Month: August 2024

In this special 100th episode of ESG Talk, we kick off a two-part series with Priscilla Sims Brown, CEO of Amalgamated Bank, Jason Darby, CFO, and special guest host Kim Huffman, CIO of Workiva. Discover how the bank has aligned its entire organization around a century-old mission, while driving a modern, socially responsible business.

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Looking for more? Subscribe to the ESG Talk podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

ESG Talk is brought to you by Workiva, the world’s only unified platform for financial reporting, ESG, audit, and risk. Learn more at workiva.com.

Allyship in the workplace is becoming increasingly important to building and sustaining a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for all employees. According to the State of Allyship Report: The Key to Workplace Inclusion report, 92% of individuals have found allies to be invaluable in their careers. Those who have at least one ally at work are almost twice as likely to feel a sense of belonging and satisfaction with their job role and company’s culture. This data highlights the crucial role of allyship in the workplace and its potential to enhance our professional experiences.

My journey as an ally began in grade school and has shaped my life. My experiences with being bullied and standing up for others have instilled in me compassion, perspective, and empathy. This deep appreciation of allyship has not only connected me with human beings of varied cultures, backgrounds, and identities but also allowed my creative brain to develop in a unique way. It has expanded my networks beyond what I (actively) comprehend, and I continue to grow and learn from these experiences.

It didn’t take my degree in anthropology to show me how beautiful embracing the human experience can be, specifically, how opening your view allows you to truly see, feel, and bond with our world. However, it did help me understand that human connection is what we each intrinsically need to thrive—personally, professionally, and as members of society.

My allyship journey took another important step in high school, where I made it a mission to befriend as many of my 800 classmates as possible. My teenage years offered a wide range of possibilities for personal interaction, and during my junior year, I joined our LGBTQ+ club as an ally. This decision was influenced by my upbringing with two uncles who are gay men. My Uncle Tim has always been a significant figure in my life, and I’ve always championed him as he has done for me. As I navigated my teens, I felt a growing desire to engage further in allyship. This self-education journey also made me more aware of my privilege. Joining the LGBTQ+ club gave me the tools to show up and speak up.

The beauty of Cadence’s culture lies in our understanding that to change the future of technology, we must innovate as One Team. As we all play a role in our collective success, we establish trust among our diverse group of colleagues while encouraging meaningful connection through our inclusion groups, engaging panel discussions, and by inviting diverse speakers to share their own stories of growth. We also celebrate our employees’ unique backgrounds, identities, and heritage. By forging relationships, we ignite allyship.

Allyship is a transformative experience that pushes us beyond ourselves and into a vital aspect of our humanity. It opens new perspectives, allowing us to connect with other humans in ways that help us be better individuals, parents, community leaders, and employees. It is a powerful tool for making a profound and lasting impact on the world. I wholeheartedly encourage you to embrace it.

Looking for more information on how you can become an ally? Read more from the Great Place to Work Institute on what allyship in the workplace can look like.

Learn more about Cadence DEI programs in Cadence’s ESG report.

Duke Energy partnership with community development organizations will provide grants to help small businesses expand

CHARLOTTE, N.C., August 16, 2024 /3BL/ – The Duke Energy Foundation today announced $700,000 of new funding will be made available to North Carolina small businesses in partnership with community development organizations. Small business grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 will be distributed through 20 community organizations to support retail shops, restaurants and other small businesses looking to expand, upgrade technology and improve downtown storefronts.

Now in its fourth year, the grant program has provided over $2 million in funding to small businesses since its inception during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Duke Energy Foundation’s small business grant program has helped fuel a resurgence of entrepreneurial small businesses in North Carolina ranging from bookstores to restaurants,” said Kendal Bowman, president of Duke Energy North Carolina. “These small business grants ensure Main Streets across our state are well positioned to benefit from economic development efforts.”

Small businesses play a critical role in the state’s economic health and employ nearly half of North Carolina’s workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Anna Impson and Rebekah Rhoden, owners of Little Pep in Winston-Salem, used funding from the grant program to improve the bistro’s storefront last year and attract new customers.

“Receiving a grant from the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership and the Duke Energy Foundation allowed us to improve and restore our historic storefront and give it the charm and character it deserves,” said Impson and Rhoden. “We’re thankful that the Duke Energy Foundation helped us make our dreams a reality, and we’re excited to have brought Little Pep to our vibrant downtown.”

Bill King, president and CEO of Downtown Raleigh Alliance, sees the funding as essential to community improvement efforts.

“This tremendous support from the Duke Energy Foundation is a huge boost to our efforts to revitalize downtown Raleigh and will go directly to support our small, locally owned businesses,” said King. “Since the pandemic, Duke Energy has set a standard for corporate support through its generous and focused efforts on bringing back main streets and small business communities that form the backbone of places like downtown Raleigh.”

Small businesses interested in applying for funding are encouraged to inquire with the local nonprofit administering the program for their community. A full list of recipients can be found below with quotes from each organization available here.

Small Business Grant Program Recipients

OrganizationCounties ServedGrant AmountAlexander County Economic Development CorporationAlexander$50,000Caraway FoundationAnson$25,000Clinton Downtown InitiativesSampson$50,000Davidson-Davie Community College FoundationDavidson$25,000Downtown AsheboroRandolph$25,000Downtown Greensboro FoundationGuilford$25,000Downtown Winston-Salem FoundationForsyth$25,000Durham Chamber Legacy FoundationDurham$50,000Flywheel FoundationCabarrus$25,000Friends of the Land of Sky Regional CouncilBuncombe, Madison, Yancey, Mitchell, Avery$25,000Heart of BrevardTransylvania$25,000Jacksonville Onslow Economic Development PartnershipOnslow$25,000Jones County Committee of 100Jones$25,000Lumberton Economic Advancement for DowntownRobeson$25,000Montcross Tomorrow Chamber FoundationGaston$50,000Raleigh Civic Ventures (Downtown Raleigh Alliance)Wake$50,000Region A FoundationClay, Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain$75,000Rutherford Town RevitalizationRutherford$25,000Vance-Granville Community College Endowment FundVance$50,000Wilkes Economic Development CorporationWilkes$25,000

 

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. The company’s electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition, keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

Contact: Garrett Poorman 
Twitter: @DE_GarrettP 
24-Hour: 800.559.3853

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