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The Inaugural Awards Ceremony was Hosted by the African American Chamber of N.J. and the N.J. Chamber

Six New Jersey companies that are leading the way in demonstrating tangible and measurable progress in DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) were honored as outstanding corporate citizens at the first-ever DE&I Trailblazer Awards reception Nov. 3, hosted by the African American Chamber Commerce of New Jersey and the N.J. Chamber of Commerce.

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“These are the companies that don’t just support diversity, equity and inclusion, they are setting measurable equity and inclusion goals and meeting them,” said John E. Harmon Sr., founder, president & CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ). “They are making a difference, but this event is just the beginning. We applaud these trailblazers and we encourage their mainstream counterparts to work towards similar measurable goals.”

“We are honoring the companies that are walking the walk,” added Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the N.J. Chamber. “We are recognizing and celebrating the champions who are meeting the challenge and challenging the status quo.”

The DE&I Trailblazer reception, at the Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge, revealed award recipients that have excelled in key areas: access to capital; board diversity; corporate citizenship; supplier diversity; and workforce diversity. Also presented was an ‘Emerging DE&I Influencer’ award that recognizes a business that is in the beginning phases of implementing a promising DE&I program.

(Photo: Edit Karacsony Photography)

The Awardees

The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Corporate Citizenship’ category went to the law firm Gibbons PC. Gibbons created a trio of pro bono programs that assist small, minority-owned businesses. The firm has made a multimillion dollar investment in its corporate citizenship and its attorneys donated more than 600 hours to clients in 2021.

The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Access to Capital’ category went to the UCEDC (Union County Economic Development Council). It made 62% of its loans in 2021 to minority-owned businesses and 42% were to women-owned businesses. In total, its $4.8 million in loans directly created more than 600 jobs. In addition, UCEDC established two programs that serve diverse business owners – one is an incubator program for new and growing businesses and the other is its ‘Entrepreneurship as a Second Chance’ program.

The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Supplier Diversity’ category went to Burns & McDonnell, the engineering, architecture and construction firm. Burns & McDonnell has worked with more than 2,700 small and diverse suppliers spanning the 50 states, Canada, Mexico, India and the UK. The firm has devoted 25% of its overall spending on small and diverse businesses. And it has created a series of information and networking events to ensure small and diverse businesses have equal access to opportunities.

The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Board Diversity’ category went to Columbia Bank. Columbia Bank set a goal that its board reflect the makeup of its employee body. They succeeded. Its board is now comprised of 30% women and 20% minorities – just as is its employee body. Its executive leadership team is also now 30% women and 20% minorities, and its senior executives are comprised of 34% women and 10% minorities. This is critical because it is from these leadership ranks that future board members are cultivated.

The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Workforce Diversity’ category went to Hackensack Meridian Health. It established benchmarks for diversity in workforce recruitment, talent management and leadership accountability, including tying executive compensation to increasing diversity in leadership positions. It also created employee education and communication programs, including a “Listening to Understand” initiative in which its employees participated in discussions regarding race, social justice and socio-economic issues. Those discussions continue today. As a result, Hackensack Meridian was ranked fourth by DiversityInc magazine in its 2022 Top Hospitals and Health Care Systems.

The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Emerging DE&I Influencer’ category - created to recognize a business that is in the beginning phases of implementing a promising DE&I program - went to Provident Bank. Provident Bank conducts informational courses for employees on unconscious bias, micro-behaviors, micro-aggressions and cross cultural communications. The bank also has revamped its supplier diversity program and established a monitoring program that tracks its spending on minority-, women-, LGBTQ- and veteran-owned businesses. Further, the bank created a diversity council which advises its human resources department and its executive leadership team to ensure its diversity strategy aligns with the company’s overall business strategies.

Honoring Companies that are ‘Walking the Walk’

The Nominees

For the past two months, the two chambers have accrued an impressive list of nominees that represent a wide range of business sizes and industries. All of them have inspiring and uplifting stories to demonstrate how they moved diversity, equity and inclusion to the forefront of their business strategies.

 The nominees considered were:

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(Photo: Edit Karacsony Photography)