National Safety Council Event Stays Local, Increases Attendance

On April 14, the National Safety Council hosted its Green Cross for Safety Dinner at Union Station. For the past 12 years, the nonprofit organization has held the event as a way to honor "an organization that demonstrates a steadfast commitment to improving safety and health in the workplace and beyond," said development operations coordinator Michon Mohan.

This year, the Green Cross for Safety medal went to Schneider Electric. "The event city is chosen with input from the honoree company. It is not always held in Chicago," Mohan said. "It happened that the 2011 honoree and the 2010 honoree, Exelon Nuclear, both have a strong presence in Chicago. Chicago is also the corporate home of the National Safety Council." Last year's affair took place at Navy Pier; this year, planners switched venues "to make it a different experience for our event attendees," Mohan said.

About 800 guests attended the black-tie event, which included a reception, a Blue Plate-catered dinner, and springy decor from Kehoe Designs. Last year's attendance was 600, and Mohan said the increased guest count was due to the event's strong corporate backing: Each year, the honoree company invites its own set of guests. Other corporate partners, such as UPS, Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola Refreshments, and Nationwide, purchased tables, which started at $5,000.

Along with honoring businesses, the event serves to raise funds for the council. This year, it raked in more than $1.1 million.