Smithfield’s Evans Recognized as one of Black Business Ink’s Power 100

SMITHFIELD, Va., PRNewswire -- Steve Evans, vice president of community development for Smithfield Foods, was honored with a Black Business Ink Power 100 Award as one of the 100 most influential leaders in North Carolina.

Evans leads Smithfield’s community development team, enacting proactive and coordinated community engagement efforts for Smithfield’s U.S. operations through partnerships with its employees, local officials, business leaders and community organizations.

“Steve is a remarkable leader who has shown tremendous capacity for serving and supporting our communities in North Carolina and across the country,” said Shane Smith, chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods. “This well-deserved recognition demonstrates the impact Steve has in guiding Smithfield’s outreach programs and strengthening our longstanding partnerships with minority and underserved communities.”

The Black Business Ink Power 100 Awards recognize 100 of the most influen tial leaders from across North Carolina in a variety of sectors, including educators, healthcare professionals, politicians, clergy, and other professions and organizations. The awards were presented on June 8 at the annual State of Black North Carolina Confer ence, which brings together leaders statewide to address disparities in Black and Brown communities.

Evans was also recent ly named to Business North Carolina’s Power List 2023: Agriculture, recognizing North Carolina’s most influential private-sector leaders. Ac cording to Business NC, the power list is a sampling of the thousands of talented leaders in North Carolina who make things happen at their enterprises and in their communities.

Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is a U.S. food company that employs nearly 60,000 people in seven countries and partners with thousands of Amer ican farmers. As one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies, we are dedicated to producing

“Good food. Responsibly.®” to feed a growing world population. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30% across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs in all 50 U.S. states. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Gwaltney® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Group Black and Nielsen Uncover That Black Creators Deliver More Media Value Than Their Non-Black Counterparts in Key Categories

NEW YORK, PRNewswire -- Group Black, a modern media company with the largest collective of Black-owned media, and Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, announced that they will be unveiling a first of its kind Black Creator Impact Report. Comparing Black creators to their non-black counterparts, this report takes a deep dive into the economic and cultural impact of Black creators based on their influence on social media platforms including Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube and Twitter.

Using Nielsen InfluenceScope, the report analyzed creators based on three metrics: follower growth, follower interaction and media value. Media value is a proprietary Nielsen metric to determine a monetary value for digital and social content, based on the audience’s exposure and engagement. The study focuses on creators in three categories: fashion, lifestyle and gaming.

Steve Evans. PRNewsfoto/ Smithfield Foods, Inc.

The study found that Black creators generate a higher media value compared to non-Black creators in fashion, lifestyle and gaming. Black creators in the lifestyle category performed 10.5 times better than their non-Black counterparts, 6.7 times better in gaming and eSports, and 1.6 times better in fashion..

In addition to generating a higher media value, Black creators also saw higher levels of follower growth and interaction rates between 2020 to 2022. In the lifestyle category, which make up 40% of paid advertising opportunities, they outperform non-Black creators by 10.5 times. Even though diverse Black creators possess immense cultural influence and credibility, the influencer pay gap between Black creators and their white counterparts is nearly 35%.

“For too long Black creators haven’t had access to the same opportunities as their non-Black counterparts due to the myth that they were unable to deliver the same ROI as other creators in the industry, “ says Kerel Cooper, President of Advertising at Group Black. “With our Black Creator Impact Report, we are delivering concrete proof of the opposite. Black creators have the ability to deliver exponential growth for brands—now brands must provide the opportunities.”

“Black America influences both content and brand engagement as consumers of media and creators of trends,” says Charlene Polite Corley, VP, Diverse Insights and Partnerships at Nielsen. “By investing in Black influencers, brands can amplify their authentic voices—driving deeper engagement with Black communities and other consumers who follow their lead.”