Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Saint-Gobain, through its subsidiary Norton Abrasives, has partnered with Good360, a leading nonprofit dedicated to closing the need gaps, and the City of Travelers Rest, South Carolina to build “welcome home” kits filled with essential home items for 500 families in South Carolina. These kits will be provided by Good360 to two local non-profits. The first, Darlington County Long Term Recovery in Society Hill, South Carolina, will distribute kits to families re-entering new or repaired homes after displacement from Hurricane Helene. The second, Homes of Hope in Greenville, South Carolina, will support local families in need.

As part of its purpose, Making the World a Better Home, the company works through its Saint-Gobain North America Foundation to give back to the communities where it operates and its employees live. As national partners, Saint-Gobain North America and Good360 have teamed up throughout the United States and Canada to provide essentials kits to individuals and families in need.

A member of the Travelers Rest community since 1982, the Norton team in Travelers Rest felt strongly that these kits could make a difference for hurricane relief. With the generous support of the City of Travelers Rest, including space to assemble the kits at Trailblazer Park, nearly 30 Saint-Gobain employees and 10 city hall employees worked over 3 hours to assemble 500 kits with essential items including dish soap, laundry detergent, kitchen towels and more.

“Hurricane Helene was a devastating storm that is still having immense impact on our communities nearly a year after landfall. As a member of the Travelers Rest and greater northwest South Carolina community for over forty years, it is imperative for Saint-Gobain and Norton to give back to our neighbors who have always supported us,” said Russell Hunter, Plant Manager at Saint-Gobain’s Norton Abrasives Plant in Travelers Rest. “I’d like to thank Good360 for their partnership and vision to fill the need gap for all, the City of Travelers Rest for their support of this important initiative, and Darlington County Long Term Recovery and Homes of Hope for their work to distribute these much-needed home essentials kits.”

“We are grateful to Saint-Gobain for including us in this meaningful effort and to be a part of their company’s mission of Making the World a Better Home,” said Brandy Amidon, Mayor of the City of Travelers Rest. “As a long-time employer in Travelers Rest, they have been great community partners, and we love seeing that vision play out with residents with this initiative.”

“Hurricane Helene continues to leave a lasting impact on communities across South Carolina, and Good360 is committed to supporting long-term recovery efforts. Our partnership with Saint-Gobain and the City of Travelers Rest is a powerful example of how we can come together to restore hope and stability for families rebuilding their lives. These ‘welcome home’ kits are more than just household items—they’re a symbol of compassion and resilience. We’re proud to work alongside dedicated partners to ensure that no one is left behind in the recovery process,” said Cinira Baldi, CEO of Good360.

In addition to today’s event, Saint-Gobain has been committed to providing support to those in need after the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene and Milton in 2024. This includes an employee donation match campaign, which raised over $30,000 to support Good360’s aid efforts. National partners since 2023, Saint-Gobain North America and Good360 have worked to provide essentials kits to many communities, including non-profits serving Little Rock, Arkansas, New Orleans, Louisiana, Akron, Ohio, Mississauga, Ontario and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

To learn more about Good360 and how you could help, please visit www.good360.org. To learn more about Saint-Gobain and the Saint-Gobain North America Foundation, please visit https://www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com/community/foundation.

About Saint-Gobain Abrasives
Saint-Gobain Abrasives offers powerful, precise, user-friendly solutions, which enable customers to cut, shape and finish all materials in the most complex and challenging applications. By working closely with end-users and grinding expert partners, Saint-Gobain Abrasives designs and provides customized solutions to secure the best option for performance, cost and safety. Leveraging its global manufacturing presence, Saint-Gobain Abrasives serves its customers locally through its structured sales operations in over 27 countries, employing over 10,000 people.

About Saint-Gobain
Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group, celebrating its 360th anniversary in 2025, remains more committed than ever to its purpose “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€46.6 billion in sales in 2024
161,000 employees, locations in 80 countries
Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050

For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on Twitter @saintgobain
 

MEDIA CONTACTS
Peter Clark (+1) 603 513 8513

By Nestor Mato

New career. New income. New confidence to manage it all.

“Career readiness gets you in the door, financial wellness helps you stay successful. That is why we believe financial education is a key for building better futures,” said Mike Scott, Senior Community Development Manager for Regions Bank. “When people understand how to manage their money, especially as they get used to new income, they gain confidence to set goals and achieve them.”

STRIVE New Orleans is a nonprofit dedicated to helping people overcome obstacles by working with employers to identify life-changing careers while helping companies close critical gaps in their labor force. Together, Regions and STRIVE are making financial education an essential part of workforce training, helping participants prepare not just for a job—but for a secure financial journey.

Career readiness gets you in the door, financial wellness helps you stay successful. That is why we believe financial education is a key for building better futures.

Mike Scott, Senior Community Development Manager for Regions Bank

“Through Regions Next Step, the bank’s no-cost financial education program, we highlight the importance of budgeting and saving to help people focus on key parts of money management,” said Graham Ralston, New Orleans Market Executive for Regions Bank. “Every Next Step session is a chance to give someone tools, confidence, and hope as they look forward to tomorrow.”

Recent cohorts helped a group of 20 women all facing unique challenges on their path to self-sufficiency. Topics included building savings habits with the “52-Week Challenge,” understanding and repairing credit, and creating a personalized spending plan. Associates made the sessions relatable by sharing real-world scenarios that anyone may encounter on their financial journeys.

“The cohort felt engaged and informed. With the knowledge, they felt better equipped to navigate the services the bank has to offer,” said Angela Shiloh Cryer, Executive Director of STRIVE New Orleans. “Regions Bank met our participants with compassion and empathy. The group couldn’t stop talking about what they learned.”

The collaboration also included a “STRIVE Day at Regions Bank” set up by branch managers Laura Waguespack and Rosalyn Phoenix. It allowed some members to meet privately with branch associates, address questions and concerns about banking, and even open personal and business accounts to take the next step toward their goals.

Every Next Step session is a chance to give someone tools, confidence, and hope as they look forward to tomorrow.

Graham Ralston, New Orleans Market Executive for Regions Bank

Client background

This company is a mutual property and casualty (P&C) insurance group with over $2 billion in written premiums, spanning both personal and commercial lines as well as serving a wide range of industries.

The business challenge

Following the release of the NAIC’s Model AI Bulletin, which outlines expectations around governance, risk management, internal controls and third-party oversight, this insurance organization had proactively taken steps to align with the guidance. With much of the foundational work already completed, they sought an external, third-party validation to assess whether their approach sufficiently met regulatory expectations.

In addition to validating compliance with the bulletin, the organization engaged Baker Tilly to conduct a broader artificial intelligence (AI) maturity assessment and benchmarking exercise to understand how their capabilities compared to peers and identify opportunities to further strengthen their AI governance program and AI practices.

Strategy and solution

Baker Tilly partnered with the insurer to conduct a comprehensive AI governance and maturity assessment aligned with the NAIC bulletin and industry best practices. Key elements of the engagement included:

Regulatory alignment validation: Using the NAIC AI Model Bulletin as the foundation, Baker Tilly performed a structured assessment of the organization’s governance model, risk controls, policies and oversight mechanisms to validate that existing practices sufficiently met regulatory expectations. This included documentation review, stakeholder interviews and alignment mapping across the bulletin’s four core areas. 

AI maturity benchmarking: Leveraging Baker Tilly’s proprietary AI Maturity Model, the team evaluated the organization’s capabilities across strategic, operational and technical domains. The assessment included a benchmarking analysis comparing the insurer’s performance against industry peers, highlighting both strengths and targeted opportunities for advancement.

Actionable roadmap and recommendations: Baker Tilly delivered a detailed findings report and executive-level presentation outlining key insights, maturity ratings and prioritized recommendations. This included a strategic road map for evolving AI governance structures and scaling responsible AI practices enterprise-wide.

By combining regulatory expertise with industry benchmarking and maturity diagnostics, Baker Tilly provided the insurer with confidence that its AI governance aligned with regulatory expectations — while also equipping the organization with a strategic road map and targeted recommendations to accelerate AI adoption and stay ahead of peers as AI continues to drive innovation across the insurance industry.

Connect with a Baker Tilly specialist to learn more

Running Toward Personal and Professional Goals

For Débora, running is more than just exercise, it symbolizes overcoming challenges and pushing beyond personal limits. This same dedication defines her eight-year journey with DP World in São Paulo, Brazil, where she works in the Contract Logistics division, crafting tailored solutions for major brands.

From Operator to Operational Assistant

After initially joining DP World as an operator in 2017, Débora quickly embraced opportunities for advancement, driven by an inspiring family legacy. Her father, who also worked at DP World, instilled in her and her sisters the importance of persistence. “My father always encouraged me and my sisters to pursue what we want through work, to achieve our personal goals,” Débora shares. Today, she thrives as an operational assistant and aspires to be a supervisor in the next step of her professional growth.

A Drive for Continuous Improvement 

“At work, I can’t stay stuck in the same routine, I can’t settle. I always need to keep improving myself and pursuing my goals,” Débora explains. This ambition spans her professional life and her passion for running. “Just like I want to run more kilometers, I also want to grow in my career. I want to keep learning more. I want to study logistics more deeply.”

Empowering Women in Logistics

Débora’s story highlights not only her ambition but also DP World’s commitment to fostering inclusive career paths. In Brazil, DP World actively champions gender equity, empowering women like Débora to continually advance, learn, and lead.

Whether it’s logging kilometers in her runs or charting her next career milestone, Débora embodies DP World’s spirit of continuous growth, connecting communities and transforming possibilities along the way. 

Building Careers with Purpose at DP World

At DP World, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in creating a workplace where employees can grow, innovate, and make a real impact – whether in logistics, technology, or community development. With opportunities across more than 70 countries, the company is committed to fostering a diverse and supportive environment where individuals can thrive and shape the future of global trade. Discover how you can be part of our journey at careers.dpworld.com.

 

PITTSBURGH, August 21, 2025 /3BL/ – Today KeyBank announced it has awarded six Pittsburgh-area organizations with funding through Pennsylvania’s Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (OSTC) totaling more than $400,000.

Under the program, tax credits are provided to eligible businesses contributing to an Opportunity Scholarship Organization. Business contributions are then used by the qualified organizations to provide tuition assistance in the form of scholarships to eligible students.

“KeyBank is proud to continue our support of Pennsylvania’s Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program, which plays a vital role in expanding educational access for students in underserved communities,” said Vic Laurenza, KeyBank Western Pennsylvania Market President. “By partnering with these outstanding organizations, we’re helping ensure that more students have the opportunity to thrive in learning environments that best meet their needs and aspirations.”

The funding from Key ranges from $50,000 to $116,000 and have been made to the following community organizations:

• Advancing Youth Initiative
• Fund for Advancement of Minorities Through Education (FAME)
• Blessed Trinity Academy Glenshaw
• Nazareth Prep
• Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania
• North Catholic High School

ABOUT KEYCORP
In 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $185 billion at June 30, 2025.

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 1,200 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 Member FDIC.

At Chemours’ New Johnsonville manufacturing site in Tennessee, the 2025 Bring Your Child to Work Day offered a unique opportunity for young learners to explore the world of science and innovation. The event welcomed approximately 20 children and grandchildren of employees, ages 12 to 16, for a hands-on experience that showcased how titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is made and why it matters. Through interactive STEM activities, guided plant tours, and conversations with engineers and operators, students gained a deeper understanding of the essential role TiO₂ plays in everyday products like paints and plastics.

Participants engaged in interactive STEM activities, toured the plant with safety demonstrations, and joined Q&A sessions with engineers and operators — gaining insight into how Chemours transforms raw materials into essential ingredients found in everyday products.

“As a team, we wanted to ignite a passion for science and innovation while helping students connect with the important work their family members do every day,” said Rebekah Arnold, Senior Administrative Assistant at New Johnsonville. “It was a meaningful way to invest in the next generation and strengthen our ties to the community.”

The event reflects Chemours’ broader commitment to education, community engagement, and environmental stewardship. By opening its doors to young learners, the New Johnsonville site continues to foster a culture of pride, connection, and innovation — while showcasing the vital role of Ti-Pure™ TiO₂ in creating brighter, more durable materials for the world.

With a legacy of nearly 100 years of innovation, Chemours Ti-Pure™ TiO₂ remains a trusted partner to customers around the globe. Through quality products, reliable supply, and expert service, the team helps meet evolving market needs while delivering the consistency and performance customers expect.

At Workiva, our commitment to sustainability is deeply ingrained in our strategic vision. Our 2024 Sustainability Report showcases progress in innovation, people and philanthropy, and sustainability, while also demonstrating how we leverage Workiva AI to enhance the reporting process.

By leveraging Workiva AI within our Sustainability Management solution, we delivered a 54-page sustainability report in less than three and a half months — all while ensuring the integrity and responsible handling of our sensitive, non-public data. In fact, this year’s report was completed 30% faster than prior years with input from over 90 Workiva employees and a multi-stage review. Over 35 metrics also received limited assurance by a third-party data provider.

Jill Klindt, Chief Financial Officer, and Executive Chair of the Sustainability Task Force at Workiva, underscores the value of responsible, results-driven AI: “CFOs and their finance, sustainability, audit, risk, and legal teams are increasingly leading the way in leveraging secure, practical, and responsible AI to drive greater efficiency across their organizations. By modernizing core processes and enhancing collaboration, AI not only boosts productivity but also builds investor confidence.”

Here’s how we achieved those efficiencies in developing our sustainability report.

Using Workiva AI for Sustainability Management

Through our own use of Workiva AI, we’ve seen firsthand how it can improve the creation of complex documents and output quality. Here’s how we used it to streamline and enhance our sustainability report in five key areas.

1. Benchmark peer activity: Reviewed public sustainability reports from peer technology companies to extract key data and themes (e.g., waste, water, biodiversity) for comparative analysis, which was then refined by our Global Sustainability team. This reflects a broader trend among sustainability professionals with 64% reporting that AI helps them quickly consume disclosure data for benchmarking, according to a recent survey.
2. Develop new targets: Drafted and aligned new sustainability targets for maximum impact.
3. Assess alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Rapidly assessed Workiva’s comprehensive alignment with the UN SDGs.
4. Draft new disclosures: Streamlined disclosures and ensured compliance with voluntary frameworks and emerging regulations.
5. Generate initial data-driven insights: Guided narrative development by analyzing datasets directly within the platform, which was then further augmented by our team.

Workiva AI accelerated our reporting by quickly summarizing information, identifying gaps, and suggesting improvements, allowing our team to focus on the narrative of the report. While AI enhances our capabilities, it doesn’t replace human insight. Leveraging AI allowed us to prioritize education and acumen building with Workiva’s sustainability governance groups, and engage more with our environmental workstream to drive actions supporting our decarbonization commitments and 2040 net-zero goal.

It’s important to address AI’s energy consumption by choosing a secure, intelligent platform that utilizes Large Language Models (LLMs) from providers focused on sustainable cloud computing, renewable energy, and data center efficiency. Prioritizing these areas aligns AI with strategies for positive environmental impact.

Four Ways to Maximize Generative AI’s Potential

As we developed our report, we identified the following best practices to enhance the effectiveness of generative AI:

1. Integration is key. Having AI directly within our data platform and reporting tools boosted our confidence. We could quickly and reliably verify AI-generated insights against our own content and data, ensuring responsible use of even sensitive, non-public data.
2. Prompting matters. It can take several iterations to refine a prompt. By leveraging the Workiva AI prompt library recommendations, we were able to quickly iterate to get the best result from the strongest prompt.
3. Tailor tone and language. AI can quickly adapt messaging to different audiences and formats—saving significant time when shifting between investor communication, social media platforms, and internal communications for employees. AI can also reiterate key messages directly from our trusted source content, ensuring accuracy and brand consistency.
4. Continuous learning. As AI continues to evolve, connecting with peers and AI experts at your company can spark new ideas and uncover practical use cases. At the same time, the more you engage with AI, the smarter it becomes—learning your context, language, and patterns to deliver personalized and high-impact support. To explore how to use AI more effectively and responsibly, check out the upcoming webinar: Responsible AI: Lessons for 2025.

A commitment to sustainability extends to helping other organizations, and our own 2024 Sustainability Report serves as a practical demonstration of how Workiva AI, a core part of our platform, enhances the reporting process for us, as it can for our customers.

We invite you to explore more about AI use in our full 2024 Sustainability Report.

 

Originally published on Impact Alpha.

By Cat Burns and Charlotte Kaiser

As wildfire season intensifies across the Northern Hemisphere, it’s becoming clear: forests are on the front lines of climate change. With proactive, science-based management, forests can play a key role in biodiversity and climate resilience.

In East Texas, our teams at The Nature Conservancy and BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group are reshaping how private timberland is managed in a changing climate – bringing prescribed fire to commercial forests through a bold and collaborative approach.

… Read the rest of the op-ed here.

Catherine Burns is the interim managing director of NatureVest at The Nature Conservancy. Charlotte Kaiser is the head of impact finance at BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group.

VIDEO: Watch Season 5 Episode 5: Unlocking Innovation with Systems Thinking

August 21, 2025 /3BL/ – Break down those barriers and shake off that siloed thinking: sustainability, technology and innovation have never been more aligned. All it takes is a change in perspective.

Pioneering leaders around the world are now viewing sustainability not just as a requirement, but as an opportunity. With experienced guidance, cutting-edge initiatives are now thriving in a place where sustainable innovation and growth are tightly intertwined. 

In this episode, we speak to Mauro J. Atalla, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer at Trane Technologies, and Hannah Black, Sustainability Engagement Program Manager at Trane Technologies. 

We will discuss the systems thinking that unlocks sustainable innovation, the next generation of inspiring climate tech and how culture empowers employees to embrace and engage in a development strategy when it’s tied to both personal and business growth.

Featured in this Episode:

Hosts:
Dominique Silva, Marketing Leader EMEA, Trane Technologies
Scott Tew, Vice President Sustainability and Managing Director, Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, Trane Technologies

Guests:
Mauro J. Atalla, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, Trane Technologies
Hannah Black, Sustainability Engagement Program Manager, Trane Technologies

About Healthy Spaces

Healthy Spaces is a podcast by Trane Technologies where experts and disruptors explore how climate technology and innovation are transforming the spaces where we live, work, learn and play.

This season, hosts Dominique Silva and Scott Tew bring a fresh batch of uplifting stories, featuring inspiring people who are overcoming challenges to drive positive change across multiple industries. We’ll discover how technology and AI can drive business growth, and help the planet breathe a little bit easier.

Listen and subscribe to Healthy Spaces on your favorite podcast platforms:

Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
YouTube 
Amazon Music

How are you making an impact? What sustainable innovation do you think will change the world?

Share your story with us and learn more about the Healthy Spaces Podcast.