Tag: 3BL

Originally published by Arizona State University News

By Sandy Keaton Leander

In a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering college athletes beyond their playing careers, Arizona State University and GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) teamed up to launch the first-of-its-kind Student-Athlete Venture Studio.

The program helps student-athletes navigate the rapidly changing landscape of name, image and likeness licensing by providing them with the tools, mentorship and resources to develop, launch and grow business ventures.

Initiated and designed by the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU, GoDaddy and Sun Devil Athletics, this collaboration combines ASU’s entrepreneurial resources with GoDaddy’s digital expertise to help student-athletes build their brands.

“The Student-Athlete Venture Studio enables collegiate athletes to become entrepreneurs and provides a proactive approach to navigating NIL successfully,” said Jeff Kunowski, associate director of innovation programs at Edson E+I Institute. “By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across ASU and leveraging sport as a platform, we are helping athletes develop ventures and lifelong skills to help them excel beyond their careers as college athletes.”

Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2021, student-athletes have been navigating what is a relatively new entrepreneurial landscape. College athletes can now benefit financially from their name, image and likeness with no penalty from the NCAA, but figuring out how to do so can be complicated and time-consuming.

As part of this program, student-athletes will benefit from in-person and online educational content, opportunities to compete for grant funding, and a collaborative working space at Mountain America Stadium, a significant location due to its proximity to Sun Devil Athletics administration, facilities and the athletes themselves. This convenient location allows athletes to easily schedule and drop in for hands-on mentoring sessions. Dedicated workstations and conference rooms provide a professional environment where they can actively develop their ventures.

GoDaddy helped found the initiative through its global social impact program, Empower by GoDaddy, and will provide more than 650 student-athletes with free access to digital branding tools, including GoDaddy Airo, the company’s AI-powered solution for developing an online presence in minutes. These resources, consisting of more than $1 million in combined cash and in-kind support to be distributed to students in 2025, allow athletes to establish a professional online presence, launch ventures quickly and easily scale their ideas.

“We’re thrilled to combine the business-building power of GoDaddy Airo with the drive and immense potential of these enterprising student-athletes, ” said Jared Sine, chief strategy and legal officer at GoDaddy. “According to our research, 50% of Gen Z aspire to become entrepreneurs, and through Empower by GoDaddy, we’re accelerating this journey for these young innovators by providing them with the tools they need to bring their business dreams to life off the field.”

The program’s inspiration came from a collaboration between Kunowski and Kate Fitzgerald, a former ASU women’s beach volleyball player and founder of VBAmerica, a volleyball lifestyle clothing brand.

“NIL regulations and ASU’s innovative resources allowed me to launch VBAmerica and build opportunities for life after sport,” Fitzgerald said. “As student athletic council president, I saw a need to help other athletes access these same resources: launching businesses, securing grants and building networks. The Student-Athlete Venture Studio embodies this mission, empowering athletes to thrive through NIL and entrepreneurship.”

Athletes in the program will pitch their venture ideas for seed funding during a Demo Day each academic year.

About The J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU
The J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU is a high-impact, driver and supporter of the entrepreneurial ecosystem at ASU, in greater Phoenix, and nationally. We are a network of people, support systems, collaborative resources and tools for students, leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators in the community. We are nimble by design, scale rapidly, and are continually building our abilities to be the conduit that provides support to you where and when you need it.

About GoDaddy
GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company’s AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

Kimberly-Clark’s tissue manufacturing site in Koblenz, Germany is on track to move to 100% renewable energy by 2029.This is expected to reduce carbon emissions at the facility – which produces major brands including Kleenex, Scottex, Scott, WypAll, Page and Hakle – by approximately 50,000 MTCO2e per year, equivalent to 6,700 homes’ energy use for one year[1].The transition is enabled by a Carbon Contract for Difference Award from the German Government, combined with Kimberly-Clark’s recently announced multi-country European virtual power purchase agreements.

March 26, 2025 /3BL/ – Kimberly-Clark (K-C), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of personal care and hygiene products, has announced that its manufacturing site in Koblenz, Germany has become the company’s first tissue manufacturing facility globally with a pathway to transition its operations to 100% renewable energy. The site will electrify its heating needs as well as source its electricity demand via a portfolio of European power purchase agreements of offsite renewables. The transition is intended to be completed by 2029 latest.

The move has been made possible by a Carbon Contract for Difference (CCFD) grant from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), combined with K-C’s recently announced multi-country European purchase power agreements. As a result, toilet paper, hand towels and wipers under brands Kleenex, Scottex, Scott, WypAll, Page & Hakle, manufactured at the Koblenz facility, will be produced with significantly less carbon emissions.

The CCFD is a financial mechanism to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Improvements at the Koblenz site supported by the grant will include switching a natural gas boiler, hood heaters and related infrastructure to electric. These updates will achieve an energy efficiency of almost 99% and remove over 13,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (MTCO2e) annually at the Koblenz facility.

In addition, Kimberly-Clark will source the electricity demand for its Koblenz facility via a portfolio of European power purchase agreements of offsite renewables. The company recently announced the launch of three virtual solar power purchase agreements in Italy and Spain, which will generate enough renewable electricity to cover the total needs of its Koblenz facility, while the European power grid increases its renewable energy capacity. Sourcing offsite renewable electricity to match the site’s electricity needs will achieve a further estimated reduction of approximately 36,000 MTCO2e per year[2].

“Announcing our first Kimberly-Clark tissue manufacturing site globally with a pathway to 100% renewable energy is an incredible milestone that demonstrates how we continue to progress on our decarbonization journey, through innovative cross-sector collaboration” said Lisa Morden, Chief Sustainability Officer at Kimberly-Clark. “We are proud to execute this decarbonization project that will unlock new technologies for Kimberly-Clark, enabling us to tackle the challenge of reducing direct greenhouse emissions, which represent 60% of our total emissions.”

“We are very proud that Koblenz is setting a new standard for sustainable manufacturing at Kimberly-Clark globally” added Paul Sokol, Mill Manager, Koblenz. “We always strive to offer more sustainable products to our consumers and to support our customers’ sustainability goals, and this is a great example of how we can do this.”

K-C’s Koblenz facility also plays a key part in Kimberly-Clark Professional’s RightCycle™ Program[3], through which used hand towels collected in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland are sent to Koblenz and recycled into new tissue products. The program allows Kimberly Clark Professional to manage the final destination of this waste, keeping it out of landfill and incinerators. Used hand towels go through a closed-loop system where customers’ source-segregated waste towels are recycled into new tissue products.

This announcement represents a milestone in K-C’s ambitious drive towards green energy and its global goal to reduce its scope 1 & 2 emissions by 50% against a 2015 baseline. Other recent achievements include:

Installing one of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic systems at K-C’s manufacturing site at Salamanca facility in Spain, completed in January 2025 (6,500 MWh per year).Installing rooftop solar photovoltaic systems at K-C’s manufacturing site in Cape Town, South Africa in 2024 (3,700 MWh per year);Opening a new £75 million onshore wind farm in Scotland, UK in 2023 (160,000 MWh per year).

Notes for editors: 
[1] Based on the US EPA GHG equivalencies calculator 
[2] Calculated on “market-based accounting”. K-C discloses its scope 2 emissions using both location and market-based methods as directed by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. 
[3] The RightCycle™ trademark was sold by Kimberly-Clark to Ansell Limited in conjunction with the sale of our personal protective equipment business on July 1, 2024. We are currently using the trademark under a transitional license agreement. We will continue to have recycling programs but under a new trademark to be developed in the future.

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, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 70 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 seventh year in a row and one of Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies in America in 2024. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company’s more than 150-year history of innovation, visit the Kimberly-Clark website.

About Kimberly-Clark Professional 
Kimberly-Clark Professional partners with businesses to create exceptional workplaces. From innovative restroom solutions to sustainable products, we help businesses achieve their goals while enhancing the well-being of their employees and guests. Key brands in this segment include Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott and WypAll. To see how Kimberly-Clark Professional is helping people around the world to work better, please visit https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-us/.

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On March 20, 2025, T-Mobile announced the latest recipients of its Hometown Grants! 375 communities across 48 states and Puerto Rico are now receiving funding and support to power local projects focused on connection and innovation. This brings T-Mobile’s total investment to over $16 million since the program’s launch in April 2021. With a $25 million goal, T-Mobile is making a real difference in small towns across America. 

Learn more about the impact of these grants and see if your community is one of the recipients!

Submit a proposal for your hometown

See more ways T-Mobile gives back to the community

About T-Mobile

We are T-Mobile, America’s most-loved wireless brand and the Un-Carrier. We are redefining the way consumers & businesses buy wireless network services through leading product & innovation and our expansive 5G network.

TURIN, Italy, March 26, 2025 /3BL/ – More than 40 Otis volunteers from Italy and around Europe recently supported athletes at the Special Olympics World Winter Games, assisting athletes at competition sites and coordinating award ceremonies. Otis (NYSE: OTIS) is the world’s leading elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company.

“Otis is proud to support the Special Olympics as we have for more than 30 years in programs around the world,” said Enrique Miñarro Viseras, president of Otis Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We remain dedicated to supporting the organization’s important mission to create a more accepting and inclusive world for people with disabilities. We celebrate the power of sport to unite people and transform lives, and we understand the value of investing time, resources and talent in the local communities where we live and work to help them prosper.”

The Special Olympics World Winter Games, which Otis supported as a sponsor, took place March 8 to 15 in five cities in the Greater Turin Metropolitan region of Italy, with competitions in eight winter sports. More than 1,500 athletes and unified partners from over 100 countries competed in alpine skiing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, dance sport, floorball, speed skating, and figure skating. Otis colleagues from Italy, France, Germany and Spain volunteered to help stage the alpine skiing and snowshoeing events.

For more than 30 years Otis colleagues have volunteered to support Special Olympics programs in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and in the United States. Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports movement for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, with more than 5 million athletes participating in competitions globally. Special Olympics strives to drive change that enables the full participation of people with intellectual disabilities in society.

“Otis Italy and the Special Olympics have a long history together, and we are proud to celebrate this year’s first Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy as a sponsor and to support the athletes through the help of our many Otis volunteers. These few days have been filled with enthusiasm, sharing and collaboration, demonstrating the incredible impact of giving back, particularly when it comes to making the world more accessible and connected,” said Costantino Aldé, senior vice president of Otis Southeast Europe & Türkiye. Aldé volunteered at the alpine skiing and snowshoeing events assisting with the award ceremonies.

In advance of the World Winter Games, 30 additional Otis Italy volunteers participated in carrying the Special Olympics Flame of Hope™ as it traveled through cities in Italy before arriving at the Opening Ceremonies in Turin.

To learn more about Otis’ social impact programs, visit our People & Communities page.

About Otis

Otis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation and servicing of elevators and escalators, we move 2.4 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.4 million customer units worldwide – the industry’s largest Service portfolio. You’ll find us in the world’s most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 72,000 people strong, including 44,000 field professionals, all committed to manufacturing, installing and maintaining products to meet the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @OtisElevatorCo.

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

Everyone knows dreams come from the heart, and a 3-year-old Columbia boy recently experienced his dream coming true with a little help, and a big heart, from Make-A-Wish South Carolina and Aflac.

Rowan, a Columbia, South Carolina, boy in treatment for cystic fibrosis, received a “wish entry ticket” for him and his family to Walt Disney World last October.

“We celebrate Rowan for his strength and courage. He reminds us of the importance of supporting organizations like Make-A-Wish South Carolina,” said Bob Ruff, senior vice president, Group Voluntary Benefits. “Aflac is proud to help advance the mission of Make-A-Wish South Carolina and bring joy and hope to local children like Rowan who are facing health challenges.”

At the end of 2024, Rowan and his family jetted off to Orlando for their trip. Rowan met many happy characters who love to read, went on fun rides with his family, and posed for pictures of his exciting day.

“It meant the world to our family and Rowan to be able to go and experience a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” said Rowan’s mom, Angela. “If it weren’t for Make-A-Wish and Aflac, it wouldn’t have been possible!”

Since 2018, Aflac Group has supported Make-A-Wish South Carolina with nearly $60,000 and has helped grant numerous wishes to local children with health challenges. Additionally, Aflac Incorporated has contributed more than $283,000 to Make-A-Wish since 2001.

Make-A-Wish South Carolina is not the only way Aflac and its employees give back to the community. Along with supporting organizations, including the PAWS Humane Society in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac also supports the Boys and Girls Club of America and the United Way.

There’s also a cuddlier, more feathery way that Aflac and its employees give back. Aflac is proud to support children and their families fighting cancer and blood disorders, having contributed nearly $190 million to the cause, including support for Prisma Heath Children’s Hospital-Midlands in Columbia, South Carolina, since 1995.

Relive the magic of Rowan’s trip with his family by looking through the photos above!

Aflac WWHQ |1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999

Aflac New York | 22 Corporate Woods Boulevard, Suite 2 | Albany, New York 12211 Continental American Insurance Company | Columbia, SC

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EXP: 3/26