Allegiant Flight Attendants Launch Ad and Website to Rename Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. Hall at University of California, Davis Business School — “Let’s set an example for future business leaders”

For immediate release May 9, 2013

Contact: Roger Kerson, roger.kerson@gmail.com734.645.0535

Allegiant Flight Attendants Launch Ad and Website to Rename Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. Hall at University of California, Davis Business School — “Let’s set an example for future business leaders”

Davis, CA — Flight attendants at Allegiant Air, members of TWU Local 577, launched a new ad and website urging students and faculty at the University of California, Davis to participate in the renaming of Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. Hall.

The building, where UC Davis School of Management students attend classes, was named after Gallagher, CEO of Allegiant Airlines and former officer and director of ValuJet, following a $10 million donation to the school. The TWU ad, which will run in today’s UC Davis newspaper The California Aggie, features the headline “Rename Gallagher Hall” and asks:

Shouldn’t the main classroom building be named for a leader who in your opinion has a reputation for high standards and business excellence?

“Let’s honor business leaders who treat employees and customers with respect, while still delivering a profit to shareholders,” said Thom McDaniel, International Vice President of the Transport Workers Union. “We should name buildings after people who deliver value to customers and the communities they serve, while also representing the best values of the University of California.”

The ad encourages readers to “join us by adding your suggestion for a corporate leader fitting this profile” at the new website www.RenameGallagherHall.org.

“This is a step in the right direction for our campus. We need to start naming buildings after people that are community and worker friendly,” said Duane Wright, UC Davis campus chair of UAW Local 2865, the union representing teaching assistants, readers, tutors and other academic workers at the University of California.

Recent news reports about Allegiant have raised concerns about passenger delays, the reliability of the airline’s aging fleet, excessive fees and abrupt cancellation of routes and service to cities formerly served by the airline.

A majority of flight attendants at Allegiant voted in favor of TWU representation in December 2010. More than two years later, flight attendants still do not have a first contract agreement.

The Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) represents 200,000 workers and retirees in commercial aviation, public transportation and passenger railroads, including 11,000 flight attendants. The union is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

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THE MILLENNIAL TRAINS PROJECT LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR APPLICANTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First ever crowd-funded transcontinental train journey seeks to empower 100 young artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs during 10-day train journey to help move America forward.

Washington, D.C. – Today, The Millennial Trains Project (MTP), a non-profit organization that leads crowdfunded transcontinental train journeys for enterprising, creative, and civic-minded Millennials, announced it has begun accepting applications for its inaugural journey from San Francisco, CA to Washington, DC (August 8-17, 2013).

In partnership with City Year, McKinsey & Company, National Geographic Traveler, Opportunity Nation, and the Startup America Partnership, MTP will turn a caravan of refurbished mid-20thcentury train cars into a mobile innovation lab, campus, and dormitory.

“Journeys build leaders – and Millennials are the new pioneers,” said Patrick Dowd, the Millennial Trains Project’s 25 year-old founder and CEO, “I started MTP to create a platform for people my age to explore their own personal, professional, and creative frontiers on a national scale – and to better understand our country in the process.”

To get on board, applicants will use MTP’s crowdfunding platform to propose and build support for a project that they intend to advance in each community where the train stops.

Applicants have until July 1st to reach a $5,000 fundraising goal, which covers the cost of their participation. Since the application process is a race, those that apply early have the best chance of getting on board. Anyone age 18-34 is eligible to apply, and the public is encouraged to visit the MTP crowdfunding platform to support applicant projects.

Traveling from San Francisco, CA to Washington, D.C. over the course of 10 days, 100 participants will have the opportunity to learn from on-train mentors, explore local examples of innovation, and advance their projects. Participants will be evenly allotted among the following ten professional tracks:

• Advocates: Community organizers, non-profit leaders, changemakers, lobbyists, lawyers;
• Entrepreneurs: Job creators, disruptive thinkers, risk-takers, founders, soon-to-be founders;
• Explorers: Mountaineers, conservationists, astronauts, park rangers;
• Intrapreneurs: Anyone leading within an established company or non-profit organization;
• Innovators: Inventors, hackers, engineers, scientists;
• Makers: Architects, designers, writers, filmmakers, poets, journalists, craftsmen;
• Performers: Actors, singers, dancers, musicians, comedians;
• Public Servants: Political staffers, teachers, enlisted soldiers and law enforcement officials;
• Students: Anyone enrolled in college or grad school, research assistants, fellows;
• Veterans: Anyone who served previously in the military.

“Long before the Internet brought the world to our fingertips, trains served as vehicles of discovery, connection, and economic opportunity,” said Dowd, “we intend to use them for this purpose once again.”

ABOUT THE MILLENNIAL TRAINS PROJECT

THE MILLENNIAL TRAINS PROJECT (MTP) is a non-profit organization leading crowd-funded transcontinental train journeys to empower diverse groups of Millennials to explore America’s new frontiers. Stopping in 10 cities in 10 days, MTP’s mission is to help participants and virtual audiences to identify, evaluate, and explore emerging opportunities and challenges in the communities where our trains stop – and advance a project that benefits, serves, and inspires others. The inspiration for the Millennial Trains Project comes from a similar train journey, theJagriti Yatra, that founder Patrick Dowd helped lead as a 2010-11 Fulbright Scholar in India. Learn more about the Millennial Trains Project at millennialtrain.co. For the latest news and updates, follow MTP on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

For press inquiries, please contact Jessica Straus (jessica@millennialtrain.co or 203-219-8666).

For more information, visit http://millennialtrain.co/.

SpareFoot Infographic Highlights College Class of 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUSTIN, TX—A new infographic from SpareFoot, the nation’s largest self-storage finder, provides all sorts of facts and figures about the College Class of 2013—from their job prospects to their living arrangements.

Two tidbits from the infographic: An estimated 1.8 million students from the Class of 2013 will earn bachelor’s degrees, and 51 percent of college graduates plan to move to a new apartment after school ends.

“As the Class of 2013 prepares to head into the ‘real world,’ this infographic from SpareFoot will give soon-to-be college graduates—and their parents—a glimpse at what the world will really look like,” said Chuck Gordon, CEO of SpareFoot.

An embed code at the bottom of the infographic allows anyone to post it on a website at no cost.

To view the infographic, visit www.sparefoot.com/consumers/tips/college-class-2013-infographic.html.

About SpareFoot

SpareFoot, based in Austin, TX, makes renting self-storage easy. Our free marketplace lets customers find and reserve storage units online. We have the largest inventory of storage units in the U.S., with a network of more than 6,500 facilities, ranging from mom-and-pop to publicly traded REIT. We reach millions of people who need storage through exclusive partnerships with brands like SelfStorage.com, Apartments.com and Penske Truck Rental. SpareFoot brings consumers and facilities together to deliver the most convenient and enjoyable storage experience possible online, offline and via mobile.

For more information, visit www.sparefoot.com.

Media contact:

John Egan
SpareFoot
512-799-1022
jegan@sparefoot.com

Next Step Realty & WilliamPaid Help Graduates Find Apartments and Build Credit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Olivia Segarra | Next Step Realty

646.568.1312 | Olivia@thenextsteprealty.com

(New York, NY) Next Step Realty and WilliamPaid today announced a partnership to help recent college graduates find their first apartments in New York City and build credit history while paying their rent online.“By collaborating with WilliamPaid, Next Step Realty hopes to help recent college graduates address the challenges of not only finding a first apartment, but also navigating the world of personal financial responsibility,” according to Next Step Realty CEO Blair Brandt. “We are committed to offering our clients an efficient, quality, price conscious apartment search, and this new suite of tools ensures that our support doesn’t end when you receive your keys.”

WilliamPaid will track and record on-time rent payments to be included in a traditional credit report, which may help customers build their credit history.

“We are thrilled to be working with Next Step Realty, and providing recent graduates with an opportunity to make their rental payments matter, starting with their first apartment search and onwards” said Jeffrey Golding, President and Co-Founder of WilliamPaid.

About Next Step Realty New York

Founded in 2010, Next Step Realty New York, LLC is a real estate brokerage firm designed to help recent college graduates find their first apartments in New York City. Annually assisting around 3,000 graduates and growing yearly, Next Step aims to provide a user-friendly experience for recent grads that in the past have been burnt by inefficiency, unqualified brokers, inaccurate online listings, and overpriced fees. Next Step contracts appropriate rental agents that are like-minded to their graduating clients, strategically matches individual graduate clients with the right in-house broker, and automatically discounts broker fees by 20-40% to kick start post-college savings. The company’s in-house, up-and-coming agents are given the opportunity to increase their short-term income potential, gain more experience in the field, and maximize the quality and size of their long-term client base, while recent graduates receive cost-effective and professional guidance throughout their first apartment search.

About WilliamPaid

WilliamPaid, an electronic rent payment processor, is the easiest, most efficient way to pay rent by providing convenient and flexible payment options that work with any landlord. Users can pay online via credit card, debit card, bank account or any combination of the three, or in cash at over 45,000 locations nationwide — giving renters the power to pay on their own terms. Renters are also given the option to schedule automatic payments with Autopay and the ability to split and track payments with roommates.

 

For more information on Next Step Realty, visithttp://www.thenextsteprealty.com/ or call 646.568.1312. Next Step can also be located atfacebook.com/TheNextStepRealty, and @NextStepRealty on Twitter or Instagram.

 

For more information about WilliamPaid, visitwww.williampaid.com, their Facebook page atfacebook.com/williampaid, Twitter page attwitter.com/williampaid, or call 877.894.5542.

 

For press inquiries, please contact Olivia Segarra at Olivia@thenextsteprealty.com or 646.568.1312.

Next Step Realty New York |   21 W 46th St  |  16th Floor |  New York, NY | 10036

Baruch College, Drexel University and the University of Texas lead the way in the inaugural Institutional Investor All-America Student Analyst Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK (April 30, 2013)- Today, Institutional Investor magazine group released online the results of its first-ever All-America Student Analyst Competition, a contest that allowed undergraduate and graduate students in finance to test their mettle against like-minded participants to develop the best simulated stock portfolios. The All-America Student Analyst Competition, which ran from September 2012 through January 2013, is the result of a collaboration between Institutional Investor and Mark My Media, a Stamford, Connecticut–based firm that has built a sophisticated software platform to track portfolios, and involved nearly 700 students from 34 U.S. colleges and universities. Performance was graded quantitatively on multiple factors to determine the overall winners, as well as those in seven different industry sectors.

More than 20 schools have students who finished in the top 100, led by Baruch College/City University of New York, with 13. Drexel University in Philadelphia is second, with 11 competitors in the top 100, followed by the University of Texas at Austin (nine), Los Angeles’s Loyola Marymount University (eight) and Manhattan-based Fordham University’s (seven). The University of San Diego has the overall first place student, Daniel McAllister, a 28-year old MBA candidate. The University of Virginia has the second place finisher, Matthew Olfat, a 19-year-old systems engineering and financial math double major.

Leading traders in the competition included both graduate and undergraduate students, with seven of the top ten finishers still in pursuit of undergraduate degrees. Schools whose students performed particularly well included a number of MBA programs from well-known universities such as UC Berkeley’s Haas School, Cornell University’s Johnson School and Fordham’s Graduate School of Business. Undergraduate programs that stood out included Baruch’s Zicklin School, Drexel and the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. Schools such as Florida International University and Loyola Marymount were well represented by students from both undergraduate and graduate programs.

“The results of the All-America Student Analyst Competition speak to the quality of finance being taught across the U.S. at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,” says Institutional Investor Editor Michael Peltz.

The rankings were compiled across seven industry sectors and one general category, utilizing a proprietary six-factor algorithm developed by Mark My Media. The general category considered net benchmark outperformance, volatility, net exposure impact, gross exposure impact, long alpha and short alpha. The industry sectors mirrored the categories used in Institutional Investor’s celebrated All-America Research Team ranking of the top Wall Street equity analysts: Basic Materials, Capital Goods/Industrials, Consumer, Energy, Financial Institutions, Healthcare and Technology, Media & Telecommunications.

“Ultimately, the competition gives students the opportunity to be more equipped for a career in finance, and the results shed light on the leading performers and their uncanny ability to deliver alpha,” says John Power, CEO of Mark My Media.

The competition was powered by Mark My Media’s ALPHASEAL® investing platform — a cloud-based simulator that provides each trader with a personal portfolio, tracking the equity value, the net asset value, and profits and losses on a daily basis and imposing the same mark-to-market discipline that Wall Street and money management firms use to measure performance. By tracking their own performance, students at colleges large and small can provide potential employers with an objective measurement of their investment acumen.

To see a full list of winning participants, visit www.institutionalinvestor.com.

About Institutional Investor:

Now in its fifth decade, Institutional Investor has consistently distinguished itself among the world’s foremost financial publications with groundbreaking journalism and incisive writing that provides “must read” intelligence for a global audience. This award-winning magazine and website is essential reading for the world’s leading financiers, corporate executives and government officials, who rely on the breadth and depth of coverage that have made Institutional Investor such a premier publication. For more information, visit www.institutionalinvestor.com.

About Mark my Media

Mark My Media, based in Stamford, Connecticut, produces league tables for the financial services industry and has a sophisticated software platform to track portfolios. The company’s ALPHASEAL® offering helps business students bridge the gap between what is taught in the classroom and what is expected on the trading floor by giving them a tool to track stock performance along similar metrics as those used by investment professionals. Mark My Media treats data as a precious asset and allows system-users to warehouse their data on our own hardware, an SAS-70 certified environment accessible via the cloud. For additional information on the company please visit www.markmymedia.com.

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Media Contact for Mark My Media and Institutional Investor:

Amy Rosenberg

212-885-0581

Amy.rosenberg@hkstrategies.com

NYT Bestselling Author Martin Yate’s Book for Graduates

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bethany Carland-Adams

Phone: (508) 427-6726

Email: bethany.carland-adams@fwmedia.com

How New Graduates Can Get a Job Fast:

Advice from NYT Bestselling, Knock ‘Em Dead Author Martin Yate

BOSTON, MA—April 18, 2013— Come May, new graduates will need to get their foot in the door when searching for a new job. These young professionals need proven strategies for job search and career management right now.

Not warm ‘n fuzzy motivation and feel-good platitudes, but hard-hitting common-sense tactics that put food on the table and deliver a new sense of security in this uncertain world.

Knock ‘Em Dead — Job Search Strategies for First-Time Job Seekers: How to Manage Your Career, Find the Right Job, and Excel in the Workplace (F+W/Adams Media, April 2013) http://amzn.to/YhUDJB by New York Times bestselling author & career expert Martin Yate is exactly what new graduates will need to overcome economic obstacles, and launch their career.

First Time Job Seekers will learn how business works, why jobs exist, how to find, win and become successful in them.

The Knock ‘Em Dead approach teaches:

  • How to use understand what your customers (employers) really want.
  • How to construct a resume that will be discoverable in databases and go from the bottom to the top of the recruiter’s inbox.
  • How to build and leverage social networks in every aspect of the first-time job search.
  • How to cultivate transferable skills and professional values that underlie all professional success.
  • How to turn job interviews into job offers.
  • How to climb the ladder of success.

Praise for Knock ‘em Dead:

“He’s really just about the best in the business.”—ALL Business, Dunn & Bradstreet

“Classic winner . . . This is one of the most valuable career books on the market.” —Los Angeles Times

“Required reading.”—Library Journal

Martin Yate offers his time-tested method of job search and career management, cultivated over 35 years, showing entry-level workers how to find that all-important first job, how to keep it, and how to establish a presence in the workplace.

He draws on the wisdom of a large panel of experts, professionals in the fields of job search and career management. These insiders show what job hunting looks like from the other side of the desk and how to impress the interviewer with your professionalism and knowledge.

About the Author

Martin Yate, CPC is one of the foremost experts in the world of job search and career management. The bestselling author of Knock ‘em Dead Resumes, Knock ‘em Dead Cover Letters, Knock ‘em Dead: Secrets & Strategies for Success in an Uncertain World, and numerous other books, and former director of personnel for Bell Industries’ Computer Memory Division, he has helped millions of people turn their careers and lives around. For more job-hunting resources and advice, visit www.knockemdead.com.

Join the conversation on twitter (@knockemdead), and visit the LinkedIn Knock ‘em Dead Secrets & Strategies group http://linkd.in/SOxvCZ to keep the latest career strategies at your fingertips!

Also, participate in Martin’s weekly webcasts http://bit.ly/PS0qXq, covering everything from building a social network to getting more job interviews! Keep in touch: Follow Martin on twitter @knockemdead and facebook http://on.fb.me/14vLoxf for even more tips

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UNIVERSITY STUDENTS NATIONWIDE DISCUSS LEAN IN WITH SHERYL SANDBERG

April 17, 2013– Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of LEAN IN: WOMEN, WORK, AND THE WILL TO LEAD, invited college students nationwide to participate in a Livestream video conference. Sandberg spoke with more than 200 Stanford University undergraduate and graduate students who joined her in-person in Menlo Park, CA, and with more than 1,000 students from public and private institutions across the country, who participated in the hour-long discussion online.

Sandberg was joined by Rachel Thomas, president of Leanin.org. Leanin.org is a nonprofit organization launched in conjunction with the book, and is a community committed to encouraging and supporting women leaning in to their ambitions. They offered insight to both women and men embarking on their careers, and provided useful tools, including the importance of body language and negotiation skills, for women to achieve leadership roles.

Addressing the audience, Sandberg stated, “You are our hope for a more equal world, you are my hope, you are the hope for my children. You are our hope to get to real equality.” She asked the audience, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”—urging each of them “go do it, because you can.”

In addition to speaking about their own personal and professional experiences, Sandberg and Thomas answered questions live and virtually about career development, starting a family, and dealing with setbacks. They addressed how men can help support women in the workplace, how to find a mentor when starting out in an industry, and emphasized the importance of equal partnerships.

Among many questions submitted was from Peter at Syracuse University. He asked, “In your book, you use the metaphor of a jungle gym, rather than a career ladder, to describe how people move from job to job these days. How did you figure out your long-term career aspirations, and what was your game plan when you were in your 20s?”

In response, Sandberg advised, “The metaphor of a career as a ladder is long-gone…I don’t know anyone who has the same job they had right out of school. I see too many people, particularly women, try to plan everything out. If I had planned everything sitting where you now are, there was no internet, so there was no Google, and there certainly was no Facebook. If I had planned it out, I would have missed those opportunities. [My advice is to] figure out your long-term dreams in a big way, but don’t try to connect the dots.”

This university-focused virtual event followed several on-campus events Sandberg conducted in coordination with the launch of LEAN IN. She has spoken at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre, an event which included students from colleges across the Boston area, at Stanford University’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research, and at Colgate University as part of their second annual Entrepreneur Weekend. The full conversation can be watched here: http://bit.ly/LIApril11Event

LEAN IN: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
By Sheryl Sandberg. Published by Alfred A. Knopf on March 11, 2013

Hardcover: $24.95, ISBN: 978-0-385-34994-9
E-book: $12.99, ISBN: 978-0-385-34994-6
Audio book: $35.00, ISBN: 978-0-385-39423-4

CONTACTS:
Erinn McGrath, Alfred A. Knopf: (212) 572-2035, emcgrath@randomhouse.com
Clinton McGue, APCO for leanin.org: (415) 500-3312, cmcgue@apcoworldwide.com

MAKERS OF TYLENOL® OFFERING A TOTAL OF $250,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS

TYLENOL® Future Care Scholarship Will Support 40 Students Pursuing Degrees in Healthcare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ft. Washington, PA, April 15, 2013 – McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®, announces the 23nd annual TYLENOL® Future Care Scholarship program. The 2013 program will again award a total of $250,000 in scholarship funds to 40 undergraduate or graduate students pursuing careers in healthcare. Winners will be named TYLENOL® Future Care Scholars and receive awards of $5,000 or $10,000 to help manage the rising costs of education.

“The TYLENOL® brand is deeply committed to caring for people who are committed to caring for others,” said Denice Torres, President, McNeil Consumer Healthcare. “To date, our TYLENOL® Future Care Scholarship program has awarded more than $8.9 million in scholarship funds to more than 6,700 students embarking on a variety of diverse career paths in the healthcare field.”

TYLENOL® Future Care Scholars will be selected based on leadership qualities, academic performance and community involvement. To be eligible, students must complete at least one year of undergraduate or graduate study by the Spring of 2013 at an accredited two or four year college, university or vocational/technical school.

The application period is now open and submissions must be received by June 15, 2013. Scholarship award decisions will be made in July and awards distributed in August.

To learn more or apply visit: www.Tylenol.com/Scholarship. Join the conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TylenolScholarship. Sign up for SMS reminders by texting SCHOLAR to 87715.

About McNeil Consumer Healthcare
McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. markets a broad range of well-known and trusted over-the-counter (OTC) products around the globe. McNeil Consumer Healthcare is most widely recognized for the TYLENOL® brand. Other McNeil Consumer Healthcare brands include BENADRYL®, ZYRTEC® and ZYRTEC®-D allergy medicines, IMODIUM® A-D anti-diarrheal, MOTRIN® IB pain reliever and fever reducer, and SUDAFED® and SUDAFED PE® nasal decongestants.

Media Contacts:
Janine Berstein
Tel: (646) 489-1770
Email: jberstein@mac.com

Holly Derrick
McNeil Consumer Healthcare
Tel: 215 273-7923
Email: hderrick@its.jnj.com

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Pocket of Money, LLC Grand Opening with 10% OFF Sale

Do you want to reduce spending and increase savings while still affording some luxuries? Pocket of Money, LLC is having a grand opening with a sale on the Grow Your Savings products. They provide tools, tips and tricks to help you cut costs and save money while in school and after. “Paying bills while saving money can be frustrating, especially while in college” said CEO Maria James “however, using our Grow Your Savings products can take away some of the stress.” She is excited to help others by sharing six factors and the system she used to manage finances while in school and after graduating.

Pocket of Money, LLC will be officially launching online on Saturday May 4th at 10am with a sale on all products! “Do you know those experiences that change your life?” said James. “I opened my first business at 10 years old, which ignited a passion for finance.” In honor of this, during the grand opening there will be a 10% OFF sale on all products for 10 days. And for the first 10 hours everyone will receive 20% OFF. Go towww.pocketofmoney.com to view the products.

The Grow Your Savings product line has already received great feedback, “I enjoyed your personalizations. You spoke to the reader” said Kristy Gangaram, a happy customer. “Maria showed me that I can have fun without spending a dime.”

As a recent graduate, 78% of James’ $27,000 income went towards living expenses and she still saved over $10,000 while traveling within the U.S. and abroad. James determined six factors that allowed her to consistently and steadily save money. “I created the Grow Your Savings products to share my knowledge and help people save money while still being able to do things like take luxury vacations” said James.

About Pocket of Money, LLC:

Pocket of Money, LLC helps you find the luxury in frugal living by providing tools, tips and tricks to help you manage finances in order to reduce spending, increase savings and eliminate debt. Go to www.pocketofmoney.com to learn more about the products and the company.

Visit us on Facebook and on Twitter (@UrPocketofMoney).

Sodexo and Real Food Challenge Sign Food Chain Transparency Agreement

Sodexo and Real Food Challenge Sign Food Chain Transparency Agreement

Addressing the interests of a growing student food movement, Sodexo provides a larger window on the sources of the foods they provide on campus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gaithersburg, Md. April 04, 2013 — Amidst growing demands from college students for university leadership in sustainable, local food systems, today Sodexo, a leader in Quality of Life Services, and the Real Food Challenge, the largest student food justice organization in the nation, jointly announced an agreement that advances supply chain transparency on Sodexo-contracted campuses.

The agreement puts in place a rigorous and comprehensive set of standards, defined by the Real Food Calculator, for judging the social responsibility and sustainability of Sodexo’s vendors and food producers. The assessment tool, developed by Real Food Challenge student researchers and associated food experts, lays out four key criteria areas for evaluating ‘real food’ – local & community-based, fair, ecologically sound and humane. By using the Real Food Calculator standards, Sodexo aligns itself with the most progressive metric for institutional food service.

The agreement further sets up a process for students to collaborate with Sodexo managers, collecting and analyzing purchasing data using the Real Food Calculator’s web-based application and tracking tool. The resulting statistics will be used to demonstrate actual purchases of ‘real food’ and new opportunities for increasing them.

With the Real Food Calculator, Sodexo will provide an unprecedented level of access and information for students and universities—allowing them to better advance their real food goals. It also demonstrates Sodexo’s collaborative approach in addressing the interests of a growing student food movement and supporting academic inquiry into institutional food systems.

“Transparency and sustainability go hand-in-hand. Increasing transparency is something we want to model for this generation of interested consumers and for our industry. Working with the Real Food Challenge is great way to do just that,” said Sodexo spokesperson, Stephen Cox.

After three years of pilot testing, the release of the Real Food Calculator represents an exciting innovation in the field of institutional food systems and sustainability. Food service professionals and interested consumers—be they in the higher education, healthcare or the corporate sector—now have the ability to perform detailed assessments of the food in their cafeterias and see their ‘real food’ purchasing grow over time.

Determined to positively impact local communities and protect the environment, Sodexo and Real Food Challenge are fully committed to promoting and advancing a more sustainable and transparent food system. One of the ways that Sodexo meets its sustainability is through purchasing commitments toward sustainable seafood, cage free eggs, and through broader partnerships with organizations like Real Food Challenge. For its part, Real Food Challenge is campaigning to see more college presidents sign its Real Food Campus Commitment – a pledge to meet ambitious real food purchasing targets. Ten university leaders, including Macalester College, Oberlin College and University of Vermont, have recently signed on.

“We are happy to work with Sodexo to increase transparency and accountability in our food system,” said Anim Steel, Executive Director of Real Food Challenge. “Building a truly just and sustainable food system requires a real respect for the rights and needs of this younger generation and a real commitment to transparency all along the supply chain – from seed to plate. Together, we can lead the food industry away from a model driven exclusively by profit, secrecy and the factory farm, and towards a one based on respect for human rights, the environment, and the health of our children for generations to come.”

Visit Sodexo on Facebook and follow on Twitter @SodexoUSA
Visit Real Food Challenge on Facebook and follow on Twitter @realfoodnow

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Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Life Services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On-site Services in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $17 million in grants to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at blogs.sodexousa.com.

Real Food Challenge
Real Food Challenge (www.realfoodchallenge.org) is a national student organization dedicated to building a just and sustainable food system. The Real Food Challenge networks spans 300+ college and university campus across the United States. Since its founding in 2008, the campaign’s primary goal has been to shift $1 billion in existing food spending by college and universities away from industrial agriculture and junk food and towards local, fair, ecologically sound, and humanely produced food – ‘real food.’ To date, Real Food Challenge campaigns have won over $50 million in real food purchasing commitments from leading colleges and universities. More on the Real Food Calculator can be found at www.calculator.realfoodchallenge.org

Contact
Sodexo: Samuel Wells Real Food Challenge: David Schwartz
(301) 987-4893 (401) 601-5545
samuel.wells@sodexo.com david@realfoodchallenge.org