Corporate Governance

SEATTLE — Paladino and Company (Paladino), a sustainability and green building consulting firm, has been selected as a winner of Verizon’s 2013 Supplier Recognition Award in the green and sustainability category. The award was given in recognition of Paladino’s overall green strategic focus and longtime partnership in Verizon’s retail store volume program, which resulted in 71 Verizon Wireless stores becoming LEED certified in 2012 and more than 130 total LEED certifications through the end of 2012.

SAN FRANCISCO — Parent company Williams-Sonoma said that its PBteen banner will open its first store in southern California, at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks Saturday, June 1.
 
The store will be anchored around a PBteen Design Lab, where teens and their parents can engage with the brand and its products by digitally creating a personalized room on a computer monitor. Using drag and drop technology, teens can experiment with different room configurations and color combinations and see it come to life on a television screen overhead.

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Seventh Generation, a leading green brand which has championed sustainability for 25 years, has acquired New York-based Bobble, a leading brand in the reusable, self-filtering water bottle category. 

BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. -- Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO) continues to grow its network of tire and automotive service centers across the United States, with a projected total of 45 new retail locations this year. The company currently owns and operates a total of 2,222 stores.

Redmond, Wash. -- Nearly half of employees report that social tools at work help increase their productivity, but more than 30% of companies underestimate the value of these tools and often restrict their use, according to a study by Microsoft Corp.

SAN FRANCISCO — Pottery Barn Kids, part of Williams-Sonoma’s brands portfolio, has launched its Summer Reading Challenge in partnership with PBS Kids. 

The challenge, which runs through August 26, is designed to promote a love of learning and literacy in kids and their families throughout the summer months. It also draws foot traffic into its brick and mortar stores, and is an exercise in brand awareness, as young children will recognize the brand and associate it with the reading challenge, making them potential future customers. 

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending dropped 0.2% in April 2013, according to the Commerce Department.

It was the first monthly decline since May of last year and follows increases of 0.1% in March and 0.8% in February. Falling gas prices in April were part of the reason for the drop in spending, with purchases of gas, electricity and other energy goods and services down 4.4%.

In addition, increased Social Security deductions in consumer paychecks may have also contributed to the decline in spending.

SPARKS, Md. — McCormick & Company, a global manufacturer, marketer and distributor of spices, seasoning mixes and condiments, has acquired Wuhan Asia-Pacific Condiments Co. WAPC manufactures and markets the DaQiao and ChuShiLe brand of bouillon products, which have a leading position in the central region of China.