Month: July 2023

IRVINE, Calif., July 17, 2023 /3BL/ – Taco Bell is known for its unexpected menu mashups, like Doritos© Locos Tacos and the Grilled Cheese Burrito, but team members are the secret ingredient that drives the company from the kitchen and beyond. Today, Taco Bell announced it is collaborating with Brooklyn-based artist Ricardo Gonzalez, known as “It’s a Living,” to introduce exclusive team member gear paying homage to the brand’s people-oriented culture.

The streetwear-inspired collection includes a commemorative shirt and hat with the saying “family is everything,” displayed across both items, expressing the people-first values the brand holds. Earlier this month, Taco Bell team members across the country received the items alongside a note from Taco Bell CEO Mark King, encouraging team members to show their brand spirit by wearing the ensemble with pride.

“Spending time with restaurant team members over the years, I’ve found the one thing that stands out the most is the huge sense of pride and community,” said Kelly McCulloch, Global Chief People & Transformation Officer, Taco Bell. “Each restaurant creates its own authentic culture, and yet there is still a sense of connection and belonging to the larger Taco Bell brand. This is what makes our restaurant experience truly special.”

Taco Bell’s people are central to the brand’s identity – that’s why the company has made it a priority to invest in partnerships and cultural currency that evoke a sense of pride among team members who are truly the face of the brand. The choice to join forces with “It’s a Living” was an easy one – both Gonzalez and Taco Bell share similar people-first values, which made him a natural fit for this partnership.

With roots in Durango, Mexico, Gonzalez is a designer and graphic artist whose signature script style can be seen in large-scale murals all over the world. “It’s a Living” is the name of Gonzalez’s studio, brand, and personal philosophy. His love for artistic expression started at a young age as an adolescent in Durango, and after years of hard work, that passion has led him to landing collaborations with top brands across the globe.

“This collaboration is an exciting one for me as I have long been a fan of the brand,” said Gonzalez. “I admire Taco Bell’s commitment to its people and dedication to creating a positive impact through culture – that’s what my work is all about.”

The “It’s a Living” partnership marks the second installment in an ongoing annual series of team member-driven collaborations. In 2022, Taco Bell partnered with Los Angeles-based streetwear brand Born X Raised on another merchandise collection for team members in honor of the brand’s 60th anniversary.

“I am energized and excited about partnering with yet another inspiring artist at the intersection of culture and style,” said Taylor Montgomery, Chief Marketing Officer, US, Taco Bell. “A community can often be found in the most unlikely places, and that’s what this collab is all about – recognizing the incredible community in our restaurants responsible for making the Taco Bell experience a unique one.”

Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, Taco Bell will continue to seek out partnerships that celebrate differences, champion its people and reflect the brand’s roots in culture.

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About Taco Bell Corp. 
For more information about Taco Bell, visit our website at www.TacoBell.com, our Newsroom at www.TacoBell.com/news or www.TacoBell.com/popular-links. You can also stay up to date on all things Taco Bell by following us on LinkedIn, TikTok, Taco Bell’s Twitter, Taco Bell News’ Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

SFI is one of the world’s leading independent nonprofit organizations responsible for developing sustainable forestry certification programs.* SFI standards provide practical, scalable solutions for markets and communities.†

In 2022, SFI enhanced its world-class standards with a focus on continuous improvement and the incorporation of the best-available science and emerging issues. Rebecca Barnard, Forest Certification Manager for SNA, chaired the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standards Revision Task Group, which enhanced requirements for biodiversity conservation, logger training, due diligence systems and cooperative efforts of SFI Implementation Committees (SICs).

Sappi’s certification to the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard includes proactive measures to promote and conserve biodiversity at regional and local levels. Regionally, Sappi initiated and helped lead the efforts in 2022 to complete new landscape-scale assessments of “forests with exceptional conservation value,” defined as critically imperiled and imperiled species and ecological communities. Summaries of these assessments are available to wood producers and will be included in future logger training and landowner outreach efforts. At a specific forest-stand level, SFI has long required conservation of imperiled biodiversity values, landowner outreach, the use of trained loggers and resource professionals, investment in forest research, and adherence to best management practices during harvesting operations.

SFI responds to local needs through a network of SICs across the US and Canada, which are an integral part of SFI and play a vital role in promoting logger training, landowner outreach, youth and adult education, community engagement, the integrity of the SFI program, and responsible forestry at local levels.

Since 1995, SFI-certified organizations, including Sappi, have contributed nearly $75 million to support local programs through SICs. This includes logger and forester training to reach the thousands of independent contractors that are the key to the quality of forest harvesting operations.

“SICs’ roles have evolved,” says Patrick Sirois, Director of the Maine Sustainable Forestry Initiative. “In the early years, the primary responsibilities for SICs were to establish logger training programs and conduct outreach efforts. The 2022 standard created opportunities for SICs to lead collaborative efforts on topics such as biodiversity conservation. Early feedback suggests such collaborations are proving successful.”

As an example, the Minnesota SIC hired Larissa Harris-Juip, a Native American educator, to adapt six Project Learning Tree lessons to better relate to Indigenous people and educate non-Indigenous people about Indigenous perspectives. Larissa relied on her close ties to Ojibwe and Dakota communities in northern Minnesota to write about how Ojibwe and Dakota people use and manage forests for homes, food, industry, recreation and spiritual purposes. The revised lessons reflect Indigenous cultures, languages, values and ways of learning, and they are available to all Minnesota teachers.

PORTLAND, July 17, 2023 /3BL/ – KeyBank’s Key4Women program, MESO, and the Portland Thorns FC are collaborating to host a business pitch contest for women-owned businesses located in specific counties in Oregon and SW Washington. Opportunities for start-ups and existing businesses will be offered, with cash awards totaling $50,000. The grand prize winner will receive $20,000.

To be eligible, businesses must be 51 percent owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women. They must also be headquartered in one of the following Oregon counties: Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Columbia, Hood River, Yamhill, Marion, OR one of the following Washington counties: Clark, Cowlitz or Skamania. Applicants can be an entrepreneur with a new business idea or an existing business with a new product or service that expands their current business with annual sales of less than $3 million.

“We are delighted to join forces with Key4Women for this inspiring pitch contest. It serves as a platform to connect with an extensive network of women-owned businesses and enterprising individuals in Oregon and SW Washington,” expressed Cobi Lewis, CEO of Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO). “Our mission extends beyond providing financial resources for the growth of the contest winner’s business; we are committed to offering comprehensive support as they navigate their journey forward. We firmly believe that when women-owned businesses thrive, they become catalysts for job creation and become integral players in fostering robust local economic growth.”

The online portal for submissions opens July 17th at 8 am PST, https://www.mesopdx.org/key4women. Free application workshops are available with MESO Advisors on July 25th, August 2nd and August 5th.

The application deadline is August 31st at 11:59 pm PST. Ten finalists chosen by host representatives will be announced on September 18th. A live event will be held on November 16th at Providence Park in Portland from 10am-1pm PST where finalists present a four- minute pitch and field questions for six-minutes to a panel of five judges. Winners will be announced the following day.

Criteria used to determine winners will include the quality of the presentation, clarity of business vision and mission, economic impact of the idea and the soundness of value proposition. Mentoring is also available post-contest to all applicants.

“We are thrilled to host and support this pitch contest in collaboration with KeyBank’s Key4Women program and MESO,” said Todd Spear, SVP of Corporate Partnerships for the Portland Timbers & Thorns. “The Portland Thorns have always been passionate about making a difference in our community and providing opportunities and resources to women. We are excited to partner with KeyBank on this first iteration of this program and to make a meaningful impact for a handful of woman-owned small businesses in our region.”

“Women business owners and leaders positively impact our economy and communities in powerful ways every day,” said Rachael Sampson, national director, Key4Women. “Key4Women is on a mission to advocate, connect, and empower them to thrive. MESO and the Portland Thorns are great co-sponsors in this endeavor, and through this pitch contest we look forward to offering two critical supports women-owned businesses often struggle to find or ask for: mentorship and capital.”

For the 2023 Oregon and SW Washington Women-Owned Business Pitch Contest rules and specifics, including eligibility, submission requirements and the application, visit https://www.mesopdx.org/key4women.

ABOUT MESO

Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) elevates and empowers under-resourced and excluded entrepreneurs to build resilience, equity, and thriving communities through access to capital, tailored business assistance, and education. Founded in 2005 to assist Black-owned small businesses that were experiencing challenges in the wake of gentrification in North and Northeast Portland, the nonprofit now serves more than 600 entrepreneurs and small businesses in Oregon and Southwest Washington each year. MESO is a designated SBA microlender, an IDA fiduciary, and a Certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

ABOUT PORTLAND THORNS FC

Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women’s soccer team based in Portland, Oregon that plays their home matches at the iconic Providence Park. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 as one of the founding teams of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – the top-ranked professional women’s soccer league in the United States. Thorns FC rank among the best globally in attendance across male and female professional soccer clubs. The team has won eight trophies – three NWSL Championships (2013, 2017, 2022), two NWSL Shields (2016, 2021), NWSL Challenge Cup (2021), Women’s International Champions Cup (2021), NWSL Community Shield (2020).

ABOUT KEYCORP 
KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $198 billion at March 31, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

ABOUT KEY4WOMEN 
Key4Women started in 2005 as a campaign to lend $1 billion to qualified women-owned businesses within three years. The program achieved that in two years and has now generated more than $12 billion in loans to women-owned businesses. Membership in Key4Women is free. In addition to helping women business leaders and owners tap into capital to build and grow their businesses, Key4Women members gain valuable access to a team of local Certified Key4Wome Advisors who advocate, connect and empower women on their journey to financial wellness. For more information, visit key.com/key4women.