Month: September 2023

CALGARY, Alberta, September 7, 2023 /3BL/ – Benevity, Inc., the leading provider of global corporate purpose software, today announced it has joined CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion within the workplace. As one of more than 2,400 chief executives who have joined the coalition, Benevity CEO Kelly Schmitt is committed to cultivating a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are embraced and where employees feel empowered to be their authentic selves.

“If a company is serious about diversity, equity and inclusion, they need to be serious about creating the conditions in which people from all backgrounds, genders, abilities and circumstances can be successful. At Benevity, we’ve worked hard to build and nurture a culture that creates a sense of belonging at its core. One big step towards that is our parental leave program, which tackles the big social issue of gender inequity, using our workplace as a place to push the boundaries and learn, while ensuring equal opportunities for all genders. We hope other companies can join us in these kinds of actions,” said Schmitt.

Since the launch of its parental leave program, Benevity has seen positive outcomes for gender equity, including:

35% of co-parenting leaves are taken by men, creating new bonding opportunities, shared domestic roles and reducing the stigma of men taking leave.79% of women who stayed with Benevity after parental leave have had a promotion, demonstrating that women can have both a family and a career.

Additionally, Benevity is one of 51 signatories led by women CEOs. The collective has already shared more than 1,900 actions and tangible learning opportunities, creating collaborative conversations about advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

Some key actions CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion members have committed to include:

Continuing to cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, issues related to diversity and inclusion.Implementing and expanding unconscious bias education.Sharing best known — as well as unsuccessful — actions.Creating and sharing strategic inclusion and diversity plans with boards of directors.

Benevity’s recent The State of Workplace DEI report revealed that DEI remains a focal point for employees, regardless of geographic region, gender, race or ethnicity, with 66% of employees believing their companies should dedicate more time and resources to DEI initiatives than they currently do. The report also found that 91% of employees felt Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have a greater impact on inclusivity than traditional DEI and unconscious bias training, which is where a lot of DEI budgets are invested. By joining other advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, Benevity will continue to lead critical conversations and play a meaningful role in addressing these important societal issues.

The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion was formed by CEOs and leaders from Accenture, BCG, Deloitte US, The Executive Leadership Council, EY, General Atlantic, KPMG, New York Life, Procter & Gamble, and PwC. The coalition represents over 21 million employees globally from companies of various sizes and industries.

About Benevity

Benevity, a certified B Corporation, is the leader in global corporate purpose software, providing the only integrated suite of community investment and employee, customer and nonprofit engagement solutions. Recognized as one of Fortune’s Impact 20, Benevity offers cloud solutions that power purpose for many iconic brands in ways that better attract, retain and engage today’s diverse workforce, embed social action into their customer experiences and positively impact their communities. With software that is available in 22 languages, Benevity has processed more than $12 billion in donations and 58 million hours of volunteering time to support 418,000 nonprofits worldwide. The company’s solutions have also facilitated 900,000 micro-actions and awarded 1.2 million grants worth $18 billion. For more information, visit benevity.com.

About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion

CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Bringing together over 2,400 CEOs of America’s leading organizations, the commitment outlines actions that participating companies pledge to take to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, employees feel comfortable and encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion, and where best known—and unsuccessful—actions can be shared across organizations. Learn more at CEOAction.com and connect with us on Twitter: @CEOAction.

Media Contact: 
Zamira Tasneem│Media & Communications Manager │ 1.416.451.6511 │ press@benevity.com

EMERYVILLE, Calif., September 7, 2023 /3BL/ – SCS Global Services (SCS), a global leader in sustainability standards development and third-party certification of environmental, social, safety and quality performance, is proud to announce that Denise Webster has joined the company in the Food & Agriculture team. Denise will oversee the food safety programs and join the executive leadership team as Vice President of Food Safety.

Denise brings over 25 years of experience in the food industry, including manufacturing, consumer product brands, and retail. For the past eight years she was the owner and principal scientist of Food Brand Protection, LLC, where she focused on food safety, product commercialization and regulatory compliance for major retailers like Whole Foods/Amazon, Raley’s, and Weee!, as well as emerging brands such as Olipop, Ready Set Food, Ripple, and Tacombi.

Denise is an Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Certified Food Scientist. She is an approved trainer and consultant for BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard) and SQF (Safe Quality Food), a lead trainer for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and an FDA and USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) regulatory labeling specialist. She holds a B.S. degree in Food Science from Michigan State University and an M.S. in Food Science from the University of Urbana-Champaign. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Food Science at Chapman University.

“The very roots of our company are in food safety, so we are thrilled to have such a proven professional join our team,” said Stanley Rhodes, SCS founder and CEO. “Her experience with major retailers and brands and her outstanding teaching and training skills are important assets that will advance our mission and benefit our clients.”

Denise will be hosting her first complimentary webinar on food safety on October 5, 2023. More information and registration available at www.SCSGlobalServices.com/events.

About SCS Global Services 

SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies, and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. For more information, visit www.SCSGlobalServices.com.

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Media Contact: 
Shyama Devarajan 
Senior Marketing Manager, SCS Global Services 
sdevarajan@scsglobalservices.com 
+1 (520) 548-8966

Hear from Lacorsha Clarke, a Georgia-Pacific Facility Quality Control Manager.

Through our Principles in Perspective series, we aim to highlight employees leading change through our principles. Learn more about the principles that guide us: https://www.kochind.com/about/business-philosophy

Hear from more GP employees here: https://news.gp.com/2023/08/principles-in-perspective

Georgia-Pacific

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers, nonwoven fabrics, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Dixie®, enMotion®, Sparkle® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific has long been a leading supplier of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Its Georgia-Pacific Recycling subsidiary is among the world’s largest traders of paper, metal and plastics. The company operates more than 150 facilities and employs more than 30,000 people directly and creates approximately 89,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: gp.com/about-us . For news, visit: gp.com/news

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Company working closely with General Motors, Ford Motor Company, BMW of North America to roll out flat fee residential charging subscription pilotEnrollment window opens Sept. 1Pilot program launches for enrolled North Carolina customers Nov. 1

CHARLOTTE, N.C., August 29, 2023 /3BL/ – As North Carolina looks toward a cleaner energy future with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and clean transportation, Duke Energy, General Motors, Ford Motor Company and BMW of North America are teaming up to launch a new electric vehicle (EV) pilot program in the state aimed at bringing certainty to the cost of EV charging.

Duke Energy’s 12-month EV Complete Home Charging Plan pilot will allow residential customers in North Carolina to use up to 800 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month to charge an EV at home for a fixed monthly fee of $19.99 in its Duke Energy Carolinas service area and $24.99 in its Duke Energy Progress service area. The average EV driver uses less than 15 kWh on a given day, meaning the pilot will offer peace of mind for participants with nearly twice the amount per month needed by the average driver.

Customers who own or lease a qualifying EV will receive an invitation to participate from their respective EV manufacturer and can enroll in the program starting in September. Additional enrollment details will be provided to participants ahead of the program launch on November 1.

“North Carolina has ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we’re supporting those efforts,” said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy North Carolina state president. “Increasing the numbers of EVs while reducing the number of gas-powered vehicles on the road will help our state move closer to carbon neutrality.”  

Technology puts customers in the driver’s seat

Customers will be able to input their desired state of charge and preferred departure time using an application provided by their automaker that then creates a charging schedule that optimizes their preferred EV charging times. Duke Energy is working with General Motors, Ford Motor Company and BMW of North America as a part of the Open Vehicle Grid Integration Platform (OVGIP), which enables the management of EV charging from multiple automakers in a grid-friendly and EV driver-centric manner. OVGIP data will allow Duke Energy to measure customer charging data directly from the enrolled vehicles, eliminating the need to install a second meter. Each automaker owns and manages its own charging application that communicates through OVGIP.

During the pilot, program participants will input their desired time to reach a certain state of charge, and their automaker will optimize their EV charging schedule to meet their specific needs while attempting to avoid charging during the grid’s peak hours. This process can increase convenience for customers by helping to provide a charged vehicle when they need it, while contributing to grid stability.

“The average EV owner is already saving about $1,000 per year on fuel costs compared to a traditional vehicle – a predictable monthly subscription charge on top of that is going to ensure predictable savings when charging,” said Bowman. “Beyond cost savings, EV charging at home tends to be convenient because drivers can leave the house with a fully charged vehicle and lessen the number of trips to public charging stations.”

Flexibility of EV charging can help with grid demand

An important component of Duke Energy’s strategy to ready the grid for growth from transportation electrification is the ability to encourage EV charging to take place when the grid has available capacity. As part of the pilot, Duke Energy will call up to three demand response events per month to help balance grid demand. Demand response notifications will be communicated to pilot participants by the automakers at least 12 hours in advance of the event and include the date and hours to avoid charging an EV. Participants may opt out of demand response events up to four times during the pilot.

“EV charging has the added benefit of flexibility, meaning charging can be managed – such as shifting charging to off-peak hours – which is important in limiting cost increases and mitigating peak demands,” said Harry Sideris, executive vice president of customer experience at Duke Energy. “Duke Energy has been strategically planning and enabling the grid for a future with many more EVs on the road – and is also making data-driven investments to improve reliability, strengthen the grid, expand technologies and provide customers with the intelligent information they need to make smart energy choices and save money.”

More: EV Complete Home Charging Plan

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear. 

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Logan Kureczka
Cell: 704.619.1190
Media line: 800.559.3853

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