Tag: 3BL

Originally published on TriplePundit

On a pleasant April weekend, several hundred people carrying bags and pushing strollers meander through the Tanger Outlets National Harbor. Three years ago, this bustling shopping center across the river from the nation’s capital was brought to a standstill, temporarily shuttered like many retail and business sites nationwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Although some public health protocols remain in place here, most signs of the worst pandemic in a century have disappeared.

Yet, even as Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc., the property’s North Carolina-based owner, has embraced the return to normalcy, it is one of thousands of real estate companies executing a new strategy to promote long-term wellness and safety: Making its buildings healthier.

Earlier this year, Tanger announced it achieved the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) WELL Health-Safety Rating for its 36 North American shopping centers and its corporate headquarters. The designation, launched by IWBI during the pandemic and now used globally across more than 3.8 billion square feet of space, defines health leadership related to cleaning and sanitation, emergency preparedness, air and water quality, and other facilities management criteria.

In a statement, Leslie Swanson, Tanger’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the designation is helping the company “build confidence that all our facilities are a safe place for communities to gather,” by protecting the health of shoppers and store workers.

Like video conferencing and remote working, the shift to healthier buildings predates COVID-19 but intensified at the onset of the pandemic. According to research by the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute, the number of healthy buildings collectively certified by providers grew nearly five-fold from 2018 to mid-2021. IWBI, which offers a suite of health and wellness designations for buildings and companies, recorded a total of about 500 million square feet of registered or certified space through its first six years of operation. Since 2020, it has added an astonishing 4 billion square feet of new projects across its WELL offerings.

Real estate owners are driving demand for healthy buildings as they seek to retain tenants and strengthen leasing activity at a time when the pandemic still casts a long shadow on occupancy, said Wendy Feldman Block, executive managing director at Savills, a global real estate advisory firm.

By adding protections for occupant health, the WELL Health-Safety Rating “gives owners a path to get tenants back in the building, and gives tenants a path to get their workers back in,” she said. “Seeing the WELL seal makes you feel better about going into your building.”

IWBI now says it is enrolling an average of nearly 4 million square feet of projects per day, with active engagements with more than 20 percent of the Fortune 500. Those projects include retail destinations like Tanger outlet centers, the offices of corporate giants like Goldman Sachs, Accenture and EY, and iconic structures like the Empire State Building and Yankee Stadium.

The surge in demand for healthier space — though remarkable — isn’t a surprise, said Rachel Hodgdon, IWBI’s president and CEO.

“The primary purpose of buildings has always been to serve the needs of the people inside of them,” Hodgdon said. “The pandemic sharpened that focus.”

Americans on average spend about 90 percent of their lives indoors where they are at significantly greater risk of exposure to pollutants, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Building construction codes in most U.S. states have long specified minimum ventilation requirements for clean air delivery to reduce pollutants and disease transmission, while real estate sustainability frameworks such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system and the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge began referencing certain health measures before IWBI’s launch in 2014.

But while the rationale for healthy buildings is well established, the real estate industry is racing to understand just how far the benefits extend.

A study published in late 2022 in the Journal of Building and Environment found that healthier buildings significantly improve worker satisfaction, wellness and productivity. Participants in the study, which analyzed the impact of WELL Certification using more than 1,300 pre- and post-occupancy survey responses, reported a nearly 30 percent post-certification improvement in overall satisfaction with their workplace, a 10 percent perceived improvement in mental health, a 10-point increase in median productivity, and a 26 percent perceived increase in wellbeing, including energy levels and motivation at work.

Those results add to a growing body of research linking healthier space to reduced employee absenteeism, improved cognitive function and lower healthcare costs for companies, as well as stronger real estate financial returns from rental premiums and longer lease terms.

The overall progress in creating and quantifying healthier space is validating, Feldman Block said. She was involved in 2017 in the world’s first lease to receive both WELL and LEED certification at the Platinum levels and remembers when talk of certifying a building as “healthy” was met with indifference.

“At the time, nobody was familiar with WELL,” she said. “Landlords, contractors and most architects — they’d never heard of it.”

Now, many property owners and occupiers with portfolios are budgeting for certification in what she calls a “widespread embrace” of health and wellness. “Landlords know they have to talk about what they’re doing to protect health and safety. They have to be competitive,” Feldman Block said.

She expects healthy building enrollment numbers to potentially recede from their peak as the real estate industry faces headwinds from inflation, permanent remote working and job cuts, especially in the tech sector. Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce and Doordash are among the scores of companies to recently announce layoffs. Property owners are expecting to feel the impact as certain employers pull back on space needs.

But the long-term prognosis for healthy buildings remains excellent. IWBI has spent the past several years expanding its infrastructure and offerings, which now include a credentialing program for real estate professionals, Fannie Mae’s inclusion of WELL in it its Healthy Housing Rewards program, a dual-certification partnership with Enterprise Community Partners for affordable housing, and a workplace equity designation launched at the end of last year targeted at a broad swath of employers. It is also exploring a foray into the single-family housing market.

All of those initiatives are designed to accelerate the post-pandemic reach and impact of healthy buildings in a world that is projected to add as much new real estate space as currently exists in North America by 2030, Hodgdon said.

“If part of the legacy of COVID-19 is that it helped make buildings across the world healthier for people and better prepared for future public health emergencies,” she said, “that would be an excellent outcome.”

This article series is sponsored by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

Image credit: R ARCHITECTURE/Unsplash

Originally Published on GoDaddy LinkedIn

A NEW ERA: 44% of businesses are started by Gen-Z & Millennials WHO RUN THE WORLD? 58% of new businesses are woman-owned

CELEBRATING DREAMERS: NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK 2023

We’re celebrating National Small Business Week 2023 by championing small business owners who are making an impact with our tools and support. Here’s our first editorial celebrating Jane Malone. We’re beyond proud of her business Cursed Drawings, and for being an inspiration to neurodivergent dreamers everywhere.

She did it differently. Cincinnati’s Jane Malone has always been an artist – and a little different.

Her childhood dream was to become a fashion designer, opening her first “store” out of her closet to sell decorated paper towel holders and other goods. But her teenage experiences with autism and “derealization” symptoms made her want to give up on her dream. When she started doodling during her junior year at a Creative & Performing Arts high school, she found hope and peace in her situation. Sharing her blob-like creatures and silly captions helped Jane make her classmates smile – and feel less alone.

From Creepy doodles to Cursed Drawings

Jane told her parents she was taking a gap year before committing to college. She wanted to try pursuing her dream and selling her own clothes. GoDaddy’s Website Builder made it easy for her to build her first website and start selling all by herself, which gave her a boost of self-confidence as a brand new entrepreneur. Her confidence and skills continued to grow alongside her small business.

“It’s impossible to fail when you’re doing what love.”  
-JANE MALONE

NEURODIVERGENT ENTREPRENEURS CAN DO ANYTHING NEUROTYPICAL ENTREPRENEURS CAN DO – THEY JUST MIGHT HAVE TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY.

Jane hopes her story inspires other neurodivergent dreamers and artists to turn their intrusive thoughts into inspired creations. Just because you exist in a “dream state” doesn’t mean you can’t pursue your “dream life”.

Want to support Jane’s small business? Shop Cursed Drawings: curseddrawings.com

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers, sell their products and services, and accept payments online and in-person. GoDaddy’s easy-to-use tools help microbusiness owners manage everything in one place and its expert guides are available to provide assistance 24/7. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

In celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8 – 12, 2023, and National Nurses Week, May 6 – 12, 2023, the LA Kings teamed up with Melissa’s Produce and SuperFd to show their gratitude to Los Angeles-based teachers and nurses by delivering fresh food and gifts.

On May 9, 2023, the LA Kings Ice Crew and Melissa’s Produce delivered balloons, fresh fruit baskets and lunch bags to all the teachers at the Los Angeles Elementary School. Additionally, on May 11, the LA Kings Hockey Development Team hosted a ball hockey clinic for the school’s students.

Separately on May 9, the LA Kings, SuperFd and Melissa’s Produce delivered food, t-shirts and personalized thank you cards from the LA Kings fans and staff to the nursing team at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Blood Donor Center and the Neurology Unit.

“Both educators and healthcare providers give so much to support the community here in Los Angeles,” said Jennifer Pope, SVP, Community Relations and Hockey Development, LA Kings. “The selfless contributions of these individuals truly make a difference. The LA Kings are so proud to recognize and celebrate them during this time.”

To learn more about the LA Kings and the organization’s community programs, please click here.

Originally published on Rayonier.com

The logging company owners use leftover pine shavings in more ways than one to provide a circular business model that benefits their bottom line, the horse community and the earth.

It’s always fascinating to learn about the unique ways our contractors use Rayonier pine trees. Who would have thought trees made their way into cell phone screens? Or medicines?

One company we work with, Derby Gold Pine Shavings, makes and recycles pine shavings in Williston, Florida.

The shavings, made after logging our forests and others in the area, make excellent horse bedding. The soft, absorbent lining is ideal in horse stalls. When it’s time to remove the bedding, Derby Gold collects it and then uses it to fertilize the company’s own land.

Derby Gold’s business model forms a “complete circle,” the result of years of organic development.

Humble origins and heartbreak

Derby Gold is the brainchild of Florida businessman Eddie Hodge. But horse bedding wasn’t part of the original plan when he and his brother, Johnny, got their start working as loggers in the 1970s.

The Hodge brothers founded Williston Timber Company, building it on sweat equity with rented equipment and a small logging crew. Early on, they reinvested all of their profits, adding more workers and a trucking company.

Eventually, they shipped logs throughout the state. And as they expanded the business, other family members came on board.

Eddie says he and Johnny played to each other’s strengths. Eddie was the “business visionary” while his brother was a self-taught mechanical engineer—he even invented specialized forestry equipment.

Tragically, Johnny was killed in an accident in 2003.

“We lost more than a brother,” Eddie says. “We lost a loved one and a best friend. Our loss of Johnny struck to the very heart and soul of our business as well.”

Adapting to life without Johnny wasn’t easy. But Eddie and other family members who worked at Williston Timber carried on with the business in Johnny’s honor. Today, the company is still very much a family affair.

Using pine shavings to adapt to slowdowns in the logging business

Eddie has seen many ups and downs in the economy and the logging industry since he started in the 1970s. During one slowdown, he realized it was time to diversify.

He found the idea for his next business venture in the stalls of nearby horse farms.

“There’s a big horse farm community in our area,” says Phil Parker, marketing manager for Derby Gold. “Eddie saw the need for bulk wood shavings and they’d load them up on a semi and take them around to the local horse farms.”

Now, when there wasn’t a strong market to sell the logs for others to make products, the new pine shavings business could use the logs from Eddie’s logging company and sell them to local horse farms.

Florida horse owners were glad to have a local bulk supplier and the business has grown steadily for 20 years.

Derby Gold expanded the bulk business into the bagged shavings market and is currently one of the largest producers of manufactured shavings in the Southeastern U.S.

Eddie’s resourcefulness in finding ways to get the most out of every tree he harvests helped the business thrive during uncertain times. As it turns out, it was better for the environment, too.

Completing the circle

Next, Eddie realized he could provide his local customers with another benefit. Instead of hauling the used pine shavings 60+ miles to a Class 1 waste facility, Eddie allowed the shavings to be brought back to his land that adjoins the shavings manufacturing facility. It would minimize the carbon footprint associated with disposal and provide another step in the full-circle business: a natural enrichment for the soils.

Eddie and his crew spread the shavings out on his land, allowing them to decompose naturally.  Much of the lands treated were recently surface-mined for sand. The addition of the shavings over time made the soils rich, improving them naturally.

“After six years, it looked like some of the richest soil we’d ever seen,” says Phil. “We did soil samples and found that it was very, very rich.”

Phil says the lands are greatly enhanced and will be more productive for growing timber and sod in the future.

We look forward to the next chapter in the Williston Timber / Derby Gold story and wish the family many more years of healthy and sustainable growth!

You can learn more about Derby Gold by visiting their Facebook page here.

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

Melanie Cedargren, founder of The Spicy Olive in Ohio, brought her passion for the freshest and finest olive oils and balsamic vinaigrettes to life when she opened her first shop in 2012. She has since expanded to three locations and now offers wine tastings and cooking classes to complement her flagship products.

U.S. Bank has been there for most of Cedargren’s journey. “My U.S. Bank banker, Tony Dubose, has really empowered me to grow and efficiently manage my business,” she explained. “I have worked with U.S. Bank for more than 10 years and they have always been there along the way. My advice to aspiring business owners is to follow your dreams. There are people out there willing to help you.”

The Spicy Olive is one of the 1.1 million small businesses that U.S. Bank serves across the country. Each May, in honor of the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week, the bank recognizes and celebrates small business owners for their contributions to our communities and economy. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many other organizations, including U.S. Bank, extend this celebration throughout the month of May.

Another thriving business brings their love for Jamaican food and culture to their community in Oakland, California. Restaurant co-owner Roxanne Mosley reopened Sweet Fingers last summer after a two-and-half-year closure due to a one-two punch of the pandemic and a kitchen fire. U.S. Bank has supported Sweet Fingers since the restaurant’s beginning in 2009. In March, team members from U.S. Bank visited Mosley and her dynamic staff to celebrate their success.

“Since we reopened last June, our success has surpassed my expectations,” said Mosley. “We have come back even stronger as demand for catering events for community groups and services has skyrocketed.”

“U.S. Bank shares the passion our business owners have for their local communities,” said Sekou Kaalund, head of Branch and Small Business banking at U.S. Bank. “And without that beloved local business just around the corner that we all have, our communities wouldn’t have the same charm and vibrancy that they do.”

To further power the potential of clients and aid in closing the wealth gap, U.S. Bank recently expanded its support for diverse businesses with several community-driven programs, including:

Business Access program that provides diverse businesses with one-one support from a Business Access AdvisorBusiness Diversity Lending program that expands lending opportunities for women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businessesA partnership with Meta Prosper to support Asian-owned businesses with tools and resources

You can follow us throughout the month on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram where we will feature a new small business every week. #usabanksmallbusiness, #SmallBusinessMonth.

As part of the Dream It Real program, the Coach Foundation and Tapestry proudly partnered with Pensole Lewis College to create a 6-week custom design course with a focus on sustainability, supporting the development of nine young creatives aspiring to break into the industry of footwear and accessories design.

Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, the only Historically Black College and University with a specialization in design and product creation, provides access to career education and professional development to a large talent pool of young designers from under-resourced communities each year. The Coach Foundation aims to remove barriers and create opportunities for the next generation of young people who have the courage to dream it real. Together, Coach and Pensole Lewis College created a customized curriculum for students from nontraditional education backgrounds studying footwear and accessories design.

Last week, the students were invited to join Coach at Hudson Yards for a day of mentorship and networking and to present their final products to Coach and Tapestry leadership. The day began with a mentoring session with several Coach creatives to discuss what it means to “dream it real” and what it takes to achieve those dreams. Panelists shared personal testimonies of their career journeys and advice on how to navigate the design industry.

Thank you to our panelists, Todd Kahn, Sandeep Seth, Stuart Vevers, Anna Barber Rioja, Beth Stankard, Joon Silverstein, Amy Nurnberg, David Casey, Alix Thomas, Lorraine Douglas, Moartin Chapuy, Nico Valenzuela, and Trey Denis for your wonderful insights and contribution to this discussion with the Pensole Lewis College students.

“Define who you want to be in this career and enjoy it every step of the way. Someone will eventually understand you and your designs, and you have to be ready for that opportunity,” Trey Denis, Designer, Sustainability for Coachtopia.

Matthew Sekol, ESG and sustainability advocate at Microsoft, joins Mandi McReynolds on the latest episode of ESG Talk. Sekol explains why he believes understanding stakeholders is a critical component of the “G” and why governance is too often overlooked in the world of ESG.

Listen Now

Looking for more? Subscribe to the ESG Talk podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, and YouTube.

Benevity’s Corporate Goodness Awards, also known as “The Goodies,” celebrate the bold, innovative, inclusive and creative ways our clients are making a difference in the world — and how they inspire other people through purpose 

Congrats to the 2023 Goodie Award winners announced at our annual corporate purpose conference, Benevity Live! in San Diego, California. 

The Bestie Award — American Family Insurance 
For best‑in‑class approach and overall impact

American Family Insurance isn’t afraid to disrupt the status quo. They are radically changing the landscape of philanthropy as one of the first companies to fully embrace trust-based granting. Plus, they make long-term grant commitments that increase by 5% every year and renew automatically. On top of that, they encourage employees to step away from their day jobs to work full-time with nonprofits for months at a time and find ways to reduce the burden on nonprofits so they can focus on what matters. They’re giving people a sense of meaning that inspires more action and impact, and they’re setting a new bar for how companies think about philanthropy.

The Moonshot Award — Vancouver Airport Authority 
For boldness and creativity

Vancouver Airport Authority was recognized for their creative and collaborative approach to corporate purpose. In a year marked by the economic fallout from COVID and a war in Ukraine, they creatively rallied employees, customers and surrounding businesses to help address food insecurity and a refugee crisis. The team took a new approach to their usual food drive. Instead of asking folks to donate non-perishable food items, they pre-purchased food at wholesale prices and created a pop-up market that filled 1,264 hampers and raised over $26,000 for their nonprofit partner (which included 200% donation matching) — feeding 7,500 British Columbians! They kept that collaboration going, rallying everyone again to Fill a Box with essential items for refugees arriving from Ukraine, and fulfilling their purpose to be a place where “people feel safe, welcome and supported”. For these, and all the other ways they took a departure from their traditional programming, Vancouver Airport Authority achieved a sky high level of impact in 2022.

The Buzz Award — HP Inc. 
For catalyzing purpose through communications and storytelling

HP Inc. partnered with communication teams, their company team leads, ERGs and more to reach tens of thousands of colleagues across the world. Then, to create a steady buzz for their massive volunteer campaign, they used creative video emails, social media posts and virtual info sessions. And HP Inc. understood the best stories come directly from their people, so they incentivized their employees to share with extra volunteer rewards and provided them with ready-to-use content to make it easy. They even ran a whole campaign to remind employees to log their volunteer hours, for a chance to earn $500 to donate to a nonprofit they love. HP employees logged 258,131 volunteer hours in 2022, making it their best volunteering year ever. Not only are they this year’s Buzz winner but they made People Magazine’s 100 Companies That Care list, and they credit their collaborative storytelling for getting there.

The People Power Award — Visa 
For promoting purpose through people’s passions

Visa’s culture fuels their commitment to global equity — with their people using their program to drive equitable impact in the world. Their program is led and supported by 225+ volunteer leads. And in the last year, they increased their ERG membership by a remarkable 50% to 9,000 members. Employees are actively involved in decision-making for the company’s granting program, nominating issues they want to help solve – with up to two nonprofit partners in each city receiving grants of up to $250,000. Additionally, employees get to support underrepresented small businesses across 80+ countries through mentorship and loans. Supported by the company’s partnership with the world’s first online lending platform, Kiva, they’ve directed $1.2 million in loans to 52,000 SMBs in 40 countries, 86% of which are women-owned. With an awe-inspiring 80% of their 26,500 employees globally participating in granting and volunteering, Visa proves that employee involvement and empowerment builds best‑in‑class programs.

The Community Hero Award — Motorola Solutions 
For best-in-class approach to community investment

Motorola Solutions stepped up to help the first responder community, dedicating a big part of their granting program to providing these community heroes with mental health and family support. It’s also important to them that they drive more diverse representation in the next generation of tech leaders, so they provide tech and engineering scholarships and work placements to underserved youth in their communities. Involving their employees in reviewing grants applications is central to their program philosophy and employees can track that time as volunteer hours to receive donation currency to further multiply their impact in their community. In 2022, $9.5 million in grants were awarded to more than 160 organizations in 23 countries. An impressive 75% of that funding benefited people of color, and over 2 million first responders, teachers and students benefited directly from their investments. 
 

The BeCause Award — CSAA Insurance Group 
For dedication to causes

In 2022, CSAA Insurance Group worked with teams across the company to find new ways to help their nonprofit partners create more impact. That involved everything from working with HR to offer free temporary office space to nonprofits, including a food bank undergoing renovations, to tapping their legal team to run clinics that offered their expertise. CSAA also offers unrestricted funding for grantees, pays for all volunteer events that nonprofits often have to cover themselves, and ensures Goodness opportunities are infused in team meetings and town halls. Offering double volunteer rewards for skills-based volunteering meant that nonprofits got the help they really needed. And implementing special matching campaigns for their community partners saw a 200% increase in donations. CSAA’s cause-focused approach to giving ensures roadblocks are removed for their nonprofit partners so they’re able to do even more for their communities. 
 

The NewB Award — Toast 
For most transformational approach

Toast is brand new to the Benevity community and they hit the ground running with employee giving and volunteering, granting and client and end-user giving — involving all of their stakeholders from the very start. They implemented every best practice, including seeding giving accounts and recruiting employee ambassadors to create 20 events in time for launch. They took the creativity further with three minute donate-a-thons that doubled their participation in just one month. They also involved employees in the granting process and empowered them to create their own giving opportunities. Plus, they used the Benevity Giving API to empower their clients and their clients’ customers to round up their bills to support local nonprofits. Since their program’s launch in 2022, 225,000 restaurant guests have already rounded up their bills for charity. 
 

The BUFFY Award 
For individual leadership, innovation and impact

Fabian Lopez, Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Appfire lives by the program’s motto, “if it’s big in your heart, it’s a call to action for us.” He works every day to make Appfire’s program inclusive of every cause and everybody, encouraging participation from employees as well as their families and friends, customers and partners. Fabian is known for always showing up, whether it’s rolling up his sleeves to paint a school in Guatemala to traveling around the world to raise awareness for the Appfire Town program. Launched in 2022, it’s a space where everyone is invited to become a “neighbor” and create social impact in their local and global communities through giving and volunteering. In just four months under Fabian’s leadership the program raised $20,000 for Ukraine relief, planted 120 native plants in Patagonia and increased participation in doing good tenfold.Noah Salata, Community and Social Impact Advisor at American Family Insurance wasted no time searching for answers when his company asked, “How can we be better community partners?” When “removing barriers” emerged as a response, Noah championed moving to a trust-based approach to philanthropy before many companies were doing it. This led American Family Insurance to remove all reporting and application requirements for its grantees so they could focus 100% of their efforts towards creating impact and changing outcomes for the people they serve. Noah pushes for an equitable approach on behalf of communities and nonprofits alike, embedding decolonization and anti-racism principles into the company’s philanthropy practices. He has helped American Family Insurance establish a new vision for community investment that centers around stakeholder philanthropy, and he’s paving the way for other leaders to do the same and become the best community partners they can be.

The Employee Catalyst Award 
For an employee whose passion creates movements

Julia Coussens from CITGO is not only CITGO’s most avid volunteer — logging 115 hours in 2022 alone — but she’s rallying others by creating and leading many of Team CITGO’s volunteering and fundraising activities. As an active member of CITGO’s Environmental Stewardship Committee ERG, she coordinated a team of 390 volunteers in the 2022 Houston Trash Bash. Through this event, she facilitated over 20,000 minutes of volunteer time and generated over $3,000 in volunteer rewards that were then donated to great causes.Scott Woolcott from Morningstar has been instrumental in taking Morningstar’s program global — going well beyond his day job to unify their entire workforce right after a big global acquisition. He helped onboard 15 offices in the EMEA region so everyone, everywhere could participate in their upcoming Global Volunteer Days — achieving over 50% participation. Scott continues to step up as a program resource for employees everywhere, all while leading local efforts for Morningstar’s London office and working with local causes.

This year’s winners, and all of the nominees, are setting the standard and raising the bar for what it means to be a purpose-driven company. 

READ THE FULL STORIES OF EACH GOODIE WINNER ON BENEVITY’S BLOG.

Alison Lewis, Kimberly-Clark’s chief growth officer, was a recent guest alongside Pree Rao, the global co-head of Egon Zehnder’s marketing and sales practice, on the CMO Podcast with Jim Stengel. In this episode, Alison shared insights on resilient leadership from her recent keynote at the Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit and discussed the importance of embracing a growth mindset, the power of stepping outside your comfort zone, and the evolving responsibilities and challenges for chief marketing officers (CMOs).

“I want to leave whatever I touch shinier and better, making an impact not only on the business, but on people as well. Inspiring those around you to be better leaders is the greatest legacy you can leave,” said Alison.

Listen to the full episode here.

About Kimberly-Clark 
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people’s most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what’s important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies by Ethisphere for the fifth year in a row. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company’s 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

May 12, 2023 /3BL Media/ – The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), with support from its funders, invites small business owners from across the United States and Canada to apply to 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, local experts, and financial institutions.

The ICCC program is designed to help small businesses in underserved communities develop strategies that build their capacity for sustainable growth and present opportunities to connect with capital sources to create local jobs.

“I am so grateful that this program exists – the focus, generosity, and caliber of everyone contributing is just amazing. It is undoubtedly a must for any entrepreneur to take part if they are invited – I can’t imagine who wouldn’t want to glean great advice from professionals in the field, it certainly gives one a great advantage to know there are people and resources available to be successful,” said MJ Atelier founder and 2022 ICCC participant Maria Apelo Cruz.

Since 2005, ICCC has helped more than 5,000 businesses access $2.4 billion in capital, achieve 141% revenue growth, and create more than 26,000 jobs in their communities. In 2022, the initiative served more than 800 businesses, with 85% identifying as BIPOC-owned and 60% as woman-owned businesses.

“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, including a $2,000 grant for every participant who completes the entire program,’ said ICIC CEO Steve Grossman.

Entrepreneurs accepted into the ICCC program will participate in 40 hours of high-impact in-person and virtual learning divided into four components designed to maximize each participant’s experience and accommodate their busy schedules. In-person and virtual cohorts will be held in cities and states across the United States and Canada as follows:

LocationApplication DeadlineOpening SeminarBostonFriday, May 19, 2023Tuesday, June 6, 2023ChicagoFriday, May 26, 2023Monday June 12, 2023MemphisFriday, June 9, 2023Tuesday, June 27, 2023New JerseyFriday, June 30, 2023Wednesday, July 19, 2023U.S. National Latinx (virtual)Friday, June 30, 2023Tuesday, July 18, 2023, & 
Thursday, July 20, 2023U.S. National (virtual)Friday, July 7, 2023Tuesday, July 25, 2023, & 
Thursday, July 27, 2023DallasFriday, July 14, 2023Tuesday, August 1, 2023Springfield & Western MassachusettsFriday, July 21, 2023Tuesday, August 8, 2023DetroitFriday, July 28, 2023Tuesday, August 15, 2023BaltimoreFriday, August 25, 2023Tuesday, September 12, 2023TorontoFriday, August 25, 2023Thursday, September 14, 2023NashvilleFriday, September 1, 2023Wednesday, September 20, 2023Canada National (virtual)Friday, September 8, 2023Tuesday, October 10, & 
Thursday, October 12, 2023

Throughout the program, participants engage in digital learning sessions, webinars, and one-on-one business coaching that tackle each business owner’s immediate challenges. The program culminates with the ICIC Annual Conference, hosted in Miami, Florida, the week of December 11, which focuses on building resilience strategies and connecting participants with capital providers.

Application deadlines vary by cohort. Visit ICIC’s website for additional details about the ICCC program, including eligibility criteria, and applications.

For more information and to connect with an ICIC subject matter expert, please contact André Ledgister at aledgister@icic.org or (617) 238-3012 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. The program is supported by Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, Yum! Brands, Pizza Hut Canada, FedEx, Regions Bank, Santander Bank, AmerisourceBergen, PNC Bank, Mass Mutual Foundation, Arctaris Impact Investors, Cardinal Health, Vizient, Rose International, and Blackstone Consulting.

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

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