Newell CEO had planned to stay in group

A CEO with metro Atlanta ties had told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution early Wednesday, before the manufacturing council was scuttled, that he planned to stay with the group.

Michael Polk, CEO of Newell Brands, which makes Sharpie pens, Rubbermaid products and Calphalon cookware, condemned white supremacists and other hate groups in a statement, and said the company is committed to diversity and inclusion.

“We find the events of this past weekend in Charlottesville to be incredibly troubling,” Polk said. “There is simply no place in our society for racism of any kind, white supremacy, or neo-Nazism. The values that form these views are intolerable and completely contrary to everything we hold true as proud Americans.”

But Polk also said that given Newell’s U.S. manufacturing footprint – including more than 60 factories and 15,000 workers —“it is in our best interests to have a voice in the conversations that can influence the environment in which we work... I plan to continue to collaborate with other leaders from diverse industries, who represent a variety of perspectives and beliefs, to help shape strategies and develop policies that foster a more vibrant economy and more jobs in the U.S.”

Newell moved its headquarters to Hoboken, N.J., last year following a merger, but it maintains a large presence at its former home offices in Sandy Springs.