Emerald CEO to Chair Heart & Stroke Walk

Emerald Textiles, San Diego, recently announced that its CEO, Tom Gildred, was named chair of the 2016 American Heart Association’s (AHA) San Diego Heart and Stroke Walk.

“I am delighted to be selected as the chair of the 2016 Heart Walk," Gildred said. "It is important to me to support the work of the American Heart Association with the goal of doing away with cardiovascular disease and stroke. Emerald Textiles has been a supporter and fundraiser for five years now, and we are proud to continue that tradition.”

In 2015, the American Heart Association’s San Diego Heart and Stroke Walk had more than 10,000 participants and raised more than $1.4 million to help in the fight against cardiovascular disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the U.S., the release said.

Gildred brings a significant resume in business and the community to the position. Through his leadership, Emerald Textiles built a facility that has won awards from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the local utility for their extreme energy savings. Emerald also has recently received recognition and rebates from the water authority for its conservation of water in the region. He is the winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award™ locally and has twice been a national finalist. Gildred serves on numerous boards of directors, benefiting both local companies and nonprofits. He recently won the Millennium Award from the Friends of Balboa Park and was named “Most Admired CEO” by the San Diego Business Journal.