Listing of American Hero Companies

   Jerry Fleming, in his book Profit At Any Cost? Why Business Ethics Makes Sense, (Baker Books, published 2003) writes, “A study conducted by M. Zetlin revealed that fifteen Fortune 500 companies that employed written ethical principles for over twenty years grew twice a fast as the average Fortune 500 company.”

   Even though our main objective is not investment performance, it is, nevertheless, nice to discover research, like the Zetlin study, that appears to give credence to our concept of “Values-Driven Investing.” Below are some statements regarding values and ethics from public, printed material of some of our American Hero companies. (As always we must remember that past performance is no assurance of future results.)

1. Be mindful of the importance of others; give credit for accomplishments and not seek the spotlight for yourself.

2. Serve all customers as they wish to be served.

3. We firmly believe that our Company is a powerful vehicle through which we channel our time, talent and energy in pursuit of the fundamental goal of serving God by serving others.

4. Leadership may change, technology may evolve and markets will experience up and down cycles, but our commitment to “doing the right thing” never changes.

5. We are accountable for our actions. We are a good neighbor and citizen in the community.

6. Ethics and (company name) have long been synonymous. In fact, our first formal code of ethics was adopted in the early 1980’s.

7. Throughout its history, our company has earned a reputation for high quality and integrity, and this has been an asset of incalculable value. We strive to live up to these expectations, not just because it is good business, but because it is the right thing to do.

8. (Company name) has followed and will continue to follow a moral and ethical path. While our focus is to achieve the highest return on capital possible, we will not sacrifice financial prudence to achieve that end. Integrity has to be a key paradigm of any successful company.

9. A way of life that instills values-driven behaviors in all we do.

10. We at (company name) believe that the underlying principle for proper corporate governance is a simple one - "Do the right thing.”

Click here download a sample profile of one of our American Hero Companies.