Awards

New York City -- A KFC restaurant in Indianapolis has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the state's first LEED-certified retail establishment.

CINCINNATI — Kroger announced that it has become a member of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Million Dollar Club.

According to Kroger, membership into the USHCC Million Dollar Club, is awarded to corporations who have spent between $25 million to over $500 million with Hispanic suppliers, in the previous year.

This is Kroger's second consecutive year of qualifying for membership. The company was inducted in the $250 to $500 million annual expenditure category.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Whirlpool announced it has been named to the 2011/2012 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the seventh consecutive year. In 2011, the company's centennial year, Whirlpool was named to both the World and North America lists. The DJSI tracks the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide.

Former Walmart chief information officer and current HP executive Linda Dillman was among a group of 10 executives honored earlier this week as the inaugural class diversity difference-makers was inducted into the Network of Executive Women CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame. The inductees received the William J. Grize Award named after the late president and CEO of Ahold USA whose early support of NEW is credited with jumpstarting the organization, which now includes nearly 5,000 members and 400 companies. Grize died in January 2010 at the age of 63 after a short illness.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Gap Inc. announced that its Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement program was recognized by former President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative, held in New York City.  Bob Fisher, son of Gap Inc. founders Doris and Don Fisher and a Gap Inc. board member, accepted the honor on behalf of the company.

Indianapolis -- Shopping center owner Simon Property Group said Tuesday that it has again been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project with inclusion in its Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.

Westlake Village, Calif. -- In a survey released Tuesday by J.D. Power and Associates, which polled customers about their expectations of their pharmacists, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Health Mart, Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy, Publix and Target rank highest in pharmacy customer satisfaction in their respective segments.

The beautiful people were out in force Saturday night in Southern California to party and support the fundraising efforts of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. The organization hosts an annual “Evening Before” event that precedes the Emmy Awards, which were held Sunday night and is modeled after the “Night Before” fundraiser, which precedes the Academy Awards.

Legendary crooner Tony Bennett must live by the proverb if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. He just observed his 85th birthday, has an exclusive deluxe edition of his album “Duets II” hitting Target stores today and is scheduled to perform throughout the United States during the remainder of the year. The new album is the second time Bennett has offered an exclusive mix of songs at Target with the first being the 2006 release of “Duets An American Classic.”

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart announced that it is launching the Latina Smart Fund in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Promoted through Kmart's Latina Smart Facebook page, the Latina Smart Fund will award $25,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors and/or students currently enrolled in college, technical or trade schools.