In its 25^th year, the Walk For Hunger event is the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland’s signature event taking place each year to raise funds and awareness to fight hunger in the region. TLC Springwater will hydrate more than 2,200 walkers/runners who are participating in the 5K walk through downtown Cleveland.

“TLC Springwater is proud to be a part of one of the largest events dedicated to raising money to provide food for hungry people, especially children and families,” said Kazell Pugh, TLC President. “One in six people in our community don’t have enough food to eat.  Many may be people in your local neighborhoods. The Walk For Hunger event enables people from our own community to step up and make a difference.”

“The Hunger Network is extremely grateful to TLC for sponsoring the 25^th Anniversary Walk For Hunger. With your help over the last five years, the Walk has raised $842,671.  The Walk For Hunger is the Network’s largest fundraising event and is key to helping the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland remain the safety net for 60,000 people every month.  Thank you TLC, for your continued support,” said Dana Irribarren, Executive Director of the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland.

In addition to the company’s sponsorship, TLC employees, families and friends, representing the Greater Cleveland Church of Christ, are providing support by raising money and participating in this year’s walk.

The Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland provides food to more than 60,000 people each month — 40% of those served are children. Every $1 raised in the Walk for Hunger will buy four nutritious meals.

The 25th Annual Walk for Hunger will take place on Saturday, May, 11, 2013 at Burke Lakefront Airport.  To participate in the Walk for Hunger, volunteer or to form a team, visit www.hungernetwork.org or contact the Hunger Network at 216-619-8155, ext. 18 or email  adudek@hungernetwork.org.

This year marks the 66^th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.  As a tribute to Robinson, the Indians and MLB are honoring and celebrating the legendary hall of famer by acknowledging the team’s top diverse partners who have benefited from his legacy.  TLC Springwater is one of only two recipients receiving this year’s award.

Major league baseball has been at the forefront of professional sports in recognizing the importance of diversity. In 1998, the club introduced the Diverse Business Partner Program to cultivate new and existing partnerships with minority-owned and woman-owned businesses by increasing opportunities for minorities and woman to participate in procurement activities of Major League Baseball. TLC Springwater was awarded a contract in April 2008 as the Cleveland Indian’s premiere bottled water supplier.  

Kazell Pugh, TLC Springwater President, at the Major League Baseball Headquarters. TLC is a proud partner of the Cleveland Indians and Major League Baseball.

“We are extremely honored to be recognized as this year’s Most Valuable Diverse Business Partner by the Cleveland Indians and Major Leagues Baseball. This recognition reflects TLC’s on-going commitment to outstanding customer service,” said Kazell Pugh, TLC Springwater President. “Jackie Robinson paved the way to a level playing field for all minorities. Major League baseball and the Cleveland Indians have nurtured his legacy by opening the door for a diverse pool of suppliers to compete for procurement activities of the club. We are proud to be a Cleveland Indians supplier and partner.”

“The Indians remain committed to employing a diverse work force in all aspects of our business, including in our supplier base,” said Sara Lehrke, the Indians Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer. “As part of those efforts, we’re proud to honor TLC Springwater as a diverse supplier in our tribute to Jackie Robinson.”

The pre-game recognition ceremony will take place on April 16 when the Cleveland Indians host the Boston Red Sox.  To celebrate Jackie Robinson’s legacy and TLC Springwater’s accomplishment, tickets for the game can be purchased at http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05004A4C96979A01?tfl=Cleveland_Indians-Schedule-Indians_Schedule-na-x0.

TLC President Kazell Pugh congratulates himself and 35 other graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Inaugural Program.

He said his sales at TLC Springwater increased 55 percent in 2012 over 2011 and he has added three new employees.

On Monday, he graduated with the first class of Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses in Cleveland.

“Three people may not sound like a lot to you,” Pugh said to the crowd of about 300 people at the commencement address at the Cuyahoga Community College Eastern campus. “But it’s a 100 percent increase over what we’ve done in the past.”

And he was far from alone.

One by one, before each of 36 graduates received a certificate from Gary D. Cohn, the president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs read off a list of accomplishments and changes at each graduate’s business.

“We do believe in small business,” said Cohn, who grew up in Cleveland and said that both his parents and grandparents had small businesses in the city. “As you can see, Northeast Ohio looks like it’s in pretty good shape with graduates like this.”

The 36 business owners represented a wide variety of industries and businesses including manufacturing, catering, marketing and IT services. Participants spent 11 weeks at Tri-C studying a business and management curriculum designed by Babson College, the top ranked school for entrepreneurial education. Curriculum customized by Tri-C faculty covered accounting, human resources, negotiation, marketing and, finances among other topics.

The diverse group included start-ups with at least $150,000 in sales to businesses like Federal Gear, a 99-year-old custom gear manufacturer.

Federal Gear President David Hegenbarth said participants gained just as much from other students as instructors throughout the program.

Pugh said a referral from another classmate helped him get a $90,000 line of credit from Huntington Bank.

“One day somebody said I need help with bonding and four hands shot up, but it wasn’t advisers, it was other students,” Hegenbarth said. “It was really cool.” he said.

Janet Gosche, director of client services for JurInnov, a technology firm at the Idea Center located at Playhouse Square, said the program helped her to learn to be more strategic and enter new markets.

“It gave me the encouragement to think bigger and consider the possibilities about what we need to do in order to differentiate,” she said. The 12-person firm plans to hire 10 more people this year and 30 employees in the next five years. The program which started in 2010 in New York City, is now in 10 other cities including Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.

Diana Ross, center, owner of Faithful Companions in Mentor, claps with her fellow graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses inaugural Cleveland program. Goldman Sachs is investing heavily in helping small businesses to grow. So far the program is in 11 cities and about 1,300 small business owners have graduated.Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer

So far about 1,300 small business owners have graduated. A Goldman Sachs official said the financial firm generally commits to five years in each city. A preliminary survey of some of the graduates indicate an average 70 percent increase in revenues and 50 percent increase in new jobs.

The Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), JumpStart, Inc., the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Urban League of Greater Cleveland all help recruit local small business owners and assists in providing technical assistance and business support services.

But perhaps none of the graduates were as happy to be selected for the inaugural class as Kathi Howard-Primes. The chief executive officer and co-founder of Momentuum Tutoring in Cleveland Heights said she needed the program after all of her school district contracts were canceled– following her most successful year in business.

“I learned not to put all of my eggs in one basket and found out that there are other growth opportunities,” she said. “Now I’m increasing my private clientele.”

During the commencement speech, Pugh sounded like a weight-loss commercial when he told the crowd, “It works. It absolutely works,” referring to progress at his seven-year-old water business. Learning to be more strategic, he said, helped him to rekindle the fire and commitment he had when he first started his business

And one by one, other graduates offered similar testimonies.

“The program helped me to focus and get motivated again,” Hegenbarth said. “It’s my responsibility to make sure our company lasts another 100 years and now we have a growth plan to help get us there.”

Listen to highlights from the graduation ceremony for 36 graduates, including TLC President Kazell Pugh, of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses inaugural program  NPR_0211smallbiz.

TLC is committed to being a leader in the implementation of sustainable practices for the bottled water industry and to promoting a healthy environment.  A top priority for the company is to reduce its environmental impact by minimizing its carbon footprint in the communities we serve.  This is done thorough TLC’s sustainability goals and policies which include maximizing energy efficiency with our Energy Star” rated and certified Hot-N-Cold coolers and providing a unique thermal management system in the Reverse Osmosis coolers; reducing emissions from transportation by using bio-diesel fuels in all delivery vehicles; minimizing packaging with Oxo-Biodegradable Earth Cap; and recycling all custom label PET bottles collected.

”TLC has demonstrated a serious commitment to environmental sustainability through the continuous improvement in our bottled water processes and by working with partners who share these goals and beliefs with us,” said Kazell Pugh, TLC President.

In 2011, TLC launched a facebook page to help educate consumers on the importance of recycling and preserving our environment.  Visit TLC’s facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/TLCOhio.

Every 14 minutes, one name is added to the national kidney transplant waiting list of more than 114,000 people. Minorities make up approximately 61% of overall transplant waiting list, but minority donors only account for 31%, leaving the demand for minority organ donors high.  The average wait for a kidney transplant averages 5-10 years.

Drinking water is one way you can keep your kidney’s healthy, but many can avoid kidney failure as uncontrolled high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes are the leading causes of kidney failure. Minorities are disproportionately afflicted and affected by hypertension, diabetes, alcohol and substance abuse, poor nutrition and lack of exercise.

On Monday, August 20, TLC will partner with the Cleveland MOTTEP to support their Annual Golf Outing held at the StoneWater Golf Club in Highland Heights, Ohio. TLC will ensure all golfers stay hydrated on the hot summer day by serving their refreshing and healthy TLC bottled springwater.

The money raised from this event will help the Cleveland MOTTEP addresses the need for registering organ and tissue donation, chronic disease prevention and wellness education through three programs:

• “Healthy Teens, Healthy Tomorrow” Teen – Summits to provides prevention education to 300 local youth.
• Community Outreach to over 30,000 individuals about organ and tissue donation and wellness.
• Hospital Donation Registration Program – Provides information booths and/or computer kiosks at two area hospitals encouraging organ and tissue donation.

In 2012, Cleveland MOTTEP signed up over 500 new individuals to the Ohio Donor Registry. The program is striving to significantly increase that number by the end of the year.  To find out more about how you can become an organ and tissue donor visit: www.clevelandmottep.org.

Founded in 1997, Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes economic independence for disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a support network and career development tools to help women succeed in work and life.  Since its establishment, Dress for Success has served more than 550,000 women around the world.

“As a responsible company, TLC strives to make a difference in the communities in which we serve. We are proud to do our part to help Dress for Success Cleveland. Dress for Success has an extreme impact in the lives of many women by helping them rebuild their confidence and re-enter the workforce” said Kazell Pugh, TLC Springwater President. “Our hope is that the proceeds raised from the golf outing will go a long way in supporting women in the Cleveland area.”

For more information on Dress for Success visit http://www.dressforsuccess.org/whatwedo.aspx.

TLC served as a partner at this year’s event, providing refreshing TLC bottled water at the main water stop to approximately 2,000 walkers, the largest number of participants to date.

“I have a tremendous appreciation for the Make a Wish Foundation.  In supporting the Walk for Wishes event, we hope we spread happiness to children who need it most. It’s a great feeling to know we are helping to make the day of someone who might not have so many good days,” said Kazell Pugh, TLC President.

Kabir is a six-year-old boy diagnosed with leukemia. To escape his exhaustive medical routine, Kabir’s most heartfelt wish was to just be a kid. Kabir’s wish came true when the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Sherwin Williams Company came together to create Kabir his own personal game room. He and his brother now enjoy playing ping pong, air hockey and a basketball arcade game. Kabir’s volunteer stated, “He had so much fun playing games and to see the smile on his face was really heartwarming. To be a part of the wish come true was a moment I will never forget.”

The study further indicates that while all other major beverage categories such as carbonated soft drinks, milk, and fruit beverages continue to suffer declines in consumption, bottled water consumption rates head in the opposite direction.  Per-capita consumption is up 3.2% in 2011, with every person in America now drinking an average of 29.2 gallons of bottled water last year.

“During the past few years, TLC’s growth in bottled water consumption has set unprecedented records for the company,” said Kazell Pugh, TLC Springwater President.  “TLC consistently provides high-quality, low-cost water to our customers and we are taking additional steps to keep it that way.  With more people tapping into a healthier lifestyle, we strive for the highest standards and purist quality beverage delivered right to our customer’s door.”

To read the 2011 Bottled Water Statistics Report visit http://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/IBWA/g25762_ibwa_bwr_aprmay2012/.

Horseshoe Casino Staff Serving Refreshing TLC Springwater to Guests

When the Horseshoe Casino opened its doors to residents and visitors of downtown Cleveland on May 14, guests could be seen drinking TLC spring water. The Casino selected TLC Springwater as the premier bottled water supplier as part of an effort to source most its supplies from local vendors.  TLC created a customized label fitted onto half liter bottles of their refreshing, natural spring water for the Casino.

“We are pleased to be the exclusive bottled water supplier of the Horseshoe Casino,” said Kazell Pugh, TLC Springwater President. “The Horseshoe Casino is helping to boost Cleveland’s economy by using local suppliers, creating new jobs, and bringing more visitors to the downtown area. TLC Springwater is honored and privileged to work with the Casino and I envision a long and healthy relationship with them.”

The Horseshoe Casino joins a growing list of satisfied TLC customers including the Holiday Inn, Hollywood Casino, JP Morgan Chase, Sherwin Williams, and the Quicken Loans Arena.

To create your own TLC Springwater Custom label bottled water visit http://www.tlcspringwater.com/custom-labels/overview.

For more information on the Horseshoe Casino visit http://www.caesars.com/casinos/horseshoe-cleveland/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml.

To expand its diversity outreach further into corporate America, on July 24, TLC participated in the first-ever Major League Baseball (MLB) Diversity Business Summit held in Chicago.  The day-long event, believed to be the first of its kind in American sports, was intended to introduce prospective new suppliers to people who work in the national pastime.  TLC President, Kazell Pugh, met with executives from MLB’s central office, the MLB network, MLB Advanced Media and Minor League Baseball Clubs.

“I am extremely honored to be part of this special event designed specifically for minority
business enterprises,” said Kazell Pugh.  “It is difficult for minority suppliers — many of whom tend to be small — to challenge a large supplier on cost alone.  TLC works work hard to compete on quality and reliability and we must embrace every opportunity to expand and access new markets.  Events like the Major League Baseball Diversity Business Summit open the doors to help MBEs build relationships and form strategic partnerships.”

Wendy Lewis, MLB’s senior vice president of diversity and strategic alliances, said. “The MLB Diversity Business Summit is the catalyst for diversity economic impact engagement and takes the focus off analytics and is more strategic. This is the ultimate engagement.”

For more information on TLC’s commitment to supplier diversity visit http://www.tlcspringwater.com/about-us/.