RICHMOND, Va. -- Altria Group was recognized as one of America's most community-minded companies in the Civic 50, an annual initiative that identifies and recognizes companies for their commitment to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. The survey was conducted by the National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light, the nation's definitive experts on civic engagement, and published by Bloomberg News.
"Altria and its family of companies have a long history of contributing to organizations that enrich and improve the communities where our employees live and work," said Jennifer Hunter, Altria client services senior vice president, corporate affairs. "We work to develop strong partnerships with leading nonprofit organizations with proven-effective programs.”
Over the past 10 years, Altria's companies have donated more than $1.1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions to improve the communities in which they operate, according to Hunter.
“In addition, our employees give their time, talents and resources to organizations through volunteer service in the community and our Altria Companies Employee Community Fund. We are pleased to be recognized for this work and the difference corporations and citizens can make in our communities when we work together."
The results of this year's Civic 50 survey show that even the most civically engaged companies are doing more to make community engagement a top priority and a permanent aspect of their business strategy, said Michael Weiser, chairman of the board, National Conference on Citizenship, and Neil Bush, chairman of the board, Points of Light, in a joint statement.
"These 50 companies are showing others in the private sector how to boost the bottom line and make the world a better place," they stated.
This year's Civic 50 applicants were evaluated and accrued points based on several criteria, including how much financial and human resources are applied to civic improvement, whether internal and external resources are activated to maximize community impact, how a company's community engagement activities support its business interests, how broadly community engagement is supported and institutionalized within a company's policies, systems and incentives, and how a company measures the social and business value of its community engagement programs.
The Civic 50 was developed in partnership with a high-profile working group of lead researchers and industry thought leaders. Dozens of corporate advisors provided strategic guidance on the program's objectives, including defining indicators, developing methodology, and identifying partners and participants. As a result of this collaborative process, the initiative reflects leading insight and thinking about how corporations can and should engage with communities in a 21st-century economy.
Altria Group is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. and John Middleton. Altria also owns Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Nu Mark and Philip Morris Capital Corp. and has a continuing economic and voting interest in SABMiller. The company is headquartered in Richmond, Va.
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