We are so excited to congratulate our Chief Compliance Officer, Barry Champney on being named a Giraffe Hero. The Giraffe Heroes Project is a nonprofit organization that honors “the risk-takers, people who are largely unknown, people who have the courage to stick their necks out for the common good, in the US and around the world.”
Barry received the honor for “sticking his neck out” for his role in the fight against Chlordane. Barry practices what we call, compassionate Compliance at Vanderbilt Financial Group, and has always been devoted to our core values (Gratitude, Respect, Innovation, Teamwork, and Trust) as well as to our dedication to serving our environment and community through our green initiatives, focus on Impact Investing, and charity work. This recognition is a perfect fit for Barry and we could not be more proud.
In 1980’s Barry began his work fighting against the man-made toxic chemical Chlordane after finding our it had been used by exterminators on his home by previous owners. He eventually Co-Founded “People Against Chlordane” and dedicated much of his life educating the public through speaking engagements and media appearances like Good Morning America. “People Against Chlordane” won the fight and Chlordane was banned in the United States in 1988. Barry later served as a special committee member to Governor Mario Cuomo regarding pesticide use in New York State.
In the non-profit’s over 30 years of work, they’ve been extremely selective in naming only 1,239 individual Giraffes and 36 Groups Worldwide. Congratulations Barry for being recognized by such an exclusive and meaningful group, and thank you for your continued dedication to living our values and making a difference!
Read all about Barry’s crusade against Chlordane is the Giraffe Heroes Database here!
