Tag: 3BL

MIDLAND, Mich., May 6, 2025 /3BL/ – Great Place To Work^® and Fortune have recognized Dow (NYSE: DOW) as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For^®. This is the fifth consecutive year the materials science company has earned the honor. This year Dow moved up significantly in the rankings from #79 last year to #25.

The quest for top companies begins with a comprehensive survey of employees from eligible companies across the United States. Respondents are asked to measure key indicators including management behaviors that drive trust, connection with colleagues and loyalty to the company. The data reveal how people feel about their workplace and predict retention, agility and overall business performance.

“I am particularly appreciative of this recognition because the survey reflects the voices of our Dow team,” said Jim Fitterling, Dow chair and CEO. “This acknowledgement speaks to the environment Dow has created; one that is robust with collaboration, engagement and generated by a workforce that is diligently driving positive outcomes.”

This year more than 1 million employees across the U.S. provided feedback on a variety of topics including career development, compensation and benefits, business impact and company pride.

“When you measure trust, you uncover the potential that exists in an organization,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. “Employees at companies on this list have higher levels of trust in their leaders and in their organization, unlocking their creativity, passion and resilience.”

Companies are only considered for the highly competitive list if they are a Great Place to Work Certified™ organization with 1,000 or more employees in the U.S. Earning a spot on the list is an important indicator of overall company performance. Companies on the 100 Best list consistently outperform the market and exceed their competitors on key business measures like retention and innovation.

“I’m proud of Dow’s work to cultivate an inclusive and supportive culture that allows people to reach their full potential, both professionally and personally,” said Alveda Williams, Dow chief inclusion officer. “This approach is core to our ambition and a hallmark of Team Dow.”

In 2024, Dow was ranked for the second consecutive year as one of Fortune’s World’s Best Workplaces™. In addition, Dow ranked #1 on the Fortune Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production and were named to the PEOPLE^® Companies that Care list.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 30 countries and employ approximately 36,000 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2024. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Young
Dow
syoung3@dow.com

Two hundred dedicated Albertsons Companies’ store directors gathered at the Seattle Seahawks training facility to pack 9,500 snack packs for the athletes participating in the Special Olympics Washington spring games. This partnership will help make a positive impact in 50 communities.

Albertsons Cos. is committed to a healthy future and thrilled to support Special Olympics Washington in celebrating their 50th anniversary. Through Nourishing Champions, a collaboration between Champions of Change and Safeway, youth athletes are empowered to participate meaningfully in sports and achieve their dreams.

See original post on LinkedIn and read more about Albertsons Companies and our Recipe for Change on our website.

Finding the right consulting partner for your Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability (EHS&S) needs isn’t just about vendor selection. It’s a strategic move that affects your global compliance, corporate ESG goals, operational risks, and internal bandwidth.

With hundreds of options in the market, identifying the top sustainability firms can be challenging. Sales pitches can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to or default to well-known names. But the best EHS consulting companies for your business might not be the biggest or even the most local. They’re the ones that can meet your needs with consistency, competence, and context—globally and on the ground.

What to Look for When Selecting the Right EHS and Sustainability Consulting Firm

Here are 10 important factors to consider when choosing top sustainability firms and EHS consultants for your business.

1. Global Reach with Local Execution

If you operate across countries or continents, working with multiple local vendors can quickly become a compliance risk in itself. Regulations vary. Cultures differ. Deadlines shift. You need consistency in outcomes, not just in documentation.

Look for firms that offer:

• A centralized point of contact for multi-country coordination
• In-country teams that understand local laws, culture, and language
• The ability to scale projects across regions without losing quality

Many top sustainability firms claim global capability, but it’s important to ask how they deliver it. Do they rely on fly-in, fly-out experts? Or do they have boots on the ground? Can they align local actions with corporate ESG frameworks?

2. Expertise That Matches Your Risk Profile

EHS&S isn’t a checkbox—it’s a risk area that evolves. You might need help addressing legacy contamination in Southeast Asia while preparing CSRD reporting in Europe. Or managing contractor safety at a new facility while aligning executive KPIs with Scope 3 emissions.

Choose a firm that understands:

• Your industry and its regulatory exposure
• The maturity of your internal programs
• Both technical depth (remediation, audits, due diligence) and strategic insight (disclosure, ESG strategy, data systems)

Don’t just look at slide decks. Ask for project examples with results. Who did they help? What changed? How fast?

3. Consistency Across Borders

Multinational companies often struggle with fragmented reporting, disconnected systems, and siloed action plans. The result? Duplicated work, misaligned metrics, and miscommunication.

You need a consulting partner who can bring:

• A framework for consistent global delivery
• Processes to translate corporate policies into local implementation
• Shared tools, data, and communication standards
• A knowledge-sharing mindset to build internal capabilities, not just deliver projects
• Training and workshops to upskill your teams on global requirements and local nuances
• A true partnership model that supports your goals over the long term, not a vendor relationship

The best firms don’t just execute the work and hand over a report. They work side-by-side with your teams, transfer knowledge, and create systems that strengthen your internal EHS&S programs year after year.

4. Transparency on Delivery Model

Not every firm is built the same way. Some rely on independent contractors. Others are regional networks. A few operate as alliances.

Ask the following questions:

• Who will actually do the work?
• How do they manage quality control?
• What happens if local teams change?

For example, Inogen Alliance offers access to over 6,000 consultants in 150+ countries, all coordinated through one contact. That structure lets companies scale sustainability efforts fast—without compromising local detail or service consistency.

5. Technology Integration

Digital tools are shaping how EHS&S programs are tracked, reported, and improved. But software doesn’t solve problems alone.

Look for consultants who can:

• Align with your existing platforms
• Help define the right data to track—not just what’s easy to collect
• Integrate technology into people and process workflows

Many top sustainability firms also offer data dashboards, audit tools, and ESG reporting systems. But it’s the implementation that matters.

6. Proven Delivery on Tight Timelines

Many consulting projects are time-sensitive, such as regulatory filings, mergers, quarterly board reporting, or new plant openings.

Your partner needs to respond fast—with flexibility, not excuses. Ask for examples of:

• Regional permitting projects completed under deadline
• Emergency response or due diligence support
• Mobilization for global ESG assessments or materiality studies

Speed without accuracy is a problem. But speed with precision is a competitive edge.

7. Long-Term Partnership Potential

The right firm won’t just execute a project and walk away. They’ll grow with you, anticipate needs, and help you mature your EHS&S program over time.

Look for:

• Long-term client relationships
• A mix of technical and strategic expertise
• The ability to shift between project-based work and ongoing support

The ideal partner should feel like an extension of your team. Someone you can call both for site audits on the ground and for board-level ESG reporting.

8. Values that Align with Yours

This one’s easy to overlook, but it matters. A firm’s values affect how they communicate, how they work across cultures, and how they prioritize client goals.

• Are they involved in global sustainability initiatives?
• Do they support transparency and collaboration across their own network?
• Are they thinking about innovation and future challenges?

9. Cost And Value That Fit Your Needs

Pricing is always going to be a factor when selecting a consulting partner. Budgets are tight, expectations are high, and cost pressures are real.

But the lowest price doesn’t always deliver the best outcome. When comparing proposals, balance cost against:

• Consistency across regions and teams
• Technical depth and proven experience
• Speed and flexibility under tight timelines
• Partnership strength and long-term value creation

In a global EHS&S context, it’s also important to consider how your partners manage labor and service pricing worldwide. Firms committed to fair labor practices and ethical standards ensure that local experts are compensated fairly and you’re supporting ESG values, not just compliance checklists.

Choosing a firm that values fairness, quality, and impact protects not only your project, but also your company’s broader sustainability and governance commitments.

10. Right Services, Right Fit

No two companies or regions face the exact same EHS&S challenges. Success depends on finding a partner that offers the right services for your specific needs, not just a standard package.

Look for a firm that can deliver:

• Best-in-class local services that fit the regulatory, cultural, and business context
• Scalable solutions that grow with you, from one facility to a global portfolio
• Innovation and insights based on local experience shared across regions
• Fit-for-purpose support tailored to the complexity of each project and location

Your consulting partner should offer frictionless access to expert resources worldwide while ensuring global consistency in delivery and outcomes.

At its core, the right fit isn’t about size or brand name. It’s about trusted partnership, local excellence, and solutions that are built for your real-world needs—not a one-size-fits-all approach.

The Right Partner for Your Needs

When choosing EHS consultants, don’t just compare capabilities. Compare the ability to integrate with your goals, deliver consistently worldwide with local on-the-ground experts, and adapt with you over time.

The best EHS consulting companies aren’t just experts. They’re partners—aligned with your strategy, embedded in your workflow, and committed to helping you deliver on EHS&S outcomes across the globe.

Firms like Inogen Alliance, recognized as one of the top sustainability firms, emphasize shared values of trust, respect, collaboration, and integrity backed by over 20 years of global delivery.

Inogen Alliance brings together 70+ consulting firms with one point of contact—delivering local expertise, global consistency, and trusted results. To learn more about our alliance and what we do, explore our services.

If you’re ready to discuss how we can help your business, contact us here!

 

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of over 70 of independent local businesses and over 6,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates, listen to our podcast and follow us on LinkedIn.

Do you sell new or used apparel/clothing that may contain PFAS in New York State?

Recent scientific studies have suggested that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds may negatively impact human health and the environment. As part of a broader initiative to reduce PFAS in consumer products, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) enacted a law under section 37-0121 of the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL). The law restricts the use of PFAS in apparel, including outdoor clothing designed for wet weather conditions. These restrictions started on January 1, 2025 (new apparel) and will be fully in place by January 1, 2028 (wet weather apparel). Here are the key points:

• Prohibition on Intentionally Added PFAS in Apparel: Effective January 1, 2025, no person shall sell or offer for sale any new, not previously used, apparel containing intentionally added PFAS. Note that this prohibition applies whether you manufacture the apparel in New York State or import the apparel from another state or internationally.
• Prohibition on Intentionally Added PFAS in Outdoor Apparel for Severe Wet Conditions: Effective January 1, 2028, this restriction applies specifically to outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions.
• Definition of PFAS and Intentionally Added Chemical: PFAS are defined as a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. An intentionally added chemical is one that serves an intended function or technical effect in the product.

What Businesses Should Know 

Even if your company does not manufacture in New York, these restrictions still apply if your products are sold in the state. This includes direct sales, online retail, or distribution through third-party vendors.

You should consider: 

• Reviewing supplier certifications
• Conducting product testing
• Assessing product formulations for intentionally added PFAS

Why This Matters Beyond New York 

New York is part of a growing trend—other states (such as California, Maine, and Washington) are also implementing PFAS restrictions across various product categories. If you’re selling nationwide, a proactive PFAS compliance strategy is critical to avoid future disruptions.

What You Can Do Now 

• Audit your product lines and supply chain to identify where PFAS may be present
• Engage suppliers about material contents and compliance documentation
• Evaluate alternative materials that meet performance standards without relying on PFAS
• Monitor evolving regulations in other states and countries

Need Help? 

PFAS compliance is complex, especially when supply chains span multiple geographies and regulatory frameworks. Antea Group helps companies identify PFAS in their products, evaluate supply chain risk, and prepare for upcoming restrictions. Reach out to our team of experts today to get answers to your questions!

May 6, 2025 /3BL/ – In March at NVIDIA GTC, a global AI conference that concluded on March 21 in San Jose, Cali., Lenovo hosted a broad range of industry experts who shared how they’re using Lenovo hybrid AI solutions with NVIDIA to drive innovation in customer service, hospitality, retail, automotive, healthcare, manufacturing and more.

AI is revolutionizing industries, with AI spending expected to nearly triple in 2025 compared with last year, and organizations have a tremendous opportunity to scale its benefits for even greater impact. While this spike in investment showcases AI potential, it will also bring heightened expectations for real-world returns on these commitments. CIOs face challenges in maximizing ROI, simplifying AI complexities, and deploying solutions across hybrid environments.

As CIOs and business leaders seek tangible return on AI investment, Lenovo is collaborating to bring Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA to enterprise workflows everywhere and unveiling new solutions that unleash and customize agentic AI at every scale. The new solutions deliver faster impact by turning enterprise data into AI reasoning, which equips businesses with tools that improve efficiency and reduce costs within weeks.

Scalability and growing technical debt are common hurdles in the way of maximizing the AI capabilities. Lenovo’s new use-case solutions are built with a new Lenovo agentic AI platform, powered by NVIDIA. This agentic AI platform is an industry first, serving as the most complete solution of hardware, software and services to help with deploying and maintaining AI workloads. Lenovo is also partnering with NVIDIA to build standardized and validated Hybrid AI factories that solve operational efficiency issues and help lower business costs.

Powering the AI revolution with NVIDIA Blackwell

AI is rapidly integrating into a wide range of applications, from content creation, customer service, and data management to 3D design, video editing, visualization, and end-user productivity tools. Organizations can increasingly rely on AI-powered tools to accelerate their workflows; however, the growing complexity of AI models and the need for real-time performance are pushing the limits of existing data centers. Enterprises need increased computing power and versatile computing capabilities to realize the full benefit of AI reasoning.

With Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA solutions powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, enterprises can unlock the full potential of AI in their data center infrastructure, from accelerating simulations and data analysis to enabling real-time generative design and visualization. Lenovo is bringing the NVIDIA Blackwell platform to businesses everywhere, supercharging AI training, data processing, engineering design and simulation.

Lenovo and NVIDIA are working with leading institutions and enterprises to unlock AI’s potential. In Germany, Lenovo secured the first NVIDIA GB200 project with the Technical University of Darmstadt to advance scientific discoveries. The project will feature the new energy-efficient Lenovo ThinkSystem SC777 V4 Neptune systems, advanced high-performance servers powered by Lenovo’s 6th generation Neptune direct water-cooling platform and services. This collaboration builds on the strong partnership between Lenovo and Technical University of Darmstadt, further enhancing the sustainable and high-performance ‘Lichtenberg NHR-Stage 1’ Supercomputer with a pioneering next-gen Grace-Blackwell partition.

Showcased at GTC, the ThinkSystem SC777 V4 Neptune server enables trillion-parameter AI models in a compact design that is liquid cooled. Using the innovation, organizations can build and run accelerated computing for generative AI while reducing data center power consumption by up to 40%1.  The revolutionary technology uses a reimagined vertical liquid cooling chassis to deliver accelerated computing with advanced efficiency in a compact system that is 100% liquid cooled, eliminating the need for power-consuming fans. The innovation is pivotal in advancing new data center designs that support more dense iron and repurpose power for cooling in the age of AI.  

Enhancing patient care with AI-driven insights

In healthcare, Lenovo is helping customers innovate to use AI for good through the deployment of validated hybrid AI solutions that help improve patient service. To optimize the patient experience and improve medical evaluations in preventive health check-ups, the healthcare software development company, Artificial Intelligence System for Human Analysis (AISHA) trained an AI model to analyze MRI scans using a Lenovo and NVIDIA hybrid AI solution.

As a healthcare software development company created as a spinoff from the largest network of private hospitals in Mexico. With 27 hospitals and counting, AISHA needed a solution that would provide its doctors with faster insights into the health of their patients. Using a Lenovo and NVIDIA solution, AISHA successfully trained an AI model powered by Lenovo ThinkSystem servers and NVIDIA GPUs, for rapid analysis of MRI scans. The AI model enables AISHA to complete a full-body volumetric analysis in just 30 minutes – over 99% faster than the time it takes to complete the process manually. This empowers AISHA’s doctors with the faster results needed to provide quality care to numerous patients.

Bringing Automated Defect Detection to Manufacturing 

At GTC, Lenovo also showcased the use of AI vision for defect identification with a new, fully validated, integrated and complete design for manufacturing. Product quality inspections are an especially significant pain point in the manufacturing industry. Trifork, a leading Vision AI company premiered a Lenovo-validated AI solution leveraging Lenovo infrastructure and deep ML capabilities to automate the defect analytics process.

Trifork and Lenovo are delivering AI-powered defect identification with the hardware deployment, model training, MLOps and analytics offered in a complete solution. The solution uses vision AI to identify defects, such as broken or chipped candy, as well as different groupings, like color, in an interactive dashboard to automate inspection and give manufacturers immediate insights into any product quality, drastically reducing inspection costs.

Together, the companies are addressing key challenges such as operational efficiency, predictive maintenance, and quality control across key manufacturing use cases, including:

• Vision-Based Quality and Performance: Utilizing Vision AI and IoT to monitor asset conditions and detect product quality issues in real-time, ensuring high standards and customer satisfaction.
• High-Performance Analytics: Converting extensive operational data into actionable insights via robust platform and data engineering, facilitating smooth system operations and swift decision-making.
• IT-OT Integration: Deploying innovative solutions that seamlessly integrate Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), accelerating time to market and enhancing operational efficiency.

Accelerating Data Management with AI

Lenovo, NVIDIA and partners are transforming data management by integrating AI across enterprise and private data to drive innovation and accelerate deployments. Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA delivers factory-like industrialization and reliability to the AI use case solutions and prepares organizations for the new era of agentic AI with minimal complexity. At GTC, Lenovo showcased the new AI Data Foundry in collaboration with Centific. Powered by Lenovo’s Hybrid AI factory, the solution streamlines data processing at scale to help enterprises accelerate small and large-scale AI deployments.

Centific’s expertise in end-to-end AI model development—spanning data preparation, model training, fine-tuning, benchmarking, and deployment—ensures enterprises can rapidly build, optimize, and scale AI solutions. Combined with Lenovo’s hybrid AI factory with NVIDIA and NVIDIA’s AI reference Architecture, customers can accelerate AI adoption across multiple domains. The solution addresses:

• The need to manage large-scale AI deployments, such as video processing from 100+ cameras and real-time data processing
• Data Complexity: Handling diverse data types, including structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data.
• Real-Time Insights: Providing real-time video analytics, object detection, behavior analysis, and transcription for decision-making in industries like retail and public safety.

The joint solution is based on Lenovo Validated Design and features Lenovo ThinkSystem SR675 V3

GPU-rich servers, SR635 V3 control nodes, advanced NVIDIA networking and NVIDIA’s accelerated computing technology to ensure seamless scalability that is tailored for customers across different sizing models (small, medium, large, custom). Typical use cases include multimodal AI (LLMs, VLMs, ASR), computer vision for retail, public safety, and hospitality applications.

Through the Lenovo AI Innovators program, Lenovo and NVIDIA empower Centific customers to seamlessly adopt AI-driven user experiences at scale, providing a combined software and hardware system that is easy to implement on existing infrastructure and support across a broad range of retail, manufacturing and hospitality industries.

Demonstrating the potential of validated AI solutions for the future of hospitality, Lenovo and Centific also showcased the use of an avatar-driven concierge that can provide personalized services to enhance guest interactions and engagement during GTC. Attendees could interact with the avatar showcasing real-time synchronization of delays, preferences, and updates. Additionally, in hotel operations, crowd velocity visualization uses a live heatmap dashboard to showcase guest movements and optimize crowd flow while maintenance insights and energy efficiency insights identify cost-saving opportunities in real time.

A Defining Moment for Operationalizing the Next Wave Hybrid AI

As AI adoption accelerates, enterprises need smarter, more efficient ways to harness its power for real-world impact while also delivering operational value. From improving customer experiences to boosting operational efficiency, Lenovo and NVIDIA are helping organizations around the globe overcome barriers to ROI and achieve AI goals faster through the power of cutting edge, co-engineered hybrid AI solutions that seamlessly harness data across personal, enterprise and public environment.

Explore how Lenovo is powering the future of AI and delivering transformative solutions at https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/servers-storage/solutions/ai.

Originally published by Drake State Community and Technical College

Drake State Community and Technical College hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony today for its new Leidos Advanced Training Complex. The event featured remarks from Drake State President Dr. Patricia Sims, Leidos CEO Tom Bell, elected officials, and community leaders.

The ceremony marked the grand opening of the 50,000-square-foot facility on Drake State’s campus, which will support education and training for the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries. The training complex houses in-demand training programs, including precision machining and welding. It also features dedicated space for additive manufacturing, mechatronics, electrical technology, engineering design, and more, as well as lab spaces, classrooms, and offices for instructors and administration. Additionally, the complex will serve as home to a new cohort of Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) students, an apprenticeship-style program that Drake State started in 2024.

“The Leidos Advanced Training Complex represents a transformative investment in workforce education and regional economic growth,” said Dr. Patricia Sims, President of Drake State. “This state-of-the-art facility will allow us to expand training opportunities in high-demand industries such as precision machining and welding, preparing our students for the careers of tomorrow while strengthening the talent pipeline for our local and national partners. I want to thank our state elected officials, the Alabama Community College System, and Leidos for supporting this transformative project.”

The Leidos Advanced Training Complex was identified as a key initiative through the Alabama Community College System’s ASPIRE 2030 plan, which stands for “Achieving Systemwide Potential through Increased Resources and Engagement.” The initiative was made possible by a statewide bond issue passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2020 to support facility upgrades and new construction across Alabama’s education system.

“The facility here will effectively serve Drake State students and North Alabama for a long time,” said ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker. “We are in the business of making life better for everyone. It’s our job and mission to make sure every area of this state has the resources needed to provide training and support economic development. The innovation and talent that will be produced at this training complex will be among the best in the state.”

In November 2024, Leidos announced a $1.75 million donation to Drake State. The gift helps fund Drake State’s advanced manufacturing and IT programs, student apprenticeships, campus technical and infrastructure upgrades, a new scholarship endowment, and faculty development opportunities. In recognition of the donation, Drake State named the new building the Leidos Advanced Training Complex.

“Huntsville has been a cornerstone of aerospace and defense talent since the industry’s earliest days,” said Leidos CEO Tom Bell. “This partnership with Drake State will grow the pipeline of talented people who will solve our nation’s most vexing challenges in smarter and more efficient ways.”

Drake State broke ground on the facility on June 9, 2023. The complex features 10 laboratories, seven classrooms, multiple offices, a multipurpose room, specialized tool and storage areas, a storm shelter, a testing suite, a kitchen and serving area, a break room, and modern restrooms. Additional features include glass viewing areas for prospective students and industry partners, as well as digital displays providing key information for students and visitors.

The new training complex will equip students with skills to help them earn high wages and gain nationally recognized certifications at a low cost.

Goodwyn Mills Cawood provided architectural, interior design, civil engineering, and landscape architecture services for the complex, which was constructed by Fite Building Co.

For more information about programs available in the new facility, visit drakestate.edu.

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About Drake State Community & Technical College 

Established in 1961, Drake State Community and Technical College is a historically black community college located in Huntsville, home to the fast-growing, highly technical aerospace and defense industry, including the NASA Marshall Flight Center, US Army Redstone Arsenal, and Cummings Research Parks. Drake State offers flexible, affordable university-transfer 2-year and technical degrees, certificates, adult and continuing education, and customized technical skills training for Huntsville/Madison County employers. Visit www.drakestate.edu for more information.

About Leidos
Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 48,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Company has deployed 97% toward the plan to strengthen communities, drive economic empowerment and foster financial inclusion.

Highlights

• Three years into ambitious plan, nearly $85.5 billion of funds have been deployed toward the plan, representing 97% of pledge.
• In 2024, PNC strategically deployed $28.5 billion in capital to accelerate homeownership, small business growth and community investment.
• Final year of plan focuses on maximizing impact by deepening partnerships, expanding access to capital and driving economic opportunity.

Making a transformative impact

PNC’s steadfast commitment to the communities we serve drives our teams to create and execute capital investments, loans and grants that make a positive, lasting impact. It’s in that spirit of consistent forward progress that PNC Bank proudly shares the significant progress achieved under our $88 billion Community Benefits Plan (CBP), launched in January 2022 and concluding in December 2025.

With a commitment to economic empowerment and financial inclusion, the four-year initiative is making a measurable and transformative impact across low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities and majority-minority census tracts.

“Looking ahead, in this final year of the CBP, our focus remains on maximizing impact by deepening our partnerships, expanding access to capital and driving economic mobility,” said Richard Bynum, PNC’s chief corporate responsibility officer. Thanks to the amazing work of our PNC team members, we are well-positioned to build on this momentum and create lasting change for the communities we serve.”

2024 report summarizes progress

Since 2022, PNC has delivered $85.5 billion in capital investments, loans and philanthropic giving, representing over 97 percent of the total amount committed to accelerate homeownership, small business growth and community investment initiatives. In 2024, PNC delivered on our commitment to do right by our stakeholders with more than $28.4 billion in total capital deployed to catalyze investment in LMI communities across our footprint.

In addition to summarizing PNC’s progress in mortgage lending, small business and community financing as well as charitable support, the Community Benefits Plan annual progress report highlights some of the specific milestones and impactful wins that successfully supported the communities, clients and customers we serve. For more details, view the 2024 Community Benefits Plan report.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as one of the most significant environmental challenges of our time. Fortunately, traditional treatment approaches like coal-based granular activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange (IX) and advanced technologies such as foam fractionation and high-rejection reverse osmosis have proven effective in addressing PFAS contamination.

But here’s an unexpected twist: some of the most promising innovations in PFAS treatment are remarkably simple — who would have thought that corn, coconut and clay could treat PFAS?

Understanding the PFAS Challenge

Before diving into these innovative treatment approaches, it’s important to understand why PFAS pose such a unique challenge. These synthetic chemicals have been used in everything from non-stick cookware to firefighting foam since the 1940s. Their strong chemical bonds, which make them excellent at repelling water and oil, also make them incredibly persistent in the environment.

The Natural Arsenal: Corn, Coconuts and Clay

How to harness the power of natural materials to combat PFAS contamination? With any of these approaches, engineers convert natural materials into a product that has proven to filter PFAS in water. 

These include:

Corn-Based Materials: Among nature’s solutions to PFAS, corn stands out as an unexpected hero. Novel media treatments are using corn-based materials, specifically cyclodextrin derived from corn, that can effectively adsorb PFAS molecules. This sustainable approach can not only provide effective treatment but also offers an environmentally friendly solution using renewable resources.

Coconut-Derived Carbon: Granular activated carbon (GAC) made from coconut shells has proven to remove PFAS from water in some studies. The natural structure of coconut-shell carbon creates an ideal surface area and pore size for PFAS adsorption.

Specialized Clay: Because of their natural ability to hold onto PFAS molecules, clay-based materials have shown promising results in PFAS treatment. The layered structure of certain clays also provides an ideal framework for PFAS capture.

The Science Behind the Solutions

These natural materials work through different mechanisms to treat PFAS-contaminated water.

Adsorption: GAC, corn and clay-based materials use adsorption, where PFAS molecules physically attach to the surface or become trapped inside the micropores within the material, similar to how a sticky note adheres to a bulletin board. The large surface area of these materials provides countless attachment points for PFAS molecules.

Ion Exchange: This process works through an electrical charge interaction. PFAS compounds are typically negatively charged (anionic), so they’re attracted to and captured by specialized anion exchange resins that have positively charged sites. Think of it as a selective filter that specifically targets and captures negatively charged PFAS while letting other molecules pass through. Some treatment systems combine these ion exchange resins with natural materials for enhanced removal.

Benefits for Communities and Industries

This natural approach to PFAS treatment offers several advantages:

• Sustainability: Using renewable resources like corn and coconut shells supports environmental sustainability
• Proven Effectiveness: These methods have demonstrated high removal rates for various PFAS compounds
• Versatility: They can be implemented in both small and large-scale treatment systems

Looking Ahead: The Time for Action

As PFAS regulations continue to evolve, these treatments offer solutions for communities and industries facing PFAS challenges. Leading environmental firms and municipalities are already seeing promising results from pilot programs that combine traditional technologies with innovative natural materials. For organizations that haven’t yet addressed PFAS concerns, the time to act is now — waiting could mean facing stricter regulations, higher treatment costs and increased public scrutiny down the road.

For municipalities and industries, taking action today means:

• More options to achieve compliance with emerging regulations
• Sustainable solutions that align with environmental goals
• Improved public confidence in water quality

Nature and Science: Partners in Progress

The fight against PFAS contamination demonstrates how solutions can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places. By harnessing the natural properties of materials like corn, coconuts and clay, we’re developing more sustainable and effective ways to address one of our most pressing environmental challenges. As we continue to advance our understanding and treatment of PFAS, these natural solutions may play an increasingly important role in creating cleaner, safer water for future generations. For communities and industries seeking to address PFAS contamination, these innovative treatment methods offer a promising and practical path forward — and those who act now will be best positioned to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

As a young adult, Justin experienced an issue with his blood that led to hospitalization, the need for higher levels of care—and dialysis. As the DaVita care team started working with Justin and his family, they focused on building trust and creating a connection with him. Eventually, he received a transplant in February 2024.

About DaVita Inc.

DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve quality of life for patients globally. As a comprehensive kidney care provider, DaVita has been a leader in clinical quality and innovation for 25 years. DaVita cares for patients at every stage and setting along their kidney health journey—from slowing the progression of kidney disease to helping to support transplantation, from acute hospital care to dialysis at home. As of December 31, 2024, DaVita served approximately 281,100 patients at 3,166 outpatient dialysis centers, of which 2,657 centers were located in the United States and 509 centers were located in 13 other countries worldwide. DaVita has reduced hospitalizations, improved mortality, helped improve health access and worked collaboratively to propel the kidney care community to adopt a higher quality standard of care for all patients, everywhere. To learn more, visit DaVita.com/Newsroom.

By Jenn Mullen

As we celebrate 2025—the International Year of Quantum (IYQ)—we embark on a journey through the eight guiding principles that have shaped a century of quantum discovery. This series begins with perhaps the most foundational principle: “No one owns quantum science.”

The Declaration

The IYQ’s official declaration of this principle states:

“No individual, society, country, institution, or discipline can claim ownership of the past or future of quantum science; it is knowledge that should be free to all. IYQ recognizes those who put effort into studying, developing, investigating, using, and teaching quantum science and technology, while seeking to solicit and answer questions from anyone who wants to learn more about it.”

This statement isn’t merely aspirational—it reflects the very essence of how quantum mechanics emerged and continues to evolve. But what does it mean in practice, and why does it matter as we commemorate 100 years of quantum mechanics?

Born from Collective Genius

When we trace quantum science to its origins, we find not a single inventor but a tapestry of brilliant minds wrestling with the universe’s most profound mysteries. In July 1925, Werner Heisenberg published his groundbreaking paper on quantum theoretical reinterpretation, followed shortly by the seminal “Three-Man Paper” with Max Born and Pascual Jordan that September. Yet these works didn’t emerge from isolation.

They built upon the quantum theories of Max Planck and Albert Einstein’s work on the photoelectric effect. They were influenced by Niels Bohr’s atomic model and Louis de Broglie’s matter waves. The mathematics drew from the work of numerous mathematicians across Europe. No single genius “invented” quantum mechanics—it evolved through conversation, correspondence, and spirited debate among physicists from Germany, Denmark, Austria, France, the Netherlands, and beyond.

The famous Solvay Conferences, beginning in 1911, exemplified this spirit of international collaboration. Scientists gathered across national boundaries—sometimes even as their countries were in political conflict—to grapple with quantum’s deepest questions. The iconic 1927 Fifth Solvay Conference photo captures this perfectly: 29 scientists from different countries and backgrounds united by a shared quest to understand the quantum world.

Today’s Quantum Commons

A century later, this collaborative ethos thrives in initiatives like the European Quantum Flagship, the US National Quantum Initiative, China’s national quantum projects, and international research partnerships that span continents. While nations may compete in quantum advancement, the underlying science remains part of our shared human heritage.

Modern quantum computing companies—despite operating in a competitive landscape—have fostered remarkable openness. Many maintain open-source tools and frameworks that invite global contribution. A number of companies and platforms provide cloud access to quantum processors, allowing researchers, educators, and curious minds worldwide to run quantum experiments without needing to build multi-million-dollar hardware.

Repositories of quantum algorithms and educational resources created by and for developers from every corner of the globe are widely available. Graduate students in Bangalore collaborate with professors in Berkeley. Researchers in Beijing build upon discoveries made in Boston. A high school student in rural areas can access the same quantum computing platforms as scientists at elite institutions.

Why It Matters

This principle—that no one owns quantum science—isn’t merely philosophical; it’s pragmatic. Quantum mechanics tackles questions so profound and complex that they require diverse perspectives. The field advances most rapidly when knowledge flows freely, when insights from condensed matter physics inform quantum computing, when theoretical mathematics inspires experimental breakthroughs.

As quantum technologies approach potential commercial applications—from secure communications to powerful computing paradigms and precise sensors—economic pressures might tempt some to enclose quantum knowledge behind proprietary walls. The IYQ’s first principle reminds us that while specific implementations may be owned, the foundational science belongs to humanity.

This openness also ensures that quantum science doesn’t become the exclusive domain of wealthy nations or institutions. When knowledge is freely shared, brilliant minds everywhere can contribute, regardless of geography or resources. Some of tomorrow’s most transformative quantum breakthroughs may come from unexpected places if we maintain this commitment to open access.

The Centennial Invitation

As we mark the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics’ formalization, the principle that “no one owns quantum science” serves as both a celebration of the field’s collaborative history and a recommitment to its open future. It invites all of us—regardless of background—to engage with quantum concepts, to ask questions, to contribute where we can.

Whether you’re a seasoned quantum physicist, a student just beginning to explore wave functions, or someone simply curious about the strange and beautiful rules that govern our reality at its smallest scales, the quantum world belongs to you too. That’s the promise and the challenge of the International Year of Quantum’s first principle: this revolutionary science—with all its wonder and potential—is our collective inheritance and responsibility.

In the coming weeks, we’ll explore the remaining seven principles that guide the IYQ celebration, each illuminating different facets of quantum science’s past, present, and promising future. For now, remember that quantum science has no single owner because it belongs to us all.

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This is the first in an eight-part series exploring the guiding principles of the 2025 International Year of Quantum. Next week: “Everyone is invited—Making quantum science accessible to all.”