News Hub | News Direct

Executive VP & Director of Training Michael Jutt Talks Minuteman As We Celebrate 50 Years of Minuteman Press

Minuteman Press International Inc

As Minuteman Press International celebrates 50 years in business, we are continuing the celebration of our history. Michael Jutt first started with Minuteman Press as a press operator in the original Farmingdale shop in October of 1974, which was the second location that opened after Plainview. At just 19 years-old, Mike was hired by Roy Titus, and the rest is history. When Minuteman Press decided to become a franchise, Mike was promoted to Director of Training; he created the first Minuteman Press training program and became an integral part of the company’s expansion into franchising. Mike remains a huge part of our success today as Minuteman Press International’s Executive VP & Director of Training. How did you first get started with Minuteman Press and the Titus family? Mike Jutt: “I was hired in October of 1974 by Roy Titus. George Holzmacher worked for Roy already and he said I should meet with Roy about a job in Farmingdale. At the time, I was working two jobs, one being in printing, and I wanted to be an attorney. I wasn’t sure I wanted to commute to Farmingdale since I lived and worked in Merrick and was attending Nassau Community College. I went to the Farmingdale shop to meet with Roy. When he arrived, we went outside of the shop, behind the building. Roy and I spoke about what he wanted for the Farmingdale shop, as he was looking to make some changes. He asked me how much I was making. At the time, I was making $110/week at the printing job. Roy offered to match, but I explained the extra gas money and time I’d be spending on the commute. He smiled and then offered me $120/week to get started, and I accepted the offer. That’s how my time with Minuteman Press started, working in the Farmingdale shop that Bob Titus was managing. We worked very hard to get the business up and running, it was fun.” What was it like working in the Farmingdale shop when you first started? Mike Jutt: “I had worked in one other neighborhood quick print shop before Minuteman Press, and I was very impressed my first day of employment when I saw Bob Titus come back to the shop with a marketing assistant. The fact that they were out knocking on doors and direct marketing our printing service was to me very different and unheard of at the time for printers. I asked the other press operator who that was that just walked in, and he said that was Roy’s son Bob. The differences between Minuteman Press and other print shops were a few things. First, I saw that they were actively marketing to build the business. We had a ton of work. Second, the type of equipment that we had – Multi-Graphics equipment – had better capabilities than what other quick printers were using. Third, we also had a huge focus on customer service, shop appearance, and quality work. Another game-changer is when Roy came in one day and handed me a brochure for a new piece of equipment made by 3M, which was a superior plate system to enable multicolor printing. This was the missing piece of what we needed to bring Minuteman Press to the next level. We had the press, we just needed a better plate system that could handle color inks as well as it did black ink. We thoroughly tested the plate system with the press and evaluated the cost. The result was that we now had the perfect package to achieve multicolor printing when other quick printers did mostly single-color or just black. The 3M plate was the ticket.” When Minuteman Press started franchising, what was it like for you creating the first training program? Mike Jutt: “The next major thing that happened was Roy discussing expanding the business and moving into franchising. He promoted the business opportunity and brought interested parties into the Farmingdale location to see what we were doing. The interest was really high from the people that Roy brought in, and years later, Roy told me it was during this time where he really noticed and recognized my abilities as a hardworking young man. At age 20, Roy made me Director of Training, and it was my responsibility to teach the new franchise owners everything about our business.” What do you think are the key reasons for the success of Minuteman Press as the franchise kept growing? Mike Jutt: “I credit the success of Minuteman Press as a franchise to leadership, hard work (long days and long weeks), treating the owners as true partners, caring and supporting our owners, and helping them achieve their success. Roy Titus said you need to treat people like you want to be treated. Roy not only preached it, but he also practiced it, and that was one of the biggest keys of our success as we grew and expanded the company.” What are some of the key aspects of the original training program that remain as core principles today? Mike Jutt: “From the launch of the training department, we have focused and communicated the importance of owners becoming experts in 5 major areas: Customer service Marketing their business Delivering quality products Keeping an incredible top appearance of their business and anything that represents their business Management with an emphasis on financial management Within each of these areas, there is extensive training today covering every detail of what these items actually encompass.” What are some of the key ways that the training program and Minuteman Press have evolved over the years? Mike Jutt: “The biggest areas that we’ve always been at the forefront of are research, development, and technology. Printing technology and enhancements with 3M products in the early days got better and better. With that said, one of the big first big efficiencies was added when our first pricing program was developed. In 1977, a new franchise owner from Dallas, Texas named Cal Baker came to the training program. Cal previously worked for EDS (Electronic Data Systems). He noticed that all of our formulas were mathematically logical and that they could be automated to save hours and hours when pricing jobs. I was intrigued by Mr. Baker’s knowledge and what he was going to do, and after he wrote the software, I told Roy I had to go to Dallas to look at what he created. Roy told me, “Whatever you have to spend to research anything that helps our owners and our company, spend it. If it’s going to help our owners, it’s going to help all of us. So, I went to Dallas and saw that the computer was made by Radio Shack. The original model was called a TRS 80 and it had 16K of memory. The program was stored on a regular cassette and at the time, this was a real game changer. After the trip to Dallas, myself and Dave Scadin enrolled in a programming course offered by Radio Shack and we learned basic programming to enhance and modify what we had. We would never ask our owners to buy equipment such as a computer until we tested it. I contacted the Tandy Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas and convinced them to give us 10 computers as a trial, which we distributed to owners to test at 10 locations. We let the owners test it for 60 days and then they had to either give it back or buy the computer. 100% of the owners purchased the computer and none of us have ever looked back. From that point forward, we continued to invest in software development uniquely written to our policies and production. This protected us from software companies going out of business and gave us long-term advantages that we still benefit from to this day.” Mike continues: “Another key milestone for us was the advent of digital printing. The first Apple Mac computer that came with a printer was released in 1984. Digital printing technology emerged with desktop publishing thanks to companies like Apple, IBM, and HP. For our industry, this was great because we could create various different styles and designs on very economical equipment. It also replaced photo typesetting, which took a lot longer and was a very big investment. We quickly recognized that digital printing would evolve. In the beginning, we also recognized that the two technologies could coexist. Today, approximately 40 years later, that is absolutely what happened. The ability, production, and ease of use of the digital equipment has only made Minuteman Press an even better company. And partnering with our key suppliers Xerox, Konica-Minolta, and Hewlett-Packard has brought us improved productivity and profits.” Is there anything else you’d like to share? Mike Jutt: “Minuteman Press today has evolved to be so much more than what it was when we first started. We have developed and refined systems, policies, procedures, and a company that has a long-standing culture of caring for our owners in 5 countries. And from a personal perspective, with the diversity of products and the need for those products, the opportunity for entrepreneurs is incredible. I personally feel honored to be able to experience the emergence of such a fantastic company, Minuteman Press International.” For more information on Minuteman Press products and services, visit https://minuteman.com. Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

April 18, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image

DISTRICT HIRES DOUG BENNETT AS NEW WATER CONSERVATION MANAGER

Washington County Water Conservancy District

The Washington County Water Conservancy District (district) has hired Doug Bennett to serve as Water Conservation Manager. Bennett will oversee the development and implementation of the district's conservation policies and programs. Bennett has more than 28 years' experience in successful water conservation at two western water agencies and broad experience in landscape management in desert climates. Prior to joining the district, he served as the water conservation manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority in Las Vegas, NV. During his tenure, the Las Vegas region achieved a 48% reduction in per capita water demand. Bennett developed and managed the nation’s largest landscape conversion program, transforming more than 215 million square feet of grass, and the world’s largest professional conference for urban water efficiency, Water Smart Innovations. “Doug is a proven, nationally recognized leader in water conservation,” said Zach Renstrom, district general manager. “His extensive experience and vision will elevate our water conservation efforts to the next level. We’re thrilled he’s joined our team.” Bennett has received more than a dozen conservation awards, including the Water Star Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alliance for Water Efficiency. He has worked on projects for the Water Reuse Foundation, the Water Research Foundation, the US EPA WaterSense Program, the US Green Building Council and the American Water Works Association. He has a bachelor's degree in agriculture and a master’s degree in business management from New Mexico State University. About Washington County Water Conservancy District The Washington County Water Conservancy District is a not-for-profit public agency that oversees water resources in Washington County, UT. The county has already reduced its per capita water use more than 30% since 2000 – the greatest reduction in water use in Utah – and has passed Utah’s most restrictive water ordinances for new development to achieve additional savings. Visit wcwcd.org for more information. Contact Details Washington County Water Conservancy District Karry Rathje, Communications & Govt Affairs Manager +1 435-673-3617 karry@wcwcd.org Company Website https://www.wcwcd.org/

April 18, 2023 07:55 AM Mountain Daylight Time

Image

Shareholders Asked to Vote for Reduced Power for Chairman/CEO of ‘Woke-A-Cola’

National Legal & Policy Center

The annual meeting for The Coca-Cola Company is next Tuesday, April 25, and shareholders will be asked to vote on a proposal that would increase accountability for the company’s Chairman and CEO, James Quincey. National Legal and Policy Center is sponsoring Proposal No. 8 on the company’s proxy statement, which requests the Board of Directors to require the two powerful roles now occupied by Quincey to be split between two individuals. NLPC argues that Quincey has inappropriately engaged the company in multiple divisive political issues that are not in the fiduciary interest of Coca-Cola or its shareholders. As an investor in the company, NLPC has filed a report to the Securities and Exchange Commission that explains its rationale for appointing an equally authoritative counterpart to keep Quincey’s left-leaning political excursions in check. “James Quincey, invoking the name of ‘Coca-Cola,’ has repeatedly weighed in on issues like opposing the Georgia election integrity law and in support of Black Lives Matter, pointing out the alleged racial sins of America,” said Paul Chesser, director of the Corporate Integrity Project for NLPC. “His careless rhetoric only harmed the company’s reputation, since 2022 voter turnout in the Peach State elections was extremely high. Meanwhile, Quincey has highlighted Coca-Cola’s hypocrisy by doing extensive business in China, while saying nothing about the communist government’s genocide and enslavement practices.” In its report to the SEC, NLPC points out several examples of Quincey’s leadership failures, including: entering Coca-Cola in a multi-company effort as co-signer of a letter that opposed plans by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2018 to restore definitions of “sex” to remove the term “identity,” for the purposes of Title IX enforcement of gender discrimination in civil rights law; signing the Company’s name to a 2019 letter in support of the so-called “Equality Act,” which would have added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” discrimination protections in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – which would have squashed almost all other rights and freedoms Americans possess, including speech, association, privacy, and property rights; held mandatory “anti-racist” training in 2021 that instructed employees to try to “be less white,” which included recommendations to “be less oppressive, be less arrogant, be less certain, be less defensive, be less ignorant, be more humble, listen, believe, break with apathy, (and) break with white solidarity;” providing $2.5 million in grants for left-leaning organizations that included $500,000 to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, a deeply racist, anti-law enforcement organization that spent millions of dollars in corporate donations to enrich its leaders and their family members, and purchased several multi-million dollar mansions for personal use; engaged Coca-Cola in a multi-company letter-writing campaign to urge a “permanent legislative solution to enable (illegal immigration) ‘Dreamers’ who are currently living, working, and contributing to our communities to continue doing so” – a policy many Americans characterize as “amnesty;” opposed the “Heartbeat Bill” when it passed the Georgia Senate in 2019, signing a letter of objection with other businesses. The bill prohibited abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, with exceptions for cases that involve rape, incest, and saving the life of the mother. NLPC’s report to the SEC also notes that since Quincey immersed Coca-Cola in controversial political issues, the company’s stock performance has lagged behind its chief competitors (like PepsiCo), when he should have been focused on his fiduciary priorities. “Coca-Cola, like almost every company that combines the power of chairman and CEO in one person, claims they do so to maximize returns for shareholders,” Chesser said. “But the opposite is usually the case. The board needs a stronger counterpart to put the kibosh on Mr. Quincey’s political activities.” Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with Paul Chesser, contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or drene@nlpc.org. Please visit http://www.nlpc.org. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

April 18, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

As He Pretends Anheuser-Busch is an American Company, CEO Brendan Whitworth Fails Leadership Test

National Legal & Policy Center

Anheuser-Busch has finally addressed the controversy that has embroiled the company since April 1 when it centered a Bud Light promotion around transgender “influencer” Dylan Mulvaney. Only problem is, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth released a statement Friday addressing the issue by not addressing it, accomplishing nothing but to underscore his own helplessness and guaranteeing that the conflagration will continue. Whitworth’s statement asserted that “we never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.” But nowhere could he even say what the “discussion” is about, as if the topic was too hot to even mention. He doesn’t say it was a mistake for a beer company to promote transgenderism, nor does he defend the ad campaign. It is as if he had to say something if only to quiet his coterie of underlings and PR consultants who were no doubt urging him to say something. He took the faintest stab possible to assuage consumers who might most object to the promotion by saluting “military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.” But he could not state the obvious about why all these great people might object to Dylan Mulvaney, namely that men cannot become women, and that it is a folly for anyone, much less a beer company, to advance this lie. Unfortunate for Whitworth, he is handcuffed by the company’s long association with activists who would turn on him as quickly and eagerly as they have accepted his company’s support and money over the years. Anheuser-Busch gets a perfect 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign so-called Corporate Equality Index, and the company promotes gender ideology in its internal training programs. Whitworth fails the leadership test. It’s easy to lay claim to effective institutional management when all the choices are good. Real leadership becomes evident, however, when the choices are bad. But maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on poor Whitworth because his authority as CEO is not what is seems. Whitworth, whose actual title is “CEO North American Zone,” proudly reports that Anheuser-Busch was “founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago,” but he does not mention that the company was sold to the multinational InBev in 2008. The company is now known as Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA/NV, and is incorporated and headquartered in Belgium. In addition, CEO Michael Doukeris is a Brazilian citizen. According the company’s website, nine of its 12 directors are appointed by something called “Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev,” which it describes as “a foundation organised under the laws of the Netherlands, which represents an important part of the interests of the Belgian founding families of the Company and the interests of the Brazilian families previously shareholders of AmBev.” So, Whitworth’s real bosses are a group of ultrarich Europeans and South Americans, who will ultimately act in what they perceive to be their own interests, not those of American beer drinkers. These plutocrats attempt to keep the attention off their wealth by buying off the activists who might challenge it. That is why the company panders to, and bankrolls, a host of woke causes worldwide. Like Unilever, another Europe-based multinational whose American subsidiary Ben & Jerry’s plunged it into controversy (when it ended ice cream sales in the disputed territories of Israel), Anheuser-Busch InBev abets social and political causes that undermine the cultural values and economic interests of the consumers they purport to serve. National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) sponsors the Corporate Integrity Project. When Anheuser-Busch was still an independent company, NLPC filed a series of shareholder proposals seeking disclosure of its financial support for political and social activist groups. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

April 17, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

FEC Sued for Failure to Act on Massive Michael Bloomberg Campaign Finance Violation

Great America PAC

The Federal Election Commission has been sued to compel it to act on an administrative complaint filed against Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 campaign - more than three years ago. The lawsuit was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by Dan Backer on behalf of Great America PAC. Backer has a long history of winning FEC battles, including a 6-figure fine against Hillary for America and the Democratic National Committee for lying about their funding of the Russia hoax. The original Complaint against Michael Bloomberg (included as an Exhibit to the filing today) challenged the billionaire’s unprecedented violation of campaign finance law in which he laundered over $18 million of his personal funds through his short-lived presidential campaign account to the DNC—effectively contributing over 500 times the legal limit to a national political party committee and quite possibly tipping the balance of the 2020 presidential election. After sitting on their thumbs for 3 years – without any dispute as to the facts – the lawsuit seeks to force action before the FEC lets the statute of limitations run out. The lawsuit states in part, “…Despite the fact Michael Bloomberg has publicly admitted the material facts of his illegal scheme, the FEC has remained characteristically inert for the past three years, failing to initiate enforcement action against Bloomberg or the DNC…” “The Supreme Court, since 1976, has held that candidates can spend unlimited amounts of their own money on their own campaigns. The FEC allows candidates to deposit their money into their campaign accounts to make that happen. While campaigns can generally transfer unlimited amounts of campaign contributions they receive – from other donors - to national party committees, it didn’t create an $18 million loophole for Mike Bloomberg,” explained Dan Backer. “Federal election law allowed an individual to only contribute up to $35,500 per year to a political party – and that same limit applies to Mike Bloomberg’s transferred money. It is shameful that the FEC has allowed the “Bloomberg Billionaire Loophole” to remain unaddressed for more than three years.” “There were lots of ways Michael Bloomberg could spend more of his money that were clearly legal – including through his pet SuperPAC - but unless the FEC or courts rule otherwise this isn’t one of them. That is why we are forced to sue them, again,” Backer continued. “It shouldn’t be this easy to just buy off a political party.” “Former President Trump is beset upon by radical leftists for every imagined slight – but Michael Bloomberg has caused real damage to our campaign finance system, to the tune of $18 MM, and we’re not going to let them get away without some accountability,” Backer said. ### For more information or to interview Dan Backer please contact Gabriel Llanes at gabriel@greatamericapac.com. Contact Details Great America PAC Gabriel Llanes +1 786-522-7364 gabriel@greatamericapac.com Company Website https://www.greatamericapac.com/

April 13, 2023 04:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time

In Proxy Memo, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Are Urged to Stay Out of Divisive Abortion Issue

National Legal & Policy Center

Following last year’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, advocates have continued their battle for unrestricted abortion access in a new forum: Corporate America. Under the guise of two shareholder proposals that demand reports on “Impacts of Reproductive Healthcare Legislation” as the result of newly enacted state laws that limit or ban abortions, activists seek to bully The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo Inc. into advocacy for their own policies on the controversial political issue, and for the companies to steer their campaign contributions accordingly. In responses filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this month, National Legal and Policy Center argue why shareholders of the two multinational soft drink makers should oppose the resolutions sponsored by the radical pro-abortion proponents. NLPC’s reports to the SEC can be viewed at the following links: Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. As NLPC’s filings explain, the proponents of the two shareholder proposals cite biased research, selective data, slanted opinion polls, and preconceived outcomes to make their cases. For example, the sponsors assert that it will be more difficult for the companies to recruit women to their workforces in states where abortion limits or bans have been enacted into law. But the proponents stake their claim based on a “study” that one critic said suffered from “self-selection bias,” using “an unrepresentative, highly biased sample and misleading questions.” The boards of directors for Coca-Cola and PepsiCo also ask shareholders to vote against the proposals on their respective proxy statements, but for reasons that don’t address the misleading and even deceitful claims of the proponents. Coca-Cola, in its opposition, proudly points to its coverage of travel expenses for medical procedures that are “not available in-state.” PepsiCo repeatedly emphasizes its “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” policies that “improve the attraction, retention and advancement of women,” which include “a robust and highly competitive set of flexible benefits” with “reproductive health” coverage. “Although we wish their opposition was stronger, Coca-Cola and Pepsi are right to resist these thinly veiled attempts to push their companies to take a public stance on the divisive issue of abortion, which would undermine their fiduciary responsibility to all their shareholders,” said Paul Chesser, director of NLPC’s Corporate Integrity Project. “We hope the directors and company executives are finally starting to learn that capitulating to aggressive Leftist politics is a long-term loser for the bottom line.” The so-called “Reproductive Healthcare” resolutions that NLPC opposes are Proposal No. 9 on the Coca-Cola proxy statement, and Proposal No. 7 on the PepsiCo proxy statement. Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with Paul Chesser, contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or drene@nlpc.org. Please visit http://www.nlpc.org. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

April 13, 2023 09:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Bank of America Shareholders Asked to Increase Accountability for ‘Woke’ Chairman/CEO Brian Moynihan

National Legal & Policy Center

Bank of America ’s annual meeting is scheduled for April 25, and shareholders will be asked to vote on a proposal that would increase accountability for the company’s longtime Chairman and CEO, Brian Moynihan. National Legal and Policy Center is sponsoring Proposal No. 6 on the company’s proxy statement, which requests the Board of Directors to require the two powerful roles now filled by Moynihan to be held by two separate individuals. NLPC argues that Moynihan has inappropriately engaged the company in a multitude of divisive political issues that are not in the fiduciary interest of Bank of America or its shareholders. As an investor in the company, NLPC has filed a report to the Securities and Exchange Commission that explains its rationale for identifying an equally authoritative counterpart to keep Moynihan’s left-leaning political excursions in check. “Brian Moynihan has been around too long and has aggregated too much power, to the point where he seems to think and care little about the controversial political decisions he makes that implicate the company,” said Paul Chesser, director of the Corporate Integrity Project for NLPC. “For example, Bank of America has instituted lending and employee training programs that claim to promote racial advancement and healing, but instead are themselves racist.” In its report to the SEC, NLPC points out several examples of Moynihan’s leadership failures, including: a $421 million commitment to over 130 equity funds that provide capital exclusively to non-white and female entrepreneurs and small business owners; creating a discriminatory program that reduces interest rates for commercial borrowers that hit certain diversity quotas; zero-down payment, zero-closing cost mortgage advances for first-time home buyers only in black/African-American and Hispanic communities, without typically required home insurance or a credit score; a “Racial-Equity 21-day Challenge” training program for employees that teaches that the United States is a “racialized society” that “use[s] race to establish and justify systems of power, privilege, disenfranchisement, and oppression,” which “give[s] privileges to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color”; handing over the financial data of 211 clients to federal agents following the January 2021 U.S. Capitol disturbance, based on those customers being profiled simply because they visited an ATM in Washington at the time of the “riot”; building a held-to-maturity (“HTM”) portfolio that is high-risk and double the size of such assets in 2020, and increasing it by over 50 percent in 2021 – a purchasing spree with over 80 percent of the securities maturing in over 10 years, giving the Company significant exposure to interest rates. Moynihan has been more than willing to place Bank of America in a globalist posture, subjugating shareholders’ interests under those of the World Economic Forum agenda of transhumanism, abolition of private property, consumption of bugs, social credit systems, and other “Great Reset” priorities. As chairman of the WEF’s International Business Council, he worked with the big four accounting firms to create stakeholder standards for companies to follow. Moynihan said after this year’s Davos confab about companies who fall short of such globalist standards, that “we shouldn’t do business with you.” WEF’s agenda, he said, “at the end of the day, will align capitalism with what society wants from it and get us going faster.” “Brian Moynihan’s ego and elitism are so far gone, that he thinks he gets to redefine ‘capitalism,’” Chesser said. “And now he assumes that he and his fellow Davos elites can establish a new social credit system that decides who is and who isn’t allowed to play in their newly redesigned ‘capitalism’ playground.” “It’s way past time for Bank of America to appoint a separate chairman to counterbalance Brian Moynihan’s proclivities – as long as the board doesn’t choose Klaus Schwab.” Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with Paul Chesser, contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or drene@nlpc.org. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

April 12, 2023 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Unlock the Potential of Neurodiversity at Work

Fast Company Press

Diversity is a hot topic in the business world, but it has been largely restricted to meaning a diversity of experiences based on a person’s heritage, upbringing, or gender. In A Hidden Force: Unlocking the Potential of Neurodiversity at Work (Fast Company Press), neuroinclusivity expert Ed Thompson examines another type of diversity that has been largely overlooked: neurodiversity—the differences in how our brains process information. World Autism Month focuses on improving the public understanding of autism and creating opportunities for those living with autism. A Hidden Force addresses this mission with insight, data, and compassion. “It's estimated that as many as one in five people may be neurodivergent in some way,” Thompson said, including people with autism, dyslexia, and ADHD. “Yet functional understanding in workplaces is almost nonexistent. When organizations evolve to include talent that thinks in different ways, it benefits their productivity, increases their innovative capacity, and transforms them into a fairer and more humane place to work.” Through his research, personal experiences, and extensive interviews with neurodivergent people in the workforce, as well as other experts on neurodiversity, Thompson convincingly shows Why neurodiversity has been overlooked by society and in business until recently and why it’s so relevant, Why embracing neurodiversity will help us be part of and build more innovative and effective teams, and How we can integrate our new understanding of the topic and neuroinclusive principles into our everyday work and interactions “Since my earliest conversations with Ed, we shared a mutual vision of what neurodiversity and neuroinclusion at work would ultimately have to mean,” said Paulette Penzvalto, COO of the Google Disability Alliance. “It is our responsibility to put neuroinclusion at the forefront of team building, management training, and individual expression. It is important, belated, and exciting, from a business perspective, given the potential to help optimize team and organizational collaboration. None of us can do this alone, so make an effort to make room for those who are most vulnerable, and you might be surprised by the brilliant music you are able to create together.” A Hidden Force makes a timely, apt, and critical contribution to today’s business world. Written for business leaders, talent management professionals, and neurodivergent employees, this book shows why and how creating a work environment that welcomes the full spectrum of talent benefits everyone. “I hope the book will help you, regardless of your own thinking style, feel energized to be part of neuroinclusive teams and interactions every day,” Thompson said. “And I hope it will help you and your organization answer the same question that every organization continues to face today: How can we become a truly 21st century employer that is diverse, representative, innovative, and able to thrive in the years ahead?” Pick up your copy of A Hidden Force and stay up to date on neurodiversity training and resources by visiting uptimize.com. About the Author Ed Thompson is the founder and CEO of Uptimize, the leading neuroinclusion training company, whose mission is to help organizations embrace and leverage every type of thinker. Born and raised in London and educated at the University of Oxford, Ed founded Uptimize in 2016, recognizing the urgent need for greater understanding and appreciation of neurodiversity within the working world. His role with Uptimize has afforded him unique insights and connections with pioneers in the neurodiversity-at-work field across the world, and he is now a frequent speaker on the topic. He and Uptimize have been featured by outlets including LinkedIn, the BBC, People Management magazine, HR.com, and the Financial Times. More about Greenleaf Book Group Greenleaf Book Group is an independent publisher and distributor located in Austin, Texas, dedicated to empowering authors. Greenleaf’s hybrid publishing model is uniquely positioned to offer the benefits of both traditional publishing and self-publishing. To learn more about Greenleaf, visit www.greenleafbookgroup.com. Contact Details Greenleaf Book Group Sam Ofman +1 512-891-6100 media@greenleafbookgroup.com

April 11, 2023 10:05 AM Central Daylight Time

Image

DonorsTrust Givers Recommended $242 Million in Grants During 2022

Donors Trust

The DonorsTrust community of givers in 2022 recommended $242 million to more than 1,100 unique charities nationwide, supporting nonprofits during a year of economic uncertainty as inflation continued apace and the Federal Reserve tightened its monetary policy. “The fact our accountholders granted more dollars than ever before is a reflection of our givers’ deep-seated belief in our mission and in the power of philanthropy—not government—to change people’s lives in a meaningful way,” says DonorsTrust CEO and President Lawson Bader. The total grants to charities during 2022—$242 million—is a whopping 21% increase over the previous year, when DonorsTrust accountholders recommended granting $190 million to charity. The $190 million granted in 2021 was a 3% increase over 2020 when donors recommended $186 million. When compared to pre-pandemic grant levels, these numbers are even more significant. DonorsTrust accountholders in 2019 recommended a total of $163 million, a 33% increase compared to 2022. “Our donor-advisors’ record grant-making in 2022 is indicative of our ongoing growth as charitable givers continue to break ranks with the big banks and seek refuge with mission-driven giving-account providers that honor and share account-holders’ conservative and libertarian values.” DonorsTrust welcomed many new accounts last year and, of those accounts, 13% migrated from a big commercial bank to DonorsTrust in a bid to align their giving. This continued the trend of givers aligning their philanthropy with a giving-account provider that honors their values. Total Grant-Making in 2022 Nearly Eclipses Total Account Contributions Another remarkable thing about 2022 is that total grant-making nearly eclipsed total account contributions. DonorsTrust account-holders in 2022 contributed $299 million to their respective accounts. Compare that to the $242 million that went out the door. What’s more, all of that giving happened during a year in which the International Monetary Fund forecast half as much economic growth compared to the previous year and the annual inflation rate nearly doubled over the previous year, a hard reality that prompted one copywriter at The Economist to pen a headline that reads “ 2022 has been a year of brutal inflation.” These numbers sent an important message to DonorsTrust givers: Give even more—and that’s exactly what account-holders did, deploying much-needed dollars out of nimble giving accounts filled with charitable reserves intended for critical charities during times of crisis. DonorsTrust Givers Respond to Higher-Ed, ESG Crises During a year in which America’s top 50 donors gave a staggering amount of money to higher education, DonorsTrust givers likewise granted a considerable amount to universities, including Catholic University of America and George Mason University Foundation. DonorsTrust account-holders also directed a hefty amount of money to public-policy organizations like Consumers’ Research, an organization actively tracking anti-ESG legislation nationwide and putting corporations on notice for their liberal-leaning environmental agendas. After the Wall Street Journal reported last year that investment firm BlackRock was gobbling up real estate on behalf of public-pension funds and others (all the while pricing individuals and families out of the real-estate market), Consumers’ Research came out swinging. “It’s not so much that people are clamoring for Larry Fink and BlackRock to solve all the problems of the world; it’s that Larry would like to be in charge and he uses the immense amount of capital provided to him... to basically dictate terms to the rest of the American economy,” Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, says in an episode of Giving Ventures. Established in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) public charity, DonorsTrust is a community of donors devoted to creating a better future. Its donors support charities they believe protect our nation’s constitutional liberties and strengthen civil society through private institutions rather than government programs. Its boutique size lets it offer our donors personal attention and advice that helps them achieve their philanthropic goals. It ensures donor intentions are protected and offers simple, effective, and tax-advantaged ways to give. Since its inception, DonorsTrust has granted more than $2.5 billion to thousands of charities that protect our constitutional liberties and strengthen civil society without government funding. ### To learn more about DAFs and DonorsTrust, please visit http://www.donorstrust.org and listen to the Giving Ventures Podcast here https://www.donorstrust.org/podcast/. To schedule an interview with a DonorsTrust spokesperson, contact Carolyn Bolton at 703-535-3563 or cbolton@donorstrust.org. Contact Details DonorsTrust Carolyn Bolton +1 703-535-3563 cbolton@donorstrust.org Company Website https://www.donorstrust.org/

April 11, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Professional Services

Executive VP & Director of Training Michael Jutt Talks Minuteman As We Celebrate 50 Years of Minuteman Press

DISTRICT HIRES DOUG BENNETT AS NEW WATER CONSERVATION MANAGER

Shareholders Asked to Vote for Reduced Power for Chairman/CEO of ‘Woke-A-Cola’

As He Pretends Anheuser-Busch is an American Company, CEO Brendan Whitworth Fails Leadership Test

FEC Sued for Failure to Act on Massive Michael Bloomberg Campaign Finance Violation

In Proxy Memo, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Are Urged to Stay Out of Divisive Abortion Issue

Bank of America Shareholders Asked to Increase Accountability for ‘Woke’ Chairman/CEO Brian Moynihan

Unlock the Potential of Neurodiversity at Work

DonorsTrust Givers Recommended $242 Million in Grants During 2022