Kimberly-Clark Tops JUST 100, Ransomware Hero, Florida Water Health

Kimberly-Clark Named Top Corporate Citizen on JUST 100 List

Kimberly-Clark placed first in its industry for ensuring its products are ethically sourced and produced, according to the JUST 100 list published by Forbes and JUST Capital.

The Wisconsin-based corporation, a GrayMatter partner, earned two other industry-topping spots on the JUST 100 in the workforce and environment categories, which recognize effective employee diversity and inclusion programs and sustainable production practices.

“The list of America’s Most JUST 100 Companies celebrates U.S. corporations like Kimberly-Clark that outperform their peers in the Russell 1000 on issues like fair pay, ethical leadership, good benefits and work-life balance, equal opportunity, social and environmental responsibility, and shareholder return,” the company said in a news release.

K-C has highlighted its work to help bring clean water and hygiene to communities in need in Third World countries.

Kimberly-Clark also recently announced it has exceeded its greenhouse gas reduction goal and set a more aggressive goal of reducing GHG emissions by 40 percent by 2022.

“Treating our consumers, employees, partners and shareholders responsibly, with fairness and transparency, is grounded in the guiding principles on which we were founded nearly 150 years ago. This drives our day-to-day actions to ensure we conduct business with the highest standards and integrity, and we are proud to be listed among other companies who believe that as well.”

Kurt Drake, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Kimberly-Clark. “

To read more about how Kimberly-Clark earned its industry-leading scores, check out a deeper dive.

A Superhero in the Nasty Fight Against Ransomware

The Chicago Sun-Times profiled a real “ransomware superhero.”

Except, Michael Gillespie is a regular guy who happens to possess some exceptional skills and an impressive desire to help people impacted by ransomware. For free.

It’s an excellent read about the type of person you might imagine Mister Rogers was talking about when he gave his “look for the helpers” speech.

The FBI honored Gillespie in 2017 for a website he created: ID Ransomware. Visitors to the site can upload the ransom note they’ve received along with a sample of one of their encrypted files. It will help you identify the type of ransomware you’re dealing with and tell you if there is a “known way of decrypting your files.”

Essentially, it’s a tool you can use to get started in the right direction, and it’s free to use. “Knowing is half the battle,” is the site’s GI Joe-inspired slogan.

Gillespie has continued to work with the FBI. At one point, Gillespie’s website was receiving more ransomware reports than the FBI itself.

“Victims often don’t report attacks to the bureau because they don’t want investors or the public to learn of their security lapses. In 2018, the FBI received only 1,493 reports of ransomware — compared with the 2,000 queries daily to Gillespie’s site from about 750 different IP addresses worldwide.”

Check out the full profile. It’s a great long read.

Also check out GrayMatter’s latest paper about how water utilities and other organizations can mitigate the risks of a ransomware attack so you never need to use a site like Ransomware ID.

Online Dashboard Shows Health of Florida Lakes, Waterways

A new Florida state government-backed website, protectingfloridatogether.gov, provides data and maps about key indicators of waterway health, including the presence of blue-green algae blooms and red tide.

At launch, the dashboard has data about three major south Florida bodies of water: Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie River and the Caloosahatchee River & Estuary.

Plans call for expanding the number of bodies of water the dashboard monitors.

Information is displayed in maps via meters that show a body of water’s nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll levels. Each one is present in the water naturally, but when levels rise, it can trigger rapid algae growth, which can be harmful to fish.

“Markers on the display maps indicate the presence and positive identification of harmful algae, the presence of algal toxins and/or other potential effects.”

Bonita Springs Tech Talk Tour

If you’re in south Florida, join us Dec. 5 for a technology discussion and tour at Bonita Springs Utilities.

We’re inviting water and wastewater professionals to learn from each other and experts from GrayMatter and GE Digital in this half-day session.

For more information and to register, visit our sign-up page today while we still have spaces available. Lunch is provided!

GrayMatter Honored As One of Pittsburgh’s Smart 50 Companies

GrayMatter CEO James Gillespie accepted GrayMatter’s 2019 Pittsburgh Smart 50 Award tonight at a fantastic gathering of Pittsburgh’s fastest-growing and innovative companies at the Fairmont Pittsburgh.

We’re honored to be counted among Pittsburgh’s top technology companies.

For more about the awards, check out Smart Business Online.