Month: May 2024

By Nestor Mato | April 25, 2024

Interactive and engaging. Regions Bank Shared the Good this April by helping students across the Gulf Coast.

Regions Next Step® is the bank’s free financial wellness program, and during Financial Literacy Month, Regions associates used the Next Step Reality Check series to give students an interactive and engaging way to learn about building and balancing a budget. The Reality Check challenges students to make financial decisions during the course and complete the experience with a budget surplus. During the Reality Check, students are assigned a persona and then make decisions based on common scenarios that will directly impact their budgets.

Finance Park – Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida

Regions associates volunteered with middle school students from both Academy Prep Center of Tampa and Academy Prep Center of St. Petersburg to teach banking basics at Junior Achievement’s Financial Park.

Leading up to the Finance Park, Regions volunteers provided a series of lessons in the classroom, where they focused on personal finance, including learning about balancing a family budget, interest rates, how education affects earning potential, and how saving today pays off tomorrow.

“These presentations are a fun and interactive way to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to make informed financial decisions,” said Tricia Johnson, market executive for Regions Bank in St. Petersburg-Clearwater. “We are happy to serve a role in helping these young people learn more about banking so they can set themselves up for a more secure future.”

During the event, Regions associates partnered with students to assume randomly assigned family and income scenarios. They utilize banking services, purchase housing, transportation, insurance, and other expenses, as well as make investment decisions.

“We are happy to serve a role in helping these young people learn more about banking so they can set themselves up for a more secure future.”

Tricia Johnson, market executive for Regions Bank

“It is the unfortunate reality that many young people are not taught about managing their finances before adulthood. This has afforded students the opportunity to consider how their future career choices may impact their financial mobility,” said Jenna Dufficy, Assistant Head of School and Academic Dean of Academy Prep Center of Tampa. “Community partners like Regions Bank are transformative, helping our students fulfill the school’s mission of becoming future community leaders.”

Family Game Night – Dothan, Alabama

Children as young as 10 and their families were invited to a dinner and game night that included a Reality Check experience. Crimson Ridge Apartment residents were treated to pizza, sponsored by Regions Bank, as they learned about building and balancing a budget.

“These financial education events are designed to empower people with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions including in saving, investing, and debt management,” said John Brown, market executive for Regions Bank in Dothan. “This partnership has the ability to teach skills that can last a lifetime and help lead to greater financial stability and success.”

In addition to Financial Literacy Month, April is also Fair Housing Month. Crimson Ridge is an affordable housing community of Dothan Housing and houses over 100 families. Participants also received giveaways and prizes from both Regions and Dothan Housing.

“These financial education events are designed to empower people with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions including in saving, investing, and debt management.”

John Brown, market executive for Regions Bank

“There was excitement in the air as the Regions team brought the Next Step Financial Literacy Program to Crimson Ridge Apartments to impart valuable financial management lessons to our families,” said Samuel P. Crawford, CEO of Dothan Housing. “Community partnerships and initiatives like this unite the community and inspire positive change intergenerationally.”

Financial Fitness for Teens – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Physical education is important. Regions joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana to make it clear financial fitness is, too.

In collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs Louisiana Alliance 2024 Teen Summit, Regions volunteers taught 90 teens from around the state about the fundamentals of money management and financial responsibility.

“We wanted to help make sure young people know it is about more than making money; it’s about appreciating the value of money,” said Regions’ Baton Rouge market executive, Amy Province. “It is especially helpful for these students who will soon step out into the world. Between bills, groceries, and other expenses, this exercise really does help them understand the importance of budgets and balances.”

Regions associates also took part in a “Career Pathways” class to help give students the knowledge needed to navigate their professional journeys. A career in banking can take several forms, they shared, from roles at the branch around the corner to positions in Commercial Banking, the Mortgage division, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Marketing.

“We wanted to help make sure young people know it is about more than making money; it’s about appreciating the value of money.”

Amy Province, Regions’ Baton Rouge market executive

“Helping our Club members have these discussions fuels our mission, which is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, become productive, caring, responsible citizens,” said the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana, Angel Nelson. “With the support of community partners like Regions, we’re able to expand our financial education programming and provide valuable resources. In turn, Regions is helping our young people approach their finances with confidence and knowledge.”

Reality Check – Shreveport, Louisiana

Regions Bank teamed up with Volunteers of America of North Louisiana for three Regions Next Step Reality Check events in Shreveport. The LightHouse Teen Club at Highland Center, as well as the afterschool programs at Booker T. Washington High School and Broadmoor STEM Academy, all took part.

“These children are the future of our community, and it is essential they have the knowledge to be successful,” said Regions’ Shreveport market executive, Denny Moton. “It is especially helpful for the older students as they prepare for life after graduation. This exercise really does help them understand money management as they step into the real world.”

In total, volunteers taught 50 students about avoiding financial pitfalls and understanding how to manage income and debt.

“These children are the future of our community, and it is essential they have the knowledge to be successful.”

Denny Moton, Regions’ Shreveport market executive

“It is essential for our LightHouse kids to learn about personal finance because this portion of the curriculum is often missing in class. A lot of our older kids have jobs, and this activity allowed them to experience a scenario where they would have to provide for a family, prepare for daily life occurrences, and be an adult with limited income,” said Victoria Morris, Volunteers of America Director for LightHouse Programs. “To see them contemplate and make the best decisions was refreshing. They learned to work with what they had, compromise, go without, and even negotiate.”

And with what students learned at all these events, they’re better prepared to build up savings, keep debt in check – and achieve financial confidence and success over time.

Originally published in Qualcomm’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Each of our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers is required to have an ISO 14001-certified environmental management system, and in 2023, all such suppliers reported meeting this requirement. We work with these suppliers at multiple stages of design and manufacturing to monitor their conformance to applicable environmental laws and help adherence to various environmental initiatives.

On an annual basis, we assess current and future water risks at the global and local levels, using the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct™ tool. The combination of the use of this tool with internal Company knowledge and guidance from external consultants has helped us to better understand physical water risks in our operations, including our supply chain.

Annually, we survey our direct manufacturing suppliers and receive water use and GHG metrics that allow us to set benchmarks and strategize future corporate responsibility initiatives. These suppliers have shown effectiveness in many areas of corporate responsibility, particularly in product environmental governance and resource management. Many of these suppliers have set targets for reducing water consumption and mitigating GHG emissions, and we work alongside them to, where possible, help them achieve their goals. To support continued effectiveness, we’ve designed corrective action processes, including the potential removal of deficient suppliers from our supply chain.

We also evaluate physical risks in our supply chain. In 2023, we conducted our second climate scenario analysis (CSA) where we held interviews and modeled climate change related risks, inclusive of our value chain. More on our CSA can be found in our TCFD Index.

We believe in helping our suppliers build greater knowledge of corporate responsibility issues, such as human rights, responsible minerals sourcing and selecting less harmful substances for manufacturing. We share our knowledge through on-site visits, business meetings, written communication and other efforts.

In 2023, for example, we worked with several of our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers in Taiwan to discuss Qualcomm’s netzero commitment, opportunities for deploying renewable energy and projects to realize GHG emission reductions. Also, we completed our Taiwan Sustainability Collaboration Project that aimed to help suppliers add renewable energy capacity and which led suppliers to add up to 300 percent in additional funding for their renewable energy commitments.

Learn more about how Qualcomm is driving innovation, societal advancement and sustainability in the 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Originally published January 25, 2024 in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and authored by Tammy Thomson, founding executive director of Catapult Greater Pittsburgh and Alexandra Rosen, senior director of GoDaddy Venture Forward.

Pittsburgh stands out as one of the fastest-growing areas for America’s smallest businesses, called microbusinesses. Microbusinesses are defined as those with a unique web domain, an active website, and most often fewer than 10 employees.

This kind of entrepreneurship has flourished since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. In fact, 39% of microbusinesses started since 2020. And in Pittsburgh, Black women lead the charge.

Microbusiness in Pittsburgh

High unemployment and government-funded stimulus checks forced or motivated people to start businesses. The pandemic also provided people time to question what they wanted to do and challenged many to find new ways to make ends meet. This was especially true for women, particularly mothers who lacked childcare options.

Research from Venture Forward offers a deeper view into Pittsburgh’s microbusinesses. There are currently more than 167,000 such businesses in Allegheny County, a number that has nearly tripled since September 2019.

About 144,000 of those call the city of Pittsburgh home. Excluding the owner, each microbusiness creates about seven jobs at the county-level. Job creation stems from direct and indirect hiring and more money in the community.

Additionally, the research found that:

More than two-thirds of microbusinesses contribute at least 25% of the owner’s total household income.59% of microbusinesses in Pittsburgh needed under $5,000 to get started. Raising that small amount of capital wasn’t easy. In fact, 24% of microbusiness owners who needed less than $1,000 found it difficult to raise the funds.75% of microbusiness entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh didn’t know about any business assistance programs. Only 14% of owners believe local policies effectively support their business.About 80% of Pittsburgh microbusiness owners left a job to become an entrepreneur or started their business as a side-hustle.

Ways to help entrepreneurs

According to the research, focusing on a few areas helps the new class of entrepreneurs succeed. Areas to focus include: better access to funding, affordable and reliable broadband, and digital skills training such as website creation.

Pittsburgh’s microbusinesses thrive thanks to groups like Catapult Greater Pittsburgh, which one of us directs. The organization was formed to create intentional opportunities for wealth building.

For example, Aquene Watkins-Wise knew her business, Royally Fit, needed to expand into a physical location. But she didn’t know where to start. She turned to Catapult. She graduated from our Startup to Storefront program and then participated in a retail incubator program. She is now working with Catapult seeking a permanent brick and mortar space to grow her retail business.

Venture Forward’s research found the number of Black women entrepreneurs in Allegheny County almost doubled since 2020. Black women entrepreneurs were the only group that grew during that timeframe. This data aligns with national trends and Catapult Greater Pittsburgh’s insights.

Roughly 95% of Catapult Greater Pittsburgh participants are Black women, and 90% are Black, single moms.  Most started their business out of necessity to supplement their total household income. Digital entrepreneurship helps close equity gaps and creates accessible opportunities for all.

Where do these women conduct their business? 47% of women entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh are online-only. In 2020, many Catapult Greater Pittsburgh women participants didn’t have a website. The lockdown pushed them into building one. The result — a successful and growing group of Black women elevating the Pittsburgh economy.

Digital presence

A digital presence continues to be a key asset for modern business owners to expand their customer base. Venture Forward research finds 25% of microbusiness entrepreneurs use their website for sales and 19% for bookings.

That number is more than 50% higher for Black entrepreneurs and about 20% higher for women-owned businesses. Black-owned and women-owned businesses are also more likely to have nationwide customers.

Microbusinesses contribute to the broader economy in many ways. When we shift what defines an entrepreneur and what size of businesses drive impact, we shift the whole economy.

Read the article on GoDaddy’s Venture Forward Research Initiative

On this episode of Healthy Outcomes, host Mark Ross interviews Ed Ricks, a director in Baker Tilly’s Healthcare Solutions Practice. Ed is a former Healthcare System CIO and COO. Together, they discussed several topics related to the overall healthcare environment with a significant lean towards IT related matters.

Specific topics of discussion include:

The impact of recent ransomware and information security breaches related to healthcare provider organizations.

How healthcare systems are responding to decrease the impact of these events.

The current state of healthcare IT

How healthcare systems can optimize their IT environment

Healthcare M&A activity and if it hast resulted in improved efficiencies

What Ed misses and doesn’t miss about being in the role of CIO at a healthcare system organization.

Connect with a member of the Baker Tilly healthcare team or visit bakertilly.com to learn more!

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

Early in my career, I was leading a global HR function and traveling all over the world to help open facilities in various countries. It was a very intense job — when I wasn’t on a plane, I was commuting almost three hours a day — but it was work for which I felt proud and enjoyed.

The company presented an opportunity to participate in a leadership training program that emphasized the importance of work-life balance across professional life, family life, community involvement and self-care. Each of us drew a button with four holes, one for each of those four categories. The size of the hole was supposed to represent how much time and energy we were spending on that particular category.

My button had only three holes: an extra-large one for work; two very tiny ones that represented family life and self-care; and community was missing entirely. I loved my job at the time, but that one exercise made me realize that I was placing too much focus on just that one aspect of my life at the expense of quality time in other, more important areas.

I have carried this analogy with me throughout my career and use it regularly to help ensure I integrate each of these facets in a more deliberate way — especially now that the topic of burnout is more top of mind than ever before.

In fact, the recent Aflac WorkForces Report confirmed what I knew to be true from my own experience then and what many Americans are experiencing today — it showed that 74% of American workers are stressed, and 57% currently face at least moderate levels of burnout.

Now that I’m in a position to influence change and help ensure the well-being of those at my workplace, I have some advice that helped me in my journey to build mental wellness at work:

Draw your own button. The only way to know what you need to do is to assess where you are today. Draw a button with four holes representing your professional life, family life, community involvement and self-care, and make the size of each hole bigger or smaller based on how much of your time is spent in each category. Use that to find where you need to adjust how you spend your time and energy. Know that your priorities will likely change based on life circumstances. So, use this analogy over time as your think about priorities.Get to know your benefits. Trying to understand your benefits in a time of distress can create more stress. If you have access to benefits, take time to learn them so you can take advantage of available services, apps and classes dedicated to enhancing your mental health. Some employers even provide programs that address other aspects — such as financial, social and physical wellness — that can also play a role in mental health.Find the line. There is a fine line between beneficial stress that leads to growth and stress that leads to burnout. I’ve learned that mental wellness is like physical wellness in a lot of ways. Much like strength training helps build muscle, mentally challenging work can help build resilience. But in that same vein, working out too hard or too often can put you at risk for injury, just as being overwhelmed with daily responsibilities with no chance for rest can put you at risk for burnout. The line between the two is different for everyone, but it’s important to find where it is for you.Use your PTO. If you’re in the workforce, you may earn paid time off (PTO) — use it. Whether you take a big, weeklong trip or just a day to unplug at home, use that time to reset and recharge. (And if you manage employees, encourage them to use their PTO, especially if it’s at risk of expiring. Having that level of support from leadership goes a long way in building trust.)Get your health checkups. Whether you feel fine or not, it’s always important to get your regular checkups — they help ensure you’re in good health, and they present opportunities to have open conversations with health care professionals about building mental wellness.

Work is a significant part of who we are — after all, we spend at least a third of our weekdays at work — but it’s important to remember that it is just one component of who we are and just one component of what impacts our mental health. Set aside time regularly to take stock of where your time and energy are going, so that you can ensure you’re bringing your best self across all areas of life.

Aflac includes American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York 
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