Corporate Responsibility

Gap Inc., Ebay, Safeway, Wegmans, Whole Foods, Costco, Target, Best Buy and OfficeMax were all named to Ethisphere Institute’s World’s Most Ethical Companies list.

The companies were chosen based on an evaluation of a questionnaire provided by Ethisphere to determine each company’s Ethics Quotient (EQ).

Companies were evaluated for their own ethics policies and enforcement of such policies, ethical track record and reputation in the market place, corporate governance, corporate responsibilities and culture of ethics.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke introduced First Lady Michelle Obama at the Business Roundtable Wednesday with the following remarks:

"We are pleased to be joined by our guest today, First Lady Michelle Obama.  Mrs. Obama speaks movingly about the service, strength, and sacrifice of our current generation of troops, veterans, and military families.  It is a personal privilege to share some of her work and to start our discussion around creating opportunity for this new group of heroes.

Knoxville, Tenn. -- CHM announced that it has broken ground on Knoxville’s first urban, vertical retail complex, University Commons.

The Publix- and Walmart-anchored shopping and dining center will cover 12+ acres, with 211,000 sq. ft. of retail space and parking. Besides the two anchors, an additional 40,000 sq. ft. will be dedicated to smaller retailers and service providers once the project is completed.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership recognized Office Depot with a Climate Leadership Goal Achievement Award for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management. The award was also presented by the Association of Climate Change Officers the Center for Climate & Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot has been recognized with a Climate Leadership Goal Achievement Award for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, the Association of Climate Change Officers the Center for Climate & Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry.

A blood drive and fundraising effort are underway in Southern California to support two employees injured in an explosion at a Sport Chalet store.

The two employees, Victor Gonzales, 25, and Lauren Polzin, 27, were injured earlier this month while attempting to shut off a gas valve after a customer in the retailer’s store in La Canada, Ca., reported smelling gas. Sport Chalet operates 54 stores in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

MELVILLE, N.Y. — The Hain Celestial Group has confirmed its support of increased transparency in the labeling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — HSN has named two key executives to its corporate leadership team. Bill Brand, formerly EVP programming, marketing and business Development at HSN, was promoted to chief marketing and business development officer for HSNi, and Andy Sheldon, formerly EVP of TV, live events and creative at HSN, was named chief creative officer for HSNi, and General Manager of HSN Productions.