Tag: 3BL

A national survey from Carol Cone ON PURPOSE (CCOP) and The Harris Poll found that only 50% of U.S. employees believe their company cares about more than just making a profit. This can result in a less engaged workforce and ultimately lost value, given that purpose-driven companies experience a 1.5x greater growth rate, according to McKinsey.

Additionally, companies whose employees feel “a sense of purpose at work and believe their leaders set clear direction” outperform the stock market by nearly 7%, according to Great Places to Work. Purpose-driven companies see retention rates 40% higher than other companies, according to Deloitte.

The Harris Poll/Cone Employee Purpose Engagement Survey also established that 68% of employees believe it is not enough for companies to just generate profit—they have a responsibility to positively impact employees, customers, communities, and the environment.

“Purpose is vital ‘connective tissue’ for organizations and their employees,” said Carol Cone, CEO of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE. “This research highlights gaps in how employees perceive their company, which should send a strong signal to business leaders that they are losing critical value by not fully embedding or optimizing their purpose, or the reason they exist beyond profits alone.”

Insights from the research were used to develop a new measurement methodology, Employee Purpose iQ (EPiQ), to help companies of any size or sector determine how their purpose impacts employees and ultimately drives business results. Based on a survey of an organization’s employees, EPiQ is grounded in targeted metrics related to leadership, credibility, employee engagement / commitment, and purpose activation. EPiQ results in a custom roadmap that helps organizations understand where purpose is strong or weak in relation to its impact on employee performance, experience, and engagement.

“A company’s purpose is known to be an important business asset, but before now, it has been hard to measure the impact of purpose on the workforce,” said Wendy Salomon, Managing Director of Reputation and Corporate Strategy for The Harris Poll. “EPiQ provides a diagnostic tool to help companies understand and manage purpose as a key internal asset, and to reverse trends toward quiet quitting, burnout, and disengagement.”

EPiQ also helps organizations use existing resources and investments more effectively. “When purpose is not embedded in an organization, it can’t deliver on its potential to inspire and enhance employee performance,” Cone said. “Previous research conducted by CCOP and The Harris Poll, Purpose Under Pressure, showed that purpose is often implemented inconsistently and not deployed in key functional areas. EPiQ helps organizations identify gaps, while illuminating areas of strength to build upon and ultimately ensure purpose produces returns across the enterprise.”

EPiQ helps companies understand the impact of their investments in purpose related to leadership trust, talent attraction and retention, belonging, performance, and influence on decision making. EPiQ’s precise findings reveal opportunities for deeper purpose awareness, engagement and ultimately impact. The diagnostic tool is designed to address questions like:

Where are the biggest gaps or opportunities to engage employees?How to use purpose to drive talent retention and talent acquisition?Do employees credibly believe in the company’s commitment to its purpose?What aspects of purpose are the biggest motivators by employee type?

“Successful companies are committed to measuring what matters. Now EPiQ allows them to reliably add purpose to their scorecards,” said Salomon.

The research delivers an EPiQ score, which is an aggregate of the organization’s Credibility, Talent, and Activation scores. The score is supplemented by a ~10-page presentation, designed to be C-suite ready, identifying strengths and areas of greatest opportunity.

To learn more about EPiQ or schedule a conversation, please visit CCOP’s website.

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About Carol Cone ON PURPOSE

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE is a pioneering consultancy helping companies, brands, and organizations harness the power of social purpose to advance their business and social impact. CCOP’s proven approach meets clients at any point on their  purpose journey to unlock opportunities to build reputation, inspire employees, exceed financial targets, and support the greater good. The consultancy is led by Carol Cone, regarded as one of the founders of the purpose movement in the early 1980s and has been internationally recognized for her work.

About The Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., tracking public

opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963. It is now part of Harris Insights

& Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the

authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow.

We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first century corporate

reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic

media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and

advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible.

This post was written by Karla Samdahl, vice president and global head of executive talent acquisition and board integration at Cisco.

One of the most interesting parts of my job leading executive talent acquisition is hearing about someone else’s career journey, finding out how they have navigated through their career progression, and understanding what motivates them.

At Cisco, I’m able to combine my passion for this process—and for making it as inclusive as possible—with the Social Justice Actions we launched in 2020. That year, Cisco transformed its longstanding advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion into a global, enterprise-wide commitment to bolder action and greater impact focused on a commitment to the African American/Black community.

At the director and executive levels, our talent acquisition strategy gives us a competitive advantage to attracting top diverse talent. We look at areas of emerging business growth and approach recruiting differently by identifying what innovative leadership looks like from a talent perspective. We are creating a recruiting culture that recognizes strong talent and expertise, and we engage talent proactively.

To increase full spectrum diversity in our hiring framework—as well as on our board of directors—we cultivate talent pools, expand our executive prospect community, and generate diverse active talent benches. Specifically, we have focused our efforts on:

Leveraging diverse candidate slates and developing a pipeline of diverse talent to increase all facets of diversity throughout the hiring and promotion processCultivating a company culture of sponsorship across dimensions of differenceIncreasing opportunities for Cisco executives and senior leaders to get proximate to diverse talentProviding developmental offerings that support the growth of women and underrepresented minority executives

Our efforts are working. We continue to exceed our African American/Black (AA/B) hiring aspirations year over year. Our goal when we set out in 2020 was to increase AA/B talent 25% by fiscal year 2023. I am proud to say that we have increased AA/B talent at Cisco 70% in non-executive roles, 96% in director-level positions, and 182% among vice presidents and above. We also welcomed John D. Harris II and Marianna Tessel to our board of directors.

Top talent wants to work for companies that understand diversity gives them a competitive edge. Recently, Cisco was named the #1 Best Company to Work For in the U.S. by Fortune and Great Place to Work for the third year in a row. With this extraordinary recognition, our U.S. workplaces join Cisco teams in 12 countries around the world that are also currently ranked #1, including Spain and Portugal.

The success of our hiring framework is supported by Cisco’s purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All, as well as by the differentiated experience we offer top diverse leadership talent:

Scale of Business: Cisco provides clear upward mobility opportunitiesMarket Presence: Cisco is the premier technology brand in the world, reimagining applications, securing the enterprise, transforming infrastructure, and powering hybrid work for a global and inclusive futureGeographic Flexibility: The ability for talent to remain in their current location has proven to be one of Cisco’s most significant competitive advantages in attracting and retaining talentCisco Executive Talent Magnets: Our executive leaders are thought leaders within the industry and Cisco ambassadorsEvidence of Commitment to Changing Business: Cisco’s efforts to drive the most trusted customer experience in the industry through our innovation, choice, and extraordinary people greatly reassures executive candidates that Cisco is an employer of the future

When I talk to leaders who are looking for upward mobility in their career and the best position to use their subject matter expertise, our conversations naturally progress to what’s most important to them, job motivations, and interests. I’ve had leaders tell me, “You should be my life coach!”

“To know that I’ve helped someone consider what they are excited about in their career, in life, and how their expertise can make immense change in the industry and impact the world, is something special.”

This is one of the best compliments I receive, and it validates to me that I’m doing what I love for purpose. To know that I’ve helped someone consider what they are excited about in their career, in life, and how their expertise can make immense change in the industry and impact the world, is something special.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 10, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE: BBWI) today announced the appointment of Maurice Cooper as chief customer officer, effective May 22, 2023. In this newly created role, Cooper will be responsible for executing a comprehensive strategy to strengthen and elevate the brand, including growing and retaining Bath & Body Works’ passionate customer base through the development of a personalized, connected and compelling end-to-end customer experience.

Cooper is an award-winning marketer and proven brand-building executive with a track record of driving growth at Fortune 500 companies. He joins Bath & Body Works from Target Corporation where he most recently served as senior vice president, marketing – guest and brand experience and was responsible for overseeing all omnichannel traffic and developing and executing brand, category and promotional marketing. As executive vice president, chief growth & experience officer and senior vice president, chief marketing officer at Wingstop Restaurants, Inc., Cooper helped drive increased brand awareness and equity scores, along with transaction and same-store sales growth.

“With the new chief customer officer role and Maurice’s hiring, we are doubling down on our commitment to delighting customers and optimizing their experiences,” said Gina Boswell, chief executive officer, Bath & Body Works. “Maurice is an accomplished executive who not only brings expertise in bold and inspiring brand storytelling but also a steadfast dedication to finding innovative ways to enhance connections with customers. We are excited to have Maurice join our team as we focus on meeting the needs of our customers and capturing the diverse set of opportunities in front of us to deliver long-term growth.”

“Bath & Body Works’ passionate and loyal customer base was a key reason for my desire to join the company,” said Cooper. “I am thrilled to help elevate the customer experience across channels and drive even deeper relationships. I look forward to hitting the ground running and working closely with Gina and the rest of the leadership team to maximize impact with customers and ultimately, accelerate growth.”

About Maurice Cooper  
Mr. Cooper brings over two decades of experience in the consumer goods, retail and hospitality industries focused on brand strategy, marketing and customer experience. Most recently, he served as the senior vice president, marketing – guest and brand experience at the Target Corporation where he was responsible for driving omnichannel traffic for the $100 billion enterprise through brand, category and promotional marketing. He also led long-range customer strategy and helped shape Target’s store-in-store experiences for Ulta Beauty, Apple and Disney.

Previously, he served as executive vice president, chief growth & experience officer and senior vice president, chief marketing officer at Wingstop Restaurants, Inc., held leadership roles at InterContinental Hotels Group overseeing brand definition, strategy and innovation for the Holiday Inn Brand Family in the Americas and globally and held brand management and marketing roles of increasing responsibility at The Coca-Cola Company. Cooper began his career as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and is a graduate of the Darden School of Business at University of Virginia, where he received his MBA, and Morehouse College, where he received a BA in Marketing.

About Bath & Body Works  
Home of America’s Favorite Fragrances®, Bath & Body Works is a global leader in personal care and home fragrance, including top-selling collections for fine fragrance mist, body lotion and body cream, 3-wick candles, home fragrance diffusers and liquid hand soap. Powered by agility and innovation, the company’s predominantly U.S.-based supply chain enables the company to deliver quality, on-trend luxuries at affordable prices. Bath & Body Works serves and delights customers however and wherever they want to shop, from welcoming, in-store experiences at more than 1,800 company-operated Bath & Body Works locations in the U.S. and Canada and more than 425 international franchised locations to an online storefront at bathandbodyworks.com.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995  
We caution that any forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) contained in this press release or made by our company or our management involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, our future performance and financial results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such forward-looking statements. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “planned,” “potential,” “target,” “goal” and any similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Risks associated with the following factors, among others, in some cases have affected and in the future could affect our financial performance and actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements included in this press release or otherwise made by our company or our management:

general economic conditions, inflation, consumer confidence, consumer spending patterns and market disruptions including pandemics or significant health hazards, severe weather conditions, natural disasters, terrorist activities, financial crises, political crises or other major events, or the prospect of these events;the seasonality of our business;the anticipated benefits from the Victoria’s Secret & Co. spin-off may not be realized;the spin-off of Victoria’s Secret & Co. may not be tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes;our dependence on Victoria’s Secret & Co. for information technology services and the transition of such services to our own information technology systems or to those of third-party technology service providers;our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified associates and manage labor-related costs;difficulties arising from turnover in Company leadership or other key positions;the dependence on store traffic and the availability of suitable store locations on appropriate terms;our continued growth in part through new store openings and existing store remodels and expansions;our ability to successfully operate and expand internationally and related risks;our independent franchise, license and wholesale partners;our direct channel business;our ability to protect our reputation and our brand image;our ability to successfully complete environmental, social and governance initiatives, and associated costs thereof;our ability to successfully achieve expected annual cost savings in connection with our profit optimization efforts to reduce expenses and improve operating efficiency in the business;our ability to attract customers with marketing, advertising and promotional programs;our ability to maintain, enforce and protect our trade names, trademarks and patents;the highly competitive nature of the retail industry and the segments in which we operate;consumer acceptance of our products and our ability to manage the life cycle of our brand, develop new merchandise and launch new product lines successfully;our ability to source, distribute and sell goods and materials on a global basis, including risks related to:political instability, wars and other armed conflicts, environmental hazards or natural disasters;significant health hazards or pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could result in closed factories and/or stores, reduced workforces, scarcity of raw materials, and scrutiny or embargoing of goods produced in impacted areas;duties, taxes and other charges;legal and regulatory matters;volatility in currency exchange rates;local business practices and political issues;delays or disruptions in shipping and transportation and related pricing impacts;disruption due to labor disputes; andchanging expectations regarding product safety due to new legislation;our geographic concentration of vendor and distribution facilities in central Ohio;our reliance on a limited number of suppliers to support a substantial portion of our inventory purchasing needs;the ability of our vendors to deliver products in a timely manner, meet quality standards and comply with applicable laws and regulations;fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;fluctuations in product input costs;fluctuations in energy costs;our ability to adequately protect our assets from loss and theft;increases in the costs of mailing, paper, printing or other order fulfillment logistics;claims arising from our self-insurance;our and our third-party service providers’, including Victoria’s Secret & Co. during the term of the Transition Services Agreement between us and Victoria’s Secret & Co., ability to implement and maintain information technology systems and to protect associated data;our ability to maintain the security of customer, associate, third-party and company information;stock price volatility;our ability to pay dividends and make share repurchases under share repurchase authorizations;shareholder activism matters;our ability to maintain our credit ratings;our ability to service, repurchase or refinance our debt and maintain compliance with our restrictive covenants;the impact of the transition from London Interbank Offered Rate and our ability to adequately manage such transition;our ability to comply with laws, regulations and technology platform rules or other obligations related to data privacy and security;our ability to comply with regulatory requirements;legal and compliance matters; andtax, trade and other regulatory matters.

We are not under any obligation and do not intend to make publicly available any update or other revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect circumstances existing after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of future events even if experience or future events make it clear that any expected results expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements will not be realized. Additional information regarding these and other factors can be found in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and our subsequent filings.

For further information, please contact:

Bath & Body Works, Inc.:  
Investor Relations  
Heather Hollander  
InvestorRelations@bbw.com

Media Relations  
Tammy Roberts Myers  
Communications@bbw.com

KeyBank announced Carla Frost has been named Corporate Responsibility Officer for its Western Pennsylvania market. Among other responsibilities, she is part of the enterprise-wide corporate responsibility team that oversees KeyBank’s philanthropic budget and investment strategies to meet community needs. Since 2017, KeyBank has invested more than $443 million in Western Pennsylvania, supporting small business and home lending in low- and-moderate income communities, affordable housing and community development projects and philanthropic efforts.

Frost has more than three decades of experience in the banking industry, with an extensive background in retail branch management, small business and non-profit lending and community development. Most recently, she served as Vice President and Relationship Manager of Community & Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Western PA.

Frost is passionate about championing organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh Region that seek to lift individuals and families out of poverty, assist women and minorities achieve economic parity, provide educational advancement opportunities for underserved youth and provide social and human services to vulnerable members of the community.

“All of us at KeyBank are thrilled to work with Carla in this capacity. She is a vital asset, given her vast knowledge and experience in community development,” said Stacy Thompson, Senior Vice President and Corporate Responsibility and Community Engagement Director. “We value her passion and dedication to community service and are thrilled for this next step in her career at Key.”

Active in the community, Frost serves on the Board of Directors of Blind Vision & Rehabilitation Services, NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania, Jeremiah’s Place and Pennsylvania Women Work. Additionally, she is on the Advisory Councils for several community development corporations.

Frost takes over this role from Brigitte Ritchie, also a Corporate Responsibility Officer serving other markets within KeyBank.

by Megan Epler Wood, STAMP at Cornell University 

Travel in the 21st century is managed on a vast scale by a range of interlocking industry sectors with a value in the trillions of dollars. The total travel and tourism industry employs 100s of millions of people and represents over 10% of the global economy. The sectors’ overall business model depends on steady growth, with cruise lines, hotels, and on-line booking engines playing an ever more dominant role in marketing the tourism economy. While industry builds demand and manages their customers, the entire supply chain of tourism is dependent on the place of visit, the destination and its environmental and socio-cultural assets. Such assets define the difference between a get-away and a travel experience which becomes a reflection of travelers’ personal values, an area of the travel economy which is in increasing demand.

Scholars have linked the value of destinations to the level of cultural, environmental and historic preservation that has been achieved. This leads to many good questions about how the travel and tourism economy can finance the protection of well-managed destinations worldwide. Without action, tourism destinations do lose value per tourist as documented in our publication, Destinations at Risk, The Invisible Burden of Tourism.

Global Efforts to Manage Tourism with Lower Impacts
Travel and tourism was extremely hard hit by the global downturn caused by COVID 19, which erased years of historic growth and raised questions about how to navigate choppy waters ahead, which are coming, due to geopolitical strains between nations, climate threats, and the invisible burden of tourism, which leaves destinations frequently in debt. In 2021, the global travel and tourism international market was down nearly 70%, making many painful situations for local people, employers, and small businesses. Some countries, such as Belize and Barbados saw double digit declines in their incoming foreign exchange and now seek to rebuild and expand their markets to respond to local employment needs. Both have transacted “debt-for nature” swaps with the Nature Conservancy to lower the cost of their debt and secure their marine environments. This allows them to refinance some of their most onerous debt, preserve natural capital and build climate resilience. 

Read Megan’s very informative article here – https://greenmoney.com/tourism-destinations-begin-transition-to-a-green-economy

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Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

U.S. Bank continues to demonstrate its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, providing career advancement opportunities for current and future team members, investing in communities, and supporting initiatives that enable diverse business owners to achieve their purpose. For these and numerous other efforts, the bank climbed on the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list for the fifth consecutive year.

This year, U.S. Bank ranks No. 11 on the overall Top 50 list (up from No. 17 last year) and is the No. 1 ranked bank on the list. The company also placed on more than a dozen specialty lists, including Top Companies for Philanthropy, Top Companies for LGBTQ and Top Companies for Supplier Diversity.

Learn more about the rankings, specialty lists and methodology on the DiversityInc website.

U.S. Bank. Access Commitment™, the bank’s long-term approach to building wealth in diverse communities by supporting communities, families, small businesses and employees, continues to provide pathways for wealth building. In 2022, U.S. Bank provided $321 million in capital to Black-owned or -led businesses and organizations through U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance financing, up from $197 million in 2021. This summer, U.S. Bank will publish its progress in advancing short- and long-term initiatives in the 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance report. View the 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance report.

The Westwood Hills Nature Center, located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, is a 160-acre nature park consisting of prairies, forests, and marsh areas surrounding a lake. Opened in the 1950s, it remains a popular destination for nature enthusiasts and provides visitors with hiking trails and an educational center.

Designed by HGA, the project recently won an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE®) Top Ten Award, the architecture industry’s highest honor for sustainable design. 

The project addresses two major challenges: optimizing building operations to maximize programming impacts and providing a high-performance design to reach a zero-energy goal. More than simply a new recreational facility, the building serves as a multi-faceted gateway, creating new connections at a physical, educational, and civic policy level.

In 2016, the City of St. Louis Park—responding to the need to replace their beloved but small and aging facility—initiated a master planning effort to address challenges with the building, assess programming and facility needs, and to establish a relevant shared community vision for the nature center. The 13,500 SF building, completed in 2020 by a design team led by HGA, is a gateway to the park, allowing visitors to experience and learn about the surrounding landscape. The site design and architecture of the new building create a unique and immersive experience, reinforcing human connection to the natural world.

Physical Gateway

The principal mission of the Westwood Hills Nature Center is to connect people to nature through its facilities and programming, and the new site and building design create a more universally accessible entry into the landscape, encouraging people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to experience the place.

Siting the building as a welcoming gateway to the preserve was critical for two reasons: creating the perception of belonging and security in the natural landscape, and to increase physical accessibility to promote engagement with the site for all. Inside, program spaces provide maximum flexibility for use by all types of community groups, increasing facility access. The exhibits and art installations reveal aspects of the surrounding landscape, to help connect all to nature.

In addition, the building placement on the site is key to maximizing solar gain and positioning the geothermal well field; HGA holistically orchestrated the development of the building’s massing and façade with the engineering team’s energy approach. This strategy also accounts for the human factor within a built environment.

Visitors to the nature center experience framed views to the natural surroundings from indoors, creating a strong, immersive environment. Outside each multipurpose room, a concrete thermal mass wall absorbs heat and forms an alcove for hanging coats, while also providing thermal comfort throughout the year. Lighter interior and exterior surfaces reflect daylight to the soffit above to brighten the alcoves. The timber structure expresses a literal connection to the surroundings while the inverted roof form demonstrates sustainable design strategies such as sun shading and rainwater collection, which double as interpretive site features.

Educational Gateway

While the building and site design serve as a literal threshold to the park, the nature center’s exhibits form an analogous interpretive gateway to the surrounding landscape.

The Westwood team deeply connected with the philosophy of land conservancy and appreciation for nature interwoven within the design concepts. A forward-thinking client, the City had a clear and ambitious goal for this project: a net-zero energy building that reflects their commitment to environment stewardship of Westwood Hills and the greater St. Louis Park community. The building was envisioned as a teaching tool, and each effort and strategy is integral to the experience of the space itself, demonstrating and celebrating how net zero can be achieved in a northern climate. Extensive studies throughout all project phases guided the team to passive and active energy strategies.

Another key was educating staff and providing tools that encourage them to “play the building like an instrument”. A green light in the staff space indicates prime moments to open the windows for natural ventilation, door lites provide visitors with views into typically hidden mechanical rooms, and a cut-out in the floor slab gives a glimpse into the radiant heating systems—all features that staff incorporate into their lessons.

The project’s exposed and integrated systems, responsive form and textures, and elemental materiality create an architecture for its place that propels the client’s mission and demonstrates high-performance and responsible resource use. The impact is tangible to the visitor experience.

Policy Gateway

Though the primary mission of the nature center is to connect people to their environment, the City also challenged the team to create a zero-energy building to serve as a pilot for its new Green Building Program and Climate Action Plan.

The City has taken significant steps towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and per the Climate Action Plan’s mandate, all future construction projects that receive funding from the City of St. Louis Park will be required to meet a new standard: zero-energy. This means that each building’s energy usage and production will be balanced annually or even produce excess power.

The Westwood Hills Nature Center was the first targeted zero-energy building developed under the Climate Action Plan, reaffirming the initiative in practical and concrete terms. In 2022 the project achieved Zero Energy Certification from the International Living Future Institute, a distinction “recognized worldwide as one of the highest aspirations in energy performance in the built environment.”

“Since we are asking our own residents and businesses to take measures related to the city’s Climate Action Plan, we knew we had to lead by example with this new building,” said Cindy Walsh, St. Louis Park Deputy City Manager. “We’re proud to have created a model that inspires visitors to implement sustainability measures in their own lives.”

Since its opening, the building design and energy-efficient systems have served as an important public-facing informer to developing policy in the region and nationally, providing a case study showcasing the impacts of an integrated design approach with passive energy reduction strategies, a high-performance envelope, advanced lighting, and effective use of proven heat pump technologies to eliminate the use of operational fossil fuels.

Yet the key impact will be the knowledge gained from this project over time. The team will continue to actively monitor the site, comprehensively participating in the post-occupancy stage and gathering information for future projects. This project is a prime example of what is possible in the built environment, and a reflection of the shared responsibility to shape a livable future.

Learn more about sustainable design at www.hga.com. 

SAN DIEGO, May 10, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Benevity Inc., the leading provider of global corporate purpose software, today released its annual edition of The State of Corporate Purpose, uncovering the trends shaping the future of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the workplace based on proprietary data and insights from its community of purpose-driven brands.

Launched at Benevity Live!, the company’s flagship conference, the report from Benevity Impact Labs highlights trends shaping CSR in 2023, such as polarization in the workplace; a heightened desire for diversity, equity and inclusion; the future of environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting; and an emerging trend of “quiet giving” – all within the context of increasing stakeholder expectations and the need to deliver bottom line results during difficult economic times.

“As companies face the global economic downturn, they can’t overlook employees’ and other stakeholders’ continued desire to have a positive impact on the world,” said Sona Khosla, Benevity’s Chief Impact Officer and head of Benevity Impact Labs. “For the past few years, companies have leaned into their values and proven they can be a force for good in the world when it’s needed most. Businesses who resist pullbacks in CSR and DEI in the face of economic pressures will be poised to navigate this year with greater business resilience and positive societal impact.”

Key Findings and Trends from this year’s State of Corporate Purpose include:

Purpose and polarization are going head-to-head: It is becoming increasingly challenging for companies to balance taking action on societal issues their employees care about and facing backlash for veering into issues deemed politically polarizing. 71% of CSR leaders say companies should be more cautious about which causes they support, and yet 88% believe companies should continue to be courageous and take a stand, even if it means alienating some people.“Quiet giving” is on the rise: Despite the economic downturn, businesses remain committed to being a force for good, but are doing it more quietly than in past years. 90% of CSR leaders say companies should spend more time acting on social justice issues through their own practices and programs versus making bold statements.Companies are becoming communities: Nine in 10 CSR leaders agree that companies who are focused on building community into their culture will be the most successful in retaining and attracting top talent by providing a place where connection, learning and positive action are part of one’s job. 71% of companies are increasing their reliance on volunteering to improve cohesion with their people.ERGs are now a must-have strategy in DEI: CSR leaders are realizing the power employee resource groups have on more than just a company’s DEI profile. 90% say ERGs offer opportunities for professional development, skills building and growth.ESG is evolving toward positive impact: Two-thirds of companies believe that ESG is mostly a risk management strategy, with one-third believing it’s a good measurement tool for impact. As boards and businesses continue to prioritize ESG policies and strategies, how ESG is measured will evolve beyond risk mitigation.

To learn more about the corporate purpose trends shaping companies and the employee experience in the year ahead read the State of Corporate Purpose 2023 here.

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About Benevity 
Benevity, a certified B Corporation, is the leader in global corporate purpose software, providing the only integrated suite of community investment and employee, customer and nonprofit engagement solutions. Recognized as one of Fortune’s Impact 20, Benevity offers cloud solutions that power purpose for many iconic brands in ways that better attract, retain and engage today’s diverse workforce, embed social action into their customer experiences and positively impact their communities. With software that is available in 22 languages, Benevity has processed more than $12 billion in donations and 58 million hours of volunteering time to support 418,000 nonprofits worldwide. The company’s solutions have also facilitated 900,000 micro-actions and awarded 1.2 million grants worth $18 billion. For more information, visit benevity.com.

About Benevity Impact Labs 
Benevity Impact Labs is a social innovation hub bringing new data, research and insights to help companies, nonprofits and individuals accelerate their impact and drive greater inclusion. With unparalleled access to the world’s most iconic brands, Benevity Impact Labs combines Benevity’s robust data and insights with third-party research to report on the top trends shaping corporate purpose and measure the full range of impact from their strategies and investments.

Media Contact 
 Maggie Crouch│Walker Sands, for Benevity│benevity-pr@walkersands.com

David Brabham, Georgia-Pacific’s director of stewardship strategy, has been concerned with environmental stewardship since he was just a little boy – and he can prove it.

“I, David Brabham, am committed to aluminum can recycling for a cleaner, more beautiful world,” reads the faded recycling pledge certificate dated January 23, 1991.

Growing up in Ohio, David tried to spend as much time as he could exploring the woods and catching crawdads in the creeks behind his childhood home. That love of being outdoors is what drove him to get a degree in natural resource management from Ohio State.

“My dream job was to be a park ranger,” he says.

Which he pursued for a short time interning at Badlands National Park and Seney National Wildlife Refuge. But he eventually realized he was more interested in working in industry to help advance corporate conservation efforts and improve environmental stewardship.

“Feeling like you have a purpose, that you’re contributing to something that makes society better, is important,” he says.

At Georgia-Pacific, David works every day to help the company identify and understand environmental trends and ways to meet the environmental stewardship needs of its customers. David says he recognizes that manufacturing anything has its impacts, but finding ways to reduce those impacts, even minimally, can make a significant difference.

“There’s a personal responsibility to try to do the right things,” he says. “We’re not going to get it right all the time, but I think we can always make progress. That’s the important part.”

Even outside of his job, David works to make it easier for people to connect with nature and the outdoors as a member of the board of Park Pride. Its goal is to work with communities in and around Atlanta to improve the availability and quality of public parks.

David says he wants to make sure that there are beautiful and healthy natural spaces for all future generations to enjoy – and public parks are an instrumental part of that vision.

“When you don’t know that nature is there,” he says, “it’s easy to dismiss it.”

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May 10, 2023 /3BL Media/ – For the global economy to reduce emissions in half by 2030, as scientists say is necessary to avert irreversible climate catastrophe, it cannot be only publicly traded companies that decarbonize. The rapidly growing numbers of privately owned companies must also be decarbonized, as private equity now represents a 10% and growing share of the combined market cap value of public and private companies in the U.S.

Ceres, in a new report, “Data as the key: Essential steps for decarbonizing private equity,” explores strategies and best practices that more than a dozen private equity general partners (GPs) and limited partners (LPs) employ to collect and report data on greenhouse gas emissions of portfolio companies and makes recommendations on how to improve the data collecting and sharing process. It is co-authored by Peter Ellsworth, Senior Director, and Kelly Odion, Senior Associate, of the Investor Network at Ceres.

Both GPs making direct investments in private companies and the LPs who in turn invest in those private equity managers recognize they must decarbonize portfolio companies to succeed in the transition to a net zero emissions economy. GPs also want to meet the demands of their asset owner LPs seeking to align their private equity investments with their climate commitments. One key obstacle to developing a decarbonization strategy is the lack of high-quality data for measuring emissions.

This Ceres report addresses the range of ways that private equity investors engage with portfolio companies, the methods available for sourcing emissions data, their expectations on what data to report and how, and recommendations for enhancing dialogue between GPs and LPs.

Other Recommendations include:

Developing a plan for prioritizing engagement on decarbonization with portfolio companiesSupporting the development of climate expertise in portfolio companiesReporting scope 1 and 2 emissions to LPs at the portfolio company level annuallyReporting material scope 3 emissions as portfolio companies improve data gatheringUsing templates for emissions reporting as a basis for dialogue between LPs and GPs

Ceres’ report also provides detailed descriptions of 18 carbon accounting resources and tools that LPs and GPs could use.

Private equity investors increasingly recognize that their portfolio companies need a credible decarbonization strategy as a value driver to maximize investment return at exit. In addition, GPs need to be responsive to the climate commitments made by the LPs that are their clients.

“The investors we spoke with were clear that there is no single definitive path to decarbonization and net zero, but they were equally clear that they benefit from hearing how others are approaching many of the same challenges,” Ellsworth, Ceres Senior Director, said. “The perspective offered by the GPs and LPs in this report, combined with its recommendations, will help investors as they develop, implement and communicate a decarbonization strategy.” Ellsworth and Odion lead a private equity working group of members of the Ceres Investor Network.

“As a private equity investor, we recognize the urgent need to address climate change and the role we play in decarbonizing our portfolio. Ceres’ report provides valuable insights into the strategies and best practices for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions data in private markets, which can help inform our own efforts in this critical area,” said Emily Rodgers, Managing Director & Director of ESG at EIG, a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors. “We agree that high-quality data is essential for developing a decarbonization strategy, and we support efforts to standardize reporting formats and enhance dialogue between GPs and LPs. We are committed to working with many of our portfolio companies to set ambitious emissions reduction goals and to support their transition to a low-carbon economy.”

Elizabeth McGeveran, Director of Investments, McKnight Foundation, an LP, said. “I found this brief extremely informative and helped prompt my thinking on our ongoing engagement with our GPs about net zero goals and tracking emissions.”

About Ceres

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies, and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.