In December 2017, we partnered with Forbes to release the 2017 JUST 100, our annual ranking of America’s Most JUST Companies, based on the priorities of the American public. In addition to our New York launch event, Forbes created a microsite with multiple articles highlighting what makes these companies great. Below is a compendium of every article they created for the launch.
For additional information on the JUST 100 and the 2017 launch event, click here.
Unions Are Dead? Why Competition Is Paying Off For America’s Best Workers
Forbes sets out the thesis for the cover story: Competition is the new union. “..There’s an aspect to this phenomenon that might surprise some less enlightened CEOs and investors: Treating workers right ultimately benefits shareholders after all, and not only in tight labor markets. The companies of the JUST 100 have returned three percentage points a year more than the S&P 500 over the last five years.”
Inside the JUST100: How We Measure Corporate Goodness
Maggie McGrath takes a look at the methodology and metrics we use to rank the largest 875 companies in the U.S. according to the priorities of the American public.
14 CEOS on Why Treating Workers Well is Good For Business
JUST 100 leaders talk about why workers are their top priority when it comes to creating and running a successful business.
An interview with the CEO of Intel, Brian Krzanich, on being America’s Most JUST Company, and how capitalism can be a sturdy force for good.
Why Amazon, NVIDIA, and Microsoft are among America’s Best Corporate Citizens
Forbes breaks down which companies earned the highest marks on the different issues we track, and why.
Good Neighbors Make Good Investments: Behind the Bull Case for Zillow
A look at how JUST 100 company Zillow’s stellar management and employee treatment has helped them outperform estimates and triple their stock price since their 2011 initial offering.
How Garmin Responded to a Hate Crime with Humanity
A special look at how Garmin responded to a crisis that threatened their community, and how it helped them earn high marks on our JUST 100 list.
A Sweet Scheme: How a 108-Year-Old Vision Helps Hershey Look Beyond Profit
How does a successful company like Hershey give back? From their involvement in helping Hurricane Maria victims to the history of Founder Milton Hershey himself, Forbes takes a look at the company’s commitment to doing good.
Goldman’s Green Inspiration? The Marketplace
An in-depth look at the green energy investments Goldman has made, and how being the #2 company for environmental efficiency in the U.S. has also led them to be incredibly profitable.
Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones: You Can Work For a Corporation and Keep Your Humanity
An interview with our founder about the mission of JUST Capital.
Generous 401(k) Matches Helped Scott Scherr Build the Ultimate Software Stock
A look at how a forward-thinking 401(k) match became the basis for an incredibly successful “employees first” company that has beaten stock market targets year after year.
Bottom of the Barrel: America’s 88 Worst Corporate Citizens
While we like to emphasize the companies that lead on the issues that matter most to Americans, this article takes a look at the companies at the bottom 10 percent of our rankings.
The opioid epidemic is being called the worst public health crisis in American history. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50. And Opioid addiction has developed such a powerful grip on Americans that some scientists have blamed it for lowering our life expectancy.
How to reflect this important and alarming issue in our rankings has been a matter of intense discussion. Our rankings are based on the voices of the American people – with 10,000 contributing to this year’s survey and 72,000 over the last three years. Throughout this work, it has become clear that the harmful effects of a company’s products, and the actions of corporate leaders on matters of social concern, are integral to just corporate behavior. And in our polling on the opioid issue in particular, almost a third of Americans noted concerns with companies linked to the opioid industry.
In our rankings universe, three of the nation’s largest drug distributors – Cardinal Health, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen – as well as three of the nation’s largest retailers – CVS Health, Rite Aid, and Walgreens – are heavily implicated in the crisis. Accordingly, we’ve been following news reports, litigation, and related fines throughout the year, and have already factored into the scoring model a range of inputs related to the opioid crisis to penalize these companies where appropriate and necessary. The issue gained greater urgency in mid-October when The Washington Post and 60 Minutes brought to light new whistleblower accounts from a former DEA deputy assistant administrator.
The reports’ criticism of the three major drug distributors – who control 85-90 percent of drug distribution in the U.S. – centers on them “turning a blind eye to pain pills being diverted to illicit use.” The reports cite as an example one pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia, a town of just 392 people, which ordered and was supplied with nine million hydrocodone pills over two years.
All of the drug distributors and retailers in our ranking universe have made sizeable settlements to resolve allegations related to the distribution of opioids in recent years. Specifically, they’ve paid fines totalling more than $341 million over the last seven years. This has already been factored into this year’s rankings.
However, until we are confident we can fully and accurately reflect corporate behavior on this issue, and until the industry-wide actions being taken to help address this national crisis have had the chance to take effect, the Food & Drug Retail sector, specifically the six drug distributors and retailers, will remain “Under Review.” Furthermore, no Seal will be awarded to an Industry Leader in this industry.
As we move into 2018, we’ll continue to track ongoing developments, including:
We will update our rankings to reflect these developments, and prior to granting any company the JUST Seal, we will be seeking assurances from companies in the sector that they are working together to shape industry-wide and individual company-led actions to help stop this growing crisis in the U.S.
On Tuesday December 12th, JUST Capital and Forbes celebrated the launch of the 2017 JUST 100 – the definitive list of America’s Most JUST Companies. It was the culmination of a year of diligent research, with the goal of learning which companies in the U.S. are truly working in the best interest of the American people.
The event coincided with the release of Forbes’ JUST 100 issue, featuring an interview with the CEO of Intel, Brian Krzanich, leader of the Most JUST Company in the U.S.
In the room were more than 350+ leaders at the nexus of business, philanthropy, and investment, including C-suite executives from JUST 100 companies, nonprofit and philanthropic directors, hedge fund and wealth managers, CSR and sustainability pioneers, and more.
In fact, some of them contributed to this short video filmed at the event, where they each spoke about what a just company meant to them:
After a cocktail reception, JUST Capital founder Paul Tudor Jones kicked off the evening with his opening remarks on the need for more just businesses, leading to a live interview with Brian Krzanich, the CEO of Intel, America’s Most JUST Company in 2017.
Lastly, we hosted a roundtable discussion featuring Bruce D. Broussard, President and CEO of Humana Inc., Jay Carney, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Amazon, Andrea Ferrera, SVP of HR/CHRO at PepsiCo North America, and Mary Snapp, Corporate Vice President & Leader of Microsoft Philanthropies.
Watch a recording of each of the talks below:
