Month: March 2023

STAMFORD, Conn., March 1, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Webster Bank, together with Eagle Academy Foundation, today launched the opening of the Webster/Eagle Academy Finance Lab, a program created to provide students in their schools to gain the skills needed for economic empowerment and financial success. The program is funded by a $100,000 Webster Bank Charitable Foundation (WBCF) grant.

The Webster/Eagle Academy Finance Lab expands a signature initiative of Webster Bank designed to help Webster’s partners in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities expand financial empowerment opportunities for youth. The grant funds finance software and curriculum for students enrolled in Eagle Academy’s six schools – one in each New York City borough and one in Newark, N.J.

The Eagle Academy location is the second in a series of Finance Labs Webster is funding throughout its footprint from New York to New England in the coming months.

“Following the successful launch of our first Finance Lab in Yonkers earlier this year, Webster is pleased to invest $100,000 with Eagle Academy Foundation to further extend our existing relationship to educate and empower more youth in the communities we serve,” said Marissa Weidner, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and president of the WBCF. She added, “Webster’s commitment to programs such as the Finance Lab gives students a unique opportunity to learn about finance, foster youth leadership and helps build our future workforce.”

To celebrate the launch, Eagle Academy students and alumni heard from Donald Ruff, President & CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation, John Ciulla, President & CEO of Webster Bank, Javier Evans, Chief Human Resources Officer and Matthew Smith, Head of Banking as a Service and Digital Banking about their paths into the banking industry, careers in finance and why creating opportunities for financial empowerment matters.

Webster’s partnership with Eagle Academy is reflective of its continuing support of programs that address financial empowerment, workforce development, community development and human services and basic needs. Webster’s volunteerism initiatives also will play a key role in the partnership.

“The partnership that The Eagle Academy Foundation enjoys with Webster Bank and its predecessor, Sterling, is an ideal model for corporate engagement. EAF’s expanded vision for young men of color, “Eagles Soaring Beyond,” includes financial empowerment, and Webster has committed to developing pathways for Eagle students through awareness, education, and career pathways. Eagle Nation is grateful for all the ways that we partner with Webster, and we look forward to even further collaborations,” said Ruff.

The Eagle Academy Foundation develops and supports a network of all-male, grades 6 -12, college-preparatory schools in challenged, urban communities. The Eagle Academies consist of six traditional public schools in New York City and Newark, New Jersey and serve over 4,000 scholars and alumni.

About Webster

Webster Bank (“Webster”) is a leading commercial bank in the Northeast that provides a wide range of digital and traditional financial solutions across three differentiated lines of business: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking and its HSA Bank division, one of the country’s largest providers of employee benefits solutions. Headquartered in Stamford, CT, Webster is a values-driven organization with $68 billion in assets. Its core footprint spans the northeastern U.S. from New York to Massachusetts, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including our latest annual report, please visit our About page. To find our latest press releases, visit the Webster Newsroom.

About Eagle Academy Foundation

The Eagle Academy Foundation is a game-changing non-profit organization, dedicated to improving educational, career, and life outcomes for young men of color in New York City and across the country through education, mentoring, and post-secondary support. The foundation developed and supports the Eagle Academy schools—a network of six traditional public schools serving young men from marginalized communities across the five boroughs of New York City and Newark, N.J. For more information, visit eafny.org and follow The Eagle Academy Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Contact Information

Media Contact:
Alice Ferreira
acferreira@websterbank.com
203-578-2610

Investor Contact:
Emlen Harmon
eharmon@websterbank.com
212-309-7646

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The Chemours Company is proud to announce that Chemours China has been certified as one of the Best Workplaces in Greater China™ 2022 by Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture and employee experience.

This year, Chemours emerged from over 250 companies with a combined more than 140,000 employees in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to be one of 92 organizations recognized by Great Place to Work® as Best Workplaces in Greater China™ 2022, based on a comprehensive assessment of corporate leadership, culture, and trust from their workers. Of the Chemours’ employees based in China who participated in the survey, 90% rated Chemours as a great place to work. The company’s scores are summarized on Chemours’ Great Place to Work™ profile, with key highlights including:

96% of employees said Chemours is a physically safe place to work.96% reported that they are treated as a full member of the company regardless of their position.95% said that they are treated fairly regardless of their race.94% shared that they are able to take time off from work when they think it’s necessary.

“We’re honoured to be named to the Best Workplaces in Greater China™ for the second consecutive year, in high recognition of Chemours culture and talent strategy. At Chemours, our people are our most valuable asset, and we will keep driving talent development to create a diverse, inclusive, and fair workplace. We support employees’ sustainable growth through a broad professional platform and diverse training mechanisms, making unwavering attempts to create a better workplace,” said Lily Li, the HR Head of Chemours Asia Pacific.

2022 was an eventful yet extraordinary year. Faced with various external uncertainties, Chemours insisted on a “people-oriented” development strategy to provide each employee with full trust and support. By carrying out “Flex for Your Day,” one of the flexible work mechanisms in the post-pandemic era, Chemours provides a supportive and caring workplace for employees where they can balance personal needs, physical and mental health at work.

As a different kind of chemistry company, Chemours is committed to creating a more equitable and inclusive workplace, attracting and cultivating more female talent for the industry. As part of this commitment, Chemours is working to fill 50% of all director level positions and above with women, and 35% of all global roles with women by 2030. With the vision of achieving full gender parity at all levels of the organization globally as soon as possible, Chemours will actively empower women for long-term career growth and lead the industry in change through practical action.

About the Best Workplaces™ in Greater China List

Since 2012, Great Place to Work® has identified the top organisations that create great workplaces in Greater China in which they operate through the publication of the Best Workplaces™ in Greater China list. The objective of publishing the list is to acknowledge organizations and Great Workplaces from diverse industries and sizes that deliver and establish a great culture among the colleagues and associates, so as to sustain and enhance the competitive edge of the region.

Early in her career, Sharmyn Kayani was waiting to be interviewed for a role at a technology company when a male fellow interviewee made what he thought was a light-hearted remark.

“I might as well leave now,” he said. “They probably have a female quota to fill, and you’re going to get the job anyway.”

It was an upsetting early introduction to the gender bias that is prevalent in the technology industry. That someone might consider her gender more important than her skills and passion for tech was eye-opening for Sharmyn.

Her interest in technology was nurtured in her childhood by her father. They would break apart old computers to study their components. Today, she is a VMware Solution Engineer based in Sydney.

Passion and knowledge

Despite the gender bias Sharmyn has faced, she is still passionate about her career in technology and is proud to represent an increasingly gender diverse workforce in the industry.

According to research by Deloitte, large global technology firms, on average, will reach nearly 33% overall female representation in their workforces in 2022, an increase of two percentage points from 2019. This increase, though small, is indicative of real progress.

“I’m the technical conscience behind a lot of the decisions that our customers make,” says Sharmyn. “I meet clients all around Australia, understand what their business objectives are and work out how to help them with VMware technology.”

She believes organizations that have more women in tech roles benefit from diversity in thinking and newer approaches to problem solving.

With research showing diversity in teams fuels better performance and innovation, more leaders in technology are recognizing the business benefits of a gender-diverse workforce and are nurturing a more inclusive culture.

Culture is a key enabler

Building an inclusive and supportive organizational culture is critical to help advance women in tech. Training programs for employees across the organization to raise awareness on gender-based bias and discrimination is important in building this inclusive culture. The training should also focus on educating employees about unconscious bias — behaviors that can seem neutral but are harmful.

“Companies should invest in awareness training for everyone, including managers and leaders,” says Sharmyn. “There needs to be more awareness on the bias and discrimination women have experienced in the past and steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Showing the way for other women

Women leaders in technology play an important role in inspiring more women to pursue careers in the industry. These role models can share their pathway with others and make “getting there” more visible to younger women or women aspiring to switch to a career in technology.

So, what does Sharmyn have to say to women considering a career in tech?

“Try not to be pigeonholed into a particular type of role. Tech is so broad, so stay open to different opportunities,” says Sharmyn. “If you feel you’re not enjoying something right now, don’t feel constricted by it. There are many opportunities and avenues to pursue in the ocean that is tech.”

“Before joining a tech organization, consider how progressive its culture is. The company may be growing, but do you see yourself growing in that business? Do you see women being supported and being recognized? There are so many companies out there. Choose an organization that is making a difference in the world and adding to the community as well.”

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PROUDER TOGETHER is Tapestry’s Employee Resource Business Group for LGBTQIA+ employees and allies. The mission of the group is to celebrate LGBTQIA+ employees and allies at Tapestry by building an inclusive community across all brands; encouraging, supporting, and mentoring others at work; connecting our identity with brand products that speak to us; and supporting our local communities through philanthropic volunteering.

In the February 2023 issue of LOUDLY, Prouder Together’s newsletter for Tapestry employees, Jesse DeBusk, Coach Store Manager, caught up with the lead supervisor and social media influencer for Coach, located in Portland, Oregon, Curtlynn Gonzalez (she/her). Together, Jesse and Curtylynn discussed everything from their favorite things about Tapestry, Zero Discrimination, and Trans Visibility Day, and took a deep dive into Curtlynn’s life as a drag performer. Safe to say, Curtlynn is a fantastic representative of the brand and a phenomenal advocate for people of trans experience.

Learn more about life at Tapestry here: https://www.tapestry.com/responsibility/our-people/

What’s your story?

“I was born in Los Angeles, the youngest of 10 children. Growing up I wanted to be on Broadway for as long as I can remember. I was always an eccentric kid, randomly dancing and being the loudest in the room. When I turned 14 I decided to come out to my parents and was kicked out of my home. With some help from my sibling, I made it up to Portland where I was placed in Foster Care as my parents made it clear to me and to the courts that they did not want an LGBTQIA+ child. Being in multiple different foster homes and putting myself through high school wasn’t easy but made my journey oh so rewarding. I am now 26 years old and am so proud of the obstacles I’ve overcome, and am so grateful to be living in my truth and getting to share my story.”

What’s your favorite part about your city/ community?

“I am very fortunate to live in a city where diversity is celebrated and encouraged. And while Portland has its fair share of issues, it has always been a city with an openness to new ideas and a safe place for LGBQIA+ people.”

What have been the most joyful parts of your transition journey for you?

“Living in my truth unabashedly has been so healing to me because like any endeavor, you don’t truly know what it’s like until you’re there, all you show up with is excitement, expectations, and often fear. For me, one of the most joyful parts of my transition journey has been seeing what truly loving myself has done to my smile. I used to not show many teeth when cracking a smile and now I can’t help but smile wide from ear to ear. Seeing my fears be answered with love and support has been incredible.”

What were/are the challenges you faced as you began your transition?

“When I began my transition, EVERYTHING felt like a challenge, but like all challenges, they come with a sense of excitement and reward when overcome. Some of the challenges I faced were people misgendering me and people struggling to remember/use my new Chosen name, subsequently using my DEADNAME. For those that do not know, a dead name is the birth name of someone who has opted to change their name as part of THEIR gender transition. In many cases, this name stays their legal name, but it no longer resonates or feels comfortable to them.”

What are some of the things that allies and those within the LGBTQIA+ Community could do to better support transgender employees at work?

“When a child says they’re in pain, we don’t question whether they’re telling the truth, we simply believe them and help how we can. Similarly, Transgender people are among some of the most vulnerable within our community, so it is that much more important to listen to us when we’re asking for help. We often don’t get the same support outside of our regular support systems. Show up for us and play your part in creating a space where ALL feel welcome and all feel supported.”

Who is your biggest role model? 

“My biggest role model is my Drag Mom, Sheniqua Volt. She is a BIPOC Transgender woman who has been doing drag for over 20 years. She taught me to walk tall and confident and to be proud of what I bring to the table as the woman that I am.”

What are some of the microaggressions transgender people face in the workplace?

A lot of the microaggressions transgender people face at work often revolve around our appearance and our bodies. Transgender people, even transgender women are not monolithic. Not everyone is going to vie for the same transition journey. Some may choose to medically transition, and some don’t, for myriad reasons from personal choice to lacking financial access.

What makes you proud to be a part of Tapestry?

“The thing that makes me the proudest of working for Tapestry is getting to have the confidence to show up to work every day and never having to worry about what my company or my direct coworkers think of me as a Person of Trans Experience. When I started here I remember I was given a pin that said “Open To All” and that truth could not have been more accurate. Getting to show up as my authentic self every day had a huge impact not just on me but within our community. Getting to host a Pride happy hour last year and seeing the impact and exposure we had was iconic. I have had the privilege since coming out to meet many members of the LGBTQIA+ within our store many of which are in awe at seeing a woman like me at work just living my best life. That’s the greatest gift of all.”

A big thank you to Curtlynn for her willingness to educate and share her story! To keep up with Curtlynn, follow her on Instagram.

ST. LOUIS, March 1, 2023 /3BL Media/ – The Yellowstone Bourbon brand family announced it has renewed its partnership with the National Parks Conservation Association. As a result of the newly structured partnership, Yellowstone will donate $250,000 – making it NPCA’s largest annual corporate donor.*

To celebrate the continued partnership with NPCA, Yellowstone also will release a special-edition NPCA collector’s label on bottles of Yellowstone Select Bourbon. The front label includes an illustration of two grizzly bears depicted on the NPCA logo, along with a ribbon in the organization’s iconic green. The back label includes a QR code to learn more about Yellowstone’s partnership with NPCA.

Starting during National Park Week in April, 10,000 cases (60,000 bottles) of Yellowstone Select featuring the NPCA collector’s label will be available at retail nationwide.

“We’re proud of the 150-plus-year heritage we share with America’s first national park, and we are equally proud of our growing relationship with NPCA – an organization that works tirelessly to protect and preserve our national parks,” said McKenna Burst, Yellowstone brand manager. “In addition to donating money to support their efforts, we are proud to raise additional awareness through our NPCA collector’s label and through upcoming activities and promotions throughout the year.”

“Yellowstone Bourbon is a brand that truly puts their values into action, and that’s why NPCA is so proud to partner with them. They’re committed to protecting America’s national parks for all who visit them now, and will visit them for generations to come,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association. “This passion and dedication is how we’ll ensure our most iconic landscapes and most important history will be safeguarded. As NPCA’s largest annual corporate partner, and building on our five-year partnership, we are committed to doing this important work together, and to inspiring people to join us in standing up for these places we all care so much about.”

In June 2022, Yellowstone Bourbon stepped in to support Yellowstone National Park in the wake of devastating floods that swept through it and the surrounding area. Through a fundraising event hosted by NPCA, Yellowstone Bourbon matched donations up to $50,000 to support the Southwest Montana Relief Fund – a joint effort between the Park County Community Foundation (PCCF) and Greater Gallatin United Way – and the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. With Yellowstone Bourbon’s help, NPCA and the Bozeman community raised nearly $100,000.

Yellowstone began supporting NPCA in 2018, donating $1.00 for every bottle of Yellowstone Select Bourbon sold – up to a total of $30,000 each year. To date Yellowstone has donated more than $495,000 to NPCA.

About the National Parks Conservation Association

Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.

About Limestone Branch Distillery

Stephen Beam opened Limestone Branch Distillery in 2011, with the goal of crafting the finest spirits in small batches. Stephen is a seventh-generation distiller with a history of distilling on both sides of his family – Beam and Dant. In 2015, he brought the Yellowstone brand back to the family. The distillery is now home to Yellowstone Select, Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey, Yellowstone Limited Edition, Minor Case Rye Whiskey and Bowling & Burch Gin. For more information on Limestone Branch Distillery and Yellowstone, please visit www.limestonebranch.com, www.yellowstonebourbon.com or https://www.instagram.com/yellowstonebourbon/.

*Based on donations made within NPCA’s fiscal year 2023.

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BALTIMORE, February 28, 2023 /3BL Media/ – T. Rowe Price Lead Client Consultant Alexis Willis’ daughter was diagnosed at a young age with sickle cell anemia, a common inherited blood disorder affecting red blood cells and that can be fatal without proper treatment and access to blood transfusions. T. Rowe Price Director of Marketing Lee Jokl is a board member for the American Red Cross of Central Maryland. His involvement in the organization was spurred after his son needed several blood transfusions as a baby.

Together, Willis and Jokl spearheaded a blood drive event for T. Rowe Price associates as an opportunity for their colleagues to give back to those fighting illness and trauma.

The Baltimore-based global investment management firm hosted a two-day blood drive on February 7 and 8 at its Baltimore and Owings Mills locations for associates who were eligible to donate. The events were coordinated in partnership with the firm’s MOSAIC African Heritage Community, one of three communities under the multicultural business resource group dedicated to promoting an inclusive culture, as part of its MLK Week of Service and Black History Month agendas.

“For my family and many others, blood accessibility is a personal issue; families across the U.S. rely on blood transfusions to care for loved ones who suffer from illness or trauma,” said Willis. “I know firsthand how valuable blood donation events are to supporting communities. I am so thankful to the Red Cross and my T. Rowe Price colleagues for putting on these donation events to help families like mine.”

Both locations exceeded their individual donation goals with 64 units of blood donated, which will save up to an estimated 192 lives. Nearly 20% of the donations were from diverse donors and will go to support sickle cell anemia patients specifically.

“It’s not every day you come home from work knowing you potentially saved a life. Today, the T. Rowe Price team can,” said Jokl. “Community is at the heart of everything we do at T. Rowe Price, and there is no better way to support our community than protecting the health and wellness of those around us. Blood drives like these make it easy to participate in such a necessary and selfless act.”

Education and accessibility to the blood drives aided in the success of these events. The firm hosted a lunch and learn to educate associates on the importance of diverse blood donors. With repeat donors accounting for 69% of U.S. blood donations, according to America’s Blood Centers, corporate blood drives like that hosted by T. Rowe Price can help create awareness and easy access to potential donors.

The events came at an urgent time for blood donation in Maryland. In a 2022 Baltimore Sun article, Red Cross Spokeswoman Ashley Henyan shared that new donor turnout in Maryland was down more than 30% compared with previous years. Blood donations are often necessary to treat cancer patients, trauma victims, and people with chronic illness.

“T. Rowe Price embodies the definition of community and compassionate service,” Misty L. Bruce, executive director, American Red Cross of Central Maryland. “I am not surprised that so many employees rolled up their sleeves in hopes of giving someone else another chance at life.”

The American Red Cross must collect enough blood every day to meet the needs of accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer, or sickle cell disease. The organization encourages eligible donors of all races and ethnicities to give blood or platelets to increase the diversity of the blood supply. For more information, visit RedCrossBlood.org.

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ABOUT T. ROWE PRICE 
Founded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price (troweprice.com) is a global investment management organization with $1.35 trillion in assets under management as of January 31, 2023. The organization provides a broad array of mutual funds, subadvisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. The company also offers a variety of sophisticated investment planning and guidance tools. T. Rowe Price’s disciplined, risk-aware investment approach focuses on diversification, style consistency, and fundamental research. T. Rowe Price helps clients invest with confidence and can be found on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

The Alliance for Children’s Mental Health names Closegap, The Confess Project, The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, Strategies for Youth and Up2Us Sports as its second cohort of Innovation Award winners.Chosen from more than 600 applications, the five winners offer inventive, scalable solutions to fill critical gaps in mental health care for youth.

Originally published on Morgan Stanley News Center

NEW YORK, March 1, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Morgan Stanley announced the second cohort of winners of its Alliance for Children’s Mental Health Innovation Awards, an initiative that aims to identify and fund transformative mental healthcare solutions for children and young adults across the U.S. Each of the winning organizations will receive a $100,000 grant to help scale their solutions, as well as support through training on nonprofit management topics from experts in the field, awareness-raising and additional fundraising opportunities.

From more than 600 applications, the five winners stood out for the unique impact they have made on their communities and their proposed strategies to expand and scale their programming. The winners were selected by experts from the Alliance for Children’s Mental Health, which brings together leaders from Morgan Stanley, its Foundation and prominent nonprofits in the children’s mental health space.

“This year’s Innovation Award winners are advancing compelling programs with potential to effect powerful change across a range of communities and topics,” said Ted Pick, Co-President at Morgan Stanley and Chair of the Alliance for Children’s Mental Health Advisory Board. “Whether through childhood education or athletics, we are excited to help these organizations grow and continue to address critical mental health issues facing young people today.”

The winning nonprofits and their innovative mental health solutions include:

Closegap is an EdTech nonprofit startup focused on providing real-time mental health support and early crisis intervention for students in K-12 public schools through a free online mental health check-in tool.K-12 Daily Mental Health Check-In: Captures relevant mental health information from students on a daily basis and delivers it to educators and school counselors using an interactive tool.
 The Confess Project trains barbers and stylists to become mental health advocates, with the mission to build awareness and break stigmas around mental health within the Black community.Black Youth Mental Health in the Shop: Provides trauma-informed mental health training to barbers and stylists specifically for working with Black youth, leads workshops to train parents as mental health advocates, and sponsors free youth haircut events to raise awareness about youth mental health. 
 The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide is dedicated to increasing awareness, saving lives and reducing the stigma of suicide through specialized training programs and mental health resources that empower teens, parents, school staff and community members with the skills needed to help youth build a life of resiliency.Adolescent Clinical Suicide Prevention Training for Nurses: Empowers non-psychiatric nursing professionals to identify and assist adolescents at risk of suicide through specialized prevention training in partnership with hospital systems. 
 Strategies for Youth aims to keep vulnerable young people out of the juvenile justice system and to provide them with the knowledge, support and resources they need to succeed.Trauma Jeopardy and From Stress to Success – LGBTQ+ Youth Experiences: Offer psycho-social educational game-based interventions that help young people—particularly at-risk LGBTQ+ youth—effectively and safely recognize and manage trauma and distress. 
 Up2Us Sports is the country’s only national sports-based service program that trains coaches to address mental health and other challenges facing youth in underserved communities.Sports-Based Youth Development (SBYD) Coach is a series of innovative and highly interactive videos accessed online and via a coaching app, which will provide coaches with techniques and best practices for fostering social and emotional learning skills as well as mental wellness among youth.

“Funding solutions that address children’s mental health—specifically among diverse and underserved communities—is mission-critical. Approximately 20% of youth experience a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder, but only around 1% of philanthropic funding is earmarked for these issues,” said Joan Steinberg, President of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and CEO of the Alliance for Children’s Mental Health’s Advisory Board. “We are encouraged by the determination of this year’s winners to tackle the children’s mental health crisis head-on, and hope their groundbreaking solutions can encourage other philanthropists to help us close the funding gap in this space.”

The Innovation Award winners receive additional opportunities to raise capital—both through introductions to other funders, as well as assistance in developing publicity and fundraising materials that last beyond the program. Last year’s cohort collectively raised over $6 million in additional funding and broadly increased awareness of their programming.

To learn more about the Innovation Awards, and stay up to date with the latest from the winners, visit here.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in 41 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

About Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health

The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health brings together key leaders in the children’s mental health space and combines the resources and reach of Morgan Stanley and its Foundation with the knowledge and experience of its distinguished nonprofit partner organizations. The Alliance helps strategically address children’s mental health concerns and the far-reaching challenges of stress, anxiety and depression. For more information about the Alliance, visit www.morganstanley.com/mentalhealthalliance.

Daniella Cohen, daniella.cohen@morganstanley.com

CINCINNATI, March 1, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Fifth Third Bank, National Association, has been named one of the 2023 America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. The America’s Top Corporations award is the only national award honoring corporations for world-class supplier diversity programs that reduce barriers and drive growth for women-owned businesses.

Fifth Third has long been committed to increasing business opportunities for diverse, women-owned businesses to fuel innovation, enable growth and development, and break down barriers for women entrepreneurs. WBENC will acknowledge the 2023 Top Corporations at the WBENC National Conference March 20-23 in Nashville, Tennesee, and through ongoing WBENC network communications nationwide.

“WBENC is proud to honor the 2023 America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises, including Fifth Third Bank, for their continuous innovation and growing commitment to creating business opportunities for women-owned businesses,” said Pamela Prince-Eason, president and CEO of WBENC, the nation’s leader in women’s business development. “WBENC-Certified WBEs in turn fuels innovation and contributes meaningfully to a Top Corporations’ ESG goals and contributions.”

Through innovation and collaboration across internal departments, Fifth Third has worked to ensure diverse suppliers are used across the organization. In 2021, the Bank’s Tier 1 spending with those suppliers who received direct payment increased 17%, from $75.4 million in 2020 to $88.4 million. The Bank’s Tier 2 spending, which includes suppliers who provide products and services to Fifth Third and receive payment from a Tier 1 diverse supplier, increased 254% from $7.3 million to $25.8 million in that time. This resulted in $109 million combined Tier 1 and Tier 2 spending with diverse suppliers in 2021.

“Fifth Third Bank is honored to be recognized as a WBENC 2023 America’s Top Corporation for Women’s Business Enterprises,” said Stephanie A. Smith, senior vice president and chief inclusion and diversity officer for Fifth Third. “Recognition like this confirms our commitment to create inclusive and diverse opportunities for women across our footprint and our nation. This award is a testament to our executive leadership, Fifth Third Supplier Diversity programming and strategic investments to ensure a level playing field that drives equality, equity and inclusion for everyone.”

Since 1999, WBENC has celebrated America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises honorees who successfully drive the sustainable inclusion of women-owned businesses within corporate and government supply chains and empowered local communities through economic growth and job creation.

The WBENC Top Corporations model reviews WBE outreach and engagement, such as providing support for successfully signing on and retaining WBEs for supply chain business needs and developing future WBEs. The model also assesses basic concepts of supplier diversity, including overall program structure, contracting and reporting, and organization accountability with executive leadership and line of business decision-makers.

To learn more about America’s Top Corporations and WBENC, visit www.wbenc.org/about-wbenc/awards/top-corporations-for-womens-business-enterprises.

About Fifth Third Bank 
Fifth Third is a bank that’s as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we’ve been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it’s one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of tech-driven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is not only to be the nation’s highest performing regional bank, but to be the bank people most value and trust. Fifth Third Bank, National Association, is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Investor information and press releases can be viewed at  www.53.com.

About WBENC 
WBENC is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the United States. WBENC partners with 14 regional partner organizations to provide its world-class standard of certification to women-owned businesses throughout the country. WBENC is also the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, supported by more than 540 corporate members. Throughout the year, WBENC provides professional development, business development, and outreach opportunities for more than 18,000 WBENC-certified women-owned businesses, Corporate and Government Members, and the national WBENC network. Learn more at www.wbenc.org.

Contact:
Tiffaney Hardy (Media Relations)
Tiffaney.Hardy@53.com | 513-534-8039

SANTA CLARA, Calif., February 29, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Applied Materials, Inc. today unveiled a breakthrough in patterning technology that allows chipmakers to create high-performance transistors and interconnect wiring with fewer EUV lithography steps, thereby lowering the cost, complexity and environmental impact of advanced chipmaking.

Customers increasingly use EUV double patterning to print chip features smaller than the resolution limits of EUV to optimize chip area and cost. Using EUV double patterning, chipmakers split a high-density pattern in half and produce two masks that adhere to the resolution limits of EUV. Both halves of the pattern are combined on intermediate patterning films and then etched into the wafer. While double patterning is effective at increasing feature density, it adds design and patterning complexity along with process steps that consume time, energy, materials and water – and increase the cost of wafer fabs and wafer production.

Introducing the Applied Materials Centura® Sculpta® Patterning System

To help chipmakers continue shrinking designs without the added cost, complexity, and energy and materials consumption of EUV double patterning, Applied Materials worked closely with leading customers to develop the Centura Sculpta patterning system. Chipmakers can now print a single EUV pattern and then use the Sculpta system to elongate the shapes in any chosen direction to reduce the space between features and increase pattern density. Because the final pattern is created from a single mask, design cost and complexity are reduced, and the yield risk from double-patterning alignment errors is eliminated.

EUV double patterning requires a number of added manufacturing process steps that generally include CVD patterning film deposition, CMP cleaning, photoresist deposition and removal, EUV lithography, eBeam metrology, patterning film etching and wafer cleaning. For each EUV double patterning sequence it replaces, the Sculpta system can provide chipmakers with:

Capital cost savings of approximately $250 million per 100K wafer starts per month of production capacityManufacturing cost savings of approximately $50 per waferEnergy savings of more than 15 kwh per waferDirect greenhouse gas emissions reduction of more than 0.35 kg of CO2 equivalent per waferWater savings of approximately 15 liters per wafer

“The new Sculpta system is a great example of how advances in materials engineering can complement EUV lithography to help chipmakers optimize chip area and cost while also tackling the growing economic and environmental challenges of advanced chipmaking,” said Dr. Prabu Raja, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials. “The Sculpta system’s unique pattern-shaping technology combines Applied’s deep expertise in ribbon-beam and materials removal technologies to create a breakthrough innovation for the patterning engineer’s toolkit.”

Customer and Industry Comments

“As Moore’s Law drives us to ever-greater compute performance and density, pattern shaping is proving to be an important new technology that can help reduce manufacturing cost and process complexity, and conserve energy and resources,” said Ryan Russell, corporate vice president for logic technology development at Intel Corp. “Having collaborated closely with Applied Materials in the optimization of Sculpta around our process architecture, Intel will be deploying pattern-shaping capabilities to help us deliver reduced design and manufacturing costs, process cycle times and environmental impact.”

“Three critical issues must be considered when pushing the limits of patterning: tip-to-tip spacing, pattern bridge defects and line edge roughness,” said Jong-Chul Park, Master of Foundry Etch Technology Team at Samsung Electronics. “As an early development partner on the innovative pattern-shaping technology, I believe Applied’s Sculpta system is a fascinating breakthrough that addresses these patterning challenges and reduces manufacturing costs for chipmakers worldwide.”

“Applied Materials’ new Sculpta system is a revolution in patterning that brings an entirely new capability to chipmakers,” said Dan Hutcheson, Vice Chair, TechInsights. “As the industry keeps pushing the limits of chip scaling, we need breakthroughs like Applied’s pattern-shaping technology that can improve chip power, performance, area and cost while also reducing design cost, and energy and materials consumption. Sculpta is the most innovative new process step in wafer fabrication since the introduction of CMP.”

The Sculpta system is receiving high interest from leading chipmakers and has been selected as a production tool of record for multiple steps in high-volume logic manufacturing.

Additional information about Applied’s Sculpta system will be discussed at the company’s “New Ways to Shrink: Advanced Patterning Products Launch” event being held today.

Forward-Looking Statements 
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those regarding anticipated growth and trends in our businesses and markets, industry outlooks and demand drivers, technology transitions, our market share positions, our development of new products and technologies, our products’ expected cost savings and environmental benefits, and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements and their underlying assumptions are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements include, without limitation: the introduction of new and innovative technologies, and the timing of technology transitions; our ability to develop, deliver and support new products and technologies; market acceptance of existing and newly developed products; our ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights in key technologies; the level of demand for our products, our ability to meet customer demand, and our suppliers’ ability to meet our demand requirements; consumer demand for electronic products; the demand for semiconductors; customers’ technology and capacity requirements; our ability to accurately forecast cost savings and environmental benefits from using our products; and other risks and uncertainties described in our SEC filings, including our recent Forms 10-Q and 8-K. All forward-looking statements are based on management’s current estimates, projections and assumptions, and we assume no obligation to update them.

About Applied Materials 
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) is the leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. Our expertise in modifying materials at atomic levels and on an industrial scale enables customers to transform possibilities into reality. At Applied Materials, our innovations make possible a better future. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

Contact: 
Ricky Gradwohl (editorial/media) 408.235.4676 
Michael Sullivan (financial community) 408.986.7977

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