Tag: 3BL

At the Henkel site in Bridgewater, New Jersey, adhesive experts develop some of the most high-tech, innovative, and modern adhesive solutions in the world. Team members pay special attention to enabling production automation, improving sustainability processes, and enhancing consumer comfort, as well as convenience. In 2023 the company made a significant investment in the facility to enhance collaboration and innovation with customers.

Henkel’s investment in the center is a testament to its commitment to grow and enhance its market position in the U.S, contributing to profitable growth. The Adhesive Technologies’ Technology Center in Bridgewater expands on Henkel’s leading position in sustainability and innovation by providing a functional, yet inspiring, collaboration space for partners and customers. Through onsite collaboration at the Technology Center, we can fully customize customer interaction to focus on co-innovation and joint value creation.

Pernille Lind Olsen, Corporate Vice President, Packaging and Consumer Goods Adhesives

HISTORY

The Bridgewater facility became part of Henkel with the acquisition of the adhesives business of National Starch and Chemical Company in April 2008. Henkel recently made a significant investment in the facility which led to the opening of the Technology Center Bridgewater with a focus on innovation as its core. The Center provides an environment for collaboration with customers representing over 800 industry segments to work with Henkel’s team to develop innovative solutions.

The central focus of Adhesive Technologies’ innovation activities is developing sustainable solutions for our customers. With the help of digital technologies, many exhibits, and numerous labs, customers from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico can directly experience our innovative and technological power. We’re excited to invite customers and partners alike to the facility to work together with us.

Michael Harwell, Vice President of Innovation, Consumer Goods Adhesives

DID YOU KNOW?

The Technology Center Bridgewater occupies 70,000 square ft. at the central New Jersey site. The facility showcases Henkel’s entire technology portfolio of adhesives, sealants, functional coatings, and specialty materials.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Bridgewater community at Henkel is well-versed in volunteerism and community service! The team has recently been a part of several volunteer opportunities, including those at Hillsborough Middle School and the Earth Day cleanup initiative. Our employees keep themselves involved in various sustainability and environmental volunteer activities around the Bridgewater community.

Decarbonizing our economy is the defining challenge of our time. To date, the European Union (EU) has been a global leader on decarbonization, setting the planet’s most ambitious emissions reductions targets. But to ensure decarbonization objectives are more than well-intentioned goals, we must radically change key aspects of our day-to-day lives. This includes revolutionizing the way we heat and cool our homes, offices, and industrial installations, as well as the schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure on which our lives depend. Heat pumps can be a silver bullet for accelerating this transition.

Consumers are catching on to the value of heat pumps – 2022 was a record-breaking year for the heat pump market, with around 3 million units sold across 16 European markets1. These heat pumps replace roughly 4 billion cubic metres of natural gas, avoiding about 8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. They are a critical, cost-efficient solution for driving international climate efforts, as heat pumps significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy efficiency. Indeed, by the end of 2022, the heat pumps installed across Europe had avoided over 54 million tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of the annual emissions of Greece2.

Demand for heat pumps is expected to grow. Aside from increased awareness of their benefits, initiatives like the European Union’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive are encouraging building renovations and the use of heat pumps, in line with the European Green Deal.

Equally important in reducing emissions is the type of refrigerant heat pumps use. HFO (hydrofluoroolefins) refrigerants offer a combination of high performance, low GWP (global warming potential), and safety, a view that is supported by most experts, leading heat pump equipment manufacturers and associations, the European Commission, and the International Energy Agency. HFOs enable a transition to a far more environmentally friendly solution when compared to legacy refrigerants without compromising performance – in fact, they offer optimal performance across various applications and sectors, cut costs, and have been deemed safe for their intended uses by rigorous studies.

With this in mind, it is of paramount importance that the European Parliament and Council deliver balanced proposals that allow diverse refrigerants – and HFOs in particular – to play a role in decarbonization. A restrictive policy approach that prioritizes specific refrigerants, such as the industrial gases known as “natural refrigerants,” overlooks the unique contributions of HFOs to decarbonization. Moreover, such a policy is likely to generate unintended consequences. For example, the vast majority of heat pumps today are designed to be compatible with HFOs. Should HFO access be limited, thousands if not millions of heat pumps would be rendered obsolete. This would be a disaster in terms of costs for citizens, families, and contractors, and would cause an incredible amount of material waste, bringing heat pump expansion across Europe to a grinding halt or, even worse, feeding illegal trade of FGAS to the EU.

Moreover, to ensure we can implement heat pumps at scale, refrigerants must be safe to use in a variety of applications. Most HFOs are classified as A2L refrigerants, and the global standard for evaluating the safety of refrigerants (ASHRAE) classifies commercially available and proven A2L refrigerants as non-toxic with low flammability. This makes them preferable than many alternatives, some of which are highly flammable and restricted under EU building regulations. 
 

EHPA estimates that around 60 million3 heat pumps would be installed in the EU by 2030, a figure that invigorates hope around decarbonization. To remain on this path, however, the EU should avoid creating counterproductive conditions that slow heat pump adoption. Diversity of choice is critical to attaining the objectives of the EU Green Deal through the use of heat pumps and, from an equipment design and market deployment perspective, their rapid adoption depends on access to the entire panel of refrigerants and a smooth shift toward low GWP HFOs. Additionally, restricting access to F-gas refrigerants would disrupt supply chains, product design, and engineering, with adverse consequences for heat pump implementation across Europe and the achievement of REPowerEU targets. The lack of viable alternatives in heat pumps might also prolong European reliance on fossil fuels for heating, undermining climate and energy progress.

With this in mind, and given the urgency of the moment, the EU and the planet cannot afford to jeopardize the heat pump transition. Decarbonization will only materialize if we use the best tools at our disposal, which offer the optimal balance of environmental sustainability, performance, safety, and cost-effectiveness. As we make consequential choices on the road to decarbonization, decision-makers should determine the most effective uses of limited time and resources.

We a have once-in-a-generation opportunity to take swift and strategic action. To make sure we deliver on this opportunity, we must preserve access to the technologies needed to propel Europe into a more prosperous, secure, and sustainable future. 

Natalia Duchini is Chemours’ Global Technology Senior Director for its Thermal & Specialized Solutions business. Read more about our ambition to make chemistry as responsible as it is essential here.

 

¹ European Heat Pump Association, “Heat pump record: 3 million units sold in 2022, contributing to REPowerEU targets” (https://www.ehpa.org/press_releases/heat-pump-record-3-million-units-sold-in-2022-contributing-to-repowereu-targets/) 

² European Heat Pump Association, “Frequently Asked Questions” (https://www.ehpa.org/frequently-asked-questions/)

³ European Heat Pump Association (https://www.ehpa.org/2022/06/12/ehpa_news/repowereu-heat-pump-strategy-required-to-help-sector deliver/)

Addressing food insecurity

Hungry bellies are not only painful, but they distract from the important things families need to focus on to live their best lives. By donating dollars and hours to foodbanks across the state, Entergy Arkansas employees address a huge issue in the state, where 1 in 4 people lives in poverty and 17% face food insecurity.

Entergy’s focus on poverty solutions is rooted in the economic reality of the region we serve. Our service territory encompasses areas some of the highest poverty states and counties in the nation.

Unfortunately, food insecurity is not unique to Arkansans. In fact, zero hunger is one of the top two United Nations Sustainability Goals, and we align our Corporate Social Responsibility goals closely with the group. The top two are “No Poverty” and “Zero Hunger.” Across all four states Entergy serves, we have a goal of providing 1.5 million meals through 2023 and 18,000 volunteer hours.

Entergy Arkansas routinely lands in the top three in terms of volunteer hours with the Arkansas Foodbank Network, the largest hunger relief agency in the state, based in Little Rock but serving more than 300 pantries and soup kitchens in more than 33 counties. Additionally, the company donates thousands of dollars to it each year, along with many other food pantries across the state.

Last year, we partnered with several summer feeding programs aimed at providing meals to children who are normally served through their school district. We also funded meals to seniors through Area Agencies on Aging, which deliver daily meals to seniors who are homebound.

Through the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, we support programs such as the SNAP Outreach Team, which typically worked in communities to help determine SNAP eligibility, answer questions, and works as a liaison with the Department of Human Services on behalf of applicants. As a result of the pandemic, the team were no longer able to safely go out into the field and help people apply for benefits. In response, they created the SNAP-Ark Call Center, a hotline to help Arkansans apply for SNAP, follow up with application questions, and check the status of their benefits.

Board Service

One intentional way Entergy Arkansas serves its communities is through volunteer service on various nonprofit boards. John Bethel, director of public affairs, currently serves as secretary on the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance board of directors.

Our many partners, which also includes the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, are also important in raising awareness of the economic, academic and social impact hunger has on our state. We know that people who have access to nutritional food in adequate amounts have less stress and therefore the ability to be their best in so many areas, as an employee, student, parent, friend and citizen of their community. These partners are making an effort each day to help those in need.

Founded more than 25 years ago, Cisco Networking Academy continues to be one of the longest-standing IT skills-to-jobs programs of its kind, in the world. But how can a 25-year-old program address today’s digital skills hiring trends?

Now, more than ever, ‘disruption’ is at the top of mind for businesses around the globe. A program such as Networking Academy, which was set up at its foundation to provide learners with the most up-to-date and in-demand technical skills, is well-placed to address the needs of the current and future global digital skills market.

Change has always been at the core of the Networking Academy program’s offerings.

A recent WEF Future of Jobs Report found that more than 85 percent of organizations surveyed said that transformation of their organization will be driven by increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and broadening digital access.

Networking Academy, through it’s extensive ecosystem of education partners and flexible learning options, is training those change agents, today.

About the Be the Bridge and Golden Bridge Awards

Cisco Networking Academy’s Be the Bridge Awards were launched during Networking Academy’s first-ever virtual Global Partner Conference in May 2021 (fiscal 2020) to recognize the exemplary efforts of Networking Academy partners who lead in their dedication to achieving student success. Every Be the Bridge Award winner has excelled in one or more of the following categories: Inclusive Futures, Global Reach, Impacting Lives, Learning Innovation, and Partnerships.

Additionally, in each of Cisco Networking Academy’s geographic regions, a prestigious Golden Bridge Award is presented to the individual or institution that showed exceptional commitment to prioritizing student success over the previous year.

The success of Cisco Networking Academy is powered by the dedication and passion of people who work towards providing equitable access to education for all. Our united purpose remains the same: to impact the lives of learners, educators, and communities through the power of technology, education, and career opportunities.

It was my absolute pleasure to present the majority of our Golden Bridge Award winners for 2023 in-person at various Partner Conferences held from May to June. Each Be the Bridge winner in each region received a certificate of achievement, a trophy, and were entered as finalists in the annual Golden Bridge Awards, with an opportunity to celebrate their achievement through blogs and other social marketing materials. In addition, Golden Bridge Award winners receive a trophy and publicity on Cisco.com.

I am thrilled to share the five Cisco Networking Academy Golden Bridge Award Winners for 2023.

2023 Golden Bridge Award winners

University of Information Technology and Management, Poland

This award recognizes the outstanding response and partnership to support Ukrainian refugees in building their digital skills and employability through the Start IT educational program Cisco4Ukraine. University of Information Technology and Management’s (UITM) ability to scale at speed from 700 people in the pilot phase to 5,000 new registrations with the official launch of the program on February 1, 2023, shows how the partnerships with Networking Academy are impacting lives. Thank you to everyone behind this initiative.

Learn more in this video.

As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, millions of Ukrainian civilians were forced to flee to other countries, mainly to Poland. According to figures from the UN refugee agency, 90 percent of these refugees were women and children. Poles opened hearts and homes to host Ukrainian refugees and help them to overcome many challenges and establish a new life.

UITM is based in Rzeszów, a city in southeastern Poland and close to the Ukrainian border. As an educational institution, UITM already had long-standing relations with Ukraine. And as a Cisco Networking Academy Support Center and Instructor Training Center, UITM was well experienced in developing and delivery of educational projects for different types of learners. With the Networking Academy partnership and a Cisco Foundation training grant, UITM was able to transform the initial humanitarian support provided to the refugees into a more programmable approach, addressing the need to build digital skills, upskilling, and reskilling newcomers, and to open new opportunities for displaced Ukrainians. UITM started with a pilot program, hiring Ukrainian Networking Academy instructors to deliver the courses, and adjusted the project to the specific requirements of the Ukrainian refugees.

UITM used a range of communication channels to reach the refugees, including social media, PR activities, partnerships with local governments in Poland and Ukraine, and collaboration with non-government organizations that support Ukrainian citizens.

“So far, over 4,300 refugees from Ukraine have taken part in various trainings. We expect the first graduates of the full pathway in September 2023. They will then be offered the opportunity to participate in advanced training, which will last for the next few months. Meantime many learners complete the short courses and collect the digital badges offered on the Skills for All platform. 

The employment process is very individual and depends on many factors. Start IT Cisco4Ukraine not only gives an opportunity to learn new tech skills, reskill, upskill, and prepare for their first tech jobs but also empowers learners and creates a pipeline of talent who want to develop and achieve more. We invite the course graduates to enroll in Cisco Talent Bridge Matching Engine platform to access the opportunities advertised by the Cisco ecosystem and we provide the resources to prepare for the recruitment processes and job market demand.

We are proud that the Cisco Networking Academy community appreciated our commitment to supporting refugees from Ukraine. We feel honored, but at the same time, this distinction strengthens our motivation for further action. We are very happy that the first results of this project are already visible – although the training is ongoing and the full path of training has not been completed yet, we observe that thanks to the Start IT Cisco4Ukraine project individuals are open to new opportunities and better equipped with skills critical in the digital economy. We believe that granting this award to our university will also help in the further promotion of the project and convince new learners to join our free training in the field of cybersecurity and programming.”
~Lucjan Hajder, IT Director, UITM

National Information Technology Development Agency, Nigeria

This award recognizes National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) partnership, under the Ministry Communications Technology and Digital Economy, in championing digital skills implementation and digital literacy and skills development programs, with the aim of reaching a 95 percent digital literacy level in the Federal Government of Nigeria by 2030. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the success of these initiatives. We would particularly like to highlight your partnership with Cisco Networking Academy to train over 2,000 students in Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) towards industry certification, and over 10,000 service providers in Cybersecurity. Your support, engagement with Networking Academy instructors, and free internet data for the students engaged in the training is positively impacting lives.

“It is always a delight to receive awards in recognition of our efforts as they inspire us to do more. It offers the next level of motivation which could have profound impacts on us and the society at large. This award in particular serves as a confidence booster as it helps us track the success of our desired trajectory in trying to achieve a digital Nigeria. Not only did receiving this award feel gratifying by validating our efforts and the digital transformation agenda, it is also a testimony that we are on the right track towards transforming Nigeria into a leading digital economy, providing quality life and economic prosperity for all.”
~Muhammad Kabir Salihu (MNSE, COREN), Deputy Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions Department, Information Solutions Department (ITIS), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

Read more about NITDA.

Fundación Omar Dengo, Costa Rica

The Fundación Omar Dengo (FOD) is credited with this well-deserved recognition by celebrating its impact through the Cisco Networking Academy program on young people and adults from different provinces of the country. As a key partner of the program in Costa Rica, FOD demonstrates its excellence in its areas of performance, overcoming challenges and barriers that they have encountered along the way and creating their own routes to success, in an innovative and autonomous way. As part of its management, the FOD collaborates in the creation of complementary content designed specifically for its audiences, developing programs for the community and for the underserved.

In fiscal 2023, FOD receives the Golden Bridge Award for contributing to the acceleration of learning digital skills in the local ecosystem by closing the digital divide and promoting employability programs in topics such as programming, cybersecurity, networks and Internet of Things, among others. Congratulations to all involved.

“The Omar Dengo Foundation has promoted workforce development for 35 years through educational proposals that are based on the use of new technologies. It is an honor for us to receive this award, which recognizes the role we have played in closing digital gaps, mainly in promoting employability programs in areas such as programming, cybersecurity, networks, and the Internet of Things.”
~Elena Carreras, Director, Innova Educational Development, Fundación Omar Dengo

EdCreate Foundation, India

This award recognizes a significant milestone for EdCreate of reaching more than 100,000 students in India, making EdCreate our largest Networking Academy partner in India. We are in awe of how many underserved communities EdCreate serves in their educational focus – up to 70 or 80 percent! We are also excited to see employer partnerships in India successfully placing students in IT companies, to further create career opportunities for them.

You can read more from a recent blog.

“The challenges to educate underserved students in rural Indian areas are many and include infrastructure in the colleges, lack of well-equipped laboratories, workshops, and classrooms, which hinders the effective delivery of any technical education program. Regulatory challenges such as compliance with regulatory frameworks, accreditation processes, and frequent policy changes can also be a challenge for technical education institutions. Navigating these requirements while ensuring quality education becomes very demanding. We are constantly juggling the quality of the faculty, industry/academia gaps, lack of research and innovation, access and affordability, as well as the rural/urban divide.

When we began our partnership with Cisco, we underestimated the magnitude of impact Cisco Networking Academy program can bring in people’s lives. There is a profound effect on millions of students and their families when we create a world-class, employable, digital workforce, far beyond what the individuals, themselves, had originally anticipated, too. The journey so far has been very transformative.”

Thanks to Cisco India Team and the global leadership for this continued support and their belief in our work. We are truly honored and humbled to receive the Golden Bridge Award for the second year in a row. It is a validation of the hard work and dedication that went into developing our organization as the largest Cisco Networking Academy partner in the world today. Looking to the future, EdCreate Foundation aims to expand in all Indian geographies, as it plans to “go global”. “With the help of our wonderful team, tech adoption and our strategic alliances with multiple governments, we will scale faster in our commitment to create a digital and employable workforce.”
~Manas Deep, co-founder, EdCreate Foundation

Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana, United States

Through the Ivy Tech’s Valparaiso campus Routing Switching Certificate program, Ivy Tech Community College  participates in the State Earn and Learn (SEAL) Program. This ten-month program is a part of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. It is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce. Individuals can obtain paid work experience and receive progressive wage increases, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential. SEAL programs are certified by the State of Indiana. Applicants work in collaboration with employers to achieve certification.

The Golden Bridge Award recognizes Ivy Tech for providing students with the skills needed to work in the IT field and the ability to earn industry-recognized certifications. We’re also excited to see apprenticeship opportunities expanding with local business community partnerships, impacting the lives of students and the organizations they will ultimately work for.

“Ivy Tech Community College is honored to be a recipient of the Cisco Networking Academy Golden Bridge Award for 2023. Ivy Tech’s vision is that our students will earn 50,000 high-quality credentials each year aligned with the needs of Indiana’s workforce and communities. Our partnership with Cisco and the Cisco Networking Academy is vital in reaching this vision and our commitment to our students. This also aligns with one of the goals of the Cisco Networking Academy, to “provide skills training through strong public-private partnerships, high-quality curriculum, and inclusive workforce development programs.”
~Ben Marrero – Cisco Academy Support Center, Interim Dean, School of IT, Valparaiso Campus

“Internships are crucial to the student’s learning process and eventual success. Within internships, classroom concepts suddenly become fundamental tools of the trade as you interact and learn in a professional setting. Our Routing and Switching SEAL program gives our students real-world experiences. Also, internships help build résumés and teach instrumental, career-developing qualities. Internships help develop your professionalism and encourage character growth and characteristics like integrity, commitment, and self-motivation, which are several traits learned through an internship.” says Mr. Marrero.

This is the first Ivy Tech School of IT program to be credited by the Indiana SEAL program, with future plans to expand to other IT programs, such as Cybersecurity and Programming.

“I have been attending Ivy Tech for three years to obtain my Associated Degree in Network Infrastructure. Throughout my studies, I have taken many of the networking courses that Ivy Tech provides through Cisco, and they have all helped me get the current job I have. The most beneficial course Ivy Tech has from Cisco was the Infrastructure Design – Logical and Physical (SEAL program), it has helped me with my current job where I have had to build labs and make my own cables. I have said to Ben Marrero multiple times that I would be happy to take the class again because learning about fiber optic cabling and making those cables was fun and interesting to learn about.”
~Lawrence De Rozairo, Student at Ivy Tech Community College

2023 Be the Bridge Award winners

Europe-CIS

IFOA, Italy

Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain

Middle East and Africa

Department of Higher Education South Africa

African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute, Kenya

Latin America

Edutek, Guatemala

SENAI – SP, Brazil

Asia Pacific, Japan, and China

Bachkhoa Academy, Vietnam

Electrical and Information Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, India

United States and Canada

Montgomery County Community College

Western Academy Support and Training Center

Previous Be the Bridge Awards winners

2022 Cisco Networking Academy announces Golden Bridge Award winners while celebrating 25 years of impact – Cisco Blogs

2021 Cisco Networking Academy recognizes top partners and instructors – Cisco Blogs
 

View original content here.

Fifth Third Bank hosted its seventh annual Supplier Diversity Summit on August 8. With a theme of “Collaboration + Innovation = Growth,” the summit focused on helping diverse-owned businesses position themselves for growth and discover ways to expand business opportunities with larger corporations.

“Having an inclusive and diverse business ecosystem is a strategic imperative for Fifth Third to help bring more jobs and investment to our communities,” said Kala Gibson, executive vice president and chief corporate responsibility officer for Fifth Third. “Our supplier network fosters innovation and it’s a privilege to collaborate to improve the well-being of our citizens while serving our customers’ needs.”

The 2023 program featured a keynote address from Cris Carter, NFL Hall of Fame member and CEO of CB Tech. Since 1990, CB Tech has helped Fortune 500 companies with managed services in facilities maintenance. As a Middletown, Ohio native, Cris attended The Ohio State University where he studied communications and was a first-team All-American and two-time All-Big Ten football player. He has been recognized for his work with disadvantaged youth, receiving the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 1999 while a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

Fifth Third is committed to a diverse supply chain for the benefit of its customers, shareholders, employees and communities. Since the inception of its Supplier Diversity program, Fifth Third’s spending with Tier 11 diverse suppliers has grown from $7.5 million in 2014 to $119.6 million in 2022 and surpassed the bank’s goal of representing 10% of total supplier spending with diverse companies.

Fifth Third hosts the Supplier Diversity Summit each year to connect companies with minority, women, people with disabilities, and veteran owners and to help to encourage more business relationships with Fifth Third. It also is a way for diverse business owners to gain perspectives from each other and to network with other corporate partners. More than 175 attendees representing over 130 companies across 15 states participated in the event in 2023.

CLEVELAND, August 15, 2023 /3BL/—KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) has appointed Zammy Arcos to senior relationship manager, to expand the firm’s equity originations activity. She will be focused on KeyBank’s community development banking efforts in North Carolina and the Northeast region. The move comes as KeyBank continues its commitment to affordable housing across the country, with a focus on expanding its CDLI platform. Arcos is based in Charlotte, N.C. and reports to Victoria O’Brien, senior vice president and head of equity originations at KeyBank Real Estate Capital.

“I am thrilled to welcome Zammy to the team to expand our reach,” said O’Brien. “In 2021 we set a goal to double affordable housing investments and lending by the end of 2023, and with our continued focus on expanding our team and services, we are projected to reach that mark.”

Arcos brings more than 15 years of experience focused on community development and commercial real estate to KeyBank. Arcos spent much of her career at Bank of America across the Midwest and Southeast markets in the Community Development Banking Group where she most recently served as a Credit Officer focused on construction and permanent debt financing as well as tax credit equity investments for the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of affordable housing projects.

Arcos earned her B.B.A degree from Loyola University in Chicago.

About KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment

KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) finances projects that stabilize and revitalize communities across all 50 states. As one of the top affordable housing capital providers in the country, KeyBank’s platform brings together construction, acquisition, bridge-to-re-syndication, and preservation loans, as well as lines of credit, Agency and HUD permanent mortgage executions, and equity investments for low-income housing projects, especially Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing. KeyBank has earned 10 consecutive “Outstanding” ratings on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, making it the first U.S. national bank among the 25 largest to do so since the Act’s passage in 1977.

About KeyCorp

KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $195 billion at June 30, 2023. 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 1,300 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 is Member FDIC.

Originally published on 3M News Center

The U.S. is facing a “structural labor shortage.”

That’s what Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, said during a recent speech.

The latest data shows 10 million U.S. job openings with only 5.7 million unemployed workers available to fill those roles. One of most affected industries has been manufacturing, with a reported 803,000 vacancies in the United States. Globally, the vacancies are estimated to reach 8 million by the year 2030.

With such a tight labor market expected for years to come, more businesses are investing in automation, with many calling 3M for help.

3M opened its first robotics lab more than 30 years ago and now operates 10 labs in eight countries around the world. The company offers a wide portfolio of robotic solutions that automate abrasive and adhesive manufacturing processes. These systems allow businesses to continue operations with better reliability, consistency and, ultimately, cost effectiveness.

Robots for automakers

One notable example is an award-winning solution for the automotive industry called the 3M™ Finesse-It™ Robotic Paint Repair System.

Nearly every new vehicle off the assembly line needs to be visually inspected for paint defects and then sanded, polished and repainted. It’s a labor intensive and costly process for auto manufactures.

3M partnered with world-leading robotics expert FANUC to help deliver a solution by fully automating this inspection and rework process. The two companies are working closely with several major auto manufacturers.

“3M has perfected the recipe of paint repair over decades and holds the utmost credibility in the market,” said Jonathan Karr, vice president at FANUC. “We’ve taken that knowledge and added it to a robotics application.”

Here’s a video of the robot at BMW’s plant in Regensburg, Germany.

Robots and tape

3M is also blending robotics with its world-leading adhesives.

The RoboTape™ System for 3M™ launched in 2022 and uses 3M™ VHB™ Tapes to automate repetitive bonding applications. The new system allows industrial manufacturers to take advantage of the benefits of 3M tape while maximizing production throughput, improving quality, reducing or re-tasking manual labor and limiting re-work.

Another recent innovation is the 3M™ On Demand Bonding System featuring 3M™ VHB™ Extrudable Tape. This end-to-end automatic bonding solution combines all the benefits of 3M™ VHB™ Tapes with the versatility of a liquid adhesive in a single contained footprint, enabling usage on any scale. This product looks to make an impact in several industries, including appliances, transportation and windows and doors.

“In some cases, automation is the only path forward,” said Todd Lutkauskas, a 3M product marketer for the new bonding system. “I’m working with a customer who has 70 open positions they can’t fill and it’s probably going to get worse.”

But what about the negative stereotype that robots are taking jobs?

“People are starting to see that humans and robots can coexist at work,” Jonathan said. “Automation can be a partner in your operations and we’re seeing a lot more acceptance.”

CINCINNATI, August 15, 2023 /3BL/ – Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) has been named to the FTSE4Good Index for the second year in a row. Cintas earned its first inclusion in the index in 2022.

Global index and data provider FTSE Russell created the FTSE4Good Index Series to include companies that demonstrate strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. A wide variety of market participants reference the FTSE4Good indexes to create and assess investment funds and other products.

“Cintas’ business model is rooted in sustainable business practices so continued market recognition for the work we’ve done to date along our ESG journey is much appreciated,” said Mike Hansen, Cintas Executive Vice President and CFO.

“Our culture keeps our employee-partners at the center of our decision making and we focus on conducting our business the right way,” said Christy Nageleisen, Cintas Vice President of ESG. “Being named to the FTSE4Good Index again is continued motivation as we strive for greater positive impacts in environmental, social and governance areas and pursue a Shared Drive for Better.”

FTSE Russell evaluations are based on performance in areas such as Corporate Governance, Health & Safety, Anti-Corruption and Climate Change. Businesses included in the FTSE4Good Index Series meet a variety of environmental, social and governance criteria. 

About Cintas Corporation
Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing products and services that help keep their customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe, and looking their best. With offerings including uniforms, mats, mops, towels, restroom supplies, workplace water services, first aid and safety products, eye-wash stations, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and alarm service, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.

Media Contact:
Michelle Goret, Cintas Vice President of Corporate Affairs | goretm@cintas.com | (513) 972-4155

Originally published by Ericsson

Welcome to the latest edition of our Diversity & Inclusion News Round Up. Today we are talking about a new report from McKinsey, Mattel introducing a Barbie with Down syndrome, Microsoft helping to preserve cultural heritage, and women CEOs finally outnumbering CEOs named John.

World of work

McKinsey just released the latest “The State of Organizations” report, covering 10 significant shifts that organizations face right now, including mental health, hybrid working, and DEI progress. Worth reading!

Women in leadership

In 2015, a NYT article showed that women CEOs of S&P companies were not just outnumbered by men, but by men named John. Bloomberg just reported that this has finally shifted, and there are more women leading S&P 500 companies than CEOs named John – but a huge gap remains, both in gender and ethnic diversity. 

Culture

Great story from West Africa and Microsoft! Pulaar is a language spoken by over 40 million people, but until recently, it lacked a digital script. Without the ability to communicate digitally, the language and the culture would have vanished – but this has now changed.

Representation

Representation matters! This week, Mattel introduced the first-ever Barbie doll with Down syndrome, which was developed together with the American National Down Syndrome Society. Watch the video here.

Environment, health, and safety (EHS) managers spend a significant amount of time developing, implementing, auditing, and managing their EHS programs—all while training employees, monitoring and measuring performance, and reporting on progress.

But despite their best efforts, many EHS managers still find their programs fail to drive best-in-class performance. Why? In our experience, the lack of a strong and supportive EHS culture is a common culprit. Every company has a distinct corporate culture, and integrating EHS into that culture can be an effective way to create a sustained awareness around a safer, healthier, and more productive work environment.

Follow these 7 steps to conduct and EHS culture assessment: https://us.anteagroup.com/news-events/blog/driving-ehs-performance-7-steps-conducting-ehs-culture-assessment