Southwire CEO Thorn Among Finalists for Corporate Responsibility Magazine Awards

Sep 12, 2014

Southwire Company announced today that its President and CEO Stu Thorn is among the finalists for both the Responsible CEO of the Year Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award presented each year by Corporate Responsibility Magazine.

Magazine representatives highlighted several key Southwire partnerships influenced by Thorn – including 12 for Life (Carroll County Schools), the Southwire Engineering Academy (Carrollton High School), the Southwire Center for Manufacturing Excellence (West Georgia Technical College) and the Southwire Sustainable Business Honors Program (University of West Georgia) – as well as the company’s overall sustainability strategy.

“The credit for what we have achieved as a sustainable company lies squarely with Southwire’s 7,000 business people,” Thorn said. “I have been fortunate to enjoy a front-row seat as I’ve watched what our team can accomplish.  They’ve grown our business in a manner that builds worth for all of our stakeholders, while at the same time adhering to the highest ethical standards and responsibly stewarding our environment, our communities, and our employees.”

According to Corporate Responsibility Magazine CEO Elliot Clark, the awards recognize chief executive officers who visibly exceed standards in the areas of employee relations, environmental impact and sustainability, human rights, philanthropy and corporate responsibility practices.

"Today's CEOs must balance the needs of shareholders, employees, customers and communities,” Clark said. “The finalists exemplify the best behaviors and have a track record of leadership, vision and success in corporate responsibility programs."

The finalists of the 2014 Responsible CEO of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards are:

  • Chad Rosenberg, American Global Logistics
  • David Cordani, Cigna Corporation
  • Larry Merlo, CVS Caremark
  • Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab
  • William Graebel, Graebel Companies, Inc.
  • Robert C. Garrett, Hackensack University Health Network
  • J. Knox Singleton, Inova Health System
  • Michael W. Kempner, MWW
  • Rob DeMartini, New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
  • Rakesh Sachdev, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation
  • Stu Thorn, Southwire
  • John P. Bilbrey, The Hershey Company

All award finalists were nominated by fellow members of the Corporate Responsibility community and selected by an independent judging panel comprised of previous winners and other industry leaders.

To determine the winners, judges will consider several dimensions of the aforementioned standards including the scope of the CEO's impact on their organization and community, the extent to which the CEO drove this initiative and the individual reputation or professional risk taken by the CEO.

The 2015 award winners will be honored at CR Magazine's Responsible CEO of the Year Awards Dinner to take place at the COMMIT!Forum on Thursday, Oct. 9, in New York City.

- Gary Leftwich