Thrivent among most ethical firms

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Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has been selected as one of the 2013 “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by the Ethisphere Institute. Thrivent Financial was named to the prestigious list for the second consecutive year as a result of its leadership in promoting ethical business standards as well as for introducing innovative ideas to benefit the public.

“As a membership-owned, faith-based organization we strive to have high ethical practices at the core of everything we do,” said Teresa Rasmussen, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for Thrivent Financial. “This award is continued validation of our efforts.”

The Ethisphere Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere had a record number of applicants and is seeing a groundswell of support for companies which emphasize and mandate strong ethical practices. The 2013 list is the largest list since the award’s inception in 2007.

“Not only did more companies apply for the World’s Most Ethical Companies recognition this year than any year in the past, which demonstrates that ethical activity is an important part of many of these companies’ business models, but we are also seeing more companies be proactive and create new initiatives that expand ethics programs and cultures across entire industries, such as industry-based ethics associations and other activities,” said Alex Brigham, executive director of Ethisphere. “We are excited to see the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies take these leadership positions, and embrace the correlation between ethical behavior and improved financial performance.”

Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World’s Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme. The “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list will also be featured in the 2013 Quarter 1 issue of Ethisphere magazine.

Thrivent Financial is represented in the local area by FR-Carl Etzler and Beth Kitson.  They have an office at 10730 Lincoln Highway in Van Wert and can also be reached at 419-232-4310.

About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a faith-based, Fortune 500 financial services membership organization helping its nearly 2.5 million members to be wise with money and to live generous lives. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a broad range of financial products and services. As a not-for-profit organization, Thrivent Financial joins with its members to create and support national outreach programs and activities that help congregations, schools, charitable organizations and individuals in need. For more information, visit Thrivent.com. Also, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Ethisphere Institute:

The research-based Ethisphere^® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World’s Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside^® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.