Allen Hill, SVP, Human Resources & Public Affairs. The mission of the UPS Diversity Steering Council is to “ensure that workforce, customer, and supplier diversity remain a visible core value.” With a domestic workforce that includes nearly 70,000 African Americans, and with minorities accounting for 50% of its new hires last year, UPS has proven its dedication to cultivating a multicultural environment indicative of the company’s global reach. Diversity extends to executive leadership: minorities hold 85 senior management positions — with blacks filling 52 of those posts — and five of the company’s board members are black, including John Thompson, chairman and CEO of Symantec Corp.
Advertising Diversity Rating: 1 Star
STRENGTHS: Senior Management, Employee Base
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. Location: New York, NY. Type of Business: Telecommunications. Diversity Contact: Magda Yrizarry, VP, Workplace Culture, Diversity and Compliance. A leading provider of telephone and broadband services, Verizon’s initiatives speak to its diversity commitment, from workforce development and supplier relationships to marketing and corporate philanthropy. Diversity is reflected among the top ranks, with one company executive appearing on BE’s 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America and 50 Most Powerful Black Women in Business lists. Fifty-two of the 279 senior management positions are filled by minorities; 24 by African Americans.
Advertising Diversity Rating: 5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Board of Directors
WACHOVIA CORP. Location: Charlotte, NC. Type of Business: Financial services. Diversity Contact: Dewey Norwood, Communication Manager, Corporate Communications. Aligning its customer base and engaging communities while attracting talented individuals is Wachovia’s central tenet. The bank has a stellar minority employment record: More than 18,000 employees are African American and 8.04% of them hold managerial positions. In 2005, procurement dollars for minorities totaled $6.8 million, of which $57.4 million was spent with black-owned suppliers. Of the bank’s 1,730 supplier contracts, 598 are with minority-owned companies. Wachovia deploys its “customer, community, and supplier diversity strategies in a way that aligns with the bank’s diversity mission and values.”
Advertising Diversity Rating: 5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Supplier Diversity
WAL-MART STORES INC. Location: Bentonville, AR. Type of Business: Retail. Diversity Contact: Esther Silver-Parker, VP, Diversity Relations. The $312.4 billion retail force continues to strive for improvement in its employment practices. Diversity starts at Wal-Mart’s 14-member board, which includes four minorities, two of whom are African American. Minorities hold 44 of the 324 corporate officer positions and 10 of the 82 senior management positions, with African Americans holding 17 and three spots, respectively. And nearly one-third of Wal-Mart’s U.S. workforce is composed of minorities. In 2005, total procurement spent was $175 billion, with $3.1 billion going to minority-owned business. Of that figure, $98.2 million was spent with black-owned businesses.
Advertising Diversity Rating: 5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Board of Directors
XEROX CORP. Location: Stamford, CT. Type of Business: Computer hardware & office equipment. Diversity Contact: Phillip Harlow, Chief Diversity, Employee Advocacy, and Industrial Relations Officer. Xerox’s diversity track record is exemplified in a number of ways, most notably in workforce inclusion. With an ever-increasing demand for technically skilled employees, the office equipment manufacturer requires that managers continually look for the best and brightest among