Founded in 2009 in Lansing, Michigan, Common Wealth Enterprises promotes, markets, and establishes socially-minded ventures that are both sustainable and profitable.  We are committed to tackling today’s social issues — both locally and globally — by redefining how organizations and individuals see their role in community participation.

Common Wealth Enterprises believes it’s possible to establish a new American capitalist culture that places a high value on social commitment and community engagement.  It is our priority to build and promote the growth of sustainable social enterprises by integrating community values and social change with innovative, capitalistic approaches.

Who We Are

Thomas A. Stewart

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Thomas A. Stewart founded Common Wealth Enterprises in April 2009 as an outlet to advocate for social enterprise and community capitalism.  He is committed to tackling today’s social issues by redefining how organizations and individuals see their role in driving social change.

Prior to launching Common Wealth Enterprises, Thomas founded Stewart Consulting, a business development consulting firm in Lansing, MI.  As a partner at Stewart Consulting, Thomas provided strategic planning, project management, and communications strategy to a variety of clients, such as Neogen Corporation – a global manufacturer of food and animal safety products – and Michigan State University.

Thomas is looking forward to helping create a more sustainable world through Common Wealth Enterprises and its social enterprise initiatives.  He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Michigan State University and is finishing his M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.

Tim Seeger

Chief Operating Officer

New to the idea of social enterprise, Tim Seeger was drawn to the business paradigm in which someone needs only focus on one pusuit to achieve social and community improvement while also making a living. Through Common Wealth Enterprises, Tim will promote this new approach of business and community involvement and make it a reality for himself and others.

Tim also currently works for IBM in product development and is responsible for the planning, design and execution for two different phases of testing for the product he supports. As a subject matter expert on his product, Tim has designed and provided training to service representatives, and also interfaces directly with customers as necessary for service activities.

Tim graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S in Computer Science.

Danny Ducat, Ph.D.

Community Engagement Liaison

Danny Ducat is concerned with matters of environmental and social stability and is committed to developing approaches to further a more equitable and sustainable future.  Believing that technical advancement alone is insufficient to address current societal challenges, Danny is involved with Common Wealth Enterprises to promote discussion and exploration of novel business models designed for social improvement.

Behind the bench, Danny is involved in researching metabolic engineering approaches to increase biofuel production from photosynthetic bacteria.  Specifically,  Danny is currently researching methods to improve biological production of hydrogen gas from bacterial cultures in response to sunlight.

Danny received his B.S. in Microbiology from Michigan State University in 2003, and his Ph.D. in Biology from Johns Hopkins University.  He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Systems Biology Department at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

Richard Heins, Ph.D.

Richard Heins joined Common Wealth Enterprises to promote a more socially sustainable business model.  Believing that a business can be both profitable and an agent of positive social change within a community, Richard is using his technical background to help innovate new ways to address social issues.

Richard is currently developing second generation biofuels to help alleviate longstanding environmental and political problems associated with fossil fuels. He is specifically focused on genetically engineering enzymes to deconstruct lignocellulose into sugar for use in biofuel production.

Richard received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, his Ph. D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in Emeryville, CA.

Brian Eggleston

As a strong supporter of economic and social sustainability, Brian Eggleston joined Common Wealth Enterprises shortly after being introduced to the concepts of social enterprise and community capitalism.  He aims to reform and enhance the social issues facing communities today with his leadership expertise and passion for social change.

Brian earned his B.S. in History from Michigan State University and presently is in his second year at Thomas M. Cooley Law School.