Advertising Diversity Rating: 1; Strengths: Supplier Diversity, Senior Management, Employee Base
Texas Instruments; Dallas; Technology; Betty Purkey, Manager, Work/Life Strategies; TI’s diversity initiatives have spawned an array of diversity-focused organizations charged with accelerating the company’s push for inclusion and led to the creation of an internal metric system to track the company’s progress. As a result of these efforts, roughly 10% of the company’s nearly 15,000 employees are black; one out of 14 corporate officers is black; and three out of 18 senior managers are minorities. In terms of procurement, minority-owned companies represent 7% of TI’s supplier pool. One of its top corporate vendors is World Wide Technology Inc. (No. 1 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $2.1 billion in sales). ; N/A; Advertising Diversity Rating: 1; Strengths: Senior Management
TIAA-CREF; New York; Financial services; Dermot J. O’Brien, EVP, Human Resources & Corporate Services; With more than $406 billion in combined assets under management, TIAA-CREF is one of the world’s largest retirement systems. Top executives in the company have been named to BE’s 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America list. TIAA-CREF also shows its diversity in its employee base: 26% of the company’s 6,547 employees are African American, and 19% of its senior managers are minorities. The company is also involved in diverse community organizations, including INROADS, which prepares minority students for business careers through internships. ; N/A; Advertising Diversity Rating: 1; Strengths: Senior Management, Employee Base
WGL Holdings Inc.; Washington, DC; Utility; Roberta Sims, VP, Corporate Relations; WGL Holdings, parent company of Washington Gas Light Co., is serious about diversity. About 47% of the company’s employees are minorities, with African Americans comprising 39.2%. The company receives high marks in the area of board representation-African Americans occupy four of the corporation’s eight board seats. Last year, WGL spent more than $37 million with ethnic minority suppliers; $32 million went to African American suppliers. Minorities are also represented in the executive suite. Its highest-ranking African American executive is James H. DeGraffenreidt Jr., the company’s chairman and chief executive officer. ; N/A; Advertising Diversity Rating: 1; Strengths: Supplier Diversity, Senior Management, Employee Base, Board of Directors
Toyota Motor North America Inc.; New York; Automotive; T. Hudson Williams, Corporate Diversity Manager; Toyota North America has embraced inclusion as a business imperative. Its commitment is apparent in the composition of its supplier base and dealer network: 7.7% of Toyota’s suppliers are minority-owned companies (3.7% are black-owned) and the company spent 10.4% of its procurement dollars with them. To ensure diversity throughout its supply chain, the company has implemented an inventive Tier II Sourcing Program, helping companies like Millennium Steel Services L.L.C. (No. 28 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $149.6 million in sales) become top suppliers. ; 2006; Advertising Diversity Rating: 5; Strengths: Supplier Diversity
Xerox Corp.; Stamford, CT; Computer and office equipment; Ernest Hicks, Manager, Corporate Diversity Office; With three African Americans as division presidents, including the recent promotion of Ursula Burns to president, it is evident Xerox is not afraid to elevate minorities to its top