Top U.S. Companies Bring Nationwide Hiring Effort to Phoenix, Connecting Thousands of Young Job Seekers to Economic Opportunity

The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, a coalition of 33 leading U.S.
companies, will host its next Opportunity Hiring Fair in Phoenix on Oct.
30, launching a long-term effort to bring job opportunities to thousands
of underserved youth across Maricopa County

This event will build on the unprecedented impact from the 100,000
Opportunities Initiative’s launch last month in Chicago with more than
4,000 participants, over 40 community organizations, and more than 800
job offers to date

Four more companies join the national initiative to create pathways
to employment for young Americans, including Papa John’s, Republic
Services, TOMS and VILLA

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Following an unprecedented day of impact at the nation’s first
Opportunity Fair & Forum in Chicago on Aug. 13, the 100,000
Opportunities Initiative today announced that it will bring its next
Opportunity Fair to Phoenix on Oct. 30 as it continues to accelerate its
nationwide effort to hire America’s opportunity youth – 16-24-year-olds
who are not in school or employed, an estimated 5.6 million people in
the U.S. The coalition, now composed of 33 leading U.S. companies
including new members Papa John’s, Republic Services, TOMS and VILLA,
expects to hire hundreds of young people in Phoenix next month, building
on the hiring effort it launched in Chicago earlier this summer with
over 4,000 young Chicagoans, 800 of whom have already received job
offers.

“Chicago marked an important milestone in our efforts to put America’s
underserved youth on a pathway to employment,” said Howard Schultz,
chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks and co-founder of the
Schultz Family Foundation. “As we look ahead to Phoenix, where one in
five youth is not in school or employed, we have a critical opportunity
to accelerate our collective hiring efforts and create meaningful
lifelong opportunities for all. I truly believe that these young men and
women represent the most significant untapped source of productivity and
talent for our economy, and America’s leading companies are ready to
hire them.”

“The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative is playing a vital role in
connecting young people with meaningful jobs. As we saw in Chicago, the
Fair gave young people the chance to meet and interview with recruiters
from a wide array of companies, including CVS Health, and in turn,
provided the participating employers with the opportunity to engage with
incredibly smart, energetic and talented individuals,” said Larry
Merlo, President and CEO, of CVS Health. “We know that today’s young
people are the business leaders of tomorrow, and as we prepare for the
Phoenix Hiring Fair, we are even more committed to introducing youth to
careers in pharmacy and health care, and arming them with the tools
they’ll need to succeed in their careers and in life.”

“We are proud to join with other great American brands to broaden
opportunity for young men and women and provide access to the training,
skills development and experience needed to build a strong workforce and
growing economy,” said Alex Gourlay, President of Walgreens. “For
more than a century, Walgreens has grown its business on a tradition of
recruiting young talent and building professional career paths that can
take them to the company’s highest ranks.”

An Urgent Call to Action in Phoenix

Nationally, one in seven young adults does not work or attend school;
however, in Phoenix, and across Maricopa County, that statistic is
closer to one in five – the highest rate of youth disengagement among
the largest 25 cities in America. According to a study by Measure of
America, unemployment in Phoenix for this age group is 20%, with only
55% enrolled in school, the lowest of any of the twenty-five metro
areas. There is also a disproportionately higher rate of disconnection
in African American (28%); American Indian (28%) and Hispanic (23%)
populations in Maricopa County.

“Phoenix is a strong indicator for the larger crisis facing our nation
when it comes to engaging opportunity youth,” said Phoenix Mayor Greg
Stanton. “While the statistics are sobering, our city is seeing a
small but powerful groundswell of civic, community and elected leaders
that are working hard to give youth in Phoenix the type of meaningful
job and educational opportunities they deserve. The business leadership
driving the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative will help take our city’s
efforts to even greater heights and bring more attention to the
magnitude of this issue and its impact on the rest of the country.”

In Phoenix, the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, which has the goal of
forming the nation’s largest employer-led coalition committed to hiring
at least 100,000 opportunity youth by 2018, will work with
community-based organizations and civic leaders over the next three
years including the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, Opportunities for
Youth Board, Maricopa Community College, and Arizona State University to
help deliver the skills training and hiring opportunities young people
need.

“The jobs of the future will require more education and more training.
Everyone will need some sort of post-secondary education to succeed,”
said Dr. Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University. “We
must raise the level of learning that our young people reach, or the
jobs will go unfilled, the next generation’s potential will be
diminished and the economy handicapped. This initiative helps put
disengaged youth back on a path where they can advance, learn skills and
reach a higher level of education and training. It is an effort squarely
in line with ASU’s mission to expand access to education and take
responsibility for the community around us.”

Over 20 participating companies, in collaboration with community-based
organizations from across Maricopa County, expect to collectively engage
hundreds of youth at the hiring fair in Phoenix next month. This event
will feature informative, inspirational and interactive experiences for
youth including workshops, on-the-spot mentoring and feedback, college
counseling, skills development, and more. This will spur long-term
engagement, which will help participating companies hire thousands of
more youth in the Phoenix area over the next 18 months – delivering an
unprecedented impact to the young people and businesses in the area.

Building the Nation’s Largest Employer-Led Initiative for
Opportunity Youth

The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative today welcomed four new corporate
partners including Papa John’s, Republic Services, TOMS, and VILLA,
bringing total corporate participation to 33 companies, including:
Alaska Airlines, Chipotle Mexico Grill, Cintas, CVS Health, Dominos,
FedEx, Hilton Worldwide, HMSHost, Hyatt, JCPenney, JPMorgan Chase, Lyft,
Macy’s, Mars, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Porch.com,
Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Prudential Financial, Inc., Red Robin, Republic
Services, Starbucks, Sweetgreen, Taco Bell, Target, T-Mobile, Teavana,
TOMS, VILLA, Walgreens and Walmart.

“TOMS gives in more than 70 countries, including the U.S., and we’re
always excited to have the opportunity to serve communities in need at
home,” said Blake Mycoskie, Founder and Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS.
“Through the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative TOMS will be creating
opportunities for youth at our five retail stores across the country.
We’re anxious for the fresh perspectives that these youth will bring to
TOMS in the short run and the inspiration that may provide for them to
start their own socially-conscious companies in the future.”

“Papa John’s is thrilled to join the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative.
Over the years, we’ve had countless young people join our team. For
some, Papa John’s helped support them through school, for others, it’s
been a place where they’ve built careers. Meaningful work benefits
everyone,” said Steve Ritchie, President and COO of Papa John’s.
“As someone who started out as a delivery driver over 20 years ago,
nothing makes me prouder than to help build future generations of
American leadership.”

“As a leader in the recycling and waste industry, it is of the utmost
importance to us to ensure that the future talent pipeline is constantly
replenished and committed to helping us all be better stewards of our
planet,” said Don Slager, president & CEO of Republic Services, Inc.
“Today’s youth appreciate the need for responsible, sustainable
practices, and we couldn’t be more honored to join the 100,000
Opportunities Initiative to introduce them to long-term career
opportunities that keep our communities and environment safe and clean.”

“Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. As the leading urban fashion
retailer in the country, VILLA is committed to helping young people in
urban America dream big and achieve their big dreams,” said Jason
Lutz, CEO of VILLA. “VILLA proudly supports young fashion designers,
offers college scholarships, and hires directly from the communities we
serve. We are excited to join the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative and
ensure that every young person has an opportunity to reach his/her full
potential.”

Funders participating in the initiative include: Accenture (in kind),
Domino’s, FedEx, Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, MacArthur
Foundation, Prudential Financial, Inc., The Rockefeller Foundation,
Schultz Family Foundation, Starbucks, Walmart Foundation and W.K.
Kellogg Foundation.

Leadership and Commitment to Hiring Opportunity Youth

The Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions acts as an
intermediary for the initiative in the hiring cities, building upon the
existing work of its national Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund (OYIF).
The OYIF currently supports collaborative efforts focused on Opportunity
Youth in 21 communities around the country. The Aspen Institute provides
direct leadership, technical assistance, and programmatic support to the
100,000 Opportunities Initiative in Chicago, Phoenix and future cities.

Papa John’s: Commitment to Hiring Opportunity Youth

Over the years, Papa John’s has enabled thousands of team members rise
through our ranks to become general managers, franchise owners, and
executive leaders, and most importantly provided them opportunities to
pursue their life’s passion. Last year Papa John’s hired over 14,000
young men and women and will continue our commitment to providing young
people the opportunity to build fulfilling careers and lives. As part of
the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, Papa John’s is committed to hire
at least 250 young people in the Phoenix market across its corporate and
franchise operated stores.

Republic Services: Commitment to Hiring Opportunity Youth

Republic Services is a leader in the recycling and non-hazardous solid
waste business with 32,000 employees across the United States. Every
day, we strive to make the world and our planet better. We work together
to provide reliable and responsible recycling and waste disposal
services that have a positive impact on the homes, communities, and
businesses of our 14 million customers. They count on us to provide a
superior experience today and a sustainability commitment for future
generations being able to enjoy a cleaner, safer and healthier world.
Republic has a lot to offer young people who are looking to be part of a
collaborative team in environmental services. Our career opportunities
are extensive, and our employees can move from entry level positions
into roles driving or maintaining our sophisticated fleet, working in
oilfields or landfills, focusing on recycling, or providing support
functions to the business. They also have chances to move into
leadership training programs and become the future leaders of our
organization. We offer meaningful work and career opportunities that
allow people to be passionate about their jobs and improve the world we
live in while also earning a quality living.

VILLA: Commitment to Hiring Opportunity Youth

VILLA is the premier fashion retailer with over 120 stores throughout 10
states. Our Join The Movement initiative focuses on revitalizing
urban communities where we operate by developing, supporting, and
delivering opportunities for teens focusing on the 3E’s—Educational
Support, Economic Empowerment, and Environmental Improvement. Since our
inception over 25 years ago, we have been committed to hiring young men
and women directly from the neighborhoods where our stores operate. Our
store managers and sales experts are trained to be excellent managers as
well as community leaders. Moreover, we create opportunities for
professional development through employment training and hiring
opportunities for teens, annual professional development symposiums,
internal and external scholarship programs, and internal mentoring
programs.

For more leader quotes from members of the 100,000 Opportunities
Initiative, visit: www.100kOpportunities.org.
Media interested in attending the event in Phoenix must pre-register for
credentials by contacting media@100kOpportunities.org.

About the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative

The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative has the goal of creating the
nation’s largest employer-led private sector coalition committed to
creating pathways to employment for young people. Companies engaged in
the coalition will help to launch careers for young people that are just
entering the workforce, including internships, apprenticeships and on
the job training, in addition to developing potential in youth that have
some work experience but are looking to gain new skills that lead to a
successful career. For more information, please visit www.100kOpportunities.org.

Contacts

Starbucks Corporation
206-318-7100
press@starbucks.com
or
100,000
Opportunities Initiative
media@100kOpportunities.org