Company: Ocaquatics Swim School
Location: Miami, Florida
Industry: Athletic & fitness centers
Final B Corp Score: 85.6
We recently asked Mary Walsh and Miren Oca at Ocaquatics Swim School to share their journey from B Corp curious to B Corp in September 2022. Ocaquatics Swim School was founded in 1994 with the mission to teach families to love swimming and become safer, more comfortable, and more responsible in, on, and around the water. They share a commitment to their team members to help them grow within a framework of social and environmental responsibility so that they grow the school in a sustainable way, and make a difference in their community. Ocaquatics teaches all ages, from infants to adults, across five indoor warm water locations around Miami.
Why was B Corp Certification important for you?
We view B Corp Certification as a way to signal our commitment to helping to create a better world for our stakeholders. As the first swim school to become a B Corp, we are modeling to our industry and community the importance of business leading the way to sustainability.
What did you learn from the certification process?
We compare the certification process to a journey where getting there was just as rewarding as arriving. The hard work of making changes and learning new ways to measure, improve, and celebrate our positive impact was transformative.
How did your company change through the certification process?
Our vision for Ocaquatics has always been focused on being a business for good, socially. During certification, we expanded our purpose to include our environmental sustainability by joining 1% for the Planet, increasing our education and advocacy to our team for sustainable practices at work and at home, decreasing our reliance on non-renewable resources, and offsetting our carbon footprint.
In your own words, what does it mean to be a B Corp?
As a B Corp, we are enthusiastic and proud to be part of a movement powered by purpose-driven businesses. We know that we are stronger together, and we look forward to collaborating with our fellow B Corps and inspiring B Corp curious companies to join our collective efforts. We are acting as the change we want to see in the world.
What advice would you give to others considering certification?
We caution B Corp curious companies: Don’t be overwhelmed by the enormity of the changes you might need to make. Make the little changes where you can. Start now. Every positive change in your business adds to the critical mass of the movement, which in itself is rewarding.
Is there anything else that you would like to share?
Our enthusiastic team created our motto: We are different and we make a difference!
Join the Community
Whether you’re just learning about B Corps or are already far along your journey, you’ll find opportunities to improve your impact as a business by getting certified or recertified as a B Corp.
If you have questions or would like to talk about B Corp certification, please get in touch with us using the form below.
Carolina Miranda is the Founder and CEO of Cultivating Capital, a Certified B Corp since 2012, that helps companies implement impact and sustainability practices by making complex requirements clear, manageable, and actionable. As a B Corp ROI Strategist, she specializes in helping companies to recertify, measure, and manage the ROI from their certification.
With 15+ years in the B Corp movement, Carolina has been teaching B Corp standards since 2023 and is recognized for her expertise with the performance requirements. She’s been trained by B Lab twice, including as an external verifier in 2021 and as a B Corp Consultant in 2023. Carolina has received the 2020 Community Builders Award and the 2024 Hal Taussig Award for her contributions to the B Corp community.