November 30,2016
WASHINGTON, DC – As we approach International Volunteers Day on December 5, the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) celebrates the commitment of industry employees to their communities by releasing our 2016 Corn Annual: Strengthening the Fabric of Our Nation. The report illustrates the many ways corn refining companies contribute to the vitality, spirit and social fabric of the communities where they operate.
The feeling of connection and spirit of local pride is evident in the ways that the industry gives back to their communities. In the U.S., industry employees volunteered more than 45,000 hours and charitable donations were more than $9 million in 2014.
It’s also heard in the voices that explain the social good brought by the people of the corn refining industry.
“It’s that commitment that they’re making to our community that is, quite honestly, contagious,” says Randy Kuhlman, Chief Executive Officer, Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way. “It not only spreads throughout their employees, but it spreads throughout the community in a number of different ways.”
Beyond philanthropic contributions to their local communities, the corn refining industry helps strengthen the fabric of rural America as a strong, stable part of the economy. For every job directly supported by the corn refining industry, an additional 32.6 jobs are added across the U.S. contributing an additional $12.5 billion in incomes. For every $1 in industry sales, an additional $3.54 is added to the U.S. economy.
“Rural areas continue to experience population loss and higher poverty rates than urban areas. With the majority of our facilities located in the Corn Belt, we take our role in America’s rural communities and agricultural economy very seriously,” says CRA President and CEO John Bode. “You see it in the way our companies value their employees and value the relationships with their communities.”
To learn more, read the 2016 Corn Annual available at http://www.corn.org/publications/.
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The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is the national trade association representing the corn refining industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, ethanol, starch, advanced bioproducts, corn oil and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein and fiber.
Visit us on the Web at www.Corn.org