Stuart Thorn Named 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner for Corporate Responsibility

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate Responsibility Magazine and the COMMIT!Forum are pleased to announce that Stuart Thorn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwire, has been named the 2014 Corporate Responsibility Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Mr. Thorn will accept his award tonight at the culmination of the 2014 COMMIT!Forum.
CR Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize individuals whose risk-taking, vision and pioneering spirit have led to significant achievement in the field over the course of their careers.

"Stuart Thorn has dedicated his tenure at Southwire to creating a corporate culture that fervently promotes and advocates for corporate citizenship, responsibility and sustainability," said Elliot Clark, CEO of SharedXpertise, the publisher of Corporate Responsibility Magazine. "We are proud to announce that this year's Lifetime Achievement Awards goes to a leader like Stuart, who has built a career on a foundation of responsible corporate practices, and today serves as an example for chief executives across the world."

"The credit for what we have achieved as a sustainable company lies squarely with Southwire's 7,000 business people," said Thorn. "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."

Under Mr. Thorn's direction for the last 13 years, Southwire has created many initiatives and pledged to make a difference locally, within the company's industry and around the world.  Stuart has been instrumental in bringing the Southwire's goals to life by creating the standardized and branded framework for the organization's five foundational pillars of success: building worth, growing green, living well, giving back and doing right.

He sincerely believes in the importance of community service, leads by personal example and his endeavors underscore the need for employees to increase their own involvement to the highest level possible when it comes to volunteerism and educating today's youth. 

Some of the programs that are making the greatest impact include Project GIFT (Giving Inspiration For Tomorrow), which matches employees with volunteer opportunities and other equally important initiatives that help to make their local community and the world a better place; 12 for Life a partnership with the Carroll County Schools motivates high school students on the verge of dropping out to graduate through education, employment and encouragement; the Southwire Engineering Academy, which, with the Carrollton City Schools, introduces juniors and seniors interested in science, technology, engineering and math to careers in engineering; the Southwire Center for Manufacturing Excellence at West Georgia Technical College, which allows students to build manufacturing and maintenance skills; and the Southwire Sustainable Business Honors Program,  a one-of-a-kind partnership with the University of West Georgia that offers traditional business classes with an emphasis on sustainable business practices. Students work in a hands-on environment on special projects with Southwire employees that relate to the company's sustainability values. They are able to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration in four years.

In 2013, Southwire's 12 for Life and SWEA programs helped Carroll County become the only county in Georgia invited to join Harvard University Graduate School of Education's "Pathways to Prosperity" Project, which teams employers and educators to help students find routes into the labor market.

For more information about the COMMIT!Forum and the Lifetime Achievement Awards visit: www.commitforum.com        

About CR Magazine
CR Magazine is the voice of the corporate responsibility profession covering case studies, best practices, and trends in the five primary segments of the CR profession: a) governance, risk, compliance, b) environmental sustainability c) corporate social responsibility, d) philanthropy, and e) workforce/diversity. www.thecro.com

About the COMMIT!Forum
Each year, COMMIT!Forum attracts: C-suite executives, Leaders in communications, CR and Sustainability professionals, Foundation heads, and Non-profit execs.  This year's theme is COMMIT! To A Responsible Culture & Supply Chain.  As an attendee you'll learn: how to run a more responsible business, how to build a more sustainable workforce and how to build a more responsible supply chain.  Our competitive advantage? Access.  Professionals who attend learn the latest best practices and how-to's from our hand-picked experts. And just as important, the COMMIT!Forum allows networking opportunities to engage with C-suite executives, CEOs, corporate communication pros, and CR professionals—industry leaders who can help our attendees achieve their professional goals.

The path to COMMIT!, which began on April 24th with the announcement of CR Magazine's 14th Annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens, culminates October 8-9 in New York City at the Forum.  www.COMMITForum.com

About Southwire
A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America's largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable (including ROMEX® brand NMB cable, SIMpull THHN® cable and SIMpull Solutions®, products and services), metal-clad (MC) cable (including MC^AP and HCF MC^AP brand circuit size cables), portable and electronic cord products (including SIGNAL®, sound, security, communication cables, Royal® rubber cords and Seoprene® TPE cord products). Southwire also provides OEM wire products (including Copperfield® and Road Power® brands), engineered products (including SCR® copper and aluminum rod, continuous casting technology, and products made by Technology Research, LLC  and Watteredge, LLC, both subsidiaries of Southwire Company.  In addition, Southwire supplies assembled products, contractor equipment, and hand tools (including Designers Edge® lighting, Polar Solar® cord sets, Maxis® contractor equipment, and products distributed by Woods Industries (Canada), LLC and Moonrays.com, LLC).

SOURCE CR Magazine