CN
CN on July 24 announced a commitment of $1.5 million through a three-year partnership with HHTH. Starting with the 2024-2025 hockey season, CN will become the new Premier National Partner for HHTH to “help raise awareness and financial support for people experiencing homelessness through education, fundraising, and partnering with solutions-based local shelters and services.”
In addition to assuming the role of Premier National Sponsor, CN will also serve as the Presenting Sponsor of HHTH Montreal on March 28, 2025. This tournament marks Hockey Helps the Homeless’ 19th annual hockey tournament in Montreal which raises funds to fight homelessness in the city.
This initiative, the Class I says, is another example of how CN supports communities along its network and beyond. “Together with Hockey Helps the Homeless, CN is helping to bring to life a vision for Canada where everyone has a safe place to call home.”
Currently, there are more than 300,000 unhoused people each year in Canada, though this figure is likely underreported, according to CN. In 2023-2024, the organizations benefiting from HHTH tournaments provided more than 2.7 million meals and 1.8 million nights in beds across the country, among many other vital services. “Support from CN will enable HHTH to expand into new markets and to deepen support in existing markets, allowing more lives to be impacted,” the Class I noted.
“We’re excited to grow our longstanding partnership with CN,” said HHTH Executive Director Andrew Gucciardi. “Our organization has deep roots that sink into every aspect of combating homelessness across Canada and thanks to CN we will not only be able to nurture all the work we’ve done over the last 28 years but develop new ways to continue this ongoing fight against homelessness.”
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Hockey Helps the Homeless to help find solutions for the crisis of homelessness in Canada,” said CN Senior-Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Olivier Chouc. “This partnership underscores our commitment to supporting our railroaders and the communities where CN operates. Together with Hockey Helps the Homeless, we will bolster the efforts by community-based organizations to provide services to the most vulnerable in our society.”
CSX
The CSX Corporate Communications team was honored with a Gold Award at the 2024 Viddy Awards, the Class I reported on July 24. The team was recognized for its “My CSX DEI” campaign, which stood out in the Non-Broadcast Marketing/Advertising category.
The Viddy Awards celebrate excellence in video and digital production, drawing more than 2,500 entries from across the U.S., Canada, and 17 other countries. The “My CSX DEI” campaign was selected from a competitive pool that included video production companies, cable and broadcast television operations, advertising and public relations firms, corporate communication departments, and individual creators.
The Gold Award, CSX says, “is a testament to projects that exceed industry standards.”
The Viddy Awards have become one of the most coveted prizes in the video industry since their inception in 1994. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals and maintain stringent evaluation criteria to “ensure only the best are recognized.”
“This project was a labor of love for the entire Corporate Communications team, and I’m proud of everyone who supported it,” said CSX Senior Director of Corporate Communications Kia Warren. “But we couldn’t have captured the true essence of diversity, equity and inclusion at our company without the ONE CSX collaboration and partnership of our teammates across the organization, who authentically shared their stories and helped bring the series to life.”
To explore the “My CSX DEI” campaign, visit the campaign website.
NS
NS recently announced that it has earned the Toyota Logistics Services’ (TLS) Environmental Leadership Award for its inaugural Climate Transition Plan (CTP) and the Kaizen Award for continuous improvement across the organization. The Environmental Leadership Awards are given to organizations that “demonstrate outstanding environmental programs and activities solving key problems with creative approaches.”
Rooted in the Class I’s “deep understanding of climate science,” the CTP aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with a focus on transitioning to a low-carbon economy. “This recognition validates our industry-leading commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability,” NS noted.
In 2021, NS set a science-based target to reduce its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions intensity by 42% by 2034, using 2019 as the baseline year. At the core of the CTP are initiatives focused on fuel management, biofuel consumption, and increased renewable energy usage.
In 2023, NS completed four service improvement projects following the eight-step Kaizen approach. Kaizen is a Japanese business philosophy for continuous improvement using an eight-step problem solving model. This philosophy is the framework for Toyota Business Practices (TBP) that Toyota members are encouraged to use when problem solving.
“As a leading provider of freight-rail service, Norfolk Southern recognizes our responsibility to lead the industry towards more sustainable practices and to always seek a better way to do things,” said NS Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin. “We are honored to be recognized by Toyota for our efforts to create a better future for our customers, employees, and the communities we serve.”
These awards, NS says, add to a growing list of sustainability related awards and recognitions. Earlier this year, NS earned a place on USA TODAY’s America’s Climate Leaders 2024 list for the second consecutive year. NS previously won the TLS Environmental Leadership Award in 2021 for fuel efficiency programs.
NS’s full CTP report is available here.
