In recognition of its continuing efforts to revitalize the Elizabeth River in Southern Virginia, the CITGO Chesapeake Terminal received its fourth Sustained Distinguished Performance Award this year from The Elizabeth River Project, a nonprofit that leads community environmental restoration efforts along the River.
We have all seen corporate community engagement undergo a transformation in the past 20 years. Through the 1990’s a company’s engagement strategy was largely driven by compliance, aligning to policies that ensure that business does the least harm to consumers and the environment. In the early 2000’s, companies started to develop more intentional investment in their communities with the goal of being a strong corporate citizen in what we now think of as traditional corporate social responsibility. Most recently, companies have stopped thinking about the community as an external and separate actor and are integrating pro-social initiatives into their operations to drive value to their business and society at once.