Awards

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and its Associate Member Council (AMC) have awarded E. & J. Gallo Winery and PepsiCo Inc. with the 2012 CPG Awards for Innovation and Creativity. The award is given annually to companies that have demonstrated creativity, innovation, and have made a significant impact on the industry knowledge base.
 

Atlanta -- Aaron's announced that R. Charles Loudemilk, Sr., chairman of the board of directors, will retire mid-September after founding and building Aaron's, which in now in its 57th year of operation.

Upon his retirement, Loudermilk will become chairman emeritus of the company.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association inducted Richard Jurgens, chairman and CEO of Hy-Vee Inc. and Dean Pappas, CEO of Clement Pappas and Company Inc., into its Hall of Achievement.

The recognition came at a gala dinner Sunday night as GMA held its annual executive conference in Colorado Springs. The Hall of Achievement Award represents the highest honor given by the more than 100 year-old association.

The Global Reporting Initiative bestowed its highest accolade on Kimberly-Clark’s 2011 sustainability report.

HERSHEY, Pa. and SAN FRANCISCO — The Hershey Company recently partnered with the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Calif. to provide students with a hands-on package-design opportunity. Students were asked to create a customized heart box design for Hershey's Pot of Gold chocolates to help give the collection a contemporary, fresh look for the 2013 Valentine's Day season.

IRVING, Texas — Michaels Stores has recognized 12 vendor partners for their contributions to Michaels' success over the past year.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings said Friday it has again been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings.

For the third consecutive year, Sears will participate in the competition, this year entering 56 facilities that will compete against thousands of other teams representing buildings across the country. All efforts will be focused on eliminating waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA's Energy Star program.

CHICAGO — Walgreens on Saturday will be hosting its first Mobile Photo Hack Day — a contest between mobile photo application developers in creating a "groundbreaking" application using Walgreens' QuickPrints SDK.

All entries will be reviewed by a panel of notable judges:

• Kobie Hatcher, solutions director at AIM Consulting, a technology solutions and services company providing resources in flexible configurations;