Tag: 3BL

Congratulations to Louis Vega on his recent induction to INvolve – The Inclusion People’s Hall of Fame for his ongoing work to champion LGBTQ+ inclusion within the workplace and around the world.

Louis serves as Executive Advisor to GLAD, our Employee Resource Group for LGBTQ+ employees and allies. He is also an active member of councils within our company that advance a shared sense of belonging and equity across Team Dow. Outside of the office, Louis has served as a board member of various nonprofit organizations, like the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and Athlete Ally.

In this honor, Louis joins our Chair and CEO, Jim Fitterling, who was inducted to the INvolve Hall of Fame in 2020.

Please join us in celebrating this tremendous and well-deserved recognition!

As a NASCAR driver, I’ve seen my fair share of challenges out on the track. When the caution flag starts waving and pit strategy gets complicated, you can’t just throw in the towel. You’ve got to keep pushing forward, trusting your team and your preparation. That kind of resilience and determination is exactly what small business owners need to weather any storm.

Small business has always been in my DNA. I grew up in Chesterfield, Virginia, a town where small businesses are the heart of the community. My dad owned a trailer repair shop, and I spent plenty of time alongside him in that garage when I was just starting out, getting my hands dirty and learning the value of hard work.

These days, I call the Lake Norman area outside of Charlotte, North Carolina my home. And the small business owners around here have certainly had their fair share of challenges to overcome—from economic uncertainty to extreme weather. These businesses are the ones who embody that same fighting spirit that I try to bring to the racetrack.

That’s why I’m so passionate about the work the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Small Business Readiness for Resiliency Program (R4R) is doing in partnership with FedEx. They’re equipping entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to anticipate problems, make a game plan, and power through tough times. As someone who has faced my own battles, I can attest to the value of that kind of preparation and resilience-building.

Over the years, I’ve worked with companies like FedEx to be an advocate for small businesses. Just recently, my team and I visited Lebos, a family-run small business in Charlotte, to walk them through some disaster preparedness steps to get them set up for the race of their life: running a successful business.

But resilience isn’t something you can achieve alone. No matter how fast I go on the track, I also need my pit crew on their A-game to get me back out there faster than the competition. Small businesses need that same kind of support. R4R offers that by guiding business owners through the steps needed to prepare for the next disaster, along with financial assistance to get back up and running as quickly as possible.

At the end of the day, it’s all about giving back to the communities that have supported us along the way. That’s why I love what R4R is doing to strengthen local economies and help small business owners across the country. When our Main Streets are doing well, we all benefit.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

Sabre-Anne Elkins, then 17, was scrolling through her Facebook feed in the summer of 2021 when she spotted an ad, encouraging her to join a summer program and get paid.

The only requirement? She needed to identify as an Indigenous youth. A proud member of the Williams Lake First Nation band, she immediately signed up along with her 16-year-old brother.

“A paid training experience with certification – that’s what caught my eye. Plus, I get to be somewhere new,” Elkins said.

Dexterra Community Initiatives’ Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP) delivers this annual six-week summer program for Indigenous youth in British Columbia and across Canada. The program provides a variety of certifiable training experience like first aid, chainsaw operation, trail building, and forest fire suppression.

Elkins achieved her certifications after her first year in the program.

“It’s empowering,” she says. “My brother and I came from poverty and have faced many struggles in our lives. So being able to graduate from that program, knowing that we worked hard and accomplished something, was really rewarding.”

Besides earning while learning, participants also get high school credits and a chance to build lasting friendships with their peers.

“Everybody becomes a family out there. They talk to each other all year long—both the participants and the staff,” says Brittany McCoy, OYEP Western Program Manager. “Other than the quantifiable outcomes, we see a huge development in the youth’s confidence levels, which is a big plus.”

Elkins returned to the program the next two summers. Up to 95% of participants also join the following year’s program, mainly because it’s not only providing a summer camp-like experience but a chance to get a full-time job. Participants are full-time employees, working five to eight hours with pay, plus a pay increase for the next year they come back to the program. In addition to free room and board, each participant can earn approximately $3,000 over the six-week program.

“This allows youth to get those first-job jitters out in a comfortable, healthy, and safe setting. We hope to set them up for the best possible success when they enter the workforce and take those first steps toward their careers,” McCoy adds.

This year, OYEP is hosting its BC summer program in Quesnel from July 16 through Aug. 24. On Aug. 7, Enbridge will host a day of training, career talks and a site visit at a Westcoast Energy compressor station, located south of Quesnel. The company is a proud partner of this national program, contributing $50,000 through a Fueling Futures grant.

Applications for the summer program is available through the OYEP website. However, all applications from June 1 are waitlisted, pending funding availability.

This summer, Elkins will skip the summer program for a good reason.

“I’m a full-time cook now, thanks to my previous experience as a kitchen assistant at OYEP. Being there opened up doors for me—and my employer recognized my breadth of experience and training from the program.”

Reston, Va., August 28, 2024 /3BL/ – Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ: SAIC) today published its fifth annual Corporate Responsibility Report, highlighting the company’s progress toward its environment, social and governance goals, and underscoring the mission-based culture that serves its customers and employees so well. 

“I take great pride in presenting SAIC’s fifth annual corporate responsibility report, which underscores the mission-based culture that serves our customers and employees so well,” said Toni Townes-Whitley, chief executive officer at SAIC. “This report highlights our success in integrating SAIC’s values of innovation, integrity and inclusion into every facet of our operations ― they form the bedrock of our identity and shape our actions as a leader in the defense and civilian sectors as we seek to help our government customers to solve the world’s most complex challenges.”

The report features the company’s foundational ethical practices and activities to ensure continued excellence in governance, including:

Establishing the Artificial Intelligence Council that works to ensure responsible use of AI across the companyIntroducing SAIC’s Human Rights Policy and updating our Supplier Code of Conduct to set clear expectations for social, ethical and environmental responsibilityDriving the importance of giving back and supporting the community, with employees volunteering 29,000 hours in FY24, an increase of 10% over the previous year and almost 40% over FY22

SAIC’s efforts to foster a diverse, talented organization that brings together unique perspectives to drive innovation has never been stronger. The company’s executive leadership team is 73% women or people of color – with 46% women and 46% people of color – and the Board of Directors is 46% women and 36% people of color. To ensure leadership reflects the diversity of the workforce, SAIC set goals to achieve parity in the representation of women and people of color between leader and non-leadership roles. In fiscal 2024, SAIC sustained parity for women in leadership at 28% and improved parity for people of color in leadership to a total of 25%. Finally, based on population of full-time, non-executive employees, SAIC’s gender pay gap was less than 1%, with the pay equity ratio approximately 99% for the compensation of women relative to men.  

In terms of environmental stewardship, the company showcases continued progress in areas such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Most notably:

Lowered Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 41% since 2019Set a new carbon target based on 2022 data: a 20% reduction in GHG emissions (Scopes 1 & 2) by 2030Set the company’s first portfolio-wide energy reduction target: a 12% reduction in electrical energy use by 2030

As with past reports, the current publication includes SAIC’s response to the Global Reporting Index (GRI), a Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) report as well as the ESG Reporting Framework and Standards Index, which also incorporates the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

For more information on SAIC’s efforts on Corporate Responsibility, sustainability & ESG, visit: https://www.saic.com/who-we-are/about-saic/corporate-responsibility. 

About SAIC
SAIC® is a premier Fortune 500® technology integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives. 

We are approximately 24,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. SAIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, fostering a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, which is core to our values and important to attract and retain exceptional talent. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.4 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release contain or are based on “forward-looking” information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “guidance,” and similar words or phrases. Forward-looking statements in this release may include, among others, estimates of future revenues, operating income, earnings, earnings per share, charges, total contract value, backlog, outstanding shares and cash flows, as well as statements about future dividends, share repurchases and other capital deployment plans. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results may differ materially from the guidance and other forward-looking statements made in this release as a result of various factors. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause or contribute to these material differences include those discussed in the “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Legal Proceedings” sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the SEC, which may be viewed or obtained through the Investor Relations section of our website at saic.com or on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Due to such risks, uncertainties and assumptions you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. SAIC expressly disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statement provided in this release to reflect subsequent events, actual results or changes in SAIC’s expectations. SAIC also disclaims any duty to comment upon or correct information that may be contained in reports published by investment analysts or others.

Media Contact:
Caralyn Duke
757.784.4546 | caralyn.duke@saic.com 

Sofidel

Corporate culture has long been regarded as the set of organizational procedures and knowledge of the organization. Today it is much more than that: it is the set of values, actions, principles, goals, and rules that characterize the business. It serves to define its identity and is indispensable for engaging employees and succeeding in achieving the organization’s goals. Therefore, the corporate culture involves everyone and not only the management.

In this sense, training gains even more value because it helps to create or strengthen corporate culture and to share it at different levels of the business. When values are shared by all – as experience shows – the benefits are apparent in terms of economics and reputation: productivity increases, a sense of belonging is enhanced, and absenteeism and turnover rates are reduced.

Seminars and refresher courses provide an opportunity to learn more about techniques, tools, and regulations and also, increasingly, to share the sustainability strategy. Continuing education is of increasing value for companies that want to grow culturally and be able to attract and retain young people from generations of “sustainable natives”.

Read more about topics related to environmental and social sustainability, themes and projects close to us in terms of culture and corporate modus operandi on our Soft&Green blog.

CLEVELAND, August 28, 2024 /3BL/ – KeyBank Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Lending and Investment Group has provided a $2 million loan to C3’s Impact Fund.

C3 Fund is a Chicago-based CDFI that provides capital and technical assistance to BIPOC and female real estate investors looking to acquire and rehab one to four unit properties in low and moderate income areas. By providing the capital to grow and scale their businesses, C3 Fund meets the challenges small developers face operating in underserved communities.

“Homeownership is a key component for building strong communities, and we are delighted to extend this new credit facility to support underserved developers in revitalizing and stabilizing neighborhoods,” said Brian Maddox, National Team Leader for KeyBank CDFI Lending and Investment Group. “C3 Fund has been a driver of capital to promote wealth creation, home ownership, and job creation within underserved communities in low to moderate income communities.”

C3’s mission is centered around building stable communities. Since inception, C3 Impact Fund has deployed more than $50 million in loans and created over 2200 jobs in low to moderate income communities.

“We are grateful for KeyBank’s support of our work to transform blighted communities into thriving communities,” said Tiffany Taylor, C3 Fund’s Executive Director. “ KeyBank’s loan will enable C3 Impact Fund to make targeted investments that support us transforming distressed neighborhoods, creating local jobs, and addressing wealth disparities.”

About KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment

KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) finances projects that stabilize and revitalize communities across all 50 states. As one of the top affordable housing capital providers in the country, KeyBank’s platform brings together construction, acquisition, bridge-to-re-syndication, and preservation loans, as well as lines of credit, Agency and HUD permanent mortgage executions, and equity investments for low-income housing projects, especially Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing. KeyBank has earned 11 consecutive “Outstanding” ratings on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, making it the first U.S. national bank among the 25 largest to do so since the Act’s passage in 1977.

About KeyCorp

KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at June 30, 2024. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

About C3 Fund

C3 Impact Fund, founded in 2017 provides short term acquisition and rehab loans to BIPOC and women real estate investors. C3 is headquartered in Chicago and have expanded to Texas, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Florida. For more information about C3 Impact Fund, visit www.c3.fund.

CONTACT:    
Laura Mimura
216-471-2883
Laura_J_Mimura@KeyBank.com

The Forward Fund is a ten-million-dollar community development investment by Johnsonville LLC, Kohler Co., Masters Gallery Foods Inc., Sargento Foods Inc., and Sheboygan County. It’s mission is to provide funding to address short- and long-term workforce development barriers and is initially being used to drive the construction of entry-level homes.

Originally published by Matter of Fact

Businesses across the country are looking to hire, but there’s something standing in the way – the housing shortage. Employees can’t accept jobs in different cities because there aren’t enough homes for them to relocate to. The United States is about 4.5 million houses short, and in Wisconsin, they need at least 140,000 new housing units by 2030. In Sheboygan County, four family-owned companies are coming together to help new hires become homeowners. Correspondent Jessica Gomez travels there to meet the business owners behind the effort. 

Continue reading and watch the video here.

Originally published by Trellis

The restaurants even compromised on traditional brand colors for the three-month pilot being conducted in Petaluma, California.

Coffee chains Dunkin’ Donuts, Peet’s and Starbucks, fast food brands Burger King, Habit Burger Grill and KFC, and more than a dozen local restaurants are among 30 businesses collaborating in a citywide test in Petaluma, California, to see what consumers think of reusable beverage cups.

For three months, the companies are substituting their branded single-use hot and cold cups with bright purple reusable cups that bear the slogan “Sip. Return. Repeat” on the side. In other words, reusable is the default option. More than 60 return bins were placed across the 60,000-resident community, where consumers can drop cups when they’re done drinking their beverage.

The trial, which ends Oct. 28, will collect metrics about return rates and patterns, explore operational challenges for restaurant and cafe employees, and gauge consumer acceptance of the reusable cup concept. All the big brands involved have declared reuse as part of their packaging sustainability goals. The price of beverages served in the cups will not change.

Continue reading here.

AI is transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, and the demand for efficient and sustainable data centers, often called “AI factories,” has never been greater. With growing concerns about AI’s energy consumption, pursuing every available energy-saving technology to accelerate sustainable computing is essential. By bringing digital twins to the design and operation of data centers, Cadence can deliver AI’s benefits to society while reducing the power consumption and environmental impact of data centers.

The semiconductor industry has leveraged digital twins to achieve first-time success in delivering exponential growth in complexity and capability. Using digital twins, built on NVIDIA Omniverse technologies, data center operators can improve their efficiency and utilization by up to 40%, lowering AI’s energy footprint and even preventing the need for new data centers to be built in some cases. AI factories can achieve better performance optimization and more efficient resource utilization and energy management by integrating these digital twin technologies.

Cadence is deepening its collaboration with NVIDIA to accelerate digital twin development for AI factory buildout. By integrating core technologies for OpenUSD (Universal Scene Description) and NVIDIA RTX from the NVIDIA Omniverse platform into Cadence’s Reality Digital Twin Platform, Cadence will enable the development of more efficient data center designs, aligning with our commitment to reducing carbon footprints and promoting sustainability.

Enhancing the Design, Deployment, and Operation of AI Factories

The Cadence Reality Digital Twin Platform, powered by NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud APIs and OpenUSD, enhances the design, deployment, and operation of AI factories. Cadence’s continued collaboration with NVIDIA enables the ecosystem to leverage advanced computer graphics, generative AI, and simulation capabilities to create and deploy physically accurate, high-fidelity data center digital twins that can be used to accelerate facility design and simulate operational scenarios. The integration of these technologies enables better planning and resource management and provides unique insights that facilitate optimized performance, energy efficiency, and predictive maintenance.

Digital Twin Models for NVIDIA A100 and H100 GPUs and NVIDIA GB200 Systems

To effectively harness digital twins of AI factories, it is essential to develop robust digital twin models for NVIDIA’s accelerating computing technologies, including the NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPU, NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPU, and NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 systems. These digital twin models enable precise simulations of these powerful GPU systems’ performance, resource utilization, and thermal dynamics within data center environments. The development of these digital twin models is made possible by OpenUSD, which offers a standardized framework that promotes interoperability and scalability across data ecosystems. By developing on OpenUSD, developers can ensure that their digital twin models are compatible with a wide range of platforms and applications.

To truly capture the benefits of digital twins, Cadence will need a robust library of high-quality models across the ecosystem—including ODMs and critical infrastructure components like cooling.

The Sustainable AI Factory

An AI factory is a modern data center specifically designed to support the deployment and operation of artificial intelligence applications. These factories are characterized by their high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities, which are crucial for processing vast datasets and executing complex algorithms. In an AI factory, advanced hardware, such as NVIDIA GPUs, is integrated with sophisticated software ecosystems to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.

As AI factories grow in prominence, the need for sustainable computing practices becomes even more critical. Integrating advanced technologies such as HPC, machine learning (ML), and real-time analytics can significantly enhance energy efficiency within data centers. Implementing AI-driven solutions allows for more innovative resource management, enabling systems to dynamically adjust to operational demands while minimizing waste. Cadence’s collaborative efforts with NVIDIA aim not only to improve the operational effectiveness of AI factories but also to help ensure their environmental impact is mitigated through strategic energy usage and improved regulatory compliance.

Furthermore, by utilizing digital twins, stakeholders can simulate various operational scenarios, thereby predicting potential issues and optimizing resource allocation in a manner that aligns with sustainability goals. This proactive approach enables data center operators to make informed decisions about energy consumption and resource management, helping pave the way for a more sustainable future in technology. As the industry evolves, it is essential to keep sustainable computing at the core of AI factory development as both a responsibility and a competitive advantage.

Building the AI Factories of the Future

Cadence’s collaboration with NVIDIA marks a significant step forward in accelerating sustainability and efficiency in AI factories. By leveraging digital twins, businesses can optimize their operations, reduce environmental impact, and drive innovation in the data center industry. The future is promising, and with collective effort and engagement from the broader ecosystem, the full potential of digital twins can be realized, helping benefit society as a whole.

Learn more about the NVIDIA and Cadence partnership to accelerate AI and scientific computing.

Authored by Christine M. Smith, David Erdman, Gideon Gradman

Higher education institutions nationwide are grappling with unprecedented challenges, including financial pressures caused largely by declining enrollment rates. Ensuring institutional sustainability on all fronts requires an intentional strategy to ensure resources are ample and appropriately aligned. At the 2024 NACUBO Annual Meeting, a panel of industry specialists from Baker Tilly, the University of Maine (UMaine) and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) addressed the specific issues faced and discussed strategies for positioning institutions for fiscal and environmental sustainability.

Our esteemed panelists

Dan Dixon, Director of Sustainability, University of Maine

David Erdman, Managing Director, Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors

Gideon Gradman, Managing Director, Energy & Infrastructure, Baker Tilly Capital

Christine Smith, Managing Director, Higher Education, Baker Tilly (moderator)

Kimera Way, CEO and President, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Foundation

Sustainability and why it matters for campuses

Sustainability in this context refers to both the sustainability of an institution as a viable option to its students (e.g., reputation, fiscal position, value) and sustainability as it relates to relying on renewable sources and alternative approaches to meet campus energy needs. According to the Princeton Review’s 2023 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 69% of 8,800 applicants indicated that information about a college’s environmental commitment would influence their decision to apply or enroll. Both students and investors are increasingly demanding such commitments. Sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are interconnected and impact all facets of campus life.

Not only is there a growing demand for sustainability initiatives to support today’s higher education delivery models and evolving capital asset needs, but challenges related to sustainability are also becoming more pressing. Issues such as climate change, increasing natural disaster frequency, social justice concerns and shortages in quality-of-life resources are becoming more prominent. Higher education institutions are often catalysts for change and sustainability planning is emerging as a key priority. Implementing an effective and comprehensive sustainability plan can be costly in terms of budget, time and/or resources, which is why an intentional, highly operational and agreed-upon strategy is essential.

“Sustainability planning is essential. Students are calling for it and higher ed institutions are leading the change.”- Christine Smith, Managing Director Higher Education, Baker Tilly

University of Maine’s success

The panel examined various funding sources and alternative revenue streams available to support environmental sustainability initiatives, particularly those involving renewable energy.

Assessing the potential eligibility of energy property components for a large project is a complex and labor-intensive process, with timing being a critical factor.

Baker Tilly assisted UMaine in evaluating the design of its central energy plant replacement to determine if it qualified for IRA tax credits. Ultimately, the decision was made that the cost—in terms of time lost—required for redesigning the facility to include eligible renewable sources and obtaining legislative approval was not justified. Thus, the University decided ultimately not to pursue the IRA energy tax credits.

In recent developments, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a historic $69 million grant to the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as part of the state’s ‘Maine Won’t Wait’ Climate Action Plan. This grant represents the largest funding Maine has ever received for addressing climate change.

They will focus on identifying and addressing coastal hazards such as future sea level rise, storm surges and extreme weather events. The initiative will explore innovative, nature-based engineering solutions to reduce risks to human and infrastructure systems. Maine Sea Grant will also work with the Maine Coastal Program to strengthen Maine’s Working Waterfront Coalition and develop a statewide working waterfront strategy.

UMaine’s efforts will include partnering with communities to assess their needs and connect them with scientific and engineering tools for climate resilience. University researchers will host educational workshops and collaborate with various stakeholders, including the Maine Climate Council, state and federal agencies, municipalities, research institutions, regional planning organizations, industry support groups and businesses. This is another example of how the University of Maine is serving as a community catalyst for sustainability initiatives.

UWEC Foundation collaboration

Following a generous land donation in 2014, in alignment with the University’s strategic plan and bolstered by strong student support, the Foundation set out to develop a new events center on the UWEC campus. The event center included a partnership with the Mayo Clinic to offer sports medicine and related therapy services on the premises, which also met their shared goal of increasing the level of trained health professionals in the region. An added benefit for the University was the ability to enhance enrollment via these new opportunities.

Further, a local group of entrepreneurs pledged a significant amount of funds to ensure the building’s design included renewable energy components to heat and cool the building. Over 190 geothermal wells are in use to support the University and community in their commitment to environmental sustainability. As construction commenced, the project team discovered opportunities for IRA energy tax credits and worked with Baker Tilly to identify eligible energy property infrastructure costs that are estimated at between $2 and $3 million in energy credits. The University is working with Baker Tilly to qualify for those IRA credits.

Beyond the IRA alternative revenue impact on sustainability, UWEC needed to assess and manage financial, legal and tax-exempt status risks with such a large project. As part of UWEC’s reality and plan, the team created a risk management framework aligned to the broader strategy, elevated and enhanced risk response decisions, incorporated risk resource allocations, promoted collaboration to manage cross-functional risks and ensured compliance with all policies and procedures throughout project development. A key lesson learned from this project: planning prevents problems!

Today, the project is complete. The new events center, which accommodates 5,000 people and features a large indoor turf field, helps UWEC and its partners to meet sustainability objectives in several different ways.

Key considerations for sustainability strategy and financing

Universities are already managing a range of sustainability issues that are integral to their mission and success strategy. However, they face growing pressures from various stakeholders for greater transparency, comparability and proactive action on these topics. As higher education institutions’ sustainability efforts grow, it’s critical to share a compelling story to help stakeholders understand the institution’s commitment to sustainability, as well as fiscal, environmental and governance strategies. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks are becoming more prevalent on college campuses – and public companies are now required to comply with various reporting regulations.

As colleges and universities’ efforts around sustainability increase, it is helpful to develop your story for investors to better understand how your organization is specifically addressing sustainability.

Developing a sustainability and resiliency strategy and investor disclosure has several impactful uses:

Demonstrates plans and initiatives to corporate and business stakeholders in the community

Important to the attraction of employees and residents, particularly Gen-Z

Discusses operational risks and mitigation strategies

Session summary

Overall, deliberate action to drive institutional sustainability is more crucial than ever. Developing a sustainability strategy that incorporates diverse and strategic funding sources and partnerships is essential. Alternative revenue such as energy tax credits, (e.g., those under the Inflation Reduction Act), and other financing options can have a substantial impact on improving capital assets and fiscal position on campus. Funders, stakeholders and students now expect accountability for sustainable capital assets and operations.

For more information about credits offered under the Inflation Reduction Act, or to learn how Baker Tilly can help your institution with developing or refining your organization’s strategic sustainability plan, contact a Baker Tilly specialist or visit the website.