Awards

With the help of Chrystal Baker from DuoDishes.com, Naylet LaRochelle from Miami has won the sixth annual Dole California Cook-Off grilling competition and a grand prize of $25,000 for her winning recipe, Breezy Indian-Spiced Chicken with Mango-Peanut Sauce, Dates and Grilled Mango.

New York -- TPG Architecture has promoted Nicole Varadi from senior designer to design director, retail studio.

Varadi, who joined TPG in 2011, will now take on a greater degree of leadership within the retail studio while continuing to work actively on projects. Recently, she helped lead the design of The Red Door, the award winning day spa and beauty boutique in Union Square. She is currently working with brands such as Sundance and Rent the Runway, and is playing an active role in acquiring new business for the firm.

New York - L.L. Bean had the overall best customer service performance in May, the second time the retailer has topped the list in the past three months. According to monthly benchmark analysis from customer service analysis provider StellaService, L.L. Bean’s performance was strong in nearly every area — fourth in phone, sixth in email, eighth in chat and fourth in returns/refunds.

Washington, D.C. - CVS Caremark and Walgreens have both been honored by the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit association of large U.S. employers, for promoting a healthy work environment and encouraging employees and their families to maintain healthy lifestyles. CVS Caremark received a Gold Award for its WellRewards employee wellness program, while Walgreens received a gold award for its “You and Walgreens” company wellness program.

The Shopko Foundation has announced the recipients of its Shopko Teammate and Family Scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year. The foundation awarded $75,000 in scholarships to 30 students in 9 states.

Amazon’s books editors have chosen their annual list of the 10 best books that have been released since January.

This year, a biography of author John Updike tops the list, and the other nine books span everything from a book on Edward Snowden and the NSA to a fictionalized story of American abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sarah Grimké.

The overall list is one of 18 that get compiled around this time of year in various categories like cookbooks, audiobooks and others.

The top 10 books of 2014 so far are:

Roundy’s Supermarkets executive Kathy Hession has received an unconventional accolade for her long-running contributions to the floral industry.

Washington, D.C. — The National Retail Federation (NRF) presented its annual Ring of Excellence, Law Enforcement Retail Partnership and Retail Case of the Year awards during the NRF Loss Prevention Conference and Expo on Thursday, June 12.

Cincinnati — The Kroger Co. has been named Employer of the Year by the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities. The Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities fosters the employment of young people with disabilities.

Walmart continues accelerating its e-commerce strategy with Walmart Canada's online store, walmart.ca, and now has an award to show for its efforts.

The website has won the Retail council of Canada Excellence in e-commerce award for providing groundbreaking customer responsiveness. The award was presented this week at the by the Retail Council of Canada at its 2014 Store Conference and recognizes walmart.ca as the first fully, responsively designed e-commerce site offered by a major Canadian retailer.