Category: Uncategorized

Originally published on DICK’S Sporting Goods Newsroom

PITTSBURGH, February 3, 2025 /3BL/ — The University of Texas at Austin Athletics and DICK’S Sporting Goods announced an exclusive multi-year brand sponsorship that names DICK’S as the “Official Sporting Goods Retailer of the Texas Longhorns.”

In addition to co-branding with the iconic Texas Longhorns logo in DICK’S marketing campaigns, the sponsorship includes prominent student-athlete influencer marketing activations through name, image, and likeness (NIL) collaborations, including game sponsorships across various Longhorns sports, and activations at Bevo Blvd. The agreement was secured on behalf of Texas Athletics by its multimedia rightsholder Longhorn Sports Properties, the locally-based team of Learfield – the leading media and technology company powering college athletics.

“We are really excited to sponsor The University of Texas Athletics,” said Mark Rooks, VP of Creative, Entertainment & Sponsorships at DICK’S Sporting Goods. “Austin is home to one of the best fan bases and some of the most elite athletes in the country. We look forward to making meaningful connections within the community, celebrating with Longhorn Nation and working with Texas’ student-athletes through a multitude of different NIL opportunities.”

With the agreement, Longhorn student-athletes from various men’s and women’s sports will have an opportunity to promote the DICK’S brand through in-store appearances and unique content on various social media channels and the Longhorn Network (LHN) streaming platform.

“DICK’S is the leading sporting goods store in Texas and the United States with a history of supporting collegiate merchandise programs through innovative retail concepts, best-in-class product assortments and creative national and local marketing programs,” executive senior associate athletics director Drew Martin said. “Now through this sponsorship with The University of Texas, we are excited to enhance that relationship and deliver more Longhorns-branded product to our fan base locally here in Austin as well as throughout Texas and the United States.”

DICK’S will be featured as the game sponsor on numerous occasions for Longhorn men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball throughout the remainder of the 2024-25 athletics year and beyond. During Texas Football home games at Darrell K Royal –Texas Memorial Stadium, DICK’S will serve as the presenting sponsor of Hook ‘Em Herd, a pre-game experience which gives kids the chance to run the length of Campbell-Williams Field in front of more than 100,000 Longhorn fans before kickoff, inspiring younger generations to dream about how sports can change their lives.

On Texas Football gamedays, on-site activations will allow DICK’S to connect with students and fans alike on the famed Bevo Blvd. In the offseason, DICK’S will serve as the presenting sponsor of the Texas Football Coaches’ Clinics for high school coaches across the state.

“We’re thrilled to announce DICK’S Sporting Goods as our Official Sporting Goods Retailer,” said Lucas Motta, Vice President & General Manager of Longhorn Sports Properties. “DICK’S vision around showcasing the power of sports through a year-round approach across our multimedia platforms is a model on how to maximize a sponsorship at Texas.”

Longhorn Sports Properties does not represent the student-athletes themselves but collaborates with corporate sponsors to maximize agreements with the inclusion of student-athlete influencer marketing and the integration of university marks and logos within those campaigns.

About DICK’S Sporting Goods 
DICK’S Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) creates confidence and excitement by inspiring, supporting and personally equipping all athletes to achieve their dreams. Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, the leading omnichannel retailer serves athletes and outdoor enthusiasts in more than 850 DICK’S Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Public Lands, Going Going Gone! and Warehouse Sale stores, online, and through the DICK’S mobile app. DICK’S also owns and operates DICK’S House of Sport and Golf Galaxy Performance Center, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile platform for live streaming, scheduling, communications and scorekeeping.

Driven by its belief that sports have the power to change lives, DICK’S has been a longtime champion for youth sports and, together with its Foundation, has donated millions of dollars to support under-resourced teams and athletes through the Sports Matter program and other community-based initiatives. Additional information about DICK’S business, corporate giving, sustainability efforts and employment opportunities can be found on dicks.com, investors.dicks.com, sportsmatter.org, dickssportinggoods.jobs and on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X.

About The University of Texas Athletics 
During the past five years, Texas Athletics has won 12 national championships and 54 conference titles. The program has also undergone a comprehensive facilities renovation touching all 21 sports, the largest in the history of college athletics, and a reimagined football gameday experience. During this time, Texas has won three of the last four Learfield Directors’ Cup titles, an annual award given to the nation’s top-performing athletics department. Texas Athletics is one of the few athletics programs in the country that is self-sustaining, generating $7 million annually for the University’s academic enterprises. The program does not use state funding. Texas is a proud member of the Southeastern Conference.

About Learfield 
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand sponsors, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

Media Contact 
DICK’S Sporting Goods – press@dcsg.com

Category: Company

SOURCE DICK’S Sporting Goods

The newest “US Sustainable Investing Trends Report” from the US SIF is Establishing a Baseline Universe for Sustainable Investment & Stewardship. Here are several Key Highlights: 

Market Size and Sustainable Investment (AUM): US SIF analysis, based on submissions to the SEC, records the US market size as $52.5 trillion, of which $6.5 trillion (12%) were identified or marketed as Sustainable or ESG investment.Market Size and Stewardship (AUM): US SIF analysis finds that 79% of the US market AUM, or $41.5 trillion, was covered by a stewardship policy. More research is needed to drill down further within the assets covered by a stewardship policy. Clearly not every asset covered within a stewardship policy receives an action or engagement in any given year.Both of these numbers create a new baseline which will enable us to better understand the market, interrogate policies and practices and replicate analysis of the US sustainable investing assets and US responsible/ sustainable stewardship over time.

US SIF Report provides Insights on Sustainable Investing 

Perceptions on the Growth of Sustainable Investing: 73% of respondents expect the sustainable investment market to grow over the next one to two years; however, only 39% of respondents expect their own organizations to increase sustainable investing.Trends in Sustainable Investing: The evolution of policies and regulations (69%) and the development of market standards (51%) continue to be leading trends, along with a focus on AI and data analytics (65%). The expansion of impact investing (58%) and the growth in subfields of sustainable investing (42%) were also highlighted by respondents.Sustainable Development Priorities: Addressing climate change and the clean energy transition are a clear priority for respondents. Concerns about how this will impact stakeholders are also high on investors’ agendas (Communities, Decent Work & Equality).

Read the full article, which includes the Use of Sustainable Investing Strategies, here – https://greenmoney.com/key-highlights-from-the-us-sustainable-investing-trends-report/

======

February 3, 2025 /3BL/ – The U.S. Food Waste Pact, a national voluntary agreement that is focused on reducing waste in the U.S. food system through precompetitive collaboration and data sharing, announced today that Starbucks Coffee Company has become the second Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) to join the Pact.

According to estimates from U.S. Food Waste Pact resource partner ReFED, 38% of food produced in the United States goes uneaten or unsold, with the vast majority becoming waste that gets sent to destinations like landfills, incinerators, and sewer systems. This waste has harmful effects on the environment, generating 5.2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, which includes the highly potent greenhouse gas methane. The over 90 million tons of wasted food is equivalent to 149 billion meals, and it is worth about $495 billion annually.

“For the past 50 years, Starbucks has focused on giving back to the communities we serve. We take an innovative approach to reduce food waste, such as through our FoodShare program, where we donate surplus food from our stores to local food banks. We also help strengthen food banks to ensure donations are distributed equitably and sustainably. By participating in the U.S. Food Waste Pact, we work with others in the industry to improve food waste reduction, both within Starbucks and across the sector,” shared Kelly Goodejohn, Starbucks chief social impact officer.

Since 2016, Starbucks FoodShare program has diverted more than 75 million pounds of food from waste streams and donated more than 63 million meals. FoodShare is available in 100% company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada, and food rescue programs operate in more than 30 global markets. Starbucks has a goal to reduce food waste in US operations by 50% by 2030, a goal aligned with many other Pact signatories in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. Joining the Pact will bolster Starbucks’ existing efforts through the Pact’s offerings around collaboration and benchmarking.

“Having Starbucks as a signatory of the U.S. Food Waste Pact is a big step forward for the QSR subsector,” said Jackie Suggitt, VP of Business Initiatives & Community Engagement at ReFED. “Starbucks is an industry leader, especially when it comes to food donation and the example that their FoodShare program is setting. Food waste happens across the supply chain, and targeting the QSR subsector broadens our impact and action in reducing food waste systemwide.”

In addition to Starbucks, current U.S. Food Waste Pact signatories across the food system include Ahold Delhaize USA, ALDI US, Amazon Fresh, Aramark, Bob’s Red Mill, Chick-fil-A, Compass Group USA, Del Monte Fresh Produce Company, Health Care Without Harm, ISS Guckenheimer, Lamb Weston, Inc, R&DE Stanford Food Institute, Raley’s, Sodexo USA, Walmart Inc., and Whole Foods Market.

###

About the U.S. Food Waste Pact

The U.S. Food Waste Pact is a national voluntary agreement that uses the “Target, Measure, Act” framework to reduce food waste across the supply chain. The Pact works with waste-generating food businesses to collect and analyze data about food waste in their operations, share best practices through precompetitive working groups, and pilot and scale solutions through intervention projects. The Pact is an initiative between nonprofits ReFED and the World Wildlife Fund. For more information about the U.S. Food Waste Pact, visit http://usfoodwastepact.org/.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 40,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at stories.starbucks.com or www.starbucks.com.

 

Media Contacts: 
Nia D’Emilio, ReFED 
nia.demilio@refed.org

Susan McCarthy, WWF 
susan.mccarthy@wwfus.org