaho’s second certified B Corporation, a milestone that expanded how the company measured and managed its impact.
But B Corp certification isn’t for the faint of heart.
“It takes time, attention, resources. It doesn’t make your bottom line easier,” he said. “Some years we’d cut profit-sharing checks for $9,000 per employee. Other years, not so much. It was a barometer for how we were doing.”
Financially, values aren’t always convenient. One of Russ’s favorite examples: paid family leave.
“It was an easy choice—but not easy financially,” he said. “You’re paying someone not to work. And sometimes, hiring someone else to fill the gap. But it was the right thing to do.”
A Real Kind of Environmental Innovation
In an industry where sustainability usually means campaigning rather than impact, Russ looked for concrete ways to reduce the agency’s footprint.
Water-free urinals? Too long of a payback. Solar? Not cost-effective at the time. Instead, they upgraded lighting, added circulating fans, and incentivized employees to bike or take the bus.
Then came one of their boldest experiments: Plastic Works, a small-scale plastics recycling and remanufacturing project built out of a shipping container behind the office. Partnering with Boise State students, the team transformed waste plastics into reusable items as a hands-on education project and demonstration site.
“It cost a ton,” Russ said, laughing. “But it was worth it for what it inspired.”
The project halted during the pandemic, but its impact rippled outward. One of the students involved just won Boise Entrepreneur Week’s top pitch prize.
“No Margin, No Mission”
Russ’s advice for business owners wanting to start values-driven companies?
A good product and good values must grow together.
“One doesn’t exist without the other,” he said. And recommends that startups get their business running before chasing certification, as B Corps can eat a young company alive if they’re not stable. He knows this firsthand—he co-founded Social Good Network, an investor-funded, high-scoring B Corp that ultimately didn’t survive.
Luck, Timing, or Hard Work?
When asked how he attributes his success, Russ didn’t hesitate.
“Zero timing,” he laughed. “My timing has always been horrible. I’m always on the bleeding edge.”
There’s always a little bit of luck, he said—but mostly, it’s hard work. “Persistence through the tough times. I started in a recession. Then the dot-com bubble, 9/11, the housing crisis. You wake up and say, ‘Tomorrow’s another day.’ And you keep going.”
Today, Oliver Russell stands as one of Idaho’s original values-based businesses, living proof that doing the right thing isn’t a trend. It’s a business model that can last.
