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Media Contact
Lucy Cumming
Director of Communications
612.370.9122
lcumming@mplschamber.com
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Minneapolis Regional Chamber announces 2021 Minnesota Keystone honored companies |
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MINNEAPOLIS (11/5/21) — The Minneapolis Regional Chamber is pleased to announce the 2021 Minnesota Keystone Program honored companies. Neuger, Colle McVoy and Comcast were chosen for recognition due to their generous contributions to the community and their outstanding giving programs.
Honored companies are selected each year from categories determined by business size. This year’s recipients were chosen from nearly 200 companies in the program, standing out for their unique giving programs and contributions. Serving as a model for other Minnesota businesses to follow, they will be honored at the 45th annual Minnesota Keystone Luncheon.
The 2021 Minnesota Keystone Luncheon keynote speaker will be Reba Dominski, Executive Vice President and Chief Social Responsibility Officer at U.S. Bank.
“The Minneapolis Regional Chamber has proudly supported the Minnesota Keystone Program since its inception as the ‘5% Club’ in 1976,” said Chamber President and CEO, Jonathan Weinhagen. “Business plays a critical role, not only in the economic success of our region, but also in the overall well-being and quality of life for community members. The leaders of the companies who founded the program knew this and made it a priority to invest in and give back to the communities that helped them get started. Today, Minnesotan businesses set a national standard when it comes to corporate giving. The annual luncheon celebrates this and encourages all businesses, whether large or small, to give their time, money and resources to strengthen our communities.”
The Minnesota Keystone program, led by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, encourages any Minnesota-based company that gives at least two to five percent of their pre-tax earnings back to the community to join. The companies can give back through any combination of volunteer time, in-kind or cash donations.
ABOUT THE HONORED COMPANIES
Neuger, recipient of the small business award, is a strategic marketing communications, branding and public relations firm. Neuger allows their employees to invest up to five percent of their time, based on a 40-hour week, to volunteer for charities that they are passionate about. Over the past five years, Neuger estimates that every employee has been involved in volunteering, totaling roughly 7,500 hours of service. Neuger’s pro-bono offerings provide opportunities for personalized engagement to make a larger impact in the community. Personalized engagement includes donation of time to mentor and teach new job skills, provide free services, and annual reports to the community. They also host their Common Good Breakfast Series, created to uplift many lesser-known nonprofits to increase their visibility and grow awareness of their missions while modeling corporate giving and volunteering. Neuger serves as a model for small businesses to expand their philanthropic impact by doing what they can to support nonprofit organizations.
Colle McVoy, recipient of the medium-sized business award, is a full-service creative agency. Colle McVoy has partnered with Little Free Library to create the Read in Color program, an international initiative to amplify BIPOC and LGBTQ voices and foster understanding, empathy and inclusion for all by delivering diverse books to the Little Free Library book-sharing boxes worldwide. Through a unique partnership with the Ad Council, Colle McVoy created a series of PSAs in 2020 that depicted the growing need to feed millions and inspire people to donate to Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. In 2021, Colle McVoy created two new broadcast PSAs with the Ad Council and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that encouraged Americans to mask up, even if they’ve been vaccinated. And while partnering with Houston White to help define his retail brand and develop identities for several of his clothing lines, the agency also acted to elevate Houston’s incredible vision to bring together people of all identities, races, cultures, backgrounds, and neighborhoods and turn his North Minneapolis barbershop into a uniting force for cultural progress. In Colle McVoy’s agency world, integrity means not only doing the right thing in corporate America, but also within the communities in which we live.
Comcast, a media and technology company, is the recipient of the large business award. Comcast’s mission is to create incredible technology and entertainment that connects millions of people to the moments and experiences that matter most. Comcast has spent more than a decade working to address digital inequities. From connecting people to the Internet; to supporting young, diverse storytellers; to opening doors for the next generation of innovators, creators, and doers, Comcast wants everyone to have the skills, resources and tools they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world. And, since 2011, Comcast has been doing this through its Internet Essentials program, which has grown to become the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program providing wraparound digital equity solutions for qualified families, including a low-cost, high-speed connection at home. As of 2021, Comcast has connected more than 10 million low-income people, including more than 272,000 Minnesotans.
ABOUT MINNESOTA KEYSTONE PROGRAM
The Minnesota Keystone Program, administered by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, promotes corporate philanthropy by recognizing and honoring companies that donate at least 2 percent of their pre-tax earnings to charitable organizations. In 1976, 23 Minnesota companies created this program (originally known as 'The 5% Club') to recognize and encourage charitable giving in the state. The commitment of Minnesota Keystone participants continues to serve as an example to other businesses, both here and around the globe, and to sustain Minnesota’s spirit of generosity and sense of community. Qualifying companies have an operating presence in Minnesota and donate cash or in-kind donations, including pro-bono services, and/or employee paid volunteer time.
Xcel Energy is the presenting sponsor of the luncheon. BlueCross and BlueShield of Minnesota, Huntington Bank and RBC Wealth Management are premier sponsors. For a complete list of sponsors or for more information about the Minnesota Keystone Program, visit www.mplschamber.com/pages/MinnesotaKeystone.
The 45th Annual Minnesota Keystone Luncheon will be held on Thursday, December 9th at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis located at 1300 Nicollet Mall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To purchase a table or tickets to the luncheon, please call (612) 370-9100 or visit www.mplschamber.com/keystone.
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MPLS Regional Chamber | 81 S. Ninth St., Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55402-3223
612.370.9100 | www.mplschamber.com
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