Coke Florida's National Black History Month Programming Continues to Deliver on Commitment to Education & Economic Empowerment
Technology Focused Contributions Surpass $900K
TAMPA, Fla., February 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As one of the largest Black owned businesses in the Nation, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is proud to recognize National Black History Month and celebrate the many contributions that Black Americans have made in our Nation's history. Through the company's continued focus on Education and Economic Empowerment, Coke Florida will provide educational and technology resources to communities throughout the state. Through these initiatives, Coke Florida has been able to create a positive and lasting impact on the lives of Floridians.
"Our initiatives will help people and communities reach their full potential," said Percy L. Wells, II, Group Vice President, Government Relations, Public Affairs, and Communications at Coke Florida. "Whether it be through the creation of new learning opportunities for an elementary school student or helping an adult in their job search, Coke Florida has stepped in to help foster these opportunities."
During National Black History Month, Coke Florida will donate 300 new laptops towards this worthy campaign, increasing its total to nearly 1,800 laptops since the program began in 2016. Additionally, the company has begun developing and enhancing community tech labs with needed hardware since 2021 to support expanded access for students. With eight tech labs being dedicated this month, a total of 18 computer labs will have been refreshed across the state in just three years.
The final component of Coke Florida's National Black History Month campaign will support the UGA Invitational presented by Coke Florida. This year marks the fourth consecutive year Coke Florida will serve as presenting sponsor of the United Golfers Association's (UGA) annual invitational. UGA leads the way in promoting diversity in golf, and the invitational offers a unique opportunity for elite minority golfers to compete while providing educational opportunities to aspiring junior and collegiate athletes. This year's event will be held at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor and will commemorate UGA's 100th anniversary.
To learn more about Coke Florida's Black History Month initiatives, visit cokeflorida.com/blackhistorymonth.
About Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC
Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is the sixth largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Coke Florida markets, sells, manufactures, distributes, and merchandises products of The Coca-Cola Company in an exclusive territory that covers over 21 million consumers across 47 Florida counties that includes the Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville metropolitan areas. The company employs over 5,000 associates and has four GreenCircle certified manufacturing facilities and eighteen sales and distribution centers. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Tampa, Coke Florida is the one of the largest Black-owned business in the United States and is Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certified. In 2024, Coke Florida was recognized as a US Best Managed Company by Deloitte-Private and The Wall Street Journal for the third consecutive year. To learn more, visit www.cokeflorida.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250205636301/en/
Contacts
Media Contact: J. Katrinda McQueenVice President, Communicationskmcqueen@cocacolaflorida.com 813-557-9088
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