Tag: 3BL

BOSTON, August 7, 2023 /3BL/ – The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), with support from Yum! Brands, invites small business owners from across Canada to apply for the 2023 Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program – a tuition-free, 40-hour “mini-MBA” program that combines executive education, webinars, and coaching delivered by top-ranking university professors and business experts.

The ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice Program is designed to help BIPOC-, disability-, immigrant-, and woman-owned small businesses across Canada develop strategies that build their capacity for sustainable growth and present opportunities to connect with capital sources to create local jobs.

“We’re proud to offer this transformative program which has helped so many small business owners grow revenue more quickly, create well-paying jobs, and access critical capital,” said ICIC CEO Steve Grossman. “We are pleased to have awarded $20,000 grants to exceptional members of the Canadian cohorts.”

Over the past two years, ICCC has collaborated with Yum! Brands to provide two cohorts of the ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice Program and a pilot cohort of the ICCC-KFC Recipe for Success Mini-MBA Program. These programs have assisted 98 small businesses with accessing $170,000 in capital and achieving 112% revenue growth. 76% of these businesses identified as BIPOC-owned, and 67% were woman-owned businesses. Five participants from each cohort were awarded with grants ranging from $20,000 to $30,000 CAD.

“The ICCC program allowed me to review business fundamentals again from the specific lens of my own business,” said 2022 ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice grant winner and founder of Chandler Honey, Tique Chandler. “It’s one thing to learn about marketing basics in school, and entirely another to learn about marketing basics when I can think back to my own specific business and different strategies I could employ.”

The ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice Program will host two Canadian cohorts in 2023. The first cohort will be held in person in Toronto, Ontario, beginning on Thursday, September 14. The second cohort will be held virtually starting Tuesday, October 17 and Thursday, October 19. Interested business owners can apply by Friday, September 1, for the Toronto Cohort and Friday, September 29, for the national virtual cohort.

Canadians can nominate small business owners from minority backgrounds to be considered for the program. Visit ICIC’s website for additional detail about the ICCC program, including eligibility criteria and applications.

For more information and to connect with an ICIC subject matter expert, please contact Sarah Ginand at sginand@icic.org or (617) 238-3026 or Jasmine Martin at jmartin@icic.org or (617) 238-3010.

About Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) 

Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) was founded by renowned Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter in 1994 as a research and strategy organization that today is widely recognized as the preeminent authority on the economies of underserved communities. ICIC drives inclusive economic prosperity in under-resourced communities through innovative research and programs to create jobs, income, and wealth for local residents.

Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) is a tuition-free executive leadership training program designed by ICIC to help business owners in under-resourced communities build capacity for sustainable growth in revenue, profitability, and employment. ICCC is uniquely designed to provide three critical elements for sustainable growth: capacity-building education, one-on-one coaching, and connections to capital and capital providers.

Learn more at www.icic.org/iccc or @icicorg.

About Pizza Hut Canada 

Pizza Hut is proud to be one of Canada’s largest pizza restaurant chains with over 500 locations locally. Globally Pizza Hut is one of the world’s largest pizza restaurant companies with more than 18,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. No matter where you find a Pizza Hut, they are making sure each meal customers enjoy is safe, delicious, and unmistakably Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut, Inc. is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM). Hungry for more information?

Check out our website, Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram

###

BOSTON, August 7, 2023 /3BL/ – The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), with support from Yum! Brands, invites small business owners from across Canada to apply for the 2023 Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program – a tuition-free, 40-hour “mini-MBA” program that combines executive education, webinars, and coaching delivered by top-ranking university professors and business experts.

The ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice Program is designed to help BIPOC-, disability-, immigrant-, and woman-owned small businesses across Canada develop strategies that build their capacity for sustainable growth and present opportunities to connect with capital sources to create local jobs.

“We’re proud to offer this transformative program which has helped so many small business owners grow revenue more quickly, create well-paying jobs, and access critical capital,” said ICIC CEO Steve Grossman. “We are pleased to have awarded $20,000 grants to exceptional members of the Canadian cohorts.”

Over the past two years, ICCC has collaborated with Yum! Brands to provide two cohorts of the ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice Program and a pilot cohort of the ICCC-KFC Recipe for Success Mini-MBA Program. These programs have assisted 98 small businesses with accessing $170,000 in capital and achieving 112% revenue growth. 76% of these businesses identified as BIPOC-owned, and 67% were woman-owned businesses. Five participants from each cohort were awarded with grants ranging from $20,000 to $30,000 CAD.

“The ICCC program allowed me to review business fundamentals again from the specific lens of my own business,” said 2022 ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice grant winner and founder of Chandler Honey, Tique Chandler. “It’s one thing to learn about marketing basics in school, and entirely another to learn about marketing basics when I can think back to my own specific business and different strategies I could employ.”

The ICCC-Pizza Hut Equal Slice Program will host two Canadian cohorts in 2023. The first cohort will be held in person in Toronto, Ontario, beginning on Thursday, September 14. The second cohort will be held virtually starting Tuesday, October 17 and Thursday, October 19. Interested business owners can apply by Friday, September 1, for the Toronto Cohort and Friday, September 29, for the national virtual cohort.

Canadians can nominate small business owners from minority backgrounds to be considered for the program. Visit ICIC’s website for additional detail about the ICCC program, including eligibility criteria and applications.

For more information and to connect with an ICIC subject matter expert, please contact Sarah Ginand at sginand@icic.org or (617) 238-3026 or Jasmine Martin at jmartin@icic.org or (617) 238-3010.

About Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) 

Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) was founded by renowned Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter in 1994 as a research and strategy organization that today is widely recognized as the preeminent authority on the economies of underserved communities. ICIC drives inclusive economic prosperity in under-resourced communities through innovative research and programs to create jobs, income, and wealth for local residents.

Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) is a tuition-free executive leadership training program designed by ICIC to help business owners in under-resourced communities build capacity for sustainable growth in revenue, profitability, and employment. ICCC is uniquely designed to provide three critical elements for sustainable growth: capacity-building education, one-on-one coaching, and connections to capital and capital providers.

Learn more at www.icic.org/iccc or @icicorg.

About Pizza Hut Canada 

Pizza Hut is proud to be one of Canada’s largest pizza restaurant chains with over 500 locations locally. Globally Pizza Hut is one of the world’s largest pizza restaurant companies with more than 18,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. No matter where you find a Pizza Hut, they are making sure each meal customers enjoy is safe, delicious, and unmistakably Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut, Inc. is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM). Hungry for more information?

Check out our website, Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram

###

WILLMAR, Minn., August 7, 2023 /3BL/ – The makers of the Jennie-O® turkey brand — a category leader and one of the top turkey brands in the United States — announced that it has chosen four U.S. schools as winners of the company’s national School Cafeteria Takeover campaign, hosted by the Jennie-O® brand team and esteemed celebrity chef Carla Hall.

The following schools will each receive $25,000 to be used for the purchase of new kitchen equipment and essential supplies:

Nicholson STEM Academy- Chicago Public SchoolsStillwater Middle School- Stillwater Oklahoma Public School DistrictKino Jr High School- Mesa Arizona Public School DistrictPine Lane Elementary School- Douglas County School District Colorado

The opportunity for a school to win a $25,000 grand prize was a central component of the brand’s “School Cafeteria Takeovers” program. Communities nominated their schools by sharing stories about how their cafeteria staff has made a positive impact on both their school and their community.

“We had an incredible time working with Chef Carla this past year to help celebrate the unsung heroes of our schools — the cafeteria staff,” said Renee Cool, brand manager at Jennie-O Turkey Store. “And we are so excited to provide an additional $25,000 to these four amazing schools to further help and ease meal-prep for the cafeteria staff as they serve thousands of students across the nation.”

Jennie-O® announced its partnership with chef, cookbook author and beloved TV personality Hall in October 2022. As part of this partnership, the Jennie-O team and Hall visited schools across the nation to honor school cafeteria staff by hosting school cafeteria takeovers, during which they cooked Jennie-O® turkey as part of a catered meal for cafeteria workers. The Jennie-O ® brand team also pampered cafeteria workers with massage chairs, baked Hall’s Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits for them, and exhibited the gratitude and love of their students with a barrage of flowers and handwritten notes. The campaign kicked off in Knoxville, Tenn., at Blue Grass Elementary School in Oct. 2022, followed by trips to Los Angeles’ Panorama High School in Nov. 2022, Houston’s Mandarin Immersion Magnet School in Feb. 2023 and Detroit’s Central Durfee K-12 school in May.

The Jennie-O® brand team has long been a trusted food partner of K-12 schools, providing more than 5,000 school districts in the U.S. with the largest variety of K-12 turkey products in the country. For more information about Jennie-O® turkey products, including recipes, nutritional information and where to buy, visit JennieO.com.

WILLMAR, Minn., August 7, 2023 /3BL/ – The makers of the Jennie-O® turkey brand — a category leader and one of the top turkey brands in the United States — announced that it has chosen four U.S. schools as winners of the company’s national School Cafeteria Takeover campaign, hosted by the Jennie-O® brand team and esteemed celebrity chef Carla Hall.

The following schools will each receive $25,000 to be used for the purchase of new kitchen equipment and essential supplies:

Nicholson STEM Academy- Chicago Public SchoolsStillwater Middle School- Stillwater Oklahoma Public School DistrictKino Jr High School- Mesa Arizona Public School DistrictPine Lane Elementary School- Douglas County School District Colorado

The opportunity for a school to win a $25,000 grand prize was a central component of the brand’s “School Cafeteria Takeovers” program. Communities nominated their schools by sharing stories about how their cafeteria staff has made a positive impact on both their school and their community.

“We had an incredible time working with Chef Carla this past year to help celebrate the unsung heroes of our schools — the cafeteria staff,” said Renee Cool, brand manager at Jennie-O Turkey Store. “And we are so excited to provide an additional $25,000 to these four amazing schools to further help and ease meal-prep for the cafeteria staff as they serve thousands of students across the nation.”

Jennie-O® announced its partnership with chef, cookbook author and beloved TV personality Hall in October 2022. As part of this partnership, the Jennie-O team and Hall visited schools across the nation to honor school cafeteria staff by hosting school cafeteria takeovers, during which they cooked Jennie-O® turkey as part of a catered meal for cafeteria workers. The Jennie-O ® brand team also pampered cafeteria workers with massage chairs, baked Hall’s Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits for them, and exhibited the gratitude and love of their students with a barrage of flowers and handwritten notes. The campaign kicked off in Knoxville, Tenn., at Blue Grass Elementary School in Oct. 2022, followed by trips to Los Angeles’ Panorama High School in Nov. 2022, Houston’s Mandarin Immersion Magnet School in Feb. 2023 and Detroit’s Central Durfee K-12 school in May.

The Jennie-O® brand team has long been a trusted food partner of K-12 schools, providing more than 5,000 school districts in the U.S. with the largest variety of K-12 turkey products in the country. For more information about Jennie-O® turkey products, including recipes, nutritional information and where to buy, visit JennieO.com.

Next time you crack open a carbonated beverage, consider the origin of those bubbles inside the can. Their source might mean you’re participating in the fight against climate change.

Most of us are familiar with how greenhouse gas emissions—mainly carbon dioxide—increase the amount of heat trapped within earth’s atmosphere, warming the planet and changing weather patterns. There’s an array of methods and technologies at various stages of development that have shown promise in offsetting emissions. The problem today is that the reach of these mitigation strategies is much too small. Hence the opportunity for forward-looking investors to participate in scaling new solutions.

Burying Carbon for Good 
Direct air capture (sometimes called DAC) is a pioneering method for carbon reduction. At the risk of oversimplification, the initial process involves collecting carbon from air flow and then using heat to condense it. Climeworks is a 14-year-old company that has developed direct air capture and serves several distinct markets, including putting the sparkle in sparkling water.1,2

Recently, Climeworks has developed a new application of its technology. This January, Climeworks fired up an installation in Iceland where the captured carbon is pumped into bedrock for storage. There are a few ingredients required for this approach to direct air capture: basalt (a type of igneous rock), sea water, and energy. After heating, carbon is mixed with sea water and then pumped underground by CarbFix, an operational partner to Climeworks.3 There, contact between this mixture and basalt creates a chemical reaction binding them together, which keeps the carbon sequestered deep underneath Iceland for millennia.

While Climeworks doesn’t publicly disclose the minerals that result from this binding reaction, I believe the combination of carbon dioxide, calcium and magnesium would produce dolomite and perhaps other carbonate minerals. In other words, Climeworks is taking carbon out of the atmosphere and turning it into rock!

A Gigaton-sized Problem Meets a Global Opportunity Set 
This is an impressive application of geochemistry, and the timing couldn’t be more critical. The Icelandic prototype that successfully went online in January should be able to remove about 4,000 metric tons of carbon per year. Globally, we will need to reduce or remove more than 40 gigatons—that’s 40 billion metric tons—of carbon per year to offset our annual emissions.4 Add in all the other greenhouse gases and we’ll need to offset more than 50 gigatons per year to reach net zero emissions.5

That may seem like an impossible gap to span, and any realistic path to net zero is going to require the hard work of cutting greenhouse gas output as much as possible. But direct air capture can serve as a supplemental solution to emissions reduction, and the team in Iceland is already building a facility designed to remove 36,000 metric tons of carbon per year, with a roadmap to megaton and then gigaton removal by 2050.

For me, this is very exciting. Perhaps my background as both an isotope geochemist and an investment manager enables me to see the potential in direct air capture. It could have a profound positive impact on the path to net zero.

Thinking about the geological features of our planet, there are many other places where this method could be replicated. Hawaii checks all the requisite boxes. Large segments of the Pacific Rim would probably qualify. Just look at a map of tectonic hotspots to begin identifying targets.

Variations on a Carbon Capture Theme 
And just as we’re not bound to one location, we’re also not limited by one approach. Climeworks has partnered with an Omani firm on a similar process.6 The major difference comes down to the rocks. Oman has an abundance of peridotite, which may be more familiar as the source of the birthstone peridot. It also dominates the composition of earth’s upper mantle. Thanks, again, to tectonic activity, peridotite has been forced toward earth’s crust in Oman. Like basalt, peridotite is a great candidate for binding carbon underground.

Not enough geothermal energy at a location with ideal mineral composition? That’s not a dealbreaker. Alternative low-carbon energy sources can be substituted anywhere lacking in this key factor. The facilities could employ smaller nuclear power generators, for example.

The Capital to Combat Climate Change 
We just might be entering a golden age for experimentation and mobilization in the fight to manage climate change. Western governments are beginning to commit serious capital to the cause, and major corporations are willing to pay a premium for carbon credits from the startups pursuing these promising new methods.

These capital investments will draw entrepreneurship into new and creative solutions, like Climeworks and CarbFix, that may have unanticipated benefits at a scale we haven’t seen since the push to put a man on the moon. Direct air capture has already given us a better way to produce fizzy beverages.

The investment opportunity could be arrived at via publicly traded companies with the foresight to capitalize these startups. There may also prove to be more direct opportunities to invest with impact-oriented private equity funds.

I think these developments provide great cause for optimism, and not a moment too soon. We’ll keep our eyes wide open for emerging opportunities to make a positive environmental impact and a strong financial return.

About Fiduciary Trust International 
Fiduciary Trust International, a global wealth management firm headquartered in New York, NY, has served individuals, families, endowments and foundations since 1931. With over $90 billion in assets under management and administration as of March 31, 2023, the firm specializes in strategic wealth planning, investment management and trust and estate services, as well as tax and custody services. The New York-based firm and its subsidiaries maintain offices in Coral Gables, FL, Boca Raton, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, Radnor, PA, Lincoln, MA, Los Angeles, CA, San Mateo, CA, San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, Reston, VA, and Atlanta, GA. For more information, please visit fiduciarytrust.com, and for the latest updates, follow Fiduciary Trust International on LinkedIn and Twitter: @FiduciaryTrust.

About Franklin Templeton 
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,300 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and over $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

On the Rocks_Combating Climate Change with Geochemistry.pdf
 

1 “Climeworks’ Journey.” Climeworks.com
2 “Climeworks pioneering air-captured CO2 for drinks carbonation.” Jasi, Amanda. The Chemical Engineer. December 21, 2018.
3 “Direct Air Capture.” Carbfix.com.
4 “Global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise.” NOAA Research News. November 14, 2022.
5 “Hot To Avoid A Climate Disaster.” Gates, Bill. 2021.
6 “Rare Mantle Rocks in Oman Could Sequester Massive Amounts of CO2.” Fox, Douglas. Scientific American. July 1, 2021

Next time you crack open a carbonated beverage, consider the origin of those bubbles inside the can. Their source might mean you’re participating in the fight against climate change.

Most of us are familiar with how greenhouse gas emissions—mainly carbon dioxide—increase the amount of heat trapped within earth’s atmosphere, warming the planet and changing weather patterns. There’s an array of methods and technologies at various stages of development that have shown promise in offsetting emissions. The problem today is that the reach of these mitigation strategies is much too small. Hence the opportunity for forward-looking investors to participate in scaling new solutions.

Burying Carbon for Good 
Direct air capture (sometimes called DAC) is a pioneering method for carbon reduction. At the risk of oversimplification, the initial process involves collecting carbon from air flow and then using heat to condense it. Climeworks is a 14-year-old company that has developed direct air capture and serves several distinct markets, including putting the sparkle in sparkling water.1,2

Recently, Climeworks has developed a new application of its technology. This January, Climeworks fired up an installation in Iceland where the captured carbon is pumped into bedrock for storage. There are a few ingredients required for this approach to direct air capture: basalt (a type of igneous rock), sea water, and energy. After heating, carbon is mixed with sea water and then pumped underground by CarbFix, an operational partner to Climeworks.3 There, contact between this mixture and basalt creates a chemical reaction binding them together, which keeps the carbon sequestered deep underneath Iceland for millennia.

While Climeworks doesn’t publicly disclose the minerals that result from this binding reaction, I believe the combination of carbon dioxide, calcium and magnesium would produce dolomite and perhaps other carbonate minerals. In other words, Climeworks is taking carbon out of the atmosphere and turning it into rock!

A Gigaton-sized Problem Meets a Global Opportunity Set 
This is an impressive application of geochemistry, and the timing couldn’t be more critical. The Icelandic prototype that successfully went online in January should be able to remove about 4,000 metric tons of carbon per year. Globally, we will need to reduce or remove more than 40 gigatons—that’s 40 billion metric tons—of carbon per year to offset our annual emissions.4 Add in all the other greenhouse gases and we’ll need to offset more than 50 gigatons per year to reach net zero emissions.5

That may seem like an impossible gap to span, and any realistic path to net zero is going to require the hard work of cutting greenhouse gas output as much as possible. But direct air capture can serve as a supplemental solution to emissions reduction, and the team in Iceland is already building a facility designed to remove 36,000 metric tons of carbon per year, with a roadmap to megaton and then gigaton removal by 2050.

For me, this is very exciting. Perhaps my background as both an isotope geochemist and an investment manager enables me to see the potential in direct air capture. It could have a profound positive impact on the path to net zero.

Thinking about the geological features of our planet, there are many other places where this method could be replicated. Hawaii checks all the requisite boxes. Large segments of the Pacific Rim would probably qualify. Just look at a map of tectonic hotspots to begin identifying targets.

Variations on a Carbon Capture Theme 
And just as we’re not bound to one location, we’re also not limited by one approach. Climeworks has partnered with an Omani firm on a similar process.6 The major difference comes down to the rocks. Oman has an abundance of peridotite, which may be more familiar as the source of the birthstone peridot. It also dominates the composition of earth’s upper mantle. Thanks, again, to tectonic activity, peridotite has been forced toward earth’s crust in Oman. Like basalt, peridotite is a great candidate for binding carbon underground.

Not enough geothermal energy at a location with ideal mineral composition? That’s not a dealbreaker. Alternative low-carbon energy sources can be substituted anywhere lacking in this key factor. The facilities could employ smaller nuclear power generators, for example.

The Capital to Combat Climate Change 
We just might be entering a golden age for experimentation and mobilization in the fight to manage climate change. Western governments are beginning to commit serious capital to the cause, and major corporations are willing to pay a premium for carbon credits from the startups pursuing these promising new methods.

These capital investments will draw entrepreneurship into new and creative solutions, like Climeworks and CarbFix, that may have unanticipated benefits at a scale we haven’t seen since the push to put a man on the moon. Direct air capture has already given us a better way to produce fizzy beverages.

The investment opportunity could be arrived at via publicly traded companies with the foresight to capitalize these startups. There may also prove to be more direct opportunities to invest with impact-oriented private equity funds.

I think these developments provide great cause for optimism, and not a moment too soon. We’ll keep our eyes wide open for emerging opportunities to make a positive environmental impact and a strong financial return.

About Fiduciary Trust International 
Fiduciary Trust International, a global wealth management firm headquartered in New York, NY, has served individuals, families, endowments and foundations since 1931. With over $90 billion in assets under management and administration as of March 31, 2023, the firm specializes in strategic wealth planning, investment management and trust and estate services, as well as tax and custody services. The New York-based firm and its subsidiaries maintain offices in Coral Gables, FL, Boca Raton, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, Radnor, PA, Lincoln, MA, Los Angeles, CA, San Mateo, CA, San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, Reston, VA, and Atlanta, GA. For more information, please visit fiduciarytrust.com, and for the latest updates, follow Fiduciary Trust International on LinkedIn and Twitter: @FiduciaryTrust.

About Franklin Templeton 
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,300 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and over $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

On the Rocks_Combating Climate Change with Geochemistry.pdf
 

1 “Climeworks’ Journey.” Climeworks.com
2 “Climeworks pioneering air-captured CO2 for drinks carbonation.” Jasi, Amanda. The Chemical Engineer. December 21, 2018.
3 “Direct Air Capture.” Carbfix.com.
4 “Global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise.” NOAA Research News. November 14, 2022.
5 “Hot To Avoid A Climate Disaster.” Gates, Bill. 2021.
6 “Rare Mantle Rocks in Oman Could Sequester Massive Amounts of CO2.” Fox, Douglas. Scientific American. July 1, 2021

KeyBank will host an event for first-time homebuyers and real estate professionals in Albany, NY. Representatives from KeyBank will offer advice and details on products and assistance programs available to first time homebuyers.  

The event will take place on: 

Tuesday August 15th – 4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. – Albany Marriott – Empire Room – 189 Wolf Road, Albany, NY

Attendees should register here: https://keybank_homelendingsalesrally.eventbrite.com/

Get tips on homeownership from KeyBank

KeyBank Member FDIC. NMLS #399797. Mortgage and Home Equity Lending products offered by KeyBank are not FDIC insured or guaranteed. KeyBank extends credit secured by residential real estate without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or familial status. All credit products are subject to collateral and/or credit approval, terms, conditions, availability and are subject to change. 

CFMA #230728-2183789

I am proud that Sappi North America contributed significantly to enhancing our company’s commitment to people, prosperity and the planet. We reached important milestones in employee safety, financial performance and sustainability across our business and our environment.

The hard work by all of our employees at SNA not only exceeded our expectations for safety and prosperity, but also resulted in one of our company’s most successful years. We posted record highs in EBITDA, margin and cash flow, and we kept ahead of inflationary pressures with our input costs. This success allowed us to reduce debt, continue investing in our facilities, and provide resources for the research and development of innovative new processes and products.

We also announced a major investment in both capital and sustainability at the Somerset Mill, converting Paper Machine No. 2 to increase the mill’s capacity to produce solid bleached sulfate (SBS) board products. Demand for packaging and speciality papers in North America is particularly robust, especially because SBS is a more environmentally sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. This move also complements our long-term Thrive25 strategy, which focuses on growing our portfolio in packaging and speciality papers, pulp, and biomaterials.

In 2022, we further demonstrated our dedication to sustainability by committing to science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and we secured an EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating for the third year in a row, keeping Sappi at the top 1% of pulp and paper companies assessed.

I am also very proud of our commitment to our people. SNA’s record for safety in 2022 was unmatched. Somerset has surpassed 750 days without a lost-time injury and is expected to exceed 3.5 million work hours in the second quarter. Additionally, Matane has been LTI-free for over 5.5 years, Allentown for over 6.5 years and our Technical Center for over 16.5 years. We achieved a record low for LTI frequency rate, with zero lost-time injuries at three of SNA’s five manufacturing sites. Our team’s commitment to improving safety has been exceptional, and the results show it.

We also enhanced our focus on employee engagement across all sites and departments, creating a newsletter distributed to all employees; posting frequently on social media to recognize them and their achievements; and producing videos that showcase our employees, their expertise and their dedication to their occupations.

I am very proud of the entire North American team for delivering these record-breaking results. We are sure to face some headwinds in the coming year, but we have proven that we are capable of navigating and overcoming many business challenges. I look forward to continuing our success in 2023.

In 2022, we made significant progress toward our targets for our 2030 Sustainability Commitments. In our 2022 ESG Report, we shared a first glance at our Net-Zero Roadmap to offer insight into exactly what actions we are taking in the near-term to advance our ambition with positive and lasting impact. We also shared that our actions have been broadly recognized by trusted voices in the sustainability community. Why is that important? 

As we move forward through a decade that demands action and collaboration, it will be even more important to maintain the trust of our employees and our stakeholders and continue to build trust with new communities. Operating with a shared understanding of measurements, reporting mechanisms, and frameworks provides the foundation of that trust.

Recognized for our results

Our investors, our customers and our communities appreciate the value of third-party validation—for transparency, credibility and accountability. In their 2023 “Rate the Raters” Survey, The SustainABILITY Institute cited growing investor demand for ESG ratings, with 57% of companies citing it as their top motivation for engaging with ESG raters. 

For example, we were named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Index for the twelfth consecutive year. We performed in the 97th percentile in the Capital Goods industry in the S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment, with perfect scores of 100 in both the environmental reporting and social reporting categories. The DJSI World Index represents the top 10 percent of the 2,500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria. and is viewed by many as the most credible, objective evaluation of a company’s sustainability progress.We were also recognized for corporate environmental transparency by the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP), securing a place on their annual “A List.” Trane Technologies is one of 283 companies that achieved an “A” – out of the more than 15,000 companies scored. CDP’s scoring process is based on the comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets.

Our secret ingredient: culture 

Our strong sustainability performance is the result of a deliberate choice we’ve made to embed sustainability into our operating system, but most importantly, it’s an outcome of our culture, which continues to drive our competitive advantage. Our purpose to boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world starts with our people. We are committed to creating an inclusive, engaging and uplifting culture where our team members can thrive and make a meaningful impact through our sustainability commitments.

External recognition is also important for validation in this area. 

In 2023 Trane Technologies was named to Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies List for the 11th consecutive year, and we were named to the list of America’s Best Large Employers by Forbes. The list is based on employees’ survey responses on their willingness to recommend their employers to family and friends, in addition to their ratings of other companies in their industry on factors like working conditions, salary and development opportunities. In June, Trane Technologies was certified as U.S. Great Place to Work for the third year in a row. The certification is based entirely on feedback from employees. This year, 87% of Trane Technologies employees say it’s a great place to work compared to 57% at a typical U.S.-based company. Great Place to Work® is the global authorityevaluates organizations on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation.In July, we were named to Fast Company’s Best Places to Work for Innovators, a ranking of 100 global companies that empower employees to create new products, invent new ways of doing business or improve processes. Fast Company also recognized Trane Technologies’ passive cooling cart for street vendors as one of its 2023 World Changing Ideas. The result of Operation Possible, an employee-powered social innovation program, innovations like the cooling cart are accelerating the potential for positive change for both people and the planet.

Why it matters

External recognition matters for the same reason our ESG Report matters—the report allows key stakeholders the opportunity to give us feedback and to hold us accountable as we demonstrate actions we are taking to achieve our bold commitments. 

We can be accountable to our external stakeholders because we are accountable to ourselves. Our executive and senior leader incentive plans are linked to ESG metrics, and all salaried employee performance plans include at least one goal tied to our 2030 sustainability commitments.

We’re also accountable to each other. We are guided by our Leadership Principles, and take a continuous improvement approach to our culture, focusing on our employee experience for all roles across the company. 

Rankings, ratings and recognition provide external perspective of our impact and a shared framework for evaluating progress in sustainability. They signal to our investors, customers and communities that we are doing what it takes to deliver measurable results, and they show our employees that our investments set us apart from other workplace experiences. 

We will continue to hold these measures up as a mirror to ensure that we maintain and evolve our foundation of trust and lead by example.

Originally published in SEE’s Global Impact Report

At SEE® (formerly Sealed Air), we are developing a caring, high-performance growth culture guided by our purpose and focused on creating long-term value for our stakeholders and society. We are working to ensure our global culture embraces diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). At SEE, our people matter. Diversity is a business strength and facilitates creativity and innovation, which is at the core of our strategy. We are creating a workplace where everyone belongs and can reach their full potential. We foster our diversity, equity and inclusion culture in all aspects of our operations. We are committed to valuing the contributions of all employees, providing fair treatment and equal access, and creating work environments that enable the full potential and well-being of all employees.

Commitment to Pay Equity

As part of our DEI Pledge, we are committed to championing equal pay for work of equal value, which assesses equal pay for similar work based on comparable, bona-fide job-related factors such as geographic location, career tenure, and education level. In 2021, we conducted our bi-annual global compensation equity analysis to identify potential pay gaps that were not attributable to bona-fide job-related factors. Identified inequities are mitigated to close the gaps and compensation processes are evaluated for unintended bias and continuously improved to prevent future adverse impact.

In addition to the compensation equity analysis, as part of our annual performance review and compensation cycle, we perform adverse impact assessments to evaluate any potential biases that may be present which impact performance evaluations and compensation awards.

Our assessment showed no significant trends of pay inequity for gender or diversity groups across the organization. Based on our proactive approach and continuous improvements in pay reviews and processes, our goal is to eliminate pay inequities not attributable to bona-fide job-related factors in support of our commitment to equal pay work of equal value across our organization.

SEE’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Pledge

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Pledge consists of bold but achievable goals supported by a global governance structure that drives adoption and engagement across the organization. Our 2025 Pledge is our compass point and consists of five specific objectives that prioritize certain metrics and process enablement within our strategy:

Build a more inclusive culture with our employees across the globeIncrease gender diversity across employees globally to more than 30% by 2025Increase the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in our U.S. workforce to above 35% by 2025Lead with a senior leadership team that reflects the cultural diversity of our global footprintChampion equal pay for work of equal value across our organization

As of December 31, 2021, 25% of SEE’s global workforce was female and 34% of SEE’s U.S. workforce belonged to racial and ethnic minority groups. U.S. workforce data is reported in the company’s EEO-1 report.

DEI Council

We established a DEI Council in late 2020, which consists of 11 business leaders representing regions where SEE operates around the globe. The DEI Council is chaired by our CEO and President Ted Doheny in partnership with the company’s Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.

Engagement and Inclusion Survey

In support of the company’s DEI Pledge to build a more inclusive culture across the globe, SEE conducted a survey focused on engagement and inclusion which was completed by more than 14,000 employees. The survey provided feedback on topics such as trust, respect, opportunity, diversity, and inclusion. Together with HR partners, DEI Council members analyzed the survey results and developed action plans to further improve employee engagement and inclusion. The DEI Council developed a framework for DEI Courageous Conversations with employees, including a moderator guide, as well as training and other materials for each region.

Courageous Conversations

The Courageous Conversations initiative invites employees to join a discussion where they can speak honestly and candidly about their own experiences regarding inequality and social justice issues. These conversations are designed to encourage mutual learning and understanding by creating a safe space to share different perspectives and allow employees to check their assumptions and biases. The DEI Council established Courageous Conversations to aid in the development of an open and transparent culture at SEE.

Gender Equity Network

SEE’s Gender Equity Network (GEN) has been in existence for more than 10 years. The purpose of GEN is to create a high-performance culture that embraces gender equity and inclusion. The broadened scope of the group includes equity, allyship, and intersectionality with all genders and LGBTQ+ employees.

DEI Awareness

We are incorporating DEI fundamentals and concepts into applicable internal training courses such as new employee onboarding, supervisor training, and leadership development. The DEI Council is developing a required DEI curriculum for professional employees in 2022. The goal of the curriculum is to raise awareness of DEI principles and develop inclusive leadership skills for managers.

CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion

SEE is a signatory of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ initiative, a corporate commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Read SEE’s Global Impact Report here.

Learn more about SEE’s ESG efforts here.