Douglas M. Baker, Jr., chairman and CEO of Ecolab Inc., has received the Dayton Award for Distinction in Moral Capitalism from the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism. The award, presented Nov. 22, recognizes Minnesota business leaders for corporate responsibility and celebrates big picture thinking about how business improves lives and societies.

“We chose Doug as the first recipient of the Dayton Award because of his leadership around water and his dedication to improving lives through the products and services of his company,” said Stephen B. Young, global executive director of the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism.   

Baker has been chairman and CEO of Ecolab since 2006. Ecolab ranked #2 on Newsweek’s most recent Green Rankings list, #8 on Corporate Responsibility’s list of Best Corporate Citizens and #26 on Barron’s list of Most Sustainable Companies. The company regularly appears on Fortune’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies and has been named to Ethisphere’s list of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 13 consecutive years.    

“One of my main responsibilities as chairman and CEO of Ecolab is to make sure our company achieves our purpose: to make the world cleaner, safer, protecting people and vital resources,” said Baker. “We have worked hard to ensure that what we sell brings both customer and community benefits. So, for us, there is no conflict between our success and our community’s success.” 

The Dayton Award’s name is intended to recognize Minnesota’s heritage of business responsibility. “We have a rich history of business serving the community through jobs, goods and services and support for cultural institutions, schools and charities,” said Young. “The Dayton family helped found that tradition. The five grandsons of founder George Draper Dayton expanded the family business from a single department store to a national retail force while investing in the communities they served. That legacy continues today throughout our business community.” 

For more information about the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism, visit www.cauxroundtable.org or follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/CauxRoundTable.