Awards

PLANO, Texas -- JCPenney announced that has been named the number one retailer on DiversityInc's annual ranking of "Top 50 Companies for Diversity," which recognizes leading organizations for best practices in diversity management. This is the second consecutive year that the company has earned its place on the list, moving up 11 spots to No. 35 overall. The company also snagged the seventh position on DiversityInc.'s "Top 10 Companies for Latinos."

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney has been named the No. 1 retailer on Diversity's annual ranking of "Top 50 Companies for Diversity," which recognizes leading organizations for best practices in diversity management.

It is the second consecutive year that the company has earned its place on the list, moving up 11 spots to No. 35 overall.

Retail is a hard enough business without muddying the waters with all sorts of activities that have nothing to do with selling stuff shoppers want and need. To recap, Target gave some money to a homophobic politician who a lot of people thought was a jerk, which created an uprising in the gay and lesbian community and resulted in the company adopting a new policy to govern the political contribution process.

Columbus, Ohio -- Denny Gerdeman, principal and co-founder of Chute Gerdeman, a full-service retail branding and design firm, has been named the 2011 Markopoulos Award winner.

The prestigious honor, named after the late visual merchandising legend Andrew Markopoulos, is presented annually by DDI Magazine to one outstanding industry professional. In winning the award, Gerdeman is recognized for his distinguished career as well as his efforts to give back to the profession.

NEW YORK – Leigh Anne Brodsky, president Nickelodeon Consumer Products has been selected for induction into the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) Licensing Industry Hall of Fame. Brodsky joins a select list of only 36 inductees—including Charles Schulz and Jim Davis, both of whom she worked with earlier in her career—since LIMA began recognizing these giants in 1985. 

PITTSBURGH — Giant Eagle has received the American Diabetes Association's prestigious Chairman's Citation Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of individuals, corporations, institutions and organizations who have demonstrated dedication and commitment and have had a positive impact in advancing the mission of the ADA.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Sam's Club,  the official supplier of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, is sponsoring its first national BBQ tour and is awarding $400,000 in prize money -- a first for competitive barbeque. 

MINNEAPOLIS -- After all the flak it got for its political contributions -- even losing a deal with Lady Gaga over it -- Target this year was still recognized as one of the world's most ethical companies.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Wednesday it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2011.

The Ethisphere Institute, an international business ethics organization, honored Target for implementing upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company’s success, benefit the community, and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Target has received the award.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Sears Holdings announced that it has been named the 2011 Energy Star Partner of the Year (Product Retailer Category) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is the second year running that Sears Holdings has been awarded this honor for empowering its customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and through its numerous initiatives focusing on educating customers about energy-efficient products.