The Provincial Council of Almeria held the 3rd Corporate Social Responsibility Awards Gala, which this year brings together the years 2020 and 2021, after a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic. The event, held in the Patio de Luces, filled with light and emotion a night of recognition for the social work carried out by companies with the aim of equalising opportunities and helping those who need it most.
The initiative, promoted by the Provincial Council of Almeria, through the Department of Economic Promotion and Employment, in addition to recognising the award-winning companies Crash Music, Mármoles Sol, Luxeapers, Ingeniería Solar Energy, Primaflor and Michelin Spain – Portugal, has given two special mentions to GERIAL (Geriatric Services of Almeria) and FOCAL “Jornadas ODS AgroAlmería” for the essential work they have done during the pandemic.
The President of the Provincial Council, Javier A. García, stressed the importance of social responsibility from a business perspective. “It is a latent commitment of companies to the dissemination of values, the search for equal opportunities and support for social causes such as those reflected in this event today. These are all objectives that we share and promote from the Provincial Council as cardinal points of our political action”.
He added: “The Provincial Council works tirelessly every day so that the engine of employment, wealth and productivity of this province, our companies, continues to grow and develop because the benefit of all of you will be the benefit of the people of Almeria. We will walk together to meet the great challenge we set ourselves at the beginning of the legislature: the fight against depopulation”.
Finally, the provincial president acknowledged the important work carried out by NGOs in the province in one of the most complicated moments in history, the pandemic generated by COVID19. “The NGOs that accompany us and take with you today a little piece of the effort of these great entrepreneurs and all their workers to improve the quality of life of all Almeria’s people. You go where the institutions do not reach”.
For her part, the Deputy for Economic Development, Carmen Navarro, stressed that “the commitment of the Provincial Council, together with the companies of the province, for social responsibility has taken a step further with the creation of a Provincial Plan to design the social action of the entities of the province”, with the aim of reaching the whole of Almeria’s society. This Plan includes the Awards, training sessions, a provincial seminar aimed at local corporations and council staff and CSR training courses, among other actions”.
Six award winners and eighteen nominations
This 3rd edition of the Corporate Social Responsibility Awards has recognised, as an added value, the companies of 2020 and 2021. The awards, which will go to the NGOs chosen by the companies, have 3 categories depending on the number of employees.
In the ‘Micro and small companies’ category, the winners are Crash Music S.L., whose prize will go to the NGO Fundación Music For All, and Mármoles Sol, which has been awarded to the Asociación para la Integración, Desarrollo y Aprendizaje (AIDA).
Diego Ferrón, director of Crash Music, highlighted their commitment to inclusion and how their formula is being implemented in other provinces, while Carmen María García, commercial director of Mármoles Sol, emphasised the importance of family values and legacy as the key to success.
In the ‘Medium-sized Companies’ category, the award winners were the pickle company Luxeapers S.L. and Ingenia Solar Energy, and the recipient NGOs were A Toda Vela and ASALSIDO (Down’s Syndrome Association).
Sergio Viñolo, CEO of Luxeapers thanked the award that allows them to help associations such as A Toda Vela and emphasized the importance of sustainability. On behalf of Ingenia Solar Energy, its director, Francisco Javier Fernández, accepted the award, emphasising the company’s commitment to sport and, above all, “thinking about who we help to achieve objectives that improve society”.
Finally, in the ‘Large companies’ category, Primaflor and Michelin Spain – Portugal were chosen as winners by the jury. The recipients are the Cepaim Foundation ‘Coexistence and Social Cohesion’ and ALTEA Autism Almeria.
David Parra, from Primaflor Human Resources, wanted to share the award with “the great protagonists of this event, which are the associations that dedicate their day to day work to help other people”. The general manager of Michelin Spain Portugal, María Paz Robina, said that this recognition “helps us to value everything we do with people at the centre and for a more sustainable future”, and dedicated the award to Javier Deleyto, director of the Michelin Experience Centre in Almería, who passed away last October.
The special mentions that were presented at the beginning, for Geriatric Services of Almeria, (GERIAL), was collected by its administrator, Antonio Carrión, who underlined “always having social commitment as the axis”. The other distinction, for FOCAL, for the organisation of the AgroAlmería Sustainable Development Goals Conference, was received by Alfonso Rubí, president of the Almería Citizens’ Forum, who said that “this mention is an incentive to continue with our work of more than 20 years”.
The companies that participated in this edition, in addition to the award winners, were:
- UMAI Gourmet
- Lorusso and Saez
- Cortijo el Cura Eco Bodega
- Anabel Veloso Company
- Consumomar
- Hidrodiseño Global
- Ingenia Solar Energy
- Bogaris Retail
- Agroponiente
- Alhóndiga La Unión
- Biosabor
- Cualin Quality
- Vicasol