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The Corporate Citizen®, April 2007In this Issue BCLC News CEO Columnists Features News Briefs BCLC NewsBCLC to Launch Community Investment Initiative at May ConferenceMessage from business to the USA: we love you. For most American companies, place matters, particularly the places where they have large concentrations of employees and historical ties. Minneapolis-St. Paul wouldn't be the same without the presence of Target or 3M. Imagine Chicago without the Sears Tower or New York without the Chrysler building. Cities like High Point, NC; Austin, TX; or Cleveland would not be the same without the contributions that companies, both large and small, have made and continue to make in them as they invest in the future. That being said, companies have limited resources and there are many challenges when it comes to contributing to their communities. How can they more easily find out what other companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies are doing? How can they learn from the experiences of other companies and other communities so that they don't reinvent the wheel? What tools, policies, programs, and projects are out there that could accelerate the development process and improve local quality of life? To discuss these issues, BCLC will host companies, chambers, and industry associations at its National Partnership Conference: Corporate Community Investment on May 10-11. Presenting organizations include Allstate, CVS/pharmacy, Fannie Mae, Safeway, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, ING Foundation, PNC, The White House, the U.S. Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, and Treasury departments, United Way of America, Hands-On Network, Wall Street Without Walls, and many others. During breakout sessions participants will take an in-depth look at:
The conference will also feature a rooftop Registration, lodging, and agenda information is available here. We look forward to seeing you on the 10th!
What if the New Madrid Fault Quakes?It hasn't caused major problems in nearly two centuries, but scientists predict we're in for the next big one soon — and then what would we do? The New Madrid Seismic Zone is a 150-mile fault line running from Arkansas to Illinois. According to FEMA, eight states (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee) comprise the direct impact area—44 million people in 127,000 square miles. Within the impact zone are 630,000 miles of oil, gas, and water pipelines; 86,000 miles of highway; and 28,000 miles of railroad tracks. A major rupture in the fault would create ripple effects touching all corners of America. The estimated economic loss from a catastrophic New Madrid earthquake exceeds $100 billion from damages to buildings and critical infrastructure. To put it into perspective, emergency management officials rate it as a "Top 5" national nightmare, up there with the flooding of New Orleans, earthquakes in southern and northern California, and a hurricane hitting New York City. That is is why the New Madrid Seismic Zone will be the focal point of BCLC's next disaster response workshop on June 7 and 8. BCLC, in association with FEMA, the U.S. Chamber, and the Business Roundtable, invites chambers, businesses, nonprofit disaster organizations, and government agencies to the U.S. Chamber headquarters to work through cross-sector disaster response challenges and solutions. While the workshop will focus on earthquakes, the disaster response approach practiced there will also be followed in the event of the next major hurricane or other catastrophe. Disaster events change but the organizations critical to relief and recovery do not. Now is the time to make sure your business is part of the national effort to strengthen communication and coordination. If you are interested in participating, contact BCLC staff at 202-463-3133 or BCLC@uschamber.com.
Paradigm Shift: Development Aid for Development's SakeGovernance, information access, and linking social and economic objectives are seen as key ingredients for the development of emerging markets, as discussed at a BCLC global corporate citizenship forum on April 5 at the McGraw-Hill headquarters. Presenters from the UN, USAID, World Bank, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation gave updates on their agencies — and virtually all of them are focusing in some way on how to strengthen governance and reduce corruption in developing countries. There was wide consensus that an absent business sector and a regulatory framework that stifles business opportunities condemns communities to poverty. Reeta Roy (Abbott), Maria Pica (Chevron), and Chuck Fowler (Fairmount Minerals) shared their perspectives on partnerships in emerging markets, while Michael Levine (Epstein, Becker & Green) noted that some legislative and regulatory approaches may actually have a chilling effect on business engagement, as some proposals may be used to mobilize single-issue activists against specific companies. The forum seemed to mark a shift away from regulatory CSR approaches toward the identification of business civic activities and public-private partnerships that can contribute to "win-win" solutions delivering both economic and social benefits. Don Pressley (Booz Allen Hamilton and a BCLC Board member) unveiled the prototype of a diagnostic tool to evaluate current aid flows and development challenges in emerging markets. As the tool becomes more robust, practitioners will be able to identify which needs are being met by which organizations, and where gaps exist. This will help social and economic investors make more informed decisions as they decide how to invest in a developing market, like Ghana or the Philippines. Coming up, BCLC will work with the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the UN Global Compact to develop a suite of information access tools about development challenges and opportunities. It will be modeled in the Philippines first. BCLC will host a conference on public-private partnerships and specific regional challenges facing emerging markets on September 19-20. If you are interested in learning more or supporting our efforts contact our staff at 202-463-3133 or BCLC@uschamber.com.
BCLC 2006 Annual Report Released
News About BCLC StaffWith Suzanne Clark's resignation from the U.S. Chamber to become president of the National Journal Group, Arthur Rothkopf, U.S. Chamber Senior Vice President and Counselor to the President, has been named executive vice president of BCLC. Stephen Jordan has been promoted to senior vice president and will continue to serve as executive director of BCLC. Catherine Taylor, overseeing BCLC's print and online communications, public relations, and research, was promoted to senior communications manager. Rebecca Freyvogel has been named manager of corporate relations and is the principal point of contact for companies interested in participating in BCLC programs and events. And Gerald McSwiggan has joined the BCLC team as the manager of special projects and is our principal liaison for government and non-profit issues. Recent Presentations by BCLC
News BriefsBusiness Abbott announced its agreement with WHO to provide HIV medicine Kaletra/Aluvia to patients in more than 40 developing countries at a reduced price of $1,000 per patient per year, 55% less that than the average current price for these countries. The U.S. Chamber has partnered with CreateHope to launch a giving campaign for America's military personnel and the charities that support them. Companies and chambers of all sizes can donate and learn more here. Reminder that CreateHope's 2007 client conference is May 9 in Washington, DC. BCLC subscribers are invited to attend. More info here. Workforce Management gave CVS/pharmacy an award for its community partnerships that train unemployed workers and former welfare recipients, who are then placed in CVS stores. Partners include local governments and faith-based organizations. IBM has announced a donation of Arabic-English translation technology to the U.S. military. The systems can recognize and translate a vocabulary of over 50,000 English and 100,000 Iraqi Arabic words, and are designed for civil application environments such as hospitals and training. On May 2 Ernst & Young will host a webcast aimed at exploring the issues facing the U.S. education system and the successful approaches companies have taken to positively affect education reform. GE and IBM will have panel participants. Access the webcast here. John Stelly is the first person in Louisiana to take advantage of the federal New Market Tax Credits, which help generate business investment in low-income areas. Stelly, the owner of the third most profitable Nissan dealership in Louisiana and a member of Chamber SWLA, runs his business in Lake Charles, an area hard hit by Hurricane Rita. Deloitte's 2007 survey on Gen-Y employee volunteering finds that 62% of respondents want to work for a company that provides volunteer opportunities. Nearly all of them think companies should offer opportunities to volunteer their work-related skills to nonprofits, but only 39% of respondents' companies currently do so. More findings here. New corporate reports: Kimberly-Clark Corporation, UPS Foundation, Wells Fargo The US Naval Academy is holding its annual Leadership Excellence Summit in July. New this year is a Leadership Excellence Award from the Academy's Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership and the Harvard Business Review. CEOs are encouraged to nominate individuals from their organizations here. Deadline: 4/30/07. Nonprofit World Community Grid announced the completion of its Help Defeat Cancer project, which is helping researchers speed early cancer detection capabilities. It also announced the launch of a new initiative to help researchers identify proteins involved in cancers and new drug therapies and cures. Government H.R. 1361, legislation to reform the Small Business Administration's disaster assistance program, passed the House last week, 267-158. Changes would include fast access to small, short-term loans and access to grants by businesses not approved for conventional disaster loans. Critics, including the SBA, say the increase in costs would burden tax payers and that some provisions are just irresponsible. Read more here For those following the revision process for DHS' National Response Plan (NRP), release of the revised plan has been postponed due to "important issues more complex than originally thought and … the realization that creating a more user-friendly document that clearly addressed the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and incident Interested in contributing?Send the editor your news submissions for the May issue. Deadline is May 22. 1615 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20062 (t) 202-463-3133 (f) 202-463-5308 (e)BCLCeditor@uschamber.com |
CEO Columnists
FeaturesSpotlight On: Corporate Community Investment
HSBC-North America and the Cristo Rey Network Nonprofit Work Study Program
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reception overlooking the White House, a bus tour of community development efforts in Washington, DC, including the new baseball stadium, and ample opportunities for networking with peers and partners.
Fernando Aguirre, Chairman and CEO, Chiquita Brands International, Inc, "
Andrew N. Liveris, CEO of The Dow Chemical Company, "
Ryan Streeter, VP, Civic Enterprises and BCLC Consultant, "
