Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

U.S. Bank today announced it has committed to be a partner of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, to be held in Minnesota from June 20-26, 2026. U.S. Bank is both the Official Volunteer Sponsor and the Official Competitive Cheer Sponsor of the USA Games.

 As the Official Volunteer Sponsor, U.S. Bank will help lead and mobilize more than 10,000 incredible volunteers who are vital to the success of the games. 

 As the Official Competitive Cheer Sponsor, U.S. Bank will support this exciting event, which will take place at Ridder Arena at the University of Minnesota campus. Competitive Cheer was introduced to the USA Games in 2022 featuring 150 athletes and unified partners, and now more than 14,000 cheer athletes and unified partners annually train and compete in the United States.

“Hosting the Special Olympics USA Games here in our headquarters market of Minneapolis is such an honor,” said Reba Dominski, senior executive vice president and chief social responsibility officer for U.S. Bank. “We are looking forward to showing these amazing athletes and their families just how supportive this community is and how excited we are to welcome them to the Twin Cities.”

U.S. Bank joins a growing list of passionate partners for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. As a proud partner, U.S. Bank will also have many of its own employees playing a significant role in supporting the games through volunteering at various venues and helping to champion inclusion throughout the games. 

“We are deeply thankful for U.S. Bank’s collaboration in making the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games a reality,” said Christy Sovereign, chief executive officer of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. “Their contribution empowers us to highlight the incredible human spirit, where competitive cheer and, most importantly, the tireless dedication of our many volunteers will unite to celebrate the extraordinary abilities of our athletes.

The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games will be one of the largest sporting events in the U.S. that year, bringing together thousands of athletes of all abilities, coaches, volunteers and fans from all 50 states. To learn more about the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, please visit 2026specialolympicsusagames.org. 

About U.S. Bank 

U.S. Bancorp, with approximately 70,000 employees and $676 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025, is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company serves millions of customers locally, nationally and globally through a diversified mix of businesses including consumer banking, business banking, commercial banking, institutional banking, payments and wealth management. U.S. Bancorp has been recognized for its approach to digital innovation, community partnerships and customer service, including being named one of the 2025 World’s Most Ethical Companies and one of Fortune’s most admired superregional banks. Learn more at usbank.com/about. 

About Special Olympics USA Games 

The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games—scheduled for June 20-26, 2026, across Minnesota’s Twin Cities with sports competitions at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine—is a national celebration of inclusivity, changing perceptions and the ability of the human spirit rising above limitations. The USA Games, with co-presenting partners Jersey Mike’s Subs and United Healthcare, will be one of the biggest U.S. sporting events of the year, drawing tens of thousands of fans to celebrate the ability of over 3,000 incredible athletes from all 50 states as they compete in 16 Olympic-type team and individual sports. As a state with a long history of championing inclusion, the USA Games now bring an unrivaled opportunity to Minnesota to spark new energy around the Special Olympics movement and create a lasting legacy of positive change.

Client background

The Urban Resource Institute (URI) is the nation’s largest provider of domestic violence shelters and services. URI focuses on the underserved needs of vulnerable populations, providing life-changing services to the New York City metroplex. The work of URI focuses on domestic violence, homelessness, poverty and trauma with the goal of increasing safety, family security and supportive communities.

The business challenge

Not-for-profits often rely on grants to sustain vital services and to finance specific projects or initiatives. In order to continue receiving funding from federal, state and city resources, URI needed to ensure their reporting was timely and accurate. URI’s accounting system was outdated and many of the processes were manual, resulting in time-consuming workloads that were prone to error.

Strategy and solution

Baker Tilly has a strong history of aiding not-for-profit organizations by offering distinctive services that make a significant difference in the community. With this deep knowledge, the Baker Tilly team designed an accounting system to meet the needs of URI. Baker Tilly worked with URI’s finance team to implement Sage Intacct, a cloud-based financial solution. Through collaboration, we created new processes and workflows that not only made reporting more efficient, but also tracked inventory that was not easily quantifiable before.

Results achieved

The URI team now has the confidence in their financial information to make critical decisions on projects and growth trajectory that were not available in the past.

As a result of this project, a purchase request can now be initiated by program team members and approvals can be electronically processed. The system has saved time by eliminating the need to physically track down team members or communicate via email for document approvals. All approvals have been streamlined and can be reviewed via the system’s audit trail.

To uphold excellence, URI continues to update its work processes and has established a service subscription agreement with Baker Tilly. This agreement grants URI unlimited access to consulting services and support for their strategic road map initiatives and operational processes.

For more information about Baker Tilly’s cloud-based solutions, or to learn how we can help your organization transform accounting processes, contact our team.

Originally published on PSEG ENERGIZE!

It was pure instinct. I didn’t even think.

Paul Manzi was stopped at a traffic light on Mount Prospect Avenue in Newark, New Jersey, when he witnessed the “surreal” scene of a young girl running into the street and around cars as a pit bull chased her, with her mother racing behind desperate to catch up to them.

While a slew of onlookers stood frozen with fear, our service technician Paul jumped into action to come to the rescue.

“When I saw a little 6- or 7-year-old girl getting attacked by an animal, it was pure instinct. I didn’t even think,” Paul said. “I ran to the back of my truck to get a stick, and I saw the umbrella.”

“I think [the umbrella] confuses dogs. I couldn’t believe it worked.

That pit bull tried to get at me, but he couldn’t get around the umbrella.”

-Paul Manzi, PSE&G Gas worker

The umbrella was key. About a year before, during a PSE&G safety training, dog handlers shared that an open umbrella is one of the best tools to use to stop a dog attack.

“I think it confuses dogs. I couldn’t believe it worked. That pit bull tried to get at me, but he couldn’t get around the umbrella,” Paul said, noting that while he had the dog occupied the mother and child ran behind a locked gate. Finally, the dog ran off.

Paul said that while he was searching for something to use to stop the dog, the dog had knocked the girl down and was on top of her. The girl’s mother attempted to pry the dog away but couldn’t. That’s when Paul was able to step in. He shudders to think what could have happened to both had he not been there.

After the dog ran off , Paul checked on the pair and asked if they were okay. The mother could only reply, “No.” He comforted them until an ambulance came, also staying to ensure the dog didn’t return.

“It was quite the week,” Paul said, noting that earlier in the week he responded to shut off gas at a house fire. Another day, he came to the aid of a cyclist he saw get struck by a car. Yet, he will never call himself a hero. “The mother is the real hero here,” Paul said.

“I’m pretty boring,” he said when describing himself and his nearly 19 years of service in PSE&G Gas Operations. “I’m a grandpa of four grandchildren and I think that had a lot to do with me helping that little girl.”

Paul said he’s a member of the PSE&G Safety Council and the company’s strong safety culture also helped him kick into action when needed.

“I went back to the safety council to tell everyone how well the umbrella worked,” Paul said. “Public Service is an amazing company with a great safety culture. Any one of us would have done the same thing.”

We’re grateful for employees like Paul, who jump into action to support members of our communities.

Hear Paul’s story on ABC7 Eyewitness News below.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 30, 2025 /3BL/ – The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), an initiative of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), today announced the release of its new standard suite that provides a common framework against which companies can assess environmental, social, occupational health and safety, and governance performance in their operations and mineral supply chains.

The new standard suite expands the due diligence toolkit for responsible sourcing, processing and manufacturing of raw materials to meet new and emerging regulatory requirements and to encourage continuous improvement of supplier practices across a comprehensive set of indicators.

The new standard suite includes the revised Facility Standard for Social, Environmental, OHS and Governance Risks, applicable for assessment of a mineral processor’s operations; and the Supply Chain Due Diligence Module Plus, focused on risk management systems for sourcing primary and secondary materials. The module is an add-on available only in combination with the RMI’s Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) standards or Downstream Assessment Program (DAP).

The new standard suite provides a strengthened framework for risk management, based on internationally recognized guidelines including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct. The standards were also designed to support requirements outlined in new mandatory due diligence regulations, including the EU Battery Regulation and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. These RMI standards help companies identify, assess and mitigate risks, remedy impacts, monitor and report on sustainability management systems, and enhance transparency and accountability within their supply chains.

The RMI recognizes that the evolving regulatory landscape and voluntary standards present a significant expansion of expectations, actions, and investment by companies all along the minerals value chain. Thus, in concert with the new standard suite, the RMI has also expanded its team providing technical assistance, as well as new trainings, guidance and tools available to mineral processors engaged in an RMI assessment, free of charge.

“With this new standard suite and accompanying training and technical assistance resources, the RMI has significantly expanded its due diligence support to RMI members and mineral processors in our assessment program. The RMI standards remain rooted in longstanding international norms while now reflecting newly emerging company needs and stakeholder expectations for regulatory compliance, managing sustainability risks and impacts, and fostering responsible mineral supply chains,” said Jennifer Peyser, Executive Director of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI).

The standard suite underwent an extensive review process in 2024-2025, beginning with benchmarking against new and incoming regulations, including the EU Battery Regulation, the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act. The review process included consultations with RMI members, the public, and the RMI’s Multi-Stakeholder Standards Advisory Committee to ensure alignment with regulatory developments, stakeholder priorities, and industry practices and practicalities.

Learn more about the new RMI standards and associated tools here on the RMI website.

About the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) 
The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), an initiative of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), is a multi-industry initiative with more than 500 member companies. Its members contribute to the development and international uptake of a range of tools and resources focused on minerals supply chain due diligence, including independent third-party assessments for smelters, Minerals Reporting Templates, supply chain risk assessment tools, and guidance documents on responsible sourcing of all minerals/metals. RMI members also have access to specialized due diligence tools, including country of origin data and the RMI Facility Database. The RMI runs regular workshops on responsible sourcing issues and contributes to policy development with civil society organizations and governments. For more information, visit ResponsibleMineralsInitiative.org

Media Contact
Jarrett Bens, Senior Director of Communications
Responsible Business Alliance
Phone: +1 571.858.5721
jbens@responsiblebusiness.org

No one knew it at the time, but Christopher Hibbler’s grandparents got him interested in a medical career. Just not in the way you might think.

Both developed Alzheimer’s Disease, and Hibbler, who was a high school teenager at the time, helped care for them.

“That sparked my interest in the medical field,” he said.

More than a decade later, he works as a senior clinical specialist supporting our Cardiac Ablation Solutions (CAS) business, treating patients with abnormal heart rhythms.

Hibbler is on the road four to five days a week, traveling to hospitals across the southern United States, coaching and teaching electrophysiologists how to use Medtronic CAS devices.

“To care for people, it’s just overwhelming joy,” he said. “If I can supply a product that I trust and believe in, it warms my heart.”

Today he’s setting his sights even higher, thanks to the Medtronic Advancement Pathways and Skill building (MAPS) program. MAPS provides debt-free education for employees, and Hibbler leaped at the opportunity.

He had been a certified surgical technologist pursuing his bachelor’s degree in healthcare leadership—paying out of pocket while working fulltime at Medtronic—when he learned about MAPS.

“I was able to take 17 credits a semester. That really gave me the push to finish,” he said. “It was such a relief, knowing the tuition was paid for on the front end.”

Launched in 2022, MAPS now offers more than 800 degrees, skills courses and certifications to qualified employees, and pays the full course tuition upfront. Employees can choose courses from more than a dozen qualified institutions, in careers such as equipment maintenance, cybersecurity, facilities management, HR services and many more. More than 2,300 employees have already taken advantage of the program.

With the help of MAPS, Hibbler graduated nearly two years earlier than planned.

He intends to become an account manager and someday a vice president of sales, opportunities that might not have been within reach without the degree MAPS helped him earn. He’s such a fan of MAPS that he’s serving as an ambassador to help spread the word among employees.

“Education is so important. I became a first-generation college graduate in my family, helping fulfill a dream my parents had for me, and setting the path for the next generation,” Hibbler said. “My grandparents would be amazed to see how far I’ve come. I know they’re proud of me.”

Learn more about Medtronic and the MAPS program in the annual Impact Report.