Elkay Manufacturing receives 2020 Visionary Award from the Women Corporate Directors Foundation (WCD) for Leadership and Governance of a Private Company
Downers Grove, IL, July 29, 2020 – Elkay is pleased to be recognized by the Women Corporate Directors Foundation (WCD) as one of four Award Honorees for the organization’s 2020 Visionary Award. Each year, thought-leading companies are honored by WCD for their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and women’s leadership in the C-suite and board.
“Visionary Award honorees represent, globally, the kind of inclusive thinking, innovation, and agility we need to move our companies and our countries forward during this pivotal time in history,” said Susan C. Keating, CEO of WCD. According to WCD, as in past years, honorees were selected based on proven industry leadership, and on their continuing commitment to the environment, social responsibility and ethical governance (ESG) in both the boardroom and the C suite.
“Elkay is delighted to receive this award in recognition of our long-standing commitment to ESG,” Ric Phillips, President, and CEO, stated in response to being named a 2020 honoree. “We are flattered to find ourselves in outstanding company with fellow 2020 Award recipients Starbucks, Shiseido and Ana Paula Pessoa, chairman of artificial intelligence company Kunumi AI in Brazil and board member of Newscorp Credit Suisse Suzano and Vinci Group.”
“We’d like to extend our congratulations and many thanks to our fellow honorees for their forward-thinking endeavors,” Phillips continued. “With tremendous societal change taking place around us on a global scale, today more than ever, we need companies that operate responsibly, and leaders who advance their mission ethically and drive their strategy with their heads in lock-step with their hearts.”
Elkay has received the 2020 Award for Leadership and Governance of a Private Company. The firm is a private Illinois-based manufacturer of water delivery and plumbing fixtures, including faucets, water coolers, drinking fountains, Smartwell Water Delivery Systems, and the award-winning ezH2O bottle filling stations, in addition to world-class stainless steel and quartz sinks. In addition, the company’s Elkay Interior Systems business is a global leader in the design and buildout of branded retail environments for leading global brands, and Elkay Commercial Systems provides stainless steel products for commercial kitchens around the globe.
Elkay is celebrating its 100th year in business in 2020. Of its 12-member board of directors, five are women, with women chairing two of the four board committees.
“Elkay is dedicated to social responsibility, protecting the environment, and giving back to our community,” Phillips concluded. “Equity, inclusion, and empowering our people are central to our culture, and fostering innovation and diversity of thought across the company has been key to our success for over 100 years. If we are to live up to our company value of “Being in Business Forever,” holding fast to ethical governance, strong values and embracing equitable social practices – which begins at the top and in the boardroom – will be essential to thriving in an increasingly diverse and interdependent world.”
This year’s Visionary Awards will be presented in a virtual setting on September 9, 2020, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., U.S. EDT.