Shining Light Spotlight: Lowe’s
Positive Alignment Case Study
Beacon Wealth Consultants is committed to faith-based investing. We help our clients align their investments with their Christian faith values, and one of the primary processes for doing this is applying negative and positive screens to the investments in our portfolios.
Negative, or exclusionary screens, are the easiest to understand. We use our best efforts to exclude investing in companies involved in negative business activities such as abortion, pornography, or addiction-causing products or services. Here are our current exclusionary screens:
Most people intuitively understand this screen; they don’t want the money they are stewarding to be advancing or profiting from these activities.
On the other hand, our Positive Alignment screens focus on seeking out companies that really stand out in one or more of five key areas. These are investments in companies that we believe are striving to create a better world, contribute to positive change, and promote human flourishing. We call these companies “Shining Light” companies. Our current Positive Alignment screens are:
Our Positive Alignment screens can be a little more difficult for clients to understand because they aren’t as clearly defined as the negative screens. To help give you a picture of what a Shining Light company looks like, we wanted to share an example of a company that we believe exhibits many positive attributes: Lowe’s.
You are likely very familiar with this store. Besides being a fun store to shop in with quality products, we believe Lowe’s goes above and beyond in how they serve local communities and their employees. Let’s look at some examples.
Disaster response
The recent wildfires in Maui, Hawaii were one of the most devastating in US history. To help with the response, Lowe’s donated $1 million to nonprofits responding to the disaster to help to provide food, emergency shelter, relief supplies and comfort to those affected by the wildfires. Local Lowe’s associates helped coordinate the collection and distribution of donated supplies and deployed a 20-person Emergency Response Team to a Lowe’s store in Kahului to help with recovery efforts. This team also took over working at the local store location, which allowed local residents affected by the disaster to have time to be with their families.
Robert Joanou, Lowe’s District Manager of Hawaii said, “Our local community is not only blown away but overwhelmed at the fact that a big company is willing to go outside the box and take the extra steps to demonstrate that we really care about them personally. I can’t even put into words the impact this has on the community. It’s beautiful.”[1]
Lowe’s is also known for this “bucket brigade” relief program which provides their signature blue buckets, filled with cleaning supplies and water, to people affected by natural disasters. In 2022, Lowe’s distributed over 3,000 relief buckets, more than 20 truckloads of water and 2,000 hot meals as part of a $2 million commitment to help communities recover from Hurricane Ian.[2] Recently, Lowe’s bucket brigades in Florida and Georgia were ready to assist people impacted by Hurricane Idalia.[3]
Helping Employees in Need
Lowe’s takes a special interest in helping their associates in need. The Employee Relief Fund, funded through associate donations and a one-to-one company match, supports associates in times of significant, unforeseen financial hardship. In 2022, the Lowe’s Employee Relief Fund distributed more than $4.1 million, helping more than 2,900 associates in need.[4]
Developing Local Communities
In 2022, Lowe’s launched the Lowe’s Hometowns Grant Program. The program plans to invest $100 million in local store communities through 3,500 community impact projects, many nominated by local residents.
Lowe’s takes particular interest in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, home to their national headquarters. In the last three years, Lowe’s contributed more than $30 million to projects such as safe, affordable housing and skilled trade workforce development throughout the Charlotte region.[5]
Scholarships and Workforce Development
In 2023, Lowe’s launched its Gable Grants program in conjunction with 10 community colleges and trade schools. The program aims to help close the skilled trades workforce gap through a five year, $50 million investment to prepare 50,000 individuals for careers in the skilled trades, including those from groups traditionally underrepresented in the trades such as women, people of color, rural residents, and participants in second-chance programs.[6]
Commitment to Veterans
Many veterans know about Lowe’s “Everyday Military Discount” for active-duty service members, veterans and their spouses. The company’s commitment to veterans goes beyond the $4 billion in discounts they’ve awarded in the last five years.
Lowe’s is an employer of choice for service members transitioning out of the military and boasts more than 26,000 military employees. The company works directly with the Department of Defense in the DoD Skillsbridge program which provides transitioning service members training, guided mentorships, and civilian work experience. 85% of participants received a full-time job offer at the end of the program.[7]
The company also partners with veteran-focused non-profits in the local store communities. In 2022, Lowe’s partnered with Building Homes for Heroes, Purple Heart Homes, and Operation Finally Home to complete 150 home modifications for veterans and their families.[8]
Care for Creation
Lowe’s also demonstrates a care for creation in their company environmental goals. In 2023, the company announced a project for rooftop solar panel installations at 174 store and distribution center locations nationwide. Lowe’s expects that the panels will produce 90% of the electricity at each location.[9]
As a local lumber supplier to consumers and construction contractors, Lowe’s is committed to sustainable forestry management practices backed by a company Wood Sourcing Policy to eliminate deforestation in their supply chain.[10]
In 2022, Lowe’s introduced a Reverse Logistics program. The technology tracks product returns and creates a centralized return repository. Centralized logistics provides insight into what can be donated to local nonprofits and reduces the transportation costs to do so. It also reduces waste sent to landfills. In the past three years the program has diverted 35,000 tons of waste from landfills.[11]
Shining Light Companies
As faith-driven investors we have the opportunity to supply capital to companies that not only provide good products and services but are also making a positive impact at the same time. What a privilege to be able to seek investment returns in a way that also benefits local communities. Because of their commitment to business excellence and the many ways they seek to help and support their employees and the communities where they work, we believe Lowe’s is a great example of a Shining Light company.
We hope this helps give an example of the kind of Shining Light Company we seek out to invest in and gives you something to smile about next time you are shopping in Lowe’s for your home improvement needs!
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Disclosures
Investment Advisory/Sub-Advisory Services offered through Beacon Wealth Consultants, Inc., an investment advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
The material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, nor should it be relied upon for, accounting, legal, or tax advice. References to future returns are not promises or estimates of actual returns a client portfolio may achieve.
Any forecasts contained herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be relied upon as advice or interpreted as a recommendation. Opinions and estimates offered constitute our judgment and are subject to change without notice, as are statements of financial market trends, which are based on current market conditions. Information and data referred to in this document has been compiled from various sources and has not been independently verified. We believe the information presented here to be reliable but do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase of any financial instrument. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for all investors.
The firm and/or its employees may invest in or own the securities of the companies presented here. For a list of all recommendations the firm has made over the last 12 months, please contact us at (540) 345-3891
References
[1] https://corporate.lowes.com/newsroom/stories/serving-communities/lowes-donates-1-million-maui-wildfire-relief
[2] https://corporate.lowes.com/sites/lowes-corp/files/2023-07/lowes-2022-crr-eng-v1.pdf (pg. 25)
[3] https://corporate.lowes.com/newsroom/stories/serving-communities/lowes-dispatches-bucket-brigades-across-communities-affected-hurricane-idalia
[4] https://corporate.lowes.com/sites/lowes-corp/files/2023-07/lowes-2022-crr-eng-v1.pdf (pg. 25)
[5] https://corporate.lowes.com/sites/lowes-corp/files/2023-07/lowes-2022-crr-eng-v1.pdf (pg. 25)
[6] https://corporate.lowes.com/newsroom/stories/serving-communities/transforming-trades
[7] https://talent.lowes.com/us/en/military-community
[8] https://corporate.lowes.com/sites/lowes-corp/files/2023-07/lowes-2022-crr-eng-v1.pdf (pg. 25)
[9] https://corporate.lowes.com/newsroom/stories/fresh-thinking/lowes-invests-renewable-energy-rooftop-solar-panels-part-net-zero-target
[10] https://corporate.lowes.com/sites/lowes-corp/files/2023-07/lowes-2022-crr-eng-v1.pdf (pg. 31)
[11] https://corporate.lowes.com/sites/lowes-corp/files/2023-07/lowes-2022-crr-eng-v1.pdf (pg. 39)