BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In its debut on the list, Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) was named the top company among America's Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes magazine for 2019.

Ball was recognized for its leadership-driven commitment to diversity and inclusion, including the diversity and inclusion team's direct reporting relationship to John Hayes, chairman, president and chief executive officer, as well as active participation by its board of directors, the continuous work of its nine Ball Resource Groups, partnerships with engineering-focused student organizations, and ongoing unconscious bias and inclusivity training.

"We are a growing, global company, and having an inclusive culture and a more diverse workforce provides us with different perspectives so we can continue to develop innovative ideas that help our customers win in the marketplace," Hayes said. "We are honored by Forbes' recognition, and we remain committed to making real, meaningful changes in our organization that continue to drive growth and economic value."

To determine the list, Forbes worked with research firm Statista, who anonymously surveyed 50,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees on criteria such as age, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation equality, as well as that of general diversity. Statista then asked respondents belonging to minority groups to nominate organizations other than their own. The final list ranks the 500 employers based on these survey results and recommendations, diversity among their boards and executive teams, and the most proactive diversity and inclusion initiatives.

"While we are on the right track, we realize we still have work to do," said Charles Johnson, senior director of diversity and inclusion. "The work we're doing right now is planting the seed so we can reap the benefits as a company and as a community. We've come a long way in a relatively short period of time, but where we're going, all I can say is: Watch out."

About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 17,500 people worldwide and 2017 net sales were $11 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter. 

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "targets," "likely," "positions" and similar expressions typically identify forward-looking statements, which are generally any statements other than statements of historical fact. Such statements are based on current expectations or views of the future and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied. You should therefore not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements and any of such statements should be read in conjunction with, and, qualified in their entirety by, the cautionary statements referenced below. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be different are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Additional factors that might affect: a) our packaging segments include product demand fluctuations; availability/cost of raw materials and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; competitive activity; footprint adjustments and other manufacturing changes; failure to achieve synergies, productivity improvements or cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; customer and supplier consolidation, power and supply chain influence; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or a loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; currency controls; changes in foreign exchange or tax rates, including due to the effects of the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; and tariffs or other governmental actions in any country affecting goods produced by us or in our supply chain, including imported raw materials,  such as pursuant to section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act of 1962; b) our aerospace segment include funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the company as a whole include those listed plus: changes in senior management; regulatory action or issues including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions or public concerns affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; technological developments and innovations; litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding geopolitical events and governmental policies both in the U.S. and in other countries, including the U.S. government elections, budget, sequestration and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and successful or unsuccessful joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures, including with respect to the Rexam PLC acquisition and its integration, or the associated divestiture; the effect of the acquisition or the divestiture on our business relationships, operating results and business generally.

SOURCE Ball Corporation