Cynthia DiPietrantonio Recognized with 2014 Roger Milliken Achievement Award

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cynthia DiPietrantonio, former chief operating officer of The Jones Group, was honored with the 2014 GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Roger Milliken Achievement Award for her more than 30 years of contributions to the apparel and footwear industry. She was recognized at a reception held yesterday during the GS1 Connect 2014 conference, hosted by GS1 US at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina and the San Diego Convention Center.

The Roger Milliken Achievement Award honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding innovation and leadership in the application of GS1 Standards and industry best practices to improve supply chain collaboration. Roger Milliken was known for being a catalyst for transformational best business practices across multiple industries. Now in its 18^th year, the award program continues in his memory to recognize those who demonstrate the vision and leadership that makes the retail industry operate more effectively.

With a wealth of experience in the apparel and footwear industry, Ms. DiPietrantonio has been a dedicated leader and a vocal advocate of standards-based initiatives. She was a founding member of the GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Executive Leadership Committee, and an executive board member of Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions^® (VICS). A strong supporter of radio frequency identification (RFID) education and adoption among suppliers and throughout the retail community, Ms. DiPietrantonio has also been instrumental in other initiatives, including industry standards for environmentally-friendly hangers.

"The work of Cindy DiPietrantonio demonstrates that great accomplishments can be achieved when innovative business executives leverage standards to support high-value business practices," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO, GS1 US. "As a true collaborator, she has helped both retailers and suppliers develop and adopt standards, as well as improve their ability to efficiently serve their customers. While the retail industry rapidly changes, Cindy has driven the evolution needed to allow the community to meet new and unprecedented demands."

GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative members nominated strategic thinkers and leaders whose vision and work have produced positive results in community engagement, customer satisfaction and process improvement in the retail community. The winner was determined after a ballot vote by the Initiative's Executive Leadership Committee. Last year, GS1 US honored Elizabeth "Gay" Millson-Whitney with a posthumous Roger Milliken Achievement Award for her ability to create transformational change.

GS1 Connect 2014 is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, Riversands, The J.M. Smucker Company, 1WorldSync, Axway, EDICOM, EdictSystems and Frequentz. Visit www.gs1connect.org for more information.

About the GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative
The GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative is a retail industry group that is committed to defining business challenges and opportunities and organizing members to explore solutions and create adoption plans. More than 130 suppliers, distributors, retailers and logistics providers are participating members in Initiative activities, focused on improving inventory accuracy, exchanging standardized product data and achieving traceability with GS1 Standards. More information about the GS1 US Apparel and General Merchandise Initiative is available at www.gs1us.org/apparel/gm.

About GS1 US
GS1 US, a member of the global information standards organization GS1^®, brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC^®)-based RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code^® (UNSPSC^®). www.GS1US.org.

Photos are available upon request.

SOURCE GS1 US