Spotlight on Trillium’s Small/Mid Cap Portfolio
Trillium’s Small/Mid Cap (SMID) portfolio was launched in 2001 and invests in small and mid-capitalization companies across economic sectors that also meet Trillium’s sustainability criteria. As of March 31, 2014, the strategy has over $100 million in assets. The SMID investment strategy team, led by Laura McGonagle, CFA, seeks to find stocks with superior earnings growth prospects that are available at a reasonable price. Prior to joining Trillium in 2001, Laura was a sell-side equity analyst focusing on consumers’ growing awareness of the impact of nutrition, environment, and lifestyle choices on their well-being. Investing For a Better World’s editor, Randy …
Open Internet Proposal at Verizon Wins $30.6 Billion of Shareholder Vote
Support Comes as FCC Weighs New Network Neutrality Rules New York, NY // MAY 8, 2014: A shareholder proposal calling on Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) to report on business risks arising from the company’s opposition to open Internet and network neutrality principles has gained important new support from investors, winning 26.4% of the vote at Verizon’s annual meeting on May 1, 2014. The vote comes as the Federal Communications Commission considers the possibility of new open Internet rules to be introduced by Chairman Tom Wheeler at a commission meeting on May 15. Net neutrality is the principle that all Internet …
Bloomberg: SEC Probes Threat from Cyber Attacks Against Wall Street
Bloomberg has published an article about the SEC Cybersecurity Roundtable which took place on March 26, 2014 in Washington, DC. Trillium’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy, Jonas Kron, was a panelist at the roundtable. Dave Michaels and Chris Strohm write: “The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is examining the exposure of stock exchanges, brokerages and other Wall Street firms to cyber-attacks that have been called a threat to financial stability… [The] event was spurred by SEC Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar, who today called for the agency to establish a cybersecurity task force… Companies’ public reports so far about cyber-attacks have mostly …
Reuters : Shareholders End Push for Verizon Data-Sharing Details
Reuters recently published an article about Trillium’s successful withdrawal of our shareholder resolution with Verizon Communications. Ross Kerber writes: “Verizon Communications Inc shareholders said on Tuesday they have withdrawn a resolution asking the company to disclose details of customer information that it shares with law enforcement, saying the company had already met key requests. Jonas Kron, senior vice president of resolution sponsor Trillium Asset Management, said the filers withdrew the measure after the company disclosed more details this month of its information-sharing with government agencies. “Publication of these reports makes strong business sense and will facilitate the critical and long-term …
Investors Withdraw Verizon Shareholder Proposal on Government Surveillance Programs
JANUARY 28, 2014 // BOSTON, MA: A coalition of investors, which had requested that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) publish regular reports on government and law enforcement requests for confidential customer data, today commended the company for publishing its first report and made recommendations for improving future reports. The coalition was led by Trillium Asset Management (Trillium), which filed a shareholder resolution on behalf of Park Foundation, in close partnership with Open MIC, a non-profit organization that works to foster more open and democratic media. The investors’ announcement follows yesterday’s news that the Obama Administration will permit more detailed disclosures …
Trillium Statement on Fifth Third Bank’s Announcement Regarding the Phasing Out of ‘Early Access’ Deposit Advance Service
January 28, 2014: Fifth Third Bank (NASDAQ: FITB) recently announced that it will no longer enroll customers in its ‘Early Access’ deposit advance service after January 31, 2014 and the bank will phase out the service to existing customers by year-end. This announcement comes following ongoing pressure from Trillium Asset Management (Trillium), along with other investors and the Center for Responsible Lending. In 2012 Trillium filed a shareholder proposal, with the bank asking it to address “the adequacy of the company’s direct deposit advance lending policies in addressing the social and financial impacts” of “extending high-cost direct deposit advances …
NY Times: Verizon Publishes First Transparency Report on Data Requests
The New York Times recently ran an article about Verizon Communications’ publication of a Privacy Transparency report. Brian X. Chen writes: “…In November, Trillium Asset Management, the activist investment firm, filed a shareholder resolution pressuring Verizon to publish a transparency report. In response to the report published on Wednesday, Jonas Kron, a senior vice president of Trillium, said he had yet to review the details of the report thoroughly, but was pleased with the progress. “Our goal in filing the shareholder proposal was to persuade companies to be issuing transparency reports. We’ve accomplished that goal,” he said. “We’ve now moved …
Trillium Statement on the U.S. EPA’s Assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska
January 16, 2014 – The following statements may be attributed to Jonas Kron, Trillium Asset Management’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy: Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska which states that large scale mining such as the proposed Pebble Mine has “potential for significant effects on Alaska Native cultures” and “the significant loss of Chinook salmon populations” which “would have severe consequences…” Trillium commends the EPA for producing a rigorous, science-based assessment and believes now is the time for the EPA to initiate a Clean Water Act 404(c) …
Trillium’s Jonas Kron Appears on Fox Business News to Discuss Transparency Reporting at Verizon and AT&T
Jonas Kron, Trillium’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy, recently appeared on Fox Business News with host Connell McShane to discuss our firm’s shareholder engagement with Verizon Communications and AT&T regarding the disclosure of requests for customer information by U.S. and foreign governments. On December 19, 2013, Verizon announced that it would publish transparency reports comparable to those requested in Trillium’s shareholder resolution. Verizon’s announcement was followed a day later by a similar announcement by AT&T. Trillium was the lead filer on the Verizon resolution. The lead filer at AT&T is The New York State Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli – with Trillium co-filing. …
Trillium’s Jonas Kron Interviewed by Bloomberg TV Regarding Impact of a Potential Water Shortage
To mark the United Nation’s 2012 World Water Day, Jonas Kron, Vice President of Trillium Asset Management, was interviewed on Bloomberg Television’s “InBusiness With Margaret Brennan”. Producing enough food to feed the world’s rapidly growing population will require the international community to ensure the sustainable use of the world’s most critical finite resource, water. Trillium has been engaging companies and encouraging them to develop both short term and long term strategies to significantly reduce their fresh water usage. Jonas talked about the potential impacts that a water supply shortage could have on a company’s agricultural supply chain. You can see …
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