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National Nonprofit Community Improvement Organization Recognizes Industrial Manufacturer Illinois Tool Works Inc.�s Environmental Stewardship
Stamford, CT – October 3, 2008
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation's largest nonprofit community improvement organization, awarded ITW with its 23rd annual Vision for America Award at a gala dinner at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago on Thursday. ITW Chairman and CEO David B. Speer accepted the award on behalf of ITW's more than 60,000 employees worldwide.
Keep America Beautiful recognized ITW because of the company's commitment to the environment, which includes a wide array of recycling programs, employee volunteerism, and financial support of environmental organizations. The Vision for America Award is presented annually to distinguished leaders of honored corporations, whose personal and corporate commitment have significantly enhanced civic, environmental and social stewardship throughout the United States.
"ITW and Keep America Beautiful share a similar approach to community service," said Speer in accepting the award. "In fact, KAB's four guiding principles - education, individual responsibility, partnership and volunteer action - are representative of ITW's goals for improving our communities.
"Partnership is critical to any organization's philanthropic endeavors, and Keep America Beautiful is one of the best organizations in the country at facilitating meaningful relationships between companies and their desire to achieve sustainable community improvement," Speer added.
"With a focus on education, the arts, health and human services, social welfare, housing, environment and youth issues, ITW has exemplified Keep America Beautiful's holistic approach to strengthening communities by encouraging greater citizen engagement and participation," said James Skinner, vice chairman and CEO of McDonald's Corporation, who was joined by Susan Crown, vice president of Henry Crown and Company, in presenting the award to Speer.
"ITW provides a wonderful example of corporate citizenship and social responsibility," said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Matthew McKenna. "We are proud to have had them as our partner for over two decades."
A FORTUNE 200 company, ITW is comprised of over 825 business units in 52 countries. ITW, with nearly 100 years of history, today designs and manufactures fasteners and components, equipment and consumable systems and a variety of specialty products and equipment for customers around the world.
ITW takes a minimal packaging approach across all of its business units, and its commitment to sustainable packaging solutions for itself and its customers. Reducing packaging waste, and selecting sustainable materials has not only helped to protect the environment, but helped ITW customers to save money through reduced shipping costs, streamlined operations, and materials recovery through recycling and reuse.
With this award Keep America Beautiful also salutes the ITW Foundation, which in 2007 alone gave $14 million in financial support to organizations in the communities where its companies operate. Since 1996, ITW has contributed more than $75 million to over 100 different organizations.
About ITW During its nearly 100 years of existence, ITW's recipe for success has been focused on creating value-added products for key customers around the world. We do this by growing our business and making acquisitions that provide additional product solutions to our customers. For more information, please go to www.itw.com.
About Keep America Beautiful, Inc. Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of nearly 1,000 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. To learn more about Keep America Beautiful and its Vision for America Award, please go to www.kab.org.
CONTACT: Alison Donnelly, 847-657-4565, or adonnelly@itw.com
