Corporate Responsibility

Mooresville, N.C. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Lowe’s Cos. the highest honors for industry leadership in its WaterSense and SmartWay programs.

Lowe’s received the 2012 SmartWay Excellence Award for its environmental performance in the freight transportation industry. Last week, the EPA named Lowe’s the 2012 WaterSense Retailer Partner of the Year for its efforts to educate consumers about water-efficient products and practices.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway SVP human resources, Russ Jackson, has been named by Human Resource Executive magazine to the 2012 HR Honor Roll. Jackson will be recognized by the publication on Oct. 9 at a black tie awards dinner at the University Club of Chicago.

"Russ is a transformational architect within Safeway," said Safeway EVP, Larree Renda. "With his vision, insight and drive for results, he has built a human resources organization that is a powerful accelerator of change."

New York -- More than half (53%) of middle market executives believe that their companies are on solid ground, according to a survey by CIT Group Inc., a leading provider of financing to small businesses and middle market companies. (In order to be eligible to participate in the survey, respondents had to be in a leadership role at firms with revenues between $25 million and $1 billion, the majority of whose employees were based in the United States.)

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- West Elm, a division of Williams-Sonoma, announced that it will open a store at 180 University Avenue in Palo Alto, Calif., on Oct. 18.

The new Palo Alto store will include a collection of decorative accessories and art made by Etsy artists from the South Bay. It will be only the second West Elm store selling goods made by Etsy artists in the U.S.

New York -- Some businesses are coming up short with their restroom facilities, according to a survey by Bradley Corp., a manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures. Fifty-one percent of survey respondents reported having had a particularly unpleasant experience in a public restroom due to the condition of the facilities.  

CINCINNATI — Kroger was honored by the Alliance to Save Energy this week. The company received the group's top award, the "Galaxy" Star of Energy Efficiency.

"We are honored to receive this recognition from the Alliance to Save Energy," said David Dillon, Kroger's chairman and chief executive officer. "This is a real tribute to Kroger's 339,000 associates who bring our energy saving programs to life every day. We will continue to work tirelessly in all areas of our business to reduce energy consumption."

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar has inked a partnership with a national leader in health-and-wellness solutions to further drive the retailer's commitment to proactively engage in activities that encourage healthy living.

The Budweiser brand raised $2.5 million for military families during Major League Baseball’s recently ended regular season as part of a program called, "Walk-off a Hero."

CINCINNATI — Kroger has become a member of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Million Dollar Club. The USHCC Million Dollar Club recognizes corporations that are leaders in supplier diversity and integrating Hispanic business enterprises into their strategic sourcing and procurement process. Corporations qualify by spending between $25 million to more than $500 million with Hispanic suppliers in the previous year.

This is Kroger's third consecutive year of qualifying for membership.

Wall, N.J. -- Wakefern Food Corp. and NJR Clean Energy Ventures, a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, have started work on the installation of a rooftop solar system at a Wakefern Food Corp. distribution center in Keasbey, N.J. The 2.4-megawatt solar system will supply power to a refrigerated warehouse, helping lower Wakefern’s long-term electricity costs and its greenhouse gas emissions.