Month: August 2026
NEW YORK, August 5, 2026 /3BL/ – The Concordia Leadership Council is proud to announce Mr. Ryan Gellert, Chief Executive Officer of Patagonia, as the first of three recipients of the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award, recognized for his work in the private sector. Mr. Gellert will be formally recognized for his exceptional leadership at the 2026 Concordia Annual Summit (September 20-23, Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel), the leading public-private sector forum alongside the UN General Assembly. Pass and registration information can be found here.
The Concordia Leadership Award recognizes global leaders who have made pioneering contributions and inspired others by turning vision into impact. Voted on by the Concordia Leadership Award Committee, recipients are committed to catalyzing positive social and economic change while promoting effective public-private collaboration to create a more sustainable future. Past private sector recipients include: Mr. Arvind Krishna, Chairman & CEO of IBM; Ginni Rometty, Former Chairman, President & CEO of IBM; Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart; Paul Polman, Former CEO of Unilever; and Paul Bulcke, Chairman of Nestlé.
For the private sector, Concordia has selected Mr. Ryan Gellert, Chief Executive Officer of Patagonia, for his extraordinary leadership in aligning business with positive environmental impact. Since taking the helm in 2020, Mr. Gellert has overseen a landmark restructuring of the company’s ownership, transferring it to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective in 2022, legally enshrining the company’s values so that every dollar not reinvested in the business is directed toward protecting the planet. Throughout his career, from his leadership across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to his global tenure as CEO, Mr. Gellert has demonstrated a rare commitment to using business as a force for environmental good.
Anita McBride, Chair of Concordia’s Leadership Award Committee, Leadership Council Member, Author, and Former Assistant to President George W. Bush & Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush, expressed her excitement:
“Each year, this committee looks for leaders who prove that business and purpose aren’t in tension; they’re the same project,” said McBride. “Ryan Gellert has built that case as clearly as anyone in the private sector today, restructuring Patagonia’s ownership so that its mission is permanent, not dependent on any one leader’s tenure. That kind of institutional courage is what the Concordia Leadership Award exists to honor.”
In the coming weeks, Concordia will announce its public sector and civil society honorees, completing the 2026 Leadership Award class. Together, their recognition reflects Concordia’s broader commitment to elevating leaders across every sector who are translating vision into lasting impact.
About Concordia
Concordia is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to actively fostering, elevating, and sustaining cross-sector partnerships for social impact. Through its Annual Summit in New York, Horizon Summits held around the world, and year-round programming, Concordia convenes leaders from business, government, and civil society to drive collaboration and measurable change.
Media Contact
Mateo Carvajal González
Media Relations Manager, Concordia
mcarvajal@concordia.net
NEW YORK, August 5, 2026 /3BL/ – The Concordia Leadership Council is proud to announce Mr. Ryan Gellert, Chief Executive Officer of Patagonia, as the first of three recipients of the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award, recognized for his work in the private sector. Mr. Gellert will be formally recognized for his exceptional leadership at the 2026 Concordia Annual Summit (September 20-23, Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel), the leading public-private sector forum alongside the UN General Assembly. Pass and registration information can be found here.
The Concordia Leadership Award recognizes global leaders who have made pioneering contributions and inspired others by turning vision into impact. Voted on by the Concordia Leadership Award Committee, recipients are committed to catalyzing positive social and economic change while promoting effective public-private collaboration to create a more sustainable future. Past private sector recipients include: Mr. Arvind Krishna, Chairman & CEO of IBM; Ginni Rometty, Former Chairman, President & CEO of IBM; Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart; Paul Polman, Former CEO of Unilever; and Paul Bulcke, Chairman of Nestlé.
For the private sector, Concordia has selected Mr. Ryan Gellert, Chief Executive Officer of Patagonia, for his extraordinary leadership in aligning business with positive environmental impact. Since taking the helm in 2020, Mr. Gellert has overseen a landmark restructuring of the company’s ownership, transferring it to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective in 2022, legally enshrining the company’s values so that every dollar not reinvested in the business is directed toward protecting the planet. Throughout his career, from his leadership across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to his global tenure as CEO, Mr. Gellert has demonstrated a rare commitment to using business as a force for environmental good.
Anita McBride, Chair of Concordia’s Leadership Award Committee, Leadership Council Member, Author, and Former Assistant to President George W. Bush & Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush, expressed her excitement:
“Each year, this committee looks for leaders who prove that business and purpose aren’t in tension; they’re the same project,” said McBride. “Ryan Gellert has built that case as clearly as anyone in the private sector today, restructuring Patagonia’s ownership so that its mission is permanent, not dependent on any one leader’s tenure. That kind of institutional courage is what the Concordia Leadership Award exists to honor.”
In the coming weeks, Concordia will announce its public sector and civil society honorees, completing the 2026 Leadership Award class. Together, their recognition reflects Concordia’s broader commitment to elevating leaders across every sector who are translating vision into lasting impact.
About Concordia
Concordia is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to actively fostering, elevating, and sustaining cross-sector partnerships for social impact. Through its Annual Summit in New York, Horizon Summits held around the world, and year-round programming, Concordia convenes leaders from business, government, and civil society to drive collaboration and measurable change.
Media Contact
Mateo Carvajal González
Media Relations Manager, Concordia
mcarvajal@concordia.net
By Eric Ellis, Higher Education Strategist NA
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, researchers are using cutting-edge technology to preserve one of the nation’s most enduring symbols: the Liberty Bell.
In partnership with the National Park Service and the VAR Lab at Penn State Behrend recently completed what is believed to be one of the most comprehensive digital preservation efforts ever undertaken for the Liberty Bell. The resulting high-fidelity digital model will help preserve the historic artifact for future generations while expanding opportunities for research, education and public access.
Using laser-line and structured-light scanning, LiDAR, and photogrammetry capable of capturing details as small as 10-25 microns—less than half the width of a human hair—the team created multiple research-grade digital models of the bell without ever touching, moving or altering the historic artifact.
The project was completed during a tightly controlled nine-hour access window over two days at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia. Working before and after public visiting hours, researchers deployed an extensive suite of scanning equipment to capture the bell and its surroundings from virtually every possible angle.
To support the effort, Lenovo provided a Lenovo Legion system that enabled researchers to process and validate massive scan datasets onsite, helping ensure data quality during the limited access window. The system also supported visualization, quality assurance and media workflows throughout the project.
“Having the Lenovo Legion system with us in Philadelphia made a real difference for the field workflow,” said Christopher R. Shelton, Ph.D., Founder and Director, VAR Lab (The Emerging Technologies Hub). “It gave the team more flexibility during a very limited access window and helped us manage onsite processing, quality assurance, visualization and media work in a way that would have been much harder without it.”
The digital model will serve as a permanent archival record while also being made broadly available for education, research and public engagement through interactive digital experiences. The work also lays the foundation for future research, including acoustic simulations that could help answer a longstanding question: What would the Liberty Bell sound like if it were rung today in its current cracked state?
“As we approach America’s Semiquincentennial, technology is creating entirely new ways to preserve, study and experience our shared history,” said Milo Speranzo, Chief Marketing Officer, Lenovo North America. “We’re proud Lenovo technology helped support the creation of a high-fidelity digital record of the Liberty Bell that can benefit researchers, educators and future generations.”
Future phases of the project may also include creating a full-scale 3D-printed replica capable of recreating the bell’s sound for educational experiences, further demonstrating how advanced computing, AI and digital preservation technologies can help protect and share cultural heritage.
By helping researchers preserve and study an irreplaceable piece of American history, Lenovo technology is demonstrating how innovation can help safeguard our shared heritage for generations to come.
Originally published on 3M News Center
The 3M Open returned to TPC Twin Cities in July for its eighth edition, rewriting the record book and crowning a 21-year-old champion who held off the top player in the world.
Across four rounds, the field produced a career-low opening round, one of the rarest scores in PGA TOUR history and a hometown surge that sent the gallery home happy.
Here are the moments that defined the week.
A breakthrough victory and 72-hole record
Jackson Koivun captured his first PGA TOUR victory Sunday, closing with rounds of 61 and 66 to finish at 25-under-par 259. The total set a new 3M Open 72-hole scoring record and sealed a three-stroke victory over World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Playing in just his third PGA TOUR start as a professional, Koivun became the seventh first-time winner on Tour this season.
“You know, I played a great round of golf today. Definitely had some nerves coming down on 18. All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, ‘Scottie’s coming, Scottie’s coming,’” said Koivun. “I just tried to tone that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could.”
He also expressed gratitude for the tournament. “I’ll be forever indebted to the 3M Open for helping me get my first PGA TOUR win,” said Koivun.
A historic 59 for the record books
The week’s defining round came Friday. Michael Kim fired a bogey-free 12-under 59 in the second round, setting both a 3M Open tournament record and a TPC Twin Cities course record.
Punctuated by a 24-foot birdie putt on the 18th green, Kim’s performance stands as just the 16th sub-60 round in PGA TOUR history, rocketing him to 14-under and the top of the 36-hole leaderboard. While Koivun later claimed the 72-hole scoring title on Sunday, Kim’s electric Friday round remains in the record books as the lowest single round ever played at the course.
Fast starts and a local fan favorite
The low scoring began early Thursday. Ben Kohles opened the tournament with a bogey-free 9-under 62, a career low, and set the tone for an exciting week of play.
Meanwhile, Minnesota native Muzzy Donohue made his PGA TOUR debut and delivered one of the week’s standout stories. Donohue entered the field just days before the tournament began after receiving a sponsor exemption from 3M — check out his reaction to the surprise invitation here.
Donohue didn’t waste the opportunity: After carding an 8-under 63 in the second round, he surged to 6-under to make the weekend cut. For a tournament dedicated to bringing world-class golf to Minnesota, Donohue gave the hometown crowd a run worth celebrating.
Community impact through golf
While multiple scoring records will define this week in tournament history, it’s the event’s local impact that continues to set the 3M Open apart.
All net proceeds from the tournament flow to the 3M Open Fund, a foundation created when 3M and the PGA TOUR established the event in 2019. Since its inception, the fund has directed more than $9.5 million to the Twin Cities community, positively impacting more than 1.25 million youth and young adults through pillar charities chosen based on need.
Among those supported is Folds of Honor, which provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. In 2024, the 3M Open added Folds of Honor Friday to tournament week programming to honor those who serve and support their families.
Tournament week also featured Golf 4 All Day, hosted in partnership with 3M Community Impact, which brought more than 500 students to TPC Twin Cities for an educational experience across the course.
Science on and around the course
Beyond competitive play and record-setting scores, tournament attendees got a firsthand look at 3M technologies in action across the course, from fan experiences and games to course infrastructure and staff support. Read more about how 3M technology shaped this year’s 3M Open here.
3M Open FAQ
When was the 2026 3M Open held? The 2026 3M Open was held July 23-26 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota.
How many years has the 3M Open been held? The 2026 tournament marked the eighth edition of the 3M Open, which began in 2019 when 3M and the PGA TOUR established the event.
Who won the 2026 3M Open? Jackson Koivun won the 2026 3M Open, finishing at 25-under-par 259 for his first PGA TOUR victory and a new tournament 72-hole scoring record.
What were the biggest records set this year? Koivun set the tournament’s 72-hole scoring record, and Michael Kim set both the 3M Open single-round record and TPC Twin Cities course record with a 12-under 59 in the second round.
What is the charitable impact of the 3M Open? Since 2019, the 3M Open Fund has directed more than $9.5 million to the Twin Cities community, not including this year’s proceeds, and supported more than 1.25 million youth and young adults through selected pillar charities.
Where do tournament proceeds go? Net proceeds support the 3M Open Fund, which works with community organizations and pillar charities focused on youth, families and local needs.
A new photovoltaic system for Sofidel America in Circleville, Ohio
Another step in Sofidel’s energy transition journey: a new photovoltaic system has become operational at the Sofidel America facility in Circleville, Ohio, USA.
Installed on the roof of the reel warehouse built as part of the facility’s recent expansion, the system consists of 8,010 photovoltaic panels and has a total installed capacity of 4.65 MW. During the first six months of 2026, it helped avoid approximately 1,084 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
A strategic investment that will help significantly reduce the environmental impact of one of the Group’s main production sites.
Improving the energy efficiency of our operations is not only a fundamental environmental priority, but also an essential competitive lever for Sofidel.
Sofidel Group
The Sofidel Group, headquartered in Porcari (Lucca, Italy), is one of the leading manufacturers of paper for hygienic and household use worldwide. Established in 1966, the Group is active in 13 countries, 12 in Europe and the United States (12 States), with over 9,500 employees and a production capacity of 2,002,000 metric tons per year. In 2025, the Group had Net Sales of 4.018 billion Euros. “Regina”, its most well-known brand, is present on almost all the reference markets. Other brands include: Sopalin, Le Trèfle, Hakle, Softis, Nalys, Cosynel, KittenSoft, Nicky and Papernet.