On PR Newswire: Avengers Campus Opens at California Adventure, FORTUNE 500 List Released, Companies Struggle to Find Workers
With thousands of news releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire for Journalists. Here are some of this week’s top press releases on PR Newswire you don’t want to miss:
All-New Avengers Campus Unveiled in Epic Grand Opening Ceremony at Disney California Adventure Park, Previewing the Land’s Debut June 4 at Disneyland Resort
Super Heroes assembled to celebrate the momentous dedication of Avengers Campus Wednesday night in an epic ceremony at Disney California Adventure Park. Teaming up with Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and more, Disney CEO Bob Chapek unveiled the new land, which opens to the public at the Disneyland Resort on June 4.
In a live-stream event to dedicate Avengers Campus, Chapek was joined in front of Avengers Headquarters near the shining Quinjet by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Marvel Studios President/Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige, along with Paul Rudd, star of the “Ant-Man” films, Anthony Mackie from the hit Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and “Iron Man” director and actor Jon Favreau.
FORTUNE announces 2021 FORTUNE 500 List, Launches First-Ever “Most Progressive Companies On Racial Inclusion” List
Today, FORTUNE announced the 67th FORTUNE 500, its annual list of the largest corporations in the United States, ranked by revenue for the 2020 fiscal year. The revenue threshold for 2021 FORTUNE 500 list was $5.4 billion, down 5% from last year. In total, FORTUNE 500 companies represent two-thirds of the U.S. GDP with $13.8 trillion in revenues (down 3%), $859 billion in profits (down 30%), $32.7 trillion in market value (up 60%), and employ 29.1 million people worldwide. 41 companies on the 2021 FORTUNE 500 are led by women CEOs—an all-time high.
Walmart took the top spot on the 2021 list for the ninth year in a row, generating $4.5 trillion cumulative revenue over that time. Amazon.com also held onto their No.2 spot with a 38% jump in revenue. In the No. 3 spot, Apple is the most profitable company on the 2021 FORTUNE 500, and the only company on the list valued over $2 trillion. At No. 4, CVS Health and CEO Karen Lynch make FORTUNE 500 history as the highest-ranked company ever to be led by a female CEO.
Survey: U.S. Businesses Face Historic Difficulty Finding Qualified Workers
Amid a rapid reopening of the U.S. economy and a huge increase in demand for workers, a new survey from the Conference Board found that businesses are having immense difficulty finding qualified workers. In fact, 80% of organizations hiring mostly industry and manual services workers report difficulty finding qualified workers, with 25% reporting it is very difficult. This compares to 74% before the pandemic, with 4% reporting it was very difficult.
The results of the survey suggest human resources departments will face four main challenges in the months ahead: recruiting qualified workers and retaining existing ones; adjusting to a world where a large share of employees work primarily remotely; addressing deteriorating employee well-being; and managing the return to the workplace.
With Commitment to Affordability and Financial Sustainability, U.S. Postal Service Proceeds with Request for Postal Rate Change
As part of “Delivering for America,” its 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, the U.S. Postal Service filed notice today (May 28) with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) requesting price changes to take effect Aug. 29 that are in accordance with approvals provided by the PRC last year.
The proposed price changes would raise overall Market Dominant product and service prices by approximately 6.9 percent. First-Class Mail prices would increase by 6.8 percent to offset declining revenue due to First-Class Mail volume declines.
UCLA Anderson Forecast: Pent-up Demand for Leisure and Hospitality, Recreation, Health Care Will Fuel Recovery
In March, the UCLA Anderson Forecast’s first economic outlook for 2021 touted “robust growth for the U.S. and California” in anticipation of an abatement of the COVID-19 pandemic. The June 2021 forecast remains optimistic but also acknowledges the historical reality that economic recoveries are never smooth, and that ups and downs in the data that inform such predictions are to be expected.
Cision Closes Brandwatch Acquisition
Cision announced that it is closing on its acquisition of digital consumer intelligence company Brandwatch today (June 1). The deal pairs Cision’s long-time leadership in media intelligence with Brandwatch’s AI and machine learning technology and deep social listening. Today is also marked by the launch of a new embedded Brandwatch app on Cision’s platforms and enhanced social media analysis across its offerings.
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Larry Grady is online content manager at PR Newswire for Journalists. He has worked in business media for nearly 30 years and enjoys reality TV and daydreaming about travel and wine.