Business

Citing a profound civic responsibility in the tech-heavy city of San Jose, CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook created a corporate fund to advance affordable housing projects in the city four years ago. Now, $1.5 billion has already been spent, and it’s resulted in the creation of thousands of housing units…

Inflation may come and go, but bargain hunters are here to stay, with a third of Americans claiming they’re the best bargain hunter they know (34%), according to a new poll. The survey of 2,000 Americans’ shopping habits found that 36% of respondents will always look for a deal even when…

In colorful clogs and a blue hat to match her Walmart team vest, 86-year-old Mary Ruth Robinson is a greeter at the Carrollton, Kentucky location. But to the people shopping there, she is so much more: an infectious personality with the power to turn around anyone’s day. The automatic doors are…

As another weekend drew to a close and the Monday workday loomed, the manager of a New Zealand hardware store was opening for business when her staff came and told her the strangest thing. Seals found in Bunnings tend to be for windows or pipes, and don’t typically come with whiskers…

Rachel Heinze has an unusual side hustle, on top of her preferred work as a stay-at-home mom of 2. After an exhausting, problem-filled first year of breastfeeding her oldest Lucas, she got a ring set with a pale-white stone made from a powdered form of her own breast milk and thought…

In May, Airbnb began helping its hosts in Massachusetts afford climate-friendly or energy-efficient home improvements, such as insulation, rooftop solar arrays, or heat pumps. Airbnb is partnering with Abode Energy Management to offer a $2,000 rebate on heat pump installation and $500 for weathering upgrades. The chief aim of Airbnb is…

In Savannah, Georgia, a female-led non-profit works in hard hats and pink high-vis vests in a gradually growing business of reuse and recycling—deconstruction. Deconstruction is what you do if most parts of a building could and should be used again; because they’re made from heritage materials; because they’re built with boards…