Associations

The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) intends to use its 5.3 million shares to block the reelection of the entire board of directors of Wal-Mart Stores. You may recall this is the same group that filed suit against Walmart and its executives over their alleged actions in Mexico.

Washington, D.C. — Sam's Club has pledged more than $2 million in donations to nonprofits supporting small business growth. The announcement was made by Sam's Club president and CEO Rosalind Brewer.

"At Sam’s Club our small business owners are our partners, and we want to put our money where our mission is — which is to be agents for and support our members and the small business community," said Brewer, addressing guests at the Dream Big Small Business of the Year awards luncheon at the Shoreham Hotel.

Las Vegas -- Crystals at CityCenter, a 500,000-sq.-ft. retail and entertainment center in Las Vegas, was honored with the International Council of Shopping Centers' (ICSC) VIVA Best--of-the-Best Award in the category of sustainability. The award was announced on May 20, during the ICSC's annual global retail real estate convention, RECon, in Las Vegas.
 
Crystals, which is LEED Gold certified, is the largest retail destination to achieve the Gold level.
  

Las Vegas -- On Monday morning, RECon 2012, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual retail real estate convention in Las Vegas, kicks off with an expected 31,000+ attendees from around the globe.

Running through Wednesday, May 23, RECon will encompass three halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center – or over 1 million sq. ft. – with more than 1,000 companies exhibiting and highlights such as The Cities of the World Pavilion and a keynote presentation by Leslie H. Wexner, founder of Limited Brands.
 

CINCINNATI — The International Association for Food Protection is honoring Kroger with the 2012 Black Pearl Award for advancing food safety and quality.

The  (IAFP) names one company annually for its efforts to advance food safety and quality through consumer programs, employee relations, educational activities, adherence to standards, and support of the goals and objectives of the IAFP.

DALLAS — The Texas Diversity Council on Wednesday commended the Army and Air Force Exchange Service for its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

AAFES’s COO, Mike Howard, was one of two 2012 winners of the Champions Diversity Leadership Award at the council’s annual Diversity and Leadership Conference. Howard was recognized for being a visible champion of diversity and inclusion not only at AAFES, but the community as well.
 

New York -- A New York City gourmet emporium and a Bay Area nine-store natural/specialty food supermarket chain are among the recipients of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade’s Outstanding Retailers of 2012 awards.

After the pounding Walmart and its president and CEO Mike Duke have taken in recent weeks in the media over the alleged Mexican bribery and cover up scandal detailed by the New York Times, the company and its leader received some good news this week from the Network of Executive Women.