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Safeway Honors Entrepreneur and Food Industry Pioneer Reginald F. Lewis as Part of Black History Month
LANHAM, Md.-(Business Wire)-January 30, 2008 - Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) today announced that it will honor entrepreneur and food industry pioneer Reginald F. Lewis as part of monthlong activities in celebration of Black History Month. The company will unveil a poster which will be displayed in all U.S. stores and corporate offices and featured in public service announcements, in honor of the life and accomplishments of Mr. Lewis. The company will publicly unveil the poster on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture in Baltimore, Maryland.
The poster and unveiling are part of a series of Safeway-sponsored programs and celebrations occurring across the country in stores, corporate offices and at major events throughout communities where Safeway operates stores in honor of Black History Month.
"We are proud to honor the legacy of Reginald F. Lewis for his longstanding contributions to our industry and many important causes in his lifetime," said Steve Burd, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Each year Safeway employees and customers join together in celebrating Black History Month. Through our many programs and sponsorships, we reach millions of people and help honor the legacies of the men and women who have made a difference."
Safeway's 2008 Black History Month poster features an image of Lewis and chronicles his work in the business world, specifically citing his purchase of Beatrice Foods' International Division, which was, at the time, the largest leveraged buyout of overseas assets by an American company. TLC Beatrice International was the first black-owned enterprise to surpass $1 billion in revenue, and became the nation's largest black-owned and managed business in the United States, a position that it held for 11 years.
This is the sixth consecutive year that Safeway has honored an influential African American with a commemorative Black History Month poster. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Publisher John H. Johnson are among the list of past honorees. Safeway began producing cultural awareness posters in 2003 as part of a companywide celebration of diversity and of the many people and cultures that have made significant contributions to American history.
Also during Black History Month, Safeway will recognize other outstanding food industry professionals with the Safeway Outstanding African American Entrepreneur Award, given to vendors in recognition of their highly marketable and innovative products and services. The award recipients will be announced at the February 9, 2008 meeting of the Rainbow Push Coalition's International Trade Bureau. Previous recipients include Chicago-based entrepreneurs John Clark, founder of Reggio's Pizza, and Amy Hilliard, founder of Comfort Cake.
Also in Chicago, Safeway's Dominick's Finer Foods stores are a key sponsor of the DuSable Museum of African American History's annual Night of 100 Stars on February 16, 2008. The event, a fundraiser for the museum, celebrates local African American history makers in the areas of business, medicine, entertainment and finance. Dominick's is a longtime partner of the museum's educational and community outreach programs.
Safeway is a sponsor of the 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards, which honors projects and individuals that promote diversity in the arts in television, recording, literature and motion pictures. The February 14, 2008 Image Awards ceremony will be aired live on the Fox network.
The recognition of Black History Month continues at Safeway's corporate and division offices. At the Pleasanton, California headquarters, the Safeway African American Leadership Network, an affinity group open to the campus' 1,800-plus employees, is continuing a seminar series focusing on mentoring as part of career development. An African American storyteller will perform dramatic readings chronicling famous and lesser-known historical events in black history. In addition, the company's corporate office will exhibit a collection of posters featuring inventions by African American inventors.
Throughout the year, Safeway produces and displays posters celebrating more diverse history makers during Asian American History Month, Women's History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. -0- *T Black History Month Poster Unveiling WHAT: Unveiling of Safeway's Black History Month poster featuring Reginald F. Lewis WHEN: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 2:30 p.m. WHERE: Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture 830 E. Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202 *T
ABOUT SAFEWAY www.safeway.com
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,738 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $42 billion in 2006. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.
Safeway's Eastern Division employs approximately 18,000 people and operates 178 stores, including 37 Genuardi's Markets in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with 76 Safeway stores in Maryland, 44 in Virginia, 16 in the District of Columbia and five in Delaware.
