Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, is proud to introduce this year’s BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America honorees. Presented every year by Americans for the Arts’ Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), the BCA 10 awards honor 10 U.S. companies for their exceptional commitment to the arts.

 

This year’s honorees are Ameriprise Financial (Minneapolis, MN); AutoZone (Memphis, TN); BNY Mellon (New York, NY); Corning Incorporated (Corning, NY); GE’s FirstBuild (Louisville, KY); NV Energy and the NV Energy Foundation (Reno, NV); Prospective Inc. (Reston, VA); Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods (Houston, TX); The Trust Company of Kansas (Wichita, KS); and U.S. Bank (Minneapolis, MN).

 

In addition, Jorge M. Pérez, Chairman of The Related Group (Miami, FL) has been named the 2015 BCA Leadership Award honoree. This award recognizes an individual for his/her extraordinary vision, leadership, and commitment to supporting the arts and for encouraging other businesses to follow his/her lead. 

 

Duke Energy (Charlotte, NC) has been named the 2015 BCA Hall of Fame inductee, an honor which recognizes companies that have exhibited exceptional long-term vision, leadership, and commitment to developing alliances with the arts.

 

The BCA 10 Awards, BCA Leadership Award, and BCA Hall of Fame Award will be presented during National Arts & Humanities Month at a black-tie gala at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City on October 6, 2015.

 

"We are grateful to honor these 10 businesses for their exceptional involvement in ensuring that the arts thrive in their communities," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "These businesses provide the arts with significant financial and in-kind support, and they incorporate meaningful arts-related programs into their employee, customer, and community relations activities. They enrich the lives of millions of Americans and truly set a standard for other businesses to follow."  

 

This year’s BCA 10 award judges were Regina Canfield, Senior Vice President, Client & Community Relations Director at The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.; Jennifer Evins, President & CEO of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg and Chapman Cultural Center; Deborah Jordy, Executive Director of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts; Robert Lamb, III, President of Grayson Group LLC; and Jim Weddle, Managing Partner of Edward Jones. The BCA Leadership Award and Hall of Fame Award recipients are selected by the BCA Executive Board. 

 

Corning Incorporated and U.S. Bank are the Presenting Sponsors of the BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America 2015 gala. Atlantic Salt, Inc.; BNY Mellon; NV Energy; and Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods / Houston Symphony are the 2015 Sustaining Sponsors. 

 

For information regarding these awards, please contact Stacy Lasner, Business Committee for the Arts Coordinator at (212) 223-2787 or via e-mail at [email protected], or visit www.americansforthearts.org/events/bca-10. 

 

About Americans for the Arts

 

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org. 

 

The Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) merged with Americans for the Arts in 2008 and continues to place an emphasis on building partnerships between the arts and business sectors through The pARTnership Movement, the BCA National Survey of Business Support for the Arts, the BCA 10 Awards, and other programming. The Business Committee for the Arts Executive Board, a group of key business leaders, provides insight and support for these programs. Visit www.pARTnershipMovement.org for more information.

 

About the Honorees

 

Jorge M. Pérez - Jorge M. Pérez is the founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Related Group (Miami, FL), one of the country's largest real estate conglomerates. He is a former board member of the National Endowment for the Arts and is past chair and currently a member of the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council. In 2011, the Miami Art Museum agreed to rename itself the Pérez Art Museum Miami after Pérez, who serves on the board of trustees, pledged $40 million in cash and donated a substantial collection of artwork to the museum. Pérez often incorporates the arts into his South Florida real estate developments.TIME magazine named him one of the top 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States.

 

Duke Energy (Charlotte, NC) - Through civic leadership, volunteerism, and financial contributions, Duke Energy, the largest electric power holding company in the United States, fosters arts initiatives that support economic development and cultural diversity. The company’s contributions helped to create the Levine Center for the Arts in Charlotte and helped ensure the continuation of a partnership between the Charlotte Symphony and Opera Carolina. In Raleigh, Duke Energy has naming rights for the Duke Energy Performing Arts Center. Employees and retirees regularly volunteer for charitable projects and participate in the company’s giving campaigns. For more than 20 years, Duke Energy has ranked among the top 10 ArtsWave campaign contributors in the Greater Cincinnati area. Duke Energy was named a BCA 10 honoree in 2009.

 

Ameriprise Financial (Minneapolis, MN) - In its 10 years as an independent company, Ameriprise Financial has granted more than $8 million in support of programs that create opportunities for diverse audiences to experience and engage with the arts. For example, with support from Ameriprise Financial, Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Free For All performances in Washington D.C. has welcomed over 100,000 patrons of all ages to a Shakespeare show free-of-charge. Ameriprise Financial was nominated for the BCA 10 by Shakespeare Theatre Company.

 

AutoZone (Memphis, TN) – AutoZone supports arts and culture initiatives through unique funding programs, civic leadership, and employee engagement. In Memphis, the company’s ArtsZone program helps support emerging arts programs and events. In 2004, the company’s founder and former CEO spearheaded an endowment campaign that raised $27.2 million for the arts in Memphis. AutoZone also commissioned Opera Memphis to create two iterations of "AutoZone: The Opera" for the company’s national conferences in 2013 and 2014. AutoZone was nominated for the BCA 10 by ArtsMemphis.

 

BNY Mellon (New York, NY) –BNY Mellon sponsors some of the most acclaimed arts institutions in the United States and displaying a prestigious art collection that it often loans to museums. This year marks the 30th anniversary of BNY Mellon Jazz in Pittsburgh, for which the company underwrites local jazz concerts, educational initiatives, and scholarships. BNY Mellon is the title sponsor of Pittsburgh’s JazzLive concert series, a free year-round jazz series. The company also supports the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s BNY Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award, honoring living American jazz masters in the mid-Atlantic region. BYN Mellon was nominated for the BCA 10 by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

 

Corning Incorporated (Corning, NY) – Corning Incorporated’s headquarters features a stunning collection of glass sculptures for employees to enjoy. Through Corning’s creation and continuous support of the Corning Museum of Glass and the company’s artist residency program, Corning helps to educate the public about achievements in glass design. The company also actively supports local arts initiatives and helped to create a Regional Cultural Development Plan for the area. Corning Incorporated was nominated for the BCA 10 by the Corning Museum of Glass.

 

GE’s FirstBuild (Louisville, KY) - Working out of a low-volume manufacturing facility where the company often hosts arts events, FirstBuild’s team engages with a community of industrial designers, engineers, early adopters, and artists to address some of the toughest engineering challenges. Soon after FirstBuild’s initiation in 2014, the company partnered on the XLerateArt initiative, which helps corporations meet business and operational goals by placing artists in corporate work spaces. FirstBuild was nominated for the BCA 10 by IDEAS xLab.

 

NV Energy and the NV Energy Foundation (Reno, NV) - In the past 10 years, the NV Energy Foundation has committed more than $3.4 million to arts and culture initiatives and organizations in urban and rural Nevada. The company often supports programs that encourage Nevada’s youth to engage with the arts and hosts employee art shows. Employees who demonstrate an outstanding level of commitment to volunteerism or work related initiatives are often offered complimentary tickets to arts events. NV Energy and the NV Energy Foundation were nominated for the BCA 10 by the Nevada Arts Council.

 

Prospective Inc. (Reston, VA) – For Joe Ritchey’s one-man real estate brokerage and consulting firm, supporting a vibrant local arts scene has had a substantial economic return. Ritchey helped form the Initiative for Public Art - Reston (IPAR), a nonprofit group committed to creating, sustaining, and educating the public about public art in Reston. In 2013, 70 percent of the company’s philanthropic support was allocated to the arts, including to groups such as the Arts Council of Fairfax County, Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, and others. Prospective Inc. was nominated for the BCA 10 by Arts Council of Fairfax County.

 

Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods (Houston, TX) – The husband and wife team that own Spec’s have translated their passion for music into their business. Spec’s is the largest donor to the Houston Symphony. The company offers free tickets to employees to attend the Spec’s Charitable Foundation Salute to Educators Concert and offers an award for excellence in music education. Spec’s is also the lifetime underwriter of the One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas in Denton in addition to supporting other local arts groups. Spec’s was nominated for the BCA 10 by Houston Symphony.

 

The Trust Company of Kansas (Wichita, KS) – In addition to providing financial support to arts organizations and artists throughout Kansas, in 2004 The Trust Company of Kansas (TCK) created a communications program called Wichita: Supporting The Arts, which encourages citizens, businesses, and tourists to support local, nonprofit arts organizations in Wichita as well as surrounding areas. TCK also adorns its offices with a substantial art collection, and many of the company’s employees serve on the boards of local arts organizations. TCK was nominated for the BCA 10 by Arts Council of Wichita.

 

U.S. Bank (Minneapolis, MN) – Through the U.S. Bank Foundation, the bank awards arts and culture grants primarily to organizations that use the arts to help address community concerns. U.S. Bank also provides meeting space and contributes cash sponsorships to help support organizations’ fundraising efforts. In 2013, U.S. Bank and the U.S. Bank Foundation were collectively named the largest corporate supporter of arts and culture in Oregon. In Denver, the company supports ArtReach, which ensures people who struggle with physical, mental, behavioral, or severe economic challenges have an opportunity to experience arts and culture. U.S. Bank was nominated for the BCA 10 by NWBCA and the Regional Arts & Culture Council (Portland, OR) and Colorado Business Committee for the Arts.

 

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