The Press Wire

Premier South Florida mentoring organization recognizes Capaz’s contributions in raising awareness of volunteer needs

MIAMI, September 29, 2009 — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami (BBBS), the premier mentoring organization of South Florida, today named Eugenia “Gina” Capaz, senior vice president Business Analytics & Consumer Insight at Bacardi U.S.A., Inc., as its “Board Member of the Year.” The honor recognizes the numerous contributions Ms. Capaz has made to the local organization during her tenure on the board of directors.

“The leadership team at our organization is incredibly grateful to Gina for her time and efforts spent in developing special programs and events to benefit our kids,” said Lydia Muñiz, chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami. “Her generous spirit and natural leadership skills made her instrumental to our success over the past challenging year and we are lucky to have her share her time and talent with us.”

Ms. Capaz chairs the BBBS strategic planning committee and has been integral in helping map out the direction of the organization for the next five years. Not only does she contribute personally as a Visionary Donor, but she also brought on generous support of her employer, Bacardi U.S.A., Inc., a company with a family of some of the most recognized and top-selling spirits brands in the United States. Bacardi recently hosted the BBBS Black Men’s Advisory Council meeting and 12 additional Bacardi USA employees also serve as mentors.

“Now more than ever, it is important to keep in mind the mission of organizations such as BBBS, and give a piece of ourselves to support the community and its next generation,” added Muñiz.

Most volunteer and donor organizations have experienced a lull in recent years, with BBBS being no exception. There has never been a need for mentors as there is now, with a waiting list of more than 1,000 young people looking to partner up. Funding is also necessary to facilitate the Big/Little matches, ensure child safety and sustain successful relationships with positive outcomes. Increased donations of all sizes will help BBBS serve more children and attract volunteers who are willing to serve them.

Ways to become involved with BBBS include:
• Donating to the organization–for $1,500, you can sponsor a match
• Volunteering to mentor a child
• Involving your workplace in BBBS’s mentoring School to Work program

Locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters served over 2,000 children and adults in 2008. To learn more about donating or volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, visit www.wementor.org.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest and largest donor-supported youth mentoring organization in the United States. BBBS of Greater Miami, founded in 1958, is one of the largest local agencies in the country, serving more than 7,000 local children, volunteers and families through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with caring adult volunteers. A study conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters finds adults mentored as children through Big Brothers Big Sisters are more likely than peers with similar backgrounds but who were not involved in the program to have a four year college degree, incomes of $75,000 or greater and strong relationships with their spouses, children and friends. For information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, visit www.wementor.org or call (305) 644-0066.

Want to join our cause? Search Big Brothers Big Sister of Greater Miami on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at BBBSMIAMI.

For more information, please contact:
Laurie Gunn
(305) 644-0066 ext. 238
Lgunn@bbbsmiami.org

MINNEAPOLIS, Jul 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Unfortunately, due to fraudulent tampering and transferring, Target no longer is accepting coupon offers for $5 off a $25 or more toy or general merchandise purchase at Target. The coupons state they are valid through October 1, 2008.

Target sent the original coupons for $5 off a $25 or more toy purchase via e-mail to approximately 85,000 guests during the months of February and March. The altered coupon had an image and the word toy removed to make it appear to apply to any purchase.

Kathee Tesija, executive vice president, merchandising, Target, said, Our goal is to always surprise and delight our guests with great values, and we are disappointed that some of our guests may be inconvenienced by our need to respond to this fraudulent tampering and transferring.

Guests who originally received the coupon will be notified via e-mail that the coupon no longer is being accepted, and they also will receive a $5 Target GiftCard by mail. In addition, Target stores are posting signs at all check-out lanes alerting guests that these coupons are no longer valid.

About Target

Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,613 stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today’s best retail trends at affordable prices. Target is committed to providing guests with great design through innovative products, in-store experiences and community partnerships. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at Target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Since 1946, the corporation has invested five percent of its income in the communities it serves. Target (NYSE:TGT) gives more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Target partners with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

SOURCE: Target
Target
Target Communications, 612-696-3400
Visit the Target Pressroom: www.Target.com/Pressroom

September 16, 2009

Akihiko (Kiko) Washington has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Human Resources, Warner Bros. Entertainment, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO and Alan Horn, President & COO, Warner Bros.

Washington now serves in an expanded role, responsible for managing the company’s worldwide human resources operation, which includes organizational readiness and development, recruitment, compensation and benefits, employee training and development, shared services, work-life initiatives and employee communications (working with the Studio’s Corporate Communications team). He will also continue to work closely with parent company Time Warner’s human resources staff to facilitate career development programs across all Time Warner divisions to ensure that the company has an extensive, well-trained talent pool across various business categories at all times.

“In many ways, human resources is the lifeblood of an organization, responsible for attracting, developing and retaining the best talent in the business, and Kiko has been integral to the success we’ve had in that area and, consequently, as a company overall,” said Meyer.

“Throughout his tenure at the Studio, Kiko has been a key member of our senior management team who has helped to move our businesses forward. He has also kept our human resources and employee programs among the best in the industry, and we look to his leadership to keep our workforce at the forefront of the many businesses in which we operate,” said Horn.

Washington joined Warner Bros. in August 2000 as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Human Resources. Prior to that, he served as Vice President, Human Resources Planning and International Human Resources Management at Time Warner. Before that, he spent 15 years at HBO, most recently as Vice President, Human Resources & Administration, responsible for overseeing HBO’s global human resources planning and organizational development efforts. He also oversaw the company’s domestic and international staffing, employee relations, training and development and employee communications initiatives. Washington graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Contact Info:
Scott Rowe
(818) 954-5806

Dell earns sixth consecutive perfect 100 percent
Further supports Dell’s commitment to diversity and equal employment opportunity

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Sept. 14, 2009 – Dell earned a perfect score of 100 percent for the sixth consecutive year in the 2010 Corporate Equality Index, an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. The HRC reported that its efforts and companies like Dell are protecting more than 9 million workers from discrimination in the workplace.

Embracing inclusion and diversity is essential to Dell’s business at all levels of the organization and serves as a key advantage for the company. Last month Dell also joined the HRC and the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness to support the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). This law would provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Dell’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employee group, Dell PRIDE, was founded in 2002 and is focused on effectively attracting and retaining valuable LGBT employees. Members of Dell PRIDE actively participate in a large number of outside initiatives including the AIDS Walks in our local US sites, the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival and Out & Equal’s Workplace Summit.

Quotes:

“We appreciate the recognition from the HRC with our sixth straight perfect score. We thank the HRC for being a tireless champion of diversity. Diversity and inclusion are critical components in Dell’s long-term success and the LGBT community is a valuable group to our employees, customers and partners,” said Gil Casellas, vice president of corporate responsibility for Dell.

“The Human Rights Campaign Foundation congratulates Dell on achieving 100 percent on the Corporate Equality Index 2010 for the sixth year. As one of the top-rated businesses this year, Dell has again demonstrated its commitment to fairness and equality for all employees,” said Daryl Herrschaft, Director of the Workplace Project at the HRC Foundation.

Contacts:
Harjit Kaur
Dell Inc.
Round Rock, Texas
(512) 723-4697
(512) 913-8336
Harjit_kaur@dell.com

Fairtrade Certified Coffee Market Set to Increase by 18% in the UK and Ireland; Tens of Thousands of Coffee Farmers to Benefit

LONDON, September 02, 2009 – Starbucks stores in the UK and Ireland (NASDAQ: SBUX) today began serving 100% Fairtrade Certified and Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ verified coffee in all of their espresso-based beverages. Every one of the 2 million visitors per week can walk away with a Fairtrade Certified Cappuccino, Latte or Mocha and help support small-scale farmers and their communities in developing countries around the world.

This move is expected to increase the amount of Fairtrade Certified coffee sold in the UK and Ireland by 18% this year. Moreover, Starbucks commitment to continuing a long-term relationship with Fairtrade and small-scale coffee growers is projected to generate a Fairtrade premium of more than £350,000 from sales in the UK and Ireland alone in the coming year, for farmers to invest in community projects.

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation UK, said, “Starbucks is really setting the pace for the coffee industry by using its global size for good. This move will expand the reach of Fairtrade and deepen its impact on tens of thousands of farmers who are at the very heart of the Fairtrade system. Farmers need Fairtrade now more than ever, and even though these are difficult economic times, people across the country are staying loyal to their ethical values and to Fairtrade. From today they can enjoy Fairtrade values over their favourite Starbucks coffee.”

Starbucks is already the world’s largest purchaser of Fairtrade coffee, and the switch to Fairtrade Certified espresso in the UK will help contribute to a total global annual payment to small-scale coffee farmers estimated at £2,500,000.

“Starbucks has always been committed to ethical sourcing and this is a milestone in our partnership with Fairtrade which spans over a decade,” said Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director, Starbucks UK & Ireland.

“Using 100% Fairtrade Certified coffee for Starbucks espresso is just one aspect of our work together. We are also sharing our collective knowledge and best practices in responsible sourcing to further improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers as well as to ensure the availability of the highest quality coffee. From farm inspections through to programmes to help farmers improve coffee quality and environmental sustainability, as well as loan initiatives – the work is extensive and certainly doesn’t begin and end with the FAIRTRADE Mark on our cups,” continued Willson-Rymer.

Starbucks® Fairtrade Certified Espresso Roast is sourced largely from Latin America, specifically across Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru, and it will be these farming communities who benefit most immediately, with other producers set to follow.

Carlos Vargas Leiton, Financial Manager of Coopetarrazú, an organisation of 2,600 farmers in Costa Rica, including 457 women who are the sole providers for their families said, “We have a long and successful history of trading with Starbucks and welcome its increased collaboration with Fairtrade. We will benefit from guaranteed minimum prices and Fairtrade premiums so we can plan for the future with more confidence. We will invest in environmental and social programmes to improve the wellbeing of our members and communities, such as health and education initiatives to benefit women and farm workers, with a direct impact on more than 50,000 people.”

The collaboration between Starbucks and Fairtrade organisations has been welcomed by the UK Government’s Department for International Development.

Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary, said, “Shoppers in the UK are showing an increasing appetite for Fairtrade – with 7 in 10 households purchasing Fairtrade products – so we’re delighted that this move will give more consumers even more choice every day.

Tens of thousands of farmers will benefit from this commitment, which shows the power of businesses, both big and small, to contribute to sustainable community development through trade, and have a major impact on the lives of poor people.”

The Fairtrade Foundation UK and Fairtrade Mark Ireland are members of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) which joins Conservation International (CI) and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) as partners in the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to ethical sourcing.

* In addition to increased purchases, Starbucks, FLO, CI and AWF will work with Fairtrade farmers to enhance coffee quality and profitability through improved environmental and agricultural practices, and to specifically expand the number of small-scale farmers producing crops under the ethical coffee buying guidelines for Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ and the Fairtrade Certified system.
* Starbucks and Fairtrade contribute to sustainable development for marginalised producers, workers and their communities. Moreover, Fairtrade contributes to sustainable changes in trade by empowering organised farmers groups.
* Integral to the success of this effort are the Starbucks Farmer Support Centers in Costa Rica and Rwanda, as well as the current investments Starbucks is making in programmes such as Root Capital, Calvert Fund and Verde Ventures that provide farmers access to credit.

For more information about Starbucks and Fairtrade in the UK and Ireland please visit www.starbucks.com/proudtosupportfairtrade.

For additional information, including images and B-roll please contact:

Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO)
Head of Communications
Regina Koerner, + 49-228-949-23–285
Cell: + 49-172-541-6079
r.koerner@fairtrade.net

Starbucks
Hans van Bochove, +31-20-7184-318
Cell: +31-62-111-3174
hvanboch@starbucks.com

Industry-focused initiative to help companies improve individual and business performance

ARMONK, N.Y. – 14 Sep 2009: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today launched new software and services to help clients build collaborative and connected business environments to harness the rapid marketplace shifts that are transforming how they work.

The new IBM offerings are designed to help clients across industries embrace rather than resist the unprecedented changes in today’s marketplace and use them to their advantage. They address three critical challenges faced by business leaders around the world: making business processes more responsive and easier to change; improving collaboration within and beyond their organizations; and using technology to meet business needs quickly.

“With increasing pressures on the cost, speed and efficiency of doing business, working smarter is not merely an option — it has become a matter of survival,” said Steve Mills, Senior Vice President, IBM Software. “Creating organizations that are agile, collaborative and connected is one of the key objectives of IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative. Using IBM software, businesses can harnesses the collective wisdom of their organizations and capitalize on the insights provided by an increasingly intelligent, instrumented world.”

New Industry Frameworks to speed client value and deployment

IBM is announcing new offerings designed to help businesses make their processes more agile, responsive and easier to change while supporting increased collaboration between workers and those processes. New industry frameworks initially targeted at four industries – banking, chemical/ petroleum, energy and government – help customers benefit from decades of IBM industry experience and include a configurable software platform, industry assets and best practices. The frameworks, designed to be turnkey software modules that match specific industry needs, enable faster business solution deployment with lower project cost risk, expanded choice through a validated ecosystem of partners, and accelerated adoption of business IT standards.

New collaboration offerings and services

Another leading component of this initiative is a set of IBM collaboration offerings that derive collective intelligence through crowd-sourcing and social dynamics. These include new social networking tools for the enterprise and secure, cloud-based collaboration that joins together networks of companies as if they were a single organization. IBM is also helping business people solve their own daily challenges through new mashup software and delivering new solutions for unified communications, mobile collaboration and portal communities.

IBM is announcing a new set of professional services focused on collaboration and mobility. These services, which reflect the new reality of an increasingly social and mobile workforce, help connect people, processes and information and enable collaboration across organizations and with clients and partners. They include IBM Smart Business Desktop on the IBM Cloud, IBM Mobile Enterprise Services for Managed Blackberry, and IBM Converged Communications Services.

New skills development to help technology meet business needs quickly.

To help customers access relevant, cross-disciplinary skills and help them work smarter, IBM is announcing a new IBM Business Performance Center of Excellence. Reinforcing IBM’s commitment to improving business optimization and workforce productivity, the center will offer and analyze best practices in this area and provide clients with a blueprint for change for their own businesses. It will be supported by thousands of IBM consultants skilled in the deployment of business process management, collaboration and service oriented architecture technology. The center will also evaluate trends and examine how they are influenced by technology in impacting business success and provide virtual access to experts to transfer skills to clients.

Organizations are recognizing the need to rethink the systems and processes that run their businesses and evaluate new ways to empower the people who support them. Doing so can release a wave of creativity, productivity and problem solving that generates tangible results.

The Alliance for Paired Donation has reduced the time it takes to match an organ donor with a recipient from weeks to seconds using sophisticated software, with the long-term potential of saving more than $1 billion in healthcare costs. Similarly, the State of Missouri Office of Homeland Security dramatically increased disaster preparedness by revising its business processes and portal to manage diverse information systems, while SAT-Mexico, the country’s taxation agency, cut paperwork by 93 percent by improving workflow between human and automated processes. In addition, U.S. Bank, supported by smart collaboration, is embarking on a growth strategy to develop new product insights and enable the sharing of innovative ideas among employees through social software from IBM, while Delaware County Bank and Trust is managing projects in real time and delivering on-the-spot services to customers by deploying IBM collaboration and information sharing technologies.

Despite these and other client successes, an average of 5.3 hours per employee per week is wasted because of inefficient business processes, while two-thirds of employees believe there are colleagues who can help them do their jobs better, but don’t know how to find them.

In a new survey of 176 business and IT leaders, IBM uncovered key findings about ways to overcome barriers to driving better results. According to the survey, empowering line of business users to make changes to business processes is the single most important priority. Furthermore, companies that are the most adaptive and responsive to change leverage mobile and wireless technologies for enhanced collaboration, make rapid changes to business processes in response to changing market conditions, and are efficient at locating the right information to make better decisions. The IBM survey also showed that 70 percent of CIOs say optimizing processes is a top priority, while nearly three-quarters cite customer and partner collaboration as key.

IBM will conduct a Smart Work “Jam” September 16-18 to externalize the dialogue and share ideas about Smart Work for a Smarter Planet. The Jam will include participation by James Surowiecki, business strategist and author of the bestseller, “The Wisdom of the Crowds.” Business leaders, technologists, researchers and visionaries are invited to participate.

Preceding the Jam will be a Smart Work videocast on Sept. 16. Register for the videocast at: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/smartwork/virtual, and for the Jam at: www.collaborationjam.com/minijam2/jam/registration/index.do

IBM, WebSphere, Lotus, SmartSOA and the IBM e-business logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. For a list of additional IBM trademarks, please see www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml

All other company, product or service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of others. Statements concerning IBM’s future development plans and schedules are made for planning purposes only, and are subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Reseller prices may vary.

Contact(s) information

Chris Rubsamen
IBM Media Relations
(914) 766-1803
rubsamen@us.ibm.com

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA – AUGUST 14, 2009
Dole Food Company, Inc. (”Dole”) announced today that it intends to commence a private offering to eligible purchasers, subject to market and other conditions, of $325 million principal amount of Senior Secured Notes due 2016 (the “Notes”). Dole intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to redeem 7.25% Senior Notes due June 15, 2010, at par.

The Notes to be offered by Dole will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy such Notes and is issued pursuant to Rule 135c under the Securities Act.

This release contains “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements, which are based on management’s current expectations, are generally identifiable by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates” and similar expressions. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied herein include weather-related phenomena; market responses to industry volume pressures; product and raw materials supplies and pricing; energy supply and pricing; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; economic crises; security risks in developing countries; international conflict; and quotas, tariffs and other governmental actions. Further information on the factors that could affect Dole’s financial results is included in its SEC filings.