CCBSS Chief Information Security Officer, Mark Dunkerley, has been named a winner in the 2024 Top Global CISOs Awards, sponsored by Cyber Defense Magazine! Mark competed against thousands of candidates for this prestigious award.

As our CISO, Mark maneuvers through data breaches and data loss, works closely with board and executives on strategic plans, and is a pivotal leader in implementing innovative risk reduction programs for our organization. Congratulations Mark, on your outstanding commitment to cyber safety and winning this prestigious award!

About Cyber Defense Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine’s 12th year of honoring cybersecurity innovators, in this case the Top Global CISOs for 2024, on our Cyber Defense Awards platform. In this competition, judges for these and other prestigious awards include cybersecurity industry veterans, trailblazers and market makers Gary Miliefsky of CDMG, Dr. Lindsey Polley de Lopez of VentureScope, Katie Gray of In-Q-Tel, Robert R. Ackerman Jr. of Allegis Cyber, Dino Boukouris of AltitudeCyber and with much appreciation to emeritus judges Robert Herjavec of Cyderes, Dr. Peter Stephenson of CDMG and David DeWalt of NightDragon. Top InfoSec Innovators for 2024 is found here: https://cyberdefenseawards.com/top-infosec-innovators-for-2024/ and download The Black Unicorn Report for 2024: https://cyberdefenseawards.com/the-black-unicorn-report-for-2024/ and Top Global CISOs Winners for 2024, here: https://cyberdefenseawards.com/top-global-cisos-winners-for-2024/.

About Cyber Defense Magazine

Cyber Defense Magazine was founded in 2012 by Gary S. Miliefsky, globally recognized cyber security thought leader, inventor and entrepreneur and continues to be the premier source of IT Security information. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and limited special editions exclusively for the RSA, BlackHat and Cyber Defense Conferences. Learn more about us at http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com. Cyber Defense Magazine is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group.

ATLANTA, May 24, 2024 – The Board of Directors of Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company (CCBSS), a limited liability company owned by nearly 70 independent North American Coca-Cola bottlers, announced today that Caitlyn Carr has been elected as the company’s President and CEO effective Monday, June 3, 2024. She will report to the CCBSS Board of Directors that consists of 17 senior executives from 15 different U.S. Coca-Cola bottlers and the Coca-Cola North America Operating Unit (NAOU) leadership.

As President and CEO, Caitlyn will have ultimate responsibility relative to all business functions including a shared services organization that impacts thousands of customers and Coca-Cola System associates daily, as well as oversight of more than $70 billion in procurement spend. In her new role, Caitlyn will become a part of the Coca-Cola System’s senior most executive leadership working closely with peers in the North America Coca-Cola Bottling System, NAOU, and The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC).

Caitlyn will succeed Brandi Shortt, the outgoing President and CEO of CCBSS.

Brandi expressed enthusiasm for Caitlyn’s new appointment, stating, “CCBSS is thrilled to welcome Caitlyn into her new role!” She continued, “Caitlyn ascending to this position fills us with great optimism. Her extensive tenure across the rich landscape of the Coca-Cola ecosystem, coupled with a significant background in the beverage sector and collaborative efforts with our Bottling partners, introduces a unique and strategic viewpoint to our operations.” Brandi concluded by saying, “Caitlyn’s capability to drive innovation, cultivate teamwork, and achieve results with efficiency aligns perfectly with our ambitions at CCBSS. It’s with great confidence that I foresee Caitlyn propelling CCBSS to new heights of success.”

Caitlyn is an accomplished executive leader who has been with the Coca-Cola System since 2001 working in the areas of shared services, procurement, engineering, packaging technology, capital planning, and supply chain. She has more than 23 years of progressive Coca-Cola System experience in strategy implementation coupled with deep beverage industry knowledge.

Her tenure with the Coca-Cola System has been marked by transformative leadership, where she has generated multimillion-dollar savings while driving cultural advancements, associate development, as well as organizational change to improve performance and customer service.

Caitlyn has held roles of increasing responsibility within CCBSS as well as with various Coca-Cola System entities including Coca-Cola Enterprise (CCE), Coca-Cola Supply, and Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR). Her previous titles have been Vice President, Customer Business Solutions (CBS); Vice President, Strategy & Operations Procurement; Director, Strategy & Insights Procurement; Director, Packaging Technology; and Director, Engineering Commercialization and Program Management, to name just a few of the jobs she’s held over her extensive Coca-Cola System career.

Caitlyn brings a wealth of experience that is both deep and wide. Her insights will be invaluable as CCBSS forges ahead with its innovative, collaborative, and efficient strategies in support of the Coca-Cola Bottling System in North America.

Caitlyn holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. She treasures quality moments with her two lively teenagers, savors adventurous travels with her friends and family, and enjoys long walks with her two dogs. Visit us at ccbss.com.

A new lightweighting project reduces the weight of 12-, 16.9-, and 20-oz PET bottles from 21 to 18.5 g. That’ll help reduce PET by 3 million metric tons by 2025, but how will the supply chain react? We asked Alejandro Santamaria, Coke’s senior director.

The Coca-Cola Company has completely redesigned its range of small PET bottles with its latest lightweighting initiative, reducing the weight of these bottles and in many cases, changing the shape. Starting now and through 2024, all small PET bottles in 12 oz, 16.9 oz and 20 oz will be lightweighted from 21 g to 18.5 g for all The Coca-Cola Company’s sparkling brands, Minute Maid Refreshments, and Minute Maid Aguas Frescas in the U.S. and Canada.

Coca-Cola Trademark’s 20-oz 100% recycled PET (rPET, excluding caps and labels) bottles will soon be available in the new lightweighted bottle, as well.

It has been quite some time since the last preform and bottle redesign of this magnitude. For Coca-Cola Trademark’s 20-oz bottle specifically, that particular bottle design has been in the market since 2006, so it has been nearly two decades.

“The on-the-go grip design was hip and new when it first launched in the early 2000s, but it deviated from the original Coke contour. Now, we’re bringing back the original contour shape to the North American market but have optimized and modernized it a bit. We’ve been continuously working to ‘right-weight’ our bottles, incrementally going from 27 to 21 grams over the last 10 years. But we’d reached the ‘floor’ with our previous designs,” Alejandro Santamaria, senior director, Global Packaging Development & Innovation, The Coca-Cola Company tells Packaging World “Our breakthrough innovations in modeling technology, which reduce the weight of our bottles to 18.5 grams, represent a major step in reducing our environmental impact while preserving the durability and functionality of our packaging and, most importantly, the quality and taste standards of our beverages. As The Coca-Cola Company continues to make strides towards its World Without Waste goals of reducing PET use by three million metric tons by 2025, this light weighting innovation will help the company work toward this goal, while also helping reduce its overall carbon footprint. 

“First, we needed to get bottlers throughout the network excited by the idea. We knew some existing bottle designs were not conducive to lightweighting, so we needed to refresh the design completely to get below the 21-g mark. From there, we piloted a research lab to develop and test the bottles. As the project got bigger and we entered the more advanced stages, we brought in a design team, suppliers, and more to bring the initiative to life,” he says.

Why now? While this work does have some cost-saving benefits due to reduction in material inputs, Santamaria says the company is primarily doing this to ensure its packaging is designed efficiently. Between getting bottling partners on board and product R&D, this all takes time, and he wanted to ensure the company was timing it correctly. Across the value chain, it appeared to be the right time.

“There had been incremental changes made over the past decade where an infrastructure overhaul was not necessary, but since 21 g was the floor weight for the bottle design, it was time to refresh the design to make even more progress towards lightweighting. We’ve been working on this for a while and it’s no easy feat, but luckily, we have an incredible bottler system that has helped us to accomplish this,” Santamaria says.

There certainly have been some process changes to bring the updated bottle designs to life. Suppliers’ existing preform equipment was re-tooled to produce the new 18.5-g preform design, and bottlers supported the project by investing in new capital for new molds. Bottlers’ existing blow-molding equipment had to be re-tooled as well to produce the new molds for the updated bottles. Downstream of bottle blowing, though, changes to packaging infrastructure are minimal. Filling, capping, labeling, and packing equipment required very minimal adjustments to compensate for the small dimensional differences of the new bottle designs.

Other industries, like bottled water, have undergone significant lightweighting projects over recent years, and some have noticed the less robust PET bottles don’t perform as well in supply chains or on packaging lines. Coca-Cola doesn’t expect this will be an issue.

“As we are not lightweighting our sparkling bottles to the same extent as water, we don’t anticipate any issues. Our new bottles will still be rigid enough to run through our supply lines without issue,” Santamaria says. “Most things downstream will remain largely the same as the existing packaging is compatible with Coca-Cola and Sprite Trademark, but some tweaks have been made for the sparkling brands in the portfolio.”

There will be no change to any Coca-Cola or Sprite Trademark label size and placement. All other sparkling varieties—like Minute Maid Refreshments and Minute Maid Aguas Frescas—will require new, smaller labels which will be the same placement as Coca-Cola and Sprite brands. Previously, Coke’s sparkling offerings were packaged in a straight bottle with a very large label. Now, there will be a similar label size across all brands, which Santamaria says is a positive change in terms of labeling efficiency across bottles. There will be no changes to the cap/closure as part of this project. 

“The secret was finding the right design features that allowed us to lightweight the bottle without compromising the quality of the drink,” Santamaria says. “The new bottles are optimized to reduce weak points in the bottle, preventing CO₂ loss and retaining the bubbliness that we all know and love from our favorite drinks. We were able to find the sweet spot of functionality, while also still retaining the appealing shape of the bottle.”

There was a lot of data collection and consumer research done behind-the-scenes to ensure consumers felt good about the changes being made to the bottles. Santamaria says the response was overwhelmingly positive.

This transition is projected to reduce annual use of new plastic by the equivalent of nearly 800 million bottles in 2025 compared to 2024. Additionally, the packaging shift is estimated to reduce carbon emissions in 2025 compared to 2024 in an amount equivalent of taking more than 17,000 cars off the road for one year. The Coca-Cola Company recognizes its responsibility to help solve the global plastic packaging waste problem, and knows that lightweighting is just one step of the process.

In February, Coca-Cola also launched a 100% rPET initiative, where all versions of 20-oz Coca-Cola bottles will be made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding cap and label) in the U.S. This transition began in March and will be fully rolled out by the end of 2024. All producing bottling partners in The Coca-Cola System in U.S. and Canada are rolling out the lightweighted bottles at different points this year. In the U.S., the Coca-Cola system consists of 64 independently owned bottlers. To name a few, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, Liberty Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Swire Coca-Cola, and Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc. The company has one bottler in Canada, Coke Canada Bottling Limited. 

When asked how these bottling partners felt about the move, Santamaria says they’ve been willing and accommodating. “We’re so lucky to have such amazing partners who are committed to reducing use of virgin plastic and driving a circular economy,” he says. “It’s been a true team effort to get this initiative to where we are today.” 

Matt Reynolds. “Coke’s ‘First in Decades’ PET Lightweighting Project Sends Supply Chain Ripples” Packaging World. (Massive Coke PET Bottle Lightweighting Project is ‘First in Decades’ | Packaging World (packworld.com))

Kimberly Green Reynolds has been named Chief Procurement Officer for Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company (CCBSS) effective October 30, 2023, reporting to Brandi Shortt, CCBSS President and CEO. Kimberly will have further accountability to the Bottler Procurement Advisory Committee and the CCBSS Board of Directors.

As Chief Procurement Officer, Kimberly will lead the CCBSS Procurement organization and will be responsible for ensuring the function’s goal attainment. She will collaborate with leaders across the North America Coca-Cola Bottling System, Coca-Cola North America Operating Unit (NAOU), and suppliers in order to serve the organization’s customers in the areas of value creation and risk mitigation while delivering a competitive advantage.

Kimberly brings a wide range of expertise and business acumen to her new role. Most recently, she served as the Sr. Director, Ingredients and Commodity Risk Management for CCBSS Procurement, directing strategic sourcing, managing a portfolio of categories including beverage gases, sweeteners, and commodity insights. Kimberly has held management roles in CCBSS Procurement since becoming a part of the team in 2016.

Prior to joining the Coca-Cola System, Kimberly built an impressive 15-year career working in the areas of procurement and business transformation. Most currently before CCBSS, she held leadership roles with Archer Daniels Midland Company and Diageo.

With more than 20 years of operations and supply chain leadership experience, Kimberly is widely recognized for her extensive knowledge and capability in the areas of strategic business management, proficiency building, and integration initiatives. Her appointment represents the company’s deliberate focus on developing talent and helping to make it easier to do business in the Coca-Cola System. Kimberly believes in creating and maintaining operational partnerships which generate significant value and sustained success. A highly versatile leader, she has excelled at managing high-performance teams and has a demonstrated track record of transformative results.

Kimberly received an Executive MBA from the University of Connecticut and holds a BS in Agricultural Education from Clemson University.

Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company (CCBSS) recently concluded their annual Back to School Supply Drive. This effort spans three states: Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma. CCBSS provided over 200 backpacks to students in need and an ample reserve of supplies that will serve as a repository throughout the school year. In Oklahoma alone, the company’s donations were able to contribute to over 6,000 people served.

“CCBSS firmly upholds the principle of giving back to the communities where we reside and operate. Education forms a foundational pillar for CCBSS, and we are committed to supporting it wholeheartedly. Particularly in times of economic uncertainty, we recognize the critical importance of equipping students in under-resourced communities with the necessary tools and supplies to help them achieve success,” commented Caitlyn Carr, Senior Vice President, CCBSS Business Services. 

Throughout the years, CCBSS has donated thousands of backpacks and countless supplies, actively assisting in preparing students for successful academic journeys.

CCBSS regularly partners with a variety of non-profit organizations and programs aimed at providing students in underserved communities an equal opportunity.

$137.7 Million Fund to Focus on Key Investments in Packaging, Decarbonization and Other Initiatives with the Potential to Reduce the Coca‑Cola System’s Carbon Footprint

ATLANTA, July 12, 2023 – The Coca‑Cola Company and eight bottling partners from around the world today announced the closing of a new, $137.7 million venture capital fund focusing on sustainability investments.

Greycroft, a seed-to-growth venture capital firm, will manage the Greycroft Coca‑Cola System Sustainability Fund. The fund is the first of its kind for Greycroft, which invests in enterprise and consumer solutions across life cycles and industries.

The Coca‑Cola system’s carbon footprint is a major priority for the fund, so it will focus on five key areas with the most potential impact to start:

   • Packaging
   • Heating and cooling
   • Facility decarbonization
   • Distribution
   • Supply chain

“This fund offers an opportunity to pioneer innovative solutions and help scale them quickly within the Coca‑Cola system and across the industry,” said John Murphy, President and Chief Financial Officer of The Coca‑Cola Company. “We expect to benefit from getting access to emerging technology and science for sustainability and carbon reduction.”

The fund will seek to invest in companies at the point of commercialization. For Greycroft, partnering with the Coca‑Cola system presents an attractive opportunity to help scale innovations alongside some of the top bottling operations in the world.

“The market for sustainable supply chain and manufacturing technology has continued to grow as consumer brands rise to meet the demands of environmentally conscious customers,” said Dana Settle, Greycroft Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “Greycroft has an ‘invest anywhere’ approach that we believe allows us to identify promising startups with climate tech solutions ready to scale.”

Participants Across the World

The fund’s $137.7 million in capital comes primarily from $15 million of committed capital from each of the following companies:

   • The Coca‑Cola Company
   • Arca Continental
   • Coca‑Cola Bottling Co. UNITED
   • Coca‑Cola Consolidated
   • Coca‑Cola Europacific Partners
   • Coca‑Cola FEMSA
   • Coca‑Cola HBC
   • Reyes Coca‑Cola Bottling
   • Swire Coca‑Cola

Together, these bottlers represent nearly half of Coca‑Cola system volume around the world.

The system has a long history of investment in sustainability-focused projects that continue to make a difference in issues of global importance. For example:

 • In Latin America, The Coca‑Cola Company and Arca Continental have invested in leading recycled PET processing company
   PetStar; Coca‑Cola FEMSA has invested in IMER and a high-tech PET recycling plant, PLANETA.
 • In the Philippines, Coca‑Cola Beverages Philippines and Indorama Ventures invested in PETValue, the largest PET recycling
   plant in the country.
 • In Indonesia, Coca‑Cola Europacific Partners and Dynapack invested in the Amandina PET recycled content production facility;
   in Australia, as part of a cross-industry partnership with Cleanaway, Asahi Beverages and Pact Group, CCEP has invested in PET
   plastic recycling and production facilities.
 • In Europe, The Coca‑Cola Company provided Ioniqa with a loan to help develop technology to transform mixed-color, partly
   contaminated PET waste into clear, food-grade PET. 
 • CCEP, through CCEP Ventures, has invested in recycling start-up CuRe Technology, which uses polyester rejuvenation to target
   plastics that cannot be recycled by mechanical recycling methods and prevents them from being incinerated, downcycled or
   sent to landfill.
 • Coca‑Cola HBC has invested in in-house rPET production in Italy, Poland and Romania, while implementing a transition to 100%
   rPET portfolios in Switzerland, Italy and Austria. Similar transitions in Romania and the Island of Ireland are planned for later
   this year.
 • Several system bottlers have issued green bonds, including Arca Continental, Coca‑Cola FEMSA and Coca‑Cola HBC.
 • Swire Coca‑Cola has invested in establishing the first food-grade ready plastic recycling facility in Hong Kong.

Learn more about sustainability at The Coca‑Cola Company at https://www.coca-colacompany.com/reports/business-and-sustainability-report.

About The Coca‑Cola Company

The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca‑Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our water, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our juice, value-added dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Greycroft

Greycroft is a seed-to-growth venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs of all backgrounds to build category-defining companies. We have deep experience investing in consumer, enterprise, health tech, and fintech sectors around the globe and work as a team to support and advise entrepreneurs, empowering them to execute on their visions. Greycroft has raised over $3 billion in capital and has made over 400 investments since inception. For more information, please visit https://www.greycroft.com.

This press release may contain statements, estimates or projections that constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Generally, the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “project,” “will” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause The Coca‑Cola Company’s actual results to differ materially from its historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks include, but are not limited to, unfavorable economic and geopolitical conditions, including the direct or indirect negative impacts of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine; increased competition; an inability to be successful in our innovation activities; changes in the retail landscape or the loss of key retail or foodservice customers; an inability to expand our business in emerging and developing markets; an inability to successfully manage the potential negative consequences of our productivity initiatives; an inability to attract or retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce; disruption of our supply chain, including increased commodity, raw material, packaging, energy, transportation and other input costs; the negative impacts of, and continuing uncertainties associated with the scope, severity and duration of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the substance and pace of the post-pandemic economic recovery; an inability to successfully integrate and manage our acquired businesses, brands or bottling operations or an inability to realize a significant portion of the anticipated benefits of our joint ventures or strategic relationships; failure by our thirdparty service providers and business partners to satisfactorily fulfill their commitments and responsibilities; an inability to renew collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms, or we or our bottling partners experience strikes, work stoppages, labor shortages or labor unrest; obesity and other health-related concerns; evolving consumer product and shopping preferences; product safety and quality concerns; perceived negative health consequences of certain ingredients, such as non-nutritive sweeteners and biotechnology-derived substances, and of other substances present in our beverage products or packaging materials; failure to digitalize the Coca‑Cola system; damage to our brand image, corporate reputation and social license to operate from negative publicity, whether or not warranted, concerning product safety or quality, workplace and human rights, obesity or other issues; an inability to successfully manage new product launches; an inability to maintain good relationships with our bottling partners; deterioration in our bottling partners’ financial condition; an inability to successfully manage our refranchising activities; increases in income tax rates, changes in income tax laws or the unfavorable resolution of tax matters, including the outcome of our ongoing tax dispute or any related disputes with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”); the possibility that the assumptions used to calculate our estimated aggregate incremental tax and interest liability related to the potential unfavorable outcome of the ongoing tax dispute with the IRS could significantly change; increased or new indirect taxes; changes in laws and regulations relating to beverage containers and packaging; significant additional labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products; litigation or legal proceedings; conducting business in markets with high-risk legal compliance environments; failure to adequately protect, or disputes relating to, trademarks, formulas and other intellectual property rights; changes in, or failure to comply with, the laws and regulations applicable to our products or our business operations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; interest rate increases; an inability to achieve our overall long-term growth objectives; default by or failure of one or more of our counterparty financial institutions; impairment charges; an inability to protect our information systems against service interruption, misappropriation of data or cybersecurity incidents; failure to comply with privacy and data protection laws; failure to achieve our sustainability goals and targets or accurately report our progress due to operational, financial, legal and other risks, many of which are outside our control and are dependent on the actions of our bottling partners and other third parties; increasing concerns about the environmental impact of plastic bottles and other packaging materials; water scarcity and poor quality; increased demand for food products, decreased agricultural productivity and increased regulation of ingredient sourcing due diligence; climate change and legal or regulatory responses thereto; adverse weather conditions; and other risks discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and our subsequently filed quarterly reports, which filings are available from the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

ATLANTA, June 26, 2023 – Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company (CCBSS), a limited liability company owned by nearly 70 independent Coca-Cola bottlers, was recently awarded the dotONE Pioneer Award for Automation Excellence during HighRadius Corporation’s annual Radiance conference!

The award recognizes CCBSS’ transformational results in driving productivity through the automation of manual order-to-cash processes and redirecting resources to more strategic activities. In addition, it reflects the enormous efforts of the entire CCBSS team as they continue to implement innovative technology.

To date, these automations have resulted in significant productivity and efficiency gains for the organization. CCBSS strongly believes in building a culture of innovation. This award highlights the company’s passion of successfully implementing new strategic ideas.

Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company (CCBSS), a limited liability company owned by nearly 70 independent Coca-Cola bottlers, recently opened a new office at 8125 Highwoods Palm Way, Tampa, Florida, to accommodate collaboration and cultural engagement.

In addition to the corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, the new office space in Tampa supports the company’s operational strategy of innovation and sustainability. This development is a strong testament of the Coca-Cola System’s commitment to US-based shared service operations. The newest CCBSS office is an upgrade from its previous location to a modern, collaborative, and vibrant workplace home for its Florida-based associates.

“To better support our ways of working together in CCBSS, we opened a location that allows greater opportunity for a collaborative interdisciplinary team approach via an open office construct,” explained Brandi Shortt, CCBSS President and CEO. “The decision to move our presence in Tampa was an important step in our business strategy.”

The new CCBSS Tampa office is conveniently located on the I-75 corridor and is surrounded by a number of amenities for the company’s associates to enjoy. 

CCBSS Procurement embodies our Leadership Behavior of Engage & Inspire Growth by proactively looking for new innovative sustainable solutions. Janetta Lavender, CCBSS Senior Director of Procurement, and John Kocinski, CCBSS Director of Procurement, work diligently to support The Coca-Cola System’s sustainability mission. One of the team’s efforts recently came into fruition when Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages became the first US-based bottler to have KeelClip™ 1600 machinery in their Elmsford, NY production facility. This equipment installs fiber-based paper fasteners on six-packs instead of plastic rings.

CCBSS was proud to partner with Liberty Coca-Cola as well as various stakeholders to be part of a positive solution that will remove 75,000 pounds of plastic packaging yearly from the supply chain.

This is just one of the many solutions CCBSS is bringing forward. “We expect to see more bottlers and suppliers coming out with innovative ways of doing things throughout the years to come.” John Kocinski explained, “There is no idea that CCBSS Procurement turns away. When reviewing a new solution, we carefully analyze the cost, technical capital, value, and the package as a whole.” The KeelClip™1600 machinery implementation was a large-scale project that took a lot of time and effort to complete, but its success is a big step towards a sustainable future.

“As part of CCBSS Procurement, we act as a link between suppliers with new ideas and our bottlers to implement these ideas,” advised Janetta Lavender. Being innovative is ingrained in the CCBSS culture. We believe in serving as a single, forward-thinking voice to our bottlers and consistently collaborating as one CCBSS family.

Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company (CCBSS), a limited liability company owned by nearly 70 independent Coca-Cola bottlers, recently concluded their annual Back-to-School Supply Drive. The CCBSS team donated essential supplies to students in the company’s primary cities of operation, Atlanta, Tampa, and Tulsa.

In a campaign that ran for two weeks, employees across CCBSS generously contributed essential items to students and families experiencing hardship. Collectively, CCBSS gave away more than 200 backpacks and nearly $4,000 worth of school supplies to help ensure that local students have the items they need to aid in their success this year.

“At CCBSS we believe in supporting our communities where we live and work. Education is one of the corporate social responsibility pillars upon which CCBSS stands. Providing students in under-resourced communities with the tools and supplies they need to be successful and feel confident in school is crucial now more than ever,” said Caitlyn Carr, CCBSS Senior Vice President, Business Services. “I am proud that CCBSS and our employees can make a difference in our communities by helping kids get off to a great start as they begin a new school year.”

The company’s annual school supply drive represents just one more way in which CCBSS gives back to the communities they serve. Throughout the year, CCBSS partners with various non-profit organizations with the goal of providing students in underserved communities opportunities and resources. CCBSS has a long tradition of supporting communities in Atlanta, Tampa, and Tulsa. In addition to encouraging its employees to volunteer in the community, CCBSS team members are given time off during the regular business day each quarter for volunteer activities.