Agilent TechnologiesEmphasis on STEM, health and human services, environment
Agilent Technologies has played a major leadership role in addressing key quality-of-life issues in the North Bay for more than 40 years.
The company's corporate citizenship objective is to be an economic, intellectual and social asset to each nation and community in which it operates, according to Ron Nersesian, Agilent executive vice president and chief executive officer as well as president of Keysight Technologies.
[caption id="attachment_90117" align="alignleft" width="350"] Agilent employee Michal Krombholz with extra ammunition for participant in Hungry Birds event at company's North Bay Discovery Day booth.[/caption]
Headquartered in Santa Rosa, Keysight will separate from Agilent and begin operating independently on Nov. 1. With 9,500 employees in 30 countries, Keysight makes electronic-measurement technology and market-leading test solutions to customers around the world and continue our tradition of supporting organizations and programs that make Sonoma County a great place to live and work, Mr. Nersesian said.
Agilent has implemented its citizenship objective in several ways. The firm conducts an annual giving campaign encouraging employees to donate to nonprofit organizations with a dollar-for-dollar match. Over the past 10 years, more than $5.6 million has been raised, with a majority going to local nonprofits.
In the 2013 giving campaign, Agilent employee pledges and company matching funds totaled $640,000.
The company also participated in United Way of the Wine Country's 2013 Day of Caring, with an all-time record 406 Agilent employees working on more than 20 social-service agency projects.
Agilent's 2013 cash contributions totaled more than $820,000. That includes donations from the giving campaign, $110,000 in local sponsorships and $70,000 in Agilent Technologies Foundation grants to programs such as Audubon Canyon Ranch's Junipers junior naturalist program, North Bay Discovery Day science festival and Clean Air Challenge school science curriculum.
Agilent's foundation has a history of giving in Sonoma County. Over the past five years, $250,000 in grants have been awarded to local organizations. Grants averaging more than $15,000 for 10 consecutive years went to the Math, Engineering, Science Achievement program at Santa Rosa Junior College.
More than $2 million in new and used test and measurement equipment has been donated to engineering departments at Sonoma State University and other California universities. Sonoma State received roughly half of that.
In addition, the company is providing $10,000 in scholarships a year for five years to SSU and SRJC engineering students and assigns an employee mentor to assist each one.
Santa Rosa Agilent employees have participated in the American Heart Association's North Bay Heart Walk for four years. In 2013 they raised $16,000 to help fight cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Last year more than a dozen employees demonstrated test equipment and helped staff Agilent's booth at the third annual North Bay Discovery Day. The Agilent Technologies Foundation has supported this event with a $15,000 grant for each of the past three years.
"Our employees are the heart and soul of the company's philanthropic programs," Mr. Nersesian said."Through generous financial contributions and active volunteerism, they make a positive impact in our communities."AutodeskMatches employee donations up to $3,000
In addition to Autodesk Foundation's Employee Impact program, supporting employees by matching individual donations to nonprofit organizations, Autodesk also allows its employees to take four hours off per month during regular business hours to support causes they believe in, helping and assisting by donating more than 8,000 volunteer hours by its more than 7,000 employees worldwide in 2013.
[caption id="attachment_90118" align="alignright" width="385"] Sarah Larsen and Chris Bradshaw, along with other Autodesk employees, help put "Night Night" bags together for Sunny Hills Services children.[/caption]
For every dollar or unit of local currency an employee donates to an eligible charity, the nonprofit will receive a one-for-one corporate donation match up to $3,000.
And, for every 10 volunteer hours logged, the Autodesk employee will receive a $100 Cause Card, distributed quarterly, to donate to the desired eligible charity.
Locally, employee volunteer efforts include participation in Run for the Seals in support of the Marine Mammal Center, walking in the San Francisco AIDs Walk, Light the Night for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and by sponsoring a fair featuring 39 nonprofits that netted more than $22,000 for participating organizations.