Tag: 3BL

This Black business owner created a product for outdoor enthusiasts of a larger size

Verizon

Charlotte Young Bowens never planned on becoming an outdoor gear entrepreneur. Three years ago, Young Bowens, who lives in Tempe, AZ, was struggling with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. Doctors gave her a wake-up call: It was now or never to make immediate lifestyle changes for her health. “I think that moment jolted me and made me realize, do you want to live or do you not want to live?” Young Bowens says. “Because you really are at that precipice where, you know, if you don’t want to be here, it could happen.”

Young Bowens started walking on the treadmill, leading to running 5K races, 10K races, marathons, and finally 50-mile ultramarathons. During her years of training, Young Bowens realized that the available hydration packs were uncomfortable on her larger body — and that there was a true gap in the marketplace for outdoor enthusiasts of bigger size. So she launched her company, Conscious Gear, in 2021 to develop the Vestapak, a first-of-its kind hydration vest to fit larger bodies, sold online and available worldwide.

While looking for funding to raise awareness of her business in its second year, Young Bowens turned to Verizon Small Business Digital Ready grant program for small business owners. She had discovered the Verizon program through StartOut, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ founders with networking opportunities and resources. Earlier this year, Young Bowens was awarded a $10,000 grant, which she used to implement Conscious Gear’s year-end holiday marketing plan, which includes digital advertising and vendor setup at holiday events, to build brand awareness and increase sales.

“Having this grant has opened up valuable space and time for me to really focus on the next steps for my business without the immediate financial pressure,” Young Bowens said. “It’s given me the breathing room to plan carefully and ensure that every dollar is spent in the most effective way possible to propel my business forward, rather than just reacting to day-to-day operations.”

As a new entrepreneur, Young Bowens was motivated to try the program through the grant opportunity, but quickly found that she also benefited from the courses. Thanks to the program’s comprehensiveness and flexible structure, Young Bowens says she honed small business skills such as marketing.

In the courses, Selling with Storytelling: Unlock Your Business Superpower and Sell Effectively Online: eCommerce Essentials, Young Bowens learned to share the personal story behind her company to forge a connection with both her customers and target customers. After sharing Conscious Gear’s story across social media and on the website, Young Bowens saw her social media followers triple within a year from just 300 to more than 1,000 followers.

Young Bowens also learned, from the Digital Ready course “The Basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Get Discovered,” about how SEO could increase her audience. Before she took the course, Young Bowens says, SEO was a foreign language to her. “It just seemed like gibberish to me,” she explains. “It wasn’t until I took the Digital Ready online course that it finally clicked and I understood the power of SEO and what it could do for my business.”

She started blogging to add searchable content to Conscious Gear’s website, a boon for SEO, and added relevant tags and keywords to help the website be findable by search engines. She also became proficient in implementing SEO strategies such as using long-tail keywords and adding meta tags to blog posts. As a result, Conscious Gear experienced a 500% increase in website visitors in roughly a month. “Now I get sales from Italy, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada,” Young Bowens says. “And I’m like, ‘How in the world did you guys find me?’ And they found me because of [search].”

She was motivated to pursue a distribution deal with a major outdoor retailer, which she was able to secure. Now her hydration packs are being offered in stores nationwide — something she didn’t think would ever be possible.

In addition to the fundamentals of marketing, Young Bowens said that other courses on topics like creating a good customer experience, protecting your business through cybersecurity, and building legal and financial foundations for your company were key for getting Conscious Gear off the ground. “I set up a business [checking] account and then software, which helped me understand expenses versus revenue,” she says. She also discovered that cybersecurity is essential for every business to protect their relationships with their customers. “You have a relationship with these customers and they’re expecting you to protect their identity and information,” Young Bowens explains.

Young Bowens says she is amazed at how far she has come with Conscious Gear and she believes she could not have reached the level of success she has now without the learnings she received from the courses. She also appreciates that Verizon offers Digital Ready users phone and WiFI services at a reduced rate for small businesses.

“My life could have had so many different directions,” Young Bowens says. “The Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program helped me go from a deer in headlights to an entrepreneur armed with some serious know-how and strategies that make running a business way less scary. I feel more confident and I’m making decisions that feel right for the business.”

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is part of Verizon’s goal to support 1 million small businesses by 2030 with the resources to thrive in the digital economy. Visit CitizenVerizon.com to learn more about the company’s responsible business efforts. To sign up for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, visit digitalready.verizonwireless.com. An individual user’s experience may vary and results are not guaranteed.

Originally published on Illumina News Center

A large, multiyear study conducted by Illumina, Providence, and Microsoft Research has shown that a comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) panel, which can assess more than 500 genetic variations in tumors, is a powerful tool to direct patients to the most advanced precision therapies that improve overall survival. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology – Oncology Practice and will be presented at the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) 2024 meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“With the comprehensive panel, we found that about half of our patients had at least one high-tier, actionable alteration, qualifying them for a precision therapy,” says Brian Piening, PhD, director of Clinical Genomics at Providence, research faculty at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, and senior author on the paper. “Also, over half of our patients had a biomarker that would qualify them for a clinical trial. These are pretty striking results.”

The evolution of genetic testing 
Cancers are genetic diseases, in which genomic and chromosomal variations drive rampant cell growth. Over the past 30 years, clinicians have adopted increasingly sophisticated tests to identify these alterations and, when supported by evidence, refer patients to more effective therapies.

Early efforts were encouraging, but lacked breadth, often sequencing 50 or fewer genes and missing important tumor information. CGP provides a broader view of the diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive genetic variants underlying a patient’s cancer.

Knowing a tumor’s genomic blueprint can guide precision treatment. In many cases, if a mutated enzyme is causing uncontrolled cell growth, a targeted therapy can slow it down or stop it entirely. Immunotherapies harness a patient’s own immune system to recognize and destroy tumors. These and other emerging treatments can dramatically improve patient outcomes—but first, clinicians must understand the genetic anomalies driving their tumors.

Streamlining protocol for CGP 
The joint paper details the first two years of a five-year study to assess ProvSeq, a 523-gene panel used to test 3216 patients with advanced cancers (Stage III or IV). The team wanted to know if this comprehensive approach would identify more actionable anomalies than smaller genomic panels, and whether use of advanced therapies targeting those anomalies prolonged patient survival.

To remove insurance reimbursement from the equation, the researchers provided these tests at no cost. They also refined how CGP was ordered, to deliver the results faster and better influence care.

“We instituted a protocol where the test would be initiated when a pathologist diagnosed advanced cancer,” Piening says. “Normally, oncologists ordered these, but we felt shifting it to pathologists would streamline the process. Having pathologists order CGP up front really brings it to the top of the list.”

Using an approach developed by Microsoft Research collaborators and based on natural language processing, Providence clinical researchers were able to quickly and efficiently parse large sets of publications, clinical trials, and electronic health records. These AI capabilities assisted Providence researchers with genomics interpretation and clinical trial matching in the molecular tumor boards.

Robust results 
The team ran simulations to compare ProvSeq’s performance against that of a 50-gene panel on the same data. Unsurprisingly, the smaller panel failed to detect many actionable biomarkers.

The most common tumors found were lung, colon, breast and prostate. Around 88% of patients had metastatic disease, and 40% entered hospice. The CGP panel found that 67% of the tumors contained actionable mutations, compared to 33% for the small panel.

In addition, 52% of the CGP-tested patients received a targeted or immune therapy, dramatically improving overall survival. Median survival was 25 months for patients who received a precision therapy, compared to 17 months for those who received chemotherapy alone.

These raw statistics had real-world consequences. Because CGP identified actionable mutations in people with serious and possibly deadly tumors, those patients received the most precise treatments.

“A number of the participants had quite advanced, aggressive cancers,” Piening says. “One patient was in hospice, and we found a highly targetable biomarker. The patient soon received the precision therapy and the response was remarkable. In a short time, they came off hospice and went back to work.”

The research continues 
In addition to the main paper, the team is also presenting two related posters at the AMP meeting. One showed that another genomic diagnostic could help determine whether ovarian cancer patients would respond to PARP inhibitors, which have shown some success against this challenging disease.

The team is also presenting on a subset of patients who had structural genomic variations called gene fusions. Some of these fusions were already well known but the scientists found several novel combinations, highlighting CGP’s ability to detect unique genetic anomalies.

These findings are pieces of a much larger puzzle. The complete five-year study tested more than 10,000 patients, and researchers are waiting to learn more about their outcomes. This larger cohort could provide additional information about patients with relatively rare cancers.

The results are a positive step in CGP’s clinical journey. Piening and his colleagues expect CGP-fueled patient outcomes to improve over time, as more targeted and immune therapies enter the clinic.

“We see new approvals all the time and that bodes well for the future,” Piening says. “There’s a lot of work to do, but those numbers will continue to climb. Ultimately, we’d like to be in a position where every patient has an available precision therapy option.”

Originally published on Illumina News Center

A large, multiyear study conducted by Illumina, Providence, and Microsoft Research has shown that a comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) panel, which can assess more than 500 genetic variations in tumors, is a powerful tool to direct patients to the most advanced precision therapies that improve overall survival. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology – Oncology Practice and will be presented at the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) 2024 meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“With the comprehensive panel, we found that about half of our patients had at least one high-tier, actionable alteration, qualifying them for a precision therapy,” says Brian Piening, PhD, director of Clinical Genomics at Providence, research faculty at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, and senior author on the paper. “Also, over half of our patients had a biomarker that would qualify them for a clinical trial. These are pretty striking results.”

The evolution of genetic testing 
Cancers are genetic diseases, in which genomic and chromosomal variations drive rampant cell growth. Over the past 30 years, clinicians have adopted increasingly sophisticated tests to identify these alterations and, when supported by evidence, refer patients to more effective therapies.

Early efforts were encouraging, but lacked breadth, often sequencing 50 or fewer genes and missing important tumor information. CGP provides a broader view of the diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive genetic variants underlying a patient’s cancer.

Knowing a tumor’s genomic blueprint can guide precision treatment. In many cases, if a mutated enzyme is causing uncontrolled cell growth, a targeted therapy can slow it down or stop it entirely. Immunotherapies harness a patient’s own immune system to recognize and destroy tumors. These and other emerging treatments can dramatically improve patient outcomes—but first, clinicians must understand the genetic anomalies driving their tumors.

Streamlining protocol for CGP 
The joint paper details the first two years of a five-year study to assess ProvSeq, a 523-gene panel used to test 3216 patients with advanced cancers (Stage III or IV). The team wanted to know if this comprehensive approach would identify more actionable anomalies than smaller genomic panels, and whether use of advanced therapies targeting those anomalies prolonged patient survival.

To remove insurance reimbursement from the equation, the researchers provided these tests at no cost. They also refined how CGP was ordered, to deliver the results faster and better influence care.

“We instituted a protocol where the test would be initiated when a pathologist diagnosed advanced cancer,” Piening says. “Normally, oncologists ordered these, but we felt shifting it to pathologists would streamline the process. Having pathologists order CGP up front really brings it to the top of the list.”

Using an approach developed by Microsoft Research collaborators and based on natural language processing, Providence clinical researchers were able to quickly and efficiently parse large sets of publications, clinical trials, and electronic health records. These AI capabilities assisted Providence researchers with genomics interpretation and clinical trial matching in the molecular tumor boards.

Robust results 
The team ran simulations to compare ProvSeq’s performance against that of a 50-gene panel on the same data. Unsurprisingly, the smaller panel failed to detect many actionable biomarkers.

The most common tumors found were lung, colon, breast and prostate. Around 88% of patients had metastatic disease, and 40% entered hospice. The CGP panel found that 67% of the tumors contained actionable mutations, compared to 33% for the small panel.

In addition, 52% of the CGP-tested patients received a targeted or immune therapy, dramatically improving overall survival. Median survival was 25 months for patients who received a precision therapy, compared to 17 months for those who received chemotherapy alone.

These raw statistics had real-world consequences. Because CGP identified actionable mutations in people with serious and possibly deadly tumors, those patients received the most precise treatments.

“A number of the participants had quite advanced, aggressive cancers,” Piening says. “One patient was in hospice, and we found a highly targetable biomarker. The patient soon received the precision therapy and the response was remarkable. In a short time, they came off hospice and went back to work.”

The research continues 
In addition to the main paper, the team is also presenting two related posters at the AMP meeting. One showed that another genomic diagnostic could help determine whether ovarian cancer patients would respond to PARP inhibitors, which have shown some success against this challenging disease.

The team is also presenting on a subset of patients who had structural genomic variations called gene fusions. Some of these fusions were already well known but the scientists found several novel combinations, highlighting CGP’s ability to detect unique genetic anomalies.

These findings are pieces of a much larger puzzle. The complete five-year study tested more than 10,000 patients, and researchers are waiting to learn more about their outcomes. This larger cohort could provide additional information about patients with relatively rare cancers.

The results are a positive step in CGP’s clinical journey. Piening and his colleagues expect CGP-fueled patient outcomes to improve over time, as more targeted and immune therapies enter the clinic.

“We see new approvals all the time and that bodes well for the future,” Piening says. “There’s a lot of work to do, but those numbers will continue to climb. Ultimately, we’d like to be in a position where every patient has an available precision therapy option.”

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

At GoDaddy, we foster a culture of belonging with flexible work methods, collaboration, and teamwork. While most of our India teams work from home, our Gurgaon office acts as a hub for problem-solving and building workplace bonds.

Let’s hear from some of our team members as they share their experiences of working from the office.

Meet Nitika Bansal, our Senior Manager – HR Operations. 

Nitika shares her insights on the benefits of a hybrid work structure from both an HR and employee perspective. She emphasizes that hybrid models significantly improve work-life balance, allowing employees to manage personal commitments more effectively while fostering better collaboration and creativity during in-person interactions. Nitika notes that meeting colleagues in-person enhances positivity and makes passion contagious, ultimately leading to stronger professional relationships and better retention.

Living close to the office, Nitika enjoys a healthier lifestyle, engaging in sports like tennis and finding fulfillment in balancing work and personal interests. She also shares memorable moments of connecting with colleagues, highlighting the importance of building a solid community and a sense of belonging in the workplace.

As we transition from Nitika’s perspective on how hybrid work enhances personal and professional well-being, let’s explore Padam Jeet Singh’s views on how in-person office presence fosters collaboration and community spirit.

Meet Padam Jeet Singh, Senior Director – Engineering 

Padam details the benefits of having an office presence despite being a remote-first organization. He emphasizes that although in-person interactions are less frequent than pre-pandemic, they lead to more efficient and meaningful collaborations compared to virtual meetings. These face-to-face meetings foster quicker problem-solving, stronger professional connections, and a sense of belonging, especially for new and junior employees.

One defining moment Padam recounts is a Holi celebration organized with the help of other leaders. This event brought together a large group of employees for the first time, reinforcing the community spirit and underscoring the importance of occasional office interactions. Such moments are vital in building a cohesive organizational culture and enhancing employee engagement.

Likewise, Neha Thapar highlights how in-person interactions not only foster personal and professional growth, but also enhance team dynamics, and cultivate a supportive environment.

Meet Neha Thapar, Head of Product 

Neha fondly recalls the pre-COVID days when office attendance was the norm and highlights how in-person interactions accelerate growth for individuals and teams, alike. She notes that working from the office fosters stronger team dynamics and collaboration. Her team members have observed that frequent meetings significantly enhance product development. She also discovers unexpected benefits, such as improved physical well-being and the collective wisdom shared during casual team gatherings. One of her favorite moments is the Holi celebration organized by Padam, which brings team members together for a joyful and memorable event, reinforcing a sense of normalcy and camaraderie.

Our Gurgaon office serves as a collaboration hub where GoDaddy employees experience the camaraderie and collaboration that define our culture. While remote work offers flexibility, these in-person interactions at Gurgaon forge more robust connections, enhance problem-solving, and enrich our sense of community. These gatherings embody our “You Belong Here” ethos, fostering an environment where every team member feels valued and connected.

Are you enjoying this series and want to know more about life at GoDaddy? Check out our GoDaddy Life social pages! Follow us to meet our team, learn more about our culture (Teams, ERGs, Locations), careers, and so much more. You’re more than just your day job, so come propel your career with us.

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WASHINGTON and MUMBAI, India, November 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, has been recognized by the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation as the Best Corporate Steward for 2024 in the ‘Large Business’ category. The accolade, part of the Chamber’s 25th Annual Citizens Awards, celebrates TCS’ dedication to corporate social responsibility and community engagement on a global scale.

The Citizens Awards honour businesses that are committed to addressing global challenges with impactful, innovative initiatives. The Best Corporate Steward Award recognizes companies that prioritize social responsibility and build resilient communities while driving shared value. TCS was recognized for its long-term commitment to inclusive growth and shared value, and for helping customers build resilient and sustainable enterprises. Driven by the values of the Tata Group, TCS leverages advanced technology and investments in the wellbeing and growth of its employees, prioritizing people and communities in need.

“Tata Consultancy Services has demonstrated a deep commitment to creating opportunities in the digital economy for those who need it most,” said Marc DeCourcey, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “Their efforts to empower women, youth, and marginalized communities around the world, coupled with their impressive strides in sustainability, exemplify what true corporate citizenship looks like. We are proud to recognize the far-reaching impact of their initiatives.” 

Since 2020, TCS has invested $571 million in social impact initiatives, benefiting 15.9 million women, youth, and marginalized groups worldwide. Its corporate social responsibility focuses on economic opportunities through literacy, work programs, 21st-century education, skills development, and digital entrepreneurship, while also addressing healthcare, climate, water quality, and digital inclusion. Supported by TCS employees globally, who volunteered over 13 million hours, these efforts align with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“TCS has always believed that businesses can and should be a force for good. This recognition reflects the trust placed on us by our stakeholders — from customers and employees, to shareholders, and local communities around the world,” said Balaji Ganapathy, Chief Social Responsibility Officer, TCS. “We are committed to the principles of long-term value creation, while empowering people with opportunities in the digital economy and building sustainable, resilient communities.” 

TCS has long supported clients in North America, its largest market, for 50 years, all while giving back to local communities. Its STEM education programs, goIT and Ignite My Future, have engaged over 2 million students across the US and Canada, equipping them with essential skills such as design thinking and computational knowledge, and inspiring their future careers, thereby bridging the gap for underrepresented student populations in the technology sector.

“What makes this U.S. Chamber of Commerce award so satisfying is that we share it with our clients, whose relationships with TCS are built on shared values, said Amit Bajaj, President, North America, TCS. “We proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with them at events that make a difference to local communities – from STEM education programs in local school districts to major wellness events such as the TCS New York City Marathon and the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon.”

TCS’ CSR programs enable individuals, local communities and marginalized groups to succeed. These include:

BridgeIT, which promotes digital entrepreneurship and inclusion by enabling marginalized youth to become digital entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs provide villagers with access to citizen entitlements, government programs, financial inclusion, healthcare services, e-commerce, and more. The nomination highlighted that TCS recently expanded the program to 44 districts and started a cohort of 1,400 women. In total, BridgeIT has reached 10 states in India, more than 1,700 entrepreneurs and serves more than 310,000 villagers annually.
 Go Innovate Together (goIT) is TCS’ global innovation and career readiness program, aimed at demystifying computer science and encouraging K-12 students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in technology. To date, goIT has engaged more than 300,000 students and educators across 48 countries, with 49% of participants being girls and approximately 75% from ethnic minorities. The program provides opportunities for students to apply skills such as AI, IoT, and app design to real-world problem-solving scenarios.
 Ignite My Future, TCS’ computational thinking program for teachers, students, and families, introduces higher-order problem-solving skills and infuses them into core subjects like language arts, math, science, and history. This supports youth as they become the next generation of innovators and industry leaders. To date, the program has reached more than 2.3 million K-12 students and 48,000 educators across the U.S., India, Mexico, Philippines, and Australia.
 Literacy as a Service (LaaS), assists marginalized adults in India in accessing social welfare entitlements and enhancing their livelihoods through 21st-century literacy. The program aims to establish essential functional and financial literacy skills and has reached over 2.4 million newly literate individuals. According to program outcomes, 85% of participants have reported increased self-esteem, while 89% have demonstrated improved numeracy and financial skills, among other positive developments.
 Youth Employment Program (YEP) helps marginalized youth in India transition from college to new and emerging careers. The program offers training and job placement support. Since its inception, TCS has trained more than 185,000 students through YEP, with 42,000 participants gaining employment across various industry sectors and jobs.

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 56 years. Its consulting-led, cognitive powered, portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has over 612,700 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $29 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, and is listed on the BSE and the NSE in India. TCS’ proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit www.tcs.com.

TCS media contacts:

Corporate Communications & India

Email: corporate.communications@tcs.com

Email: saxena.kritika@tcs.com| Phone: +91 22 6778 9999

Email: vanshika.sood@tcs.com | Phone: +91 22 67789098

North AmericaEmail: james.sciales@tcs.com | +1 917 981 7651

DALLAS, November 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Paul Quinn College, the originator of the Urban Work College model and the only minority-serving, federally recognized Work College in America, has received a $1.5 million grant from T.D. Jakes Foundation (TDJF), in partnership with Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC). This grant will support the creation of an innovative housing model and the planning of a companion mixed-use community on the Paul Quinn campus.

“This is so much more than a traditional real estate project or campus housing development—it’s a statement about what higher education can be for all of us – those who attend our schools and those who do not,” said Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College. “We are building a city within our campus walls. It will be a community that inspires, innovates, and invests in its people. This will only be possible due to the vision of our partners at T.D. Jakes Foundation and Wells Fargo. And for that, we are incredibly grateful.”

The grant will launch a dynamic campus housing initiative that will eventually be accompanied by a larger mixed-use development that includes student and family housing, retail and restaurant spaces, parks, outdoor meeting areas, and classroom facilities—all designed to serve both the campus and the surrounding community. This groundbreaking project will expand Paul Quinn’s student housing capacity by 300 percent as Paul Quinn seeks to meet the needs of a growing student body.

“We are proud to support Paul Quinn College in their mission to create a transformative and sustainable campus environment that addresses critical needs like housing, transportation, and food security for students,” said Kelley Cornish, CEO and President, T.D. Jakes Foundation. “This $1.5 million grant will lay the groundwork for an innovative mixed-use development that not only provides essential services and resources but also strengthens the college’s long-term vision for community impact. We believe this project will have a profound impact on student success and well-being, empowering them to focus on their education and future.”

The development will serve the immediate Paul Quinn College community, including students and their families, the students and families of KIPP Oak Cliff Academy and Dallas Independent School District’s Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III Global Preparatory Academy at Paul Quinn College, and the surrounding Highland Hills and Southern Dallas community.

“Having access to reliable, quality housing is an essential element for students so they can earn a degree, certification or improve their income and options long-term,” said Kristy Fercho, head of Diverse Segments, Representation and Inclusion at Wells Fargo. “Our work with the T.D. Jakes Foundation and Paul Quinn College on the vision for a new mixed-use development supports our broader commitment to providing increased access to quality, affordable housing for individuals historically underserved in the market.”

Wells Fargo continues to build on its relationship with Paul Quinn College. The Wells Fargo Foundation donated $100,000 to help create scholarships for the school’s Corporate Work Program, which provides workforce opportunities that allow students to develop the needed skills, habits, and experience to be competitive in the job market postgraduation while contributing toward the cost of their education. The program is part of Paul Quinn’s commitment to eradicate generational poverty. Additional philanthropic funding helped establish an emergency housing fund to support housing year-round for students who may not have access to housing when class is not in session.

In 2024, through a collaboration between Wells Fargo and T.D. Jakes Foundation, Paul Quinn College received another $236,000 to fuel the Corporate Work Program and housing security funds. Wells Fargo has continued its relationship with the college and its students by partnering with the Corporate Work program to welcome a cohort of five interns to Wells Fargo’s Auto Lending business.

Paul Quinn has partnered with the Jakes Divinity School since 2023 to offer a T.D. Jakes Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, the first graduate program in Paul Quinn’s history. The T.D. Jakes MBA program, a distinctive faith-based initiative, is the only accredited MBA program of its kind offered by an HBCU in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The program provides another pipeline of economic mobility for Paul Quinn students by providing access to corporate mentors and unique professional development opportunities. By integrating the expertise and resources of both institutions, the program is designed to cultivate the next generation of visionary leaders in business and entrepreneurship.

These partnerships amplify Paul Quinn’s mission to eradicate generational poverty and further cement the dynamic collaboration between these three organizations to expand opportunities in education, economic mobility, and affordable housing.

For more information or to explore opportunities to partner with Paul Quinn College, please visit www.pqc.edu/invest.

ABOUT PAUL QUINN COLLEGE 
Paul Quinn College is a private, faith-based, four-year, liberal arts-inspired college that was founded in 1872, by a group of African Methodist Episcopal Church preachers in Austin, Texas. The school’s original purpose was to educate freed slaves and their offspring. Today, Paul Quinn proudly educates students of all races and socio-economic classes under the banner of its institutional ethos, WE over Me. It is the first Urban Work College and only minority-serving, federally-recognized work college in America. Paul Quinn is viewed as one of the most innovative colleges in America, one that continuously expands the boundaries of higher education and community advocacy in its quest to eradicate intergenerational poverty. For more information, visit www.paulquinn.edu.

ABOUT T.D. JAKES FOUNDATION

The T.D. Jakes Foundation, founded in 2020, is dedicated to advancing financial inclusion, educational access and workforce readiness, and community well-being for historically marginalized communities. Through innovative programs, the T.D. Jakes Foundation creates pathways to economic mobility, including affordable housing, financial education, and workforce training. Our collaborative efforts enhance community well-being by promoting access to health services, supportive environments, and comprehensive support systems. Through the vision of its founder, T.D. Jakes, the Foundation leverages decades of experience in community building to create opportunities for underserved populations and connect corporations to highly skilled, diverse talent pools.

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We’re teaming up with more than 100 energy companies across the U.S. and Canada for Utilities United Against Scams (Nov. 17-23) to remind you to stay vigilant against energy-related scams designed to steal your money and personal information.

As this year’s theme highlights, scams can hit “Anytime, Anyone, Anywhere.”

Fraudulent activity targeting utility customers has become increasingly sophisticated. One of the most common tactics involves a scammer calling a customer and demanding an immediate payment via prepaid debit or credit card to avoid service disconnection. These impostors often pose as utility company employees, instructing the customer to purchase a prepaid card from a nearby convenience or drug store, then call back to complete the “payment.” This approach can feel surprisingly authentic, as scammers can manipulate caller IDs and even replicate utility companies’ official voice greetings and hold recordings to give their scheme a realistic feel.

However, legitimate utility representatives will never call to demand cash or instruct customers to buy prepaid credit cards to pay their bills. If you ever feel uncertain about the status of your account, it’s best to contact Customer Care directly to verify.

Based on information provided by customers who have been targeted, the amounts scammers take can range significantly with some customers losing as much as $9,000. Use the below tips to identify, avoid and report scam activity.

Tips to Identify Scams:

Delmarva Power will never:Ask for immediate payment with a prepaid cash card or cryptocurrency.Request your Delmarva Power account number or personal information like a driver’s license number.Visit your home or business to discuss service disconnection without prior contact.Delmarva Power will never call to:Ask for your account number.Request personal information such as your Social Security number or bank details.Demand direct payment with a prepaid cash card.

Identifying Delmarva Power Employees:

All field employees wear a uniform with the Delmarva Power logo, including a shirt and safety vest.Employees display a company ID badge with the Delmarva Power logo and their name. 

Protect Your Business:

Review emails from outside your network carefully.Verify the sender’s name and business match the email address. Look for typos or slight image alterations.

Generative AI also represents a growing threat and allows scammers to create highly realistic, human-like content using online data. This technology makes scams appear more credible, which is why it’s crucial to stay cautious and always verify any unexpected or suspicious communication. Be on the lookout for the following:

Deep Fakes: Digitally manipulated images or videos that mimic real people.Voice Cloning: Impersonates individuals to carry out scams.Phishing and Malware: AI written phishing emails, texts and malware.

If you ever question the legitimacy of a call or visit to your home regarding disconnection of service, contact us at 800-375-7117. Any customer who believes they have been a target of a scam is urged to contact their local police and call Delmarva Power immediately to report the situation. To learn more about preventing scams, delmarva.com.

We’re teaming up with more than 100 energy companies across the U.S. and Canada for Utilities United Against Scams (Nov. 17-23) to remind you to stay vigilant against energy-related scams designed to steal your money and personal information.

As this year’s theme highlights, scams can hit “Anytime, Anyone, Anywhere.”

Fraudulent activity targeting utility customers has become increasingly sophisticated. One of the most common tactics involves a scammer calling a customer and demanding an immediate payment via prepaid debit or credit card to avoid service disconnection. These impostors often pose as utility company employees, instructing the customer to purchase a prepaid card from a nearby convenience or drug store, then call back to complete the “payment.” This approach can feel surprisingly authentic, as scammers can manipulate caller IDs and even replicate utility companies’ official voice greetings and hold recordings to give their scheme a realistic feel.

However, legitimate utility representatives will never call to demand cash or instruct customers to buy prepaid credit cards to pay their bills. If you ever feel uncertain about the status of your account, it’s best to contact Customer Care directly to verify.

Based on information provided by customers who have been targeted, the amounts scammers take can range significantly with some customers losing as much as $9,000. Use the below tips to identify, avoid and report scam activity.

Tips to Identify Scams:

Delmarva Power will never:Ask for immediate payment with a prepaid cash card or cryptocurrency.Request your Delmarva Power account number or personal information like a driver’s license number.Visit your home or business to discuss service disconnection without prior contact.Delmarva Power will never call to:Ask for your account number.Request personal information such as your Social Security number or bank details.Demand direct payment with a prepaid cash card.

Identifying Delmarva Power Employees:

All field employees wear a uniform with the Delmarva Power logo, including a shirt and safety vest.Employees display a company ID badge with the Delmarva Power logo and their name. 

Protect Your Business:

Review emails from outside your network carefully.Verify the sender’s name and business match the email address. Look for typos or slight image alterations.

Generative AI also represents a growing threat and allows scammers to create highly realistic, human-like content using online data. This technology makes scams appear more credible, which is why it’s crucial to stay cautious and always verify any unexpected or suspicious communication. Be on the lookout for the following:

Deep Fakes: Digitally manipulated images or videos that mimic real people.Voice Cloning: Impersonates individuals to carry out scams.Phishing and Malware: AI written phishing emails, texts and malware.

If you ever question the legitimacy of a call or visit to your home regarding disconnection of service, contact us at 800-375-7117. Any customer who believes they have been a target of a scam is urged to contact their local police and call Delmarva Power immediately to report the situation. To learn more about preventing scams, delmarva.com.

PARIS, November 22, 2024 /3BL/ – Members of AIM-Progress and The Consumer Goods Forum Human Rights Coalition, which includes major fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, are delighted to have partnered with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and Proforest to develop and launch the new “Converged Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) Assessment Tool”. 

The open-source tool is designed to help businesses identify, prevent, and address potential risks to human rights and the environment across their business operations and supply chains. It is intended to support a wide range of industries, helping all types of businesses assess and improve HREDD practices by standardising content, requirements, and language; promoting a unified approach to HREDD maturity assessments across the FMCG sector and beyond.

Initially created by FLA with support from Nestlé, the tool was further adapted and piloted by Proforest, with valuable input from both buyers and suppliers. By leveraging the tool’s extensive results companies can self-assess their due diligence systems and engage with suppliers, identifying areas to strengthen practices in relation to their own operations and supply chains for goods and services.

Though its use is voluntary, this tool serves as a best-practice reference, fostering supplier engagement and continuous improvement in human rights and environmental due diligence. Aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs), it promotes global cross-sector alignment, ultimately reducing suppliers’ reporting burden across multiple buyers.

“Converging approaches is central to AIM-Progress’s mission and, we believe, key to effective human rights and environmental due diligence that positively impacts lives throughout supply chains. This tool would not have been possible without the openness of members such as Nestlé, who shared the foundational work they initiated with the FLA, and without the valued partnership and collaboration of The Consumer Goods Forum and Proforest.” said Louise Herring, Director of AIM-Progress. 

“The outcome of our partnership will contribute through concrete implementation tools that help businesses make human rights and environmental due diligence a no-brainer for companies,” said Didier Bergeret, Director Sustainability of The Consumer Goods Forum. “This collaboration is the start of a longer learning journey where we hope the tool can inspire more companies to embark on a journey to embed human rights and environmental due diligence”

“Companies gearing up for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and other reporting requirements need tools to engage with their suppliers on human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD). FLA authored this HREDD tool based on our robust standards and years of experience working with companies, suppliers, civil society organisations, and universities. Applicable across industries, this tool will help companies accurately assess their systems, while avoiding self-assessment and reporting fatigue,” said Richa Mittal, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at FLA.

“We are delighted to be able to share the experience of such a strong business collaboration to develop the HREDD assessment tool,” commented Emanuela Ranieri-Svendsen, Deputy Director – Human Rights at Proforest. “It has been an important part of our ongoing work to promote HREDD good practice in the supply chain with meaningful supplier engagement to address human rights and environmental risks and impacts. We are keen to maximise opportunities for this tool to meaningfully contribute as part of a smart mix of measures.”

The current Converged HREDD Assessment Tool emerged after three years through collaborative development, pilot testing, and stakeholder feedback from AIM-Progress, CGF, FLA, Nestlé and Proforest.

The collaborators have made the tool open-source, aiming for it to become common industry best practice for how to assess HREDD readiness. It is available to download online.

Download

Please note, the tool is available as a working version and licensed under Creative Commons. Any organisation sharing the tool and guidance document should acknowledge the contributions of the developing organisations.

For more information, please contact the contributors through the email below:

info@aim-progress.com and social@theconsumergoodsforum.com.

About the Organisations 

AIM-Progress is a global initiative of leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) manufacturers and suppliers joining forces to drive positive change in their supply chains and promote responsible sourcing practices and sustainable production systems. AIM-Progress works in a pre-competitive environment with more than 50 member companies from a diverse set of brands and suppliers linked through the commonality of their supply chains. Its mission is to positively impact people’s lives and ensure respect for human rights, while delivering value to members and their supply chains. This is done across four areas: our human rights priorities and respective working groups, our two regional hubs, our mutual recognition work to create synergies in approaches, and our capability building work stream to equip the members and their suppliers with knowledge and ability to execute strong responsible sourcing programmes.

For more information please visit: www.aim-progress.com

The Consumer Goods Forum brings consumer goods retailers and manufacturers together globally. CEO-led, it helps the world’s retailers and consumer goods manufacturers to collaborate, alongside other key stakeholders, to secure consumer trust and drive positive change, including greater efficiency. With global reach, CEO leadership and focus on retailer-manufacturer collaboration, CGF are in a unique position to drive positive change and help address key challenges impacting the industry, including environmental and social sustainability, health, food safety and product data accuracy. They do so for the benefit of both people and the planet, as well as our businesses, ensuring our vision – better lives through better business.

For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com

The Fair Labor Association promotes human rights at work. We are an international network of companies, universities, and civil society organisations collaborating to ensure that millions of people working at the world’s factories and farms are paid fairly and protected from risks to their health, safety, and well-being.

Learn more at www.fairlabor.org

Proforest is a global mission-driven organisation, focused on the production base and supply chains of agricultural and forestry commodities including soy, sugar, rubber, palm oil, cocoa, coconut, beef and timber. We support companies with direct action to tackle environmental and social risks throughout a supply chain. We also work with governments, companies, and collaborative organisations, in order to address systemic issues beyond the supply chain, within a landscape or a sector, to deliver positive outcomes at scale for people, nature and climate.

Learn more at www.proforest.net

For more information, please contact:

Maria Isabel Cubides Sanchez

Senior Manager, Social Sustainability

Send Email

Originally published on HARMAN Newsroom

We are excited to share that HARMAN has been recognized with the Silver Award for Responsible Investor of the Year at the Climate Action Summit 2024, organized by ET Edge (Times of India Group). This award is a testament to our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability in our business.

As a company, we believe that the future of technology must be aligned with the future of our planet. Over the past few years, HARMAN’s Consumer Audio and HARMAN India teams have taken steps to reduce our environmental impacts, and this award highlights the significant strides we’ve made.

Driving Sustainable Innovation Across Our Products

Some of our most popular speakers and sound systems, are now built with materials that reduce their environmental footprint. By incorporating recycled materials and optimizing our designs for longevity and ease of repair, we embed sustainability into the product design, aiming to maximize the positive impacts. We are ensuring that these products have a positive impact on both our customers and the environment.

For example, some of our best-selling audio products, such as the JBL PartyBox 320, now come with replaceable batteries, empowering users to continue enjoying their devices for longer periods without needing to replace the entire product. By creating devices that are more durable and easier to repair, we help to reduce waste and support a more sustainable future.

Sustainable Packaging

In addition to product innovations, we’ve made great strides in sustainable packaging. Our approach focuses on reducing the use of plastics and other non-recyclable materials, opting instead for eco-friendly alternatives that are better for the environment. To learn more about the ways we are incorporating sustainable packaging for our customers, check out HARMAN’s latest sustainability report.

Looking Ahead: Innovating for a Sustainable Future

At HARMAN, we are committed to thriving responsibly and sustainably. We do this through local community engagement, responsible manufacturing and mindful product evolution.

This recognition as Responsible Investor of the Year reaffirms our belief that we can lead the way in sustainable innovation while continuing to deliver the high-quality products our customers love. We are proud of what we have achieved and excited for the future as we continue to evolve our practices and products for a greener world.