CEO MESSAGE
Message from the CEO In the first half of 2020, two significant events have occurred that will each make their mark on history. The virus that causes COVID-19 fundamentally altered the way we do business and live our lives. The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, in the city that has been Tennant Company’s home since our founding, unleashed an anguished reaction from communities that have been denied justice for too long, and launched protests around the world.
This 2019 Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR) focuses on the months before these episodes became part of our global experience, but I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge these historic moments. One of Tennant Company’s core values is Stewardship, and as good stewards, we respect and value our community—within the company and in the cities and neighborhoods where we live and work. Our focus on Stewardship also shapes how we try to understand the events we’ve experienced this year and the inescapable ways in which a global pandemic and a deeply divided, inequitable society intertwine.
As a society, we have much work to do, and Tennant Company intends to be part of the solution. Our employees have led the way, by responding to both the pandemic and the unrest in our communities, in remarkable ways. The Tennant Foundation has also increased their focus on supporting our neighborhoods and is seeking out ways to work toward social justice. Finally, our leadership and our Board of Directors are engaged in important discussions about the ways we need to act on our values of stewardship and inclusivity in the company and in the world. We will explore these in greater depth next year in the 2020 CSR.
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