Manufacturers and Vendors - News & Trends

Best corporate citizens

NEW YORK – CRO Magazine selects the top corporate citizens in the United States.
 In partnership with IW Financial, a Portland, Maine, research and consulting firm, CRO Magazine emphasized the corporate responsibility efforts of large corporations in eight categories: climate change, employee relations, environment, financial, governance, human rights, lobbying, and philanthropy.

The top 25 citizens are: Intel Corp., Eaton Corp., Nike Inc., Deere & Co., Genetech Inc., Corning Inc., Humana Inc., Bank of America Corp., ITT Corp., PG&E Corp., Dominican Resources Inc., State Street Corp., Dow Chemical Co., Cisco Systems Inc., Wisconsin Energy Corp., Progress Energy Inc., Entergy Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp., Sun Microsystems Corp., Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., IBM Corp., Pepsico Inc., Aetna Inc., Baxter International Inc., and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. For the full list, see www.thecro.com/files/100best-JanFeb08-Listing.pdf

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Hertz chooses CBRE

PARK RIDGE, N.J. – Hertz Corporation has selected CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (CBRE) as its global real estate outsourcing services provider for all Hertz-controlled locations in North America and Europe.  The assignment covers almost 3,000 locations including office space, reservations centers, data centers, equipment rental locations, and car rental facilities. For more information, see www.cbre.com

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Milliken top in gaming

LAGRANGE, Ga. – International Gaming & Wagering Business magazine has recognized Milliken modular carpet with cushion backing as one of the top 20 International Gaming Products for 2007.

With modular carpet there are no seams, which can be broken apart through heavy rolling traffic, over wetting during cleaning and poor installation. Tile is engineered to stay flat and square on the floor without the use of seaming tapes. Wrinkles and buckles normally are a result of broken seams, constant shrinkage and growth due to over wetting during cleaning or poor installation.  Milliken modular carpet with cushion back doesn’t shrink or expand and is not affected by water as there are no seams to break. The attached cushion provides underfoot comfort with no concerns about wrinkles or delamination. For more information, see www.milliken.com

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HOK employees go barefoot

ST. LOUIS – This Earth Day, more than 2,500 HOK employees on four continents are being challenged to "Go Barefoot" by taking a tangible step toward reducing their carbon footprint. The architectural design firm is asking its people to alter their transportation, travel and work habits on April 22, to contribute to reducing the firm’s collective environmental impact.

HOK's "Go Barefoot Day" initiative supports the firm’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from its projects and practice by 50% by 2010. This goal reflects United Nations reports that recognize the role buildings play in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Through a series of online surveys, HOK employees worldwide are reporting their current transportation and office practices and committing to make specific changes on April 22 that will reduce their environmental footprint. These changes may range from taking public transportation or biking to work, to eliminating paper usage, to reducing use of disposable packaging. After Earth Day, the firm will measure the tangible collective impact of the initiative.

HOK has developed a "Barefoot blog" and educational poster to help employees identify, evaluate, and share potential opportunities for modifying their behavior beyond the norm. These resources include examples of specific actions and their corresponding annual environmental impact. For more information, see www.hok.com

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AIRIUS wins award

LONGMONT, Colo. – AIRIUS LLC was awarded the 2007 Sustainable Business Medal of Honor Award for its energy-efficient and sustainable product, the AIRIUS Thermal Equalizer.

The Bronze Award was presented in partnership to Airius by CORE (Connected Organizations for a Responsible Economy) and NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). For more information, see www.airius.us/pdf/MedalOfHonorAward.pdf

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Herman Miller most admired for a decade

ZEELAND, Mich. – For the 20th time in 22 years, Herman Miller is ranked as the "Most Admired" company in its industry in FORTUNE Magazine's annual survey broadly measuring the reputation of America's corporations.
Additionally, among all companies in all industries, Herman Miller is recognized in the Top 10 for its innovation, social responsibility, people management, and quality of products/services, and is the only Michigan-based company to place No. 1 among the magazine's distinct industry listings. For more information, see hermanmiller.com/CDA/

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Haworth wins ergonomic award

HOLLAND, Mich. – Zody, Haworth’s ergonomic task chair, has been awarded the Ergonomic Excellence Award from the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA).

The FIRA Excellence Award recognizes companies who design and manufacture ergonomically outstanding products that meet and exceed the requirements of British and European standards.  Products qualify for the award by meeting safety, comfort, and sustainability criteria and are manufactured by a company with quality standards and a solid environmental policy.

Zody blends science-based comfort with international design and sustainability.  This high-performance chair has advanced ergonomics that provide the user with maximum comfort and flexibility.  Zody features PALTM, a revolutionary asymmetrical lumbar support system, allowing the user to increase support to either side of the lower back independently depending on preference.   The chair also has four-way adjustable arms, a sliding seat, balanced three-point tilt mechanism, and overall range of adjustments to accommodate 95% of the world’s population. Zody also offers a gel seat option that lowers pressure on the user’s lower hip area and reduces lower back muscle activity.

Designed for easy disassembly and following Haworth’s design for environment protocol, the chair is made with up to 51% recycled content and up to 98% recyclable materials.  Zody is also PVC-free, chrome-free and CFC-free.  For more information, see www.haworth.com

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URS lands Orlando gig

ORLANDO, FL – URS Corp. has been selected to provide Owner’s Representative Services for a group of sports and entertainment venues for the City of Orlando.

This venue is the largest public building project in Central Florida history, paving the way for the construction of a new state-of-the-art Events Center where the Orlando Magic will play, a new Performing Arts Center, and a renovation of the Citrus Bowl Stadium. 

Owner’s Representative services to be provided by URS include design reviews, master scheduling and schedule reviews, document control, budget reviews, utility project coordination, construction observation, change order/claim reviews, public relations assistance, M/WBE program monitoring, and Workforce Development Program assistance.

The Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center’s current scope will feature a $376 million, four-story, 330,000-sq.ft. performing arts center with three venues: a 2,800-seat hall for large-scale theater and concert productions; an 1,800-seat hall for local performing arts groups; and a 300-seat hall for small performing arts groups. For more information, see www.urscorp.com

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