For Immediate Release:Memphis, TN -- Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, announced that AutoZone has been named a BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America honoree for 2015.

Presented every year by the Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), a division of Americans for the Arts, the BCA 10 awards honor 10 U.S. companies for their exceptional commitment to the arts through grants, local partnerships, volunteer programs, matching gifts, sponsorships, and board membership.

AutoZone has been a champion of the arts and cultural initiatives and institutions in Memphis for decades, and this has manifested through unique funding programs, civic leadership, and employee engagement. Through a dedicated grant category named ArtsZone, AutoZone provides substantial annual funding to ArtsMemphis and dozens of carefully-vetted arts and cultural organizations. A workplace giving specifically for the arts, employee volunteerism and special events support compliment the financial support AutoZone offers to local cultural and arts organizations.

"Even as AutoZone has evolved over the last 36 years, we’ve maintained a steadfast commitment to our hometown of Memphis,” said Bill Rhodes AutoZone’s Chairman, President and CEO, Customer Satisfaction. “Leadership and active participation in our region’s arts and culture are essential to community engagement and growth.”

The BCA 10 Awards will be presented by Americans for the Arts on October 6, 2015, at a black-tie gala at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City.

The 2015 honorees are: Ameriprise Financial (Minneapolis, MN) AutoZone, Inc. (Memphis, TN) BNY Mellon (New York, NY) Corning Incorporated (Corning, NY) GE’s FirstBuild (Louisville, KY) NV Energy and the NV Energy Foundation (Reno, NV)Prospective Inc. (Reston, VA)Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods (Houston, TX) The Trust Company of Kansas (Wichita, KS) U.S. Bank (Minneapolis, MN)

"We are grateful to honor these 10 businesses for their exceptional involvement in ensuring that the arts thrive in their communities," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "These businesses provide the arts with significant financial and in-kind support, and they incorporate meaningful arts-related programs into their employee, customer, and community relations activities. They enrich the lives of millions of Americans and truly set a standard for other businesses to follow."  

For information regarding BCA 10, please contact Stacy Lasner, Business Committee for the Arts Coordinator at (212) 223-2787or via e-mail at slasner@artsusa.org.Corning Incorporated and U.S. Bank are Presenting Sponsors of the BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America 2015 gala.