DALLAS, Texas, March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Richard J. Plewa, senior vice president at Comerica Bank, has been named head of the bank's new Corporate Sustainability Program.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010807/CMALOGO )
Plewa will lead the bank's efforts to create a comprehensive sustainability strategy and implement a phased action plan to support the corporation's commitment to sustainability. He will lead the effort to review Comerica's existing practices across five key areas -- workplace, workforce, products and services, processes and governance -- and identify opportunities for improved sustainability performance in 2008 and beyond. Plewa will report to Comerica's Chief Financial Officer, Beth Acton.
"Sustainability efforts are not new at Comerica, particularly our initiatives related to workforce diversity, the Community Reinvestment Act and our loans to support the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites," Acton said. "With this new program and under Rick's leadership, we are solidifying our commitment to conduct our business and operations in a way that enhances the well being of people and the communities in which they live, and protects and preserves the environment for future generations. In addition, we look to create shareholder value by reducing risk and operating costs while enhancing opportunities for new business."
Additional information on the bank's sustainability efforts can be found in the Sustainability section of Comerica's website -- http://www.comerica.com/.
Plewa previously served as head of the bank's Environmental Risk Management Group for 20 years prior to his new role. He is a founding member of the Environmental Bankers Association and is past chairman of the Michigan Bankers Association's Environmental Affairs Committee. He also was chairman of the board of directors of the Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. Currently, he serves on the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Environmental Advisory Council and on the Cross-Cutting Issues Technical Workgroup of the Michigan Climate Action Council.
Plewa also served as chairman of the Southeast Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, which Comerica helped to found in 2000, and he continues to sit on the organization's board of directors. His past work and advocacy on behalf of brownfield and sustainability initiatives has included leadership roles in the City of Detroit/Wayne County Roundtable on Sustainable Development, the Environmental Work Group of the Detroit Empowerment Zone Financial Institutions Consortium and in the successful effort to create the California Environmental Redevelopment Fund.
He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Goettingen in Germany and earned two master's degrees at the University of Michigan.
He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan. About Comerica
Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated, a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas and strategically aligned into three major business segments: the Business Bank, the Retail Bank, and Wealth & Institutional Management. Comerica focuses on relationships and helping businesses and people to be successful. In addition to Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Michigan, California, Florida and Arizona, with select businesses operating in several other states, and Canada and Mexico.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010807/CMALOGOSOURCE: Comerica Bank
CONTACT: Sara Snyder of Comerica Bank, +1-313-222-9617,
slsnyder@comerica.com
Web site: http://www.comerica.com/
