American Solutions for Business has created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion council composed of employees from all around the country. The council crosses gender, geographic, age and department lines, and has a goal of sharing education and awareness with all members of ASB.
The council developed the following mission statement: At ASB, we help people live their American dream. Our mission is to promote, educate and close gaps in understanding the individuality of our employees. Respect and inclusion are the cornerstone of our culture, and our passion to create the best employee and customer experience drives innovation. We will pursue diversity, equity and inclusion in our communities and workplaces, backed by our commitment to empathy and compassion.
Below are the inaugural members of the council.
Sarah Louden
VP of Human Resources
Senior Leadership Support
“I am looking forward to helping our ASB team learn, grow, celebrate each other, as well as provide a safe space for talking about questions or concerns. I am very excited and proud to be part of a leadership team and council that are all working together to continue to foster this great culture were our employees feel valued and respected.”
Datha Harrison
Sales Associate
Education & Awareness Committee
“I am confident the DEI training ASB leadership experienced is a start to more inclusion at ASB. This work needs momentum in the field. I am here to help.”
Rob Whitman
Sales Associate
Education & Awareness Committee
“I would like to contribute to the greater awareness of DEI across ASB. And I can always learn how to be better at making people feel comfortable with being their true self at work. As a parent of a gay child, I am a fierce ally of that community as well.”
Aldina Nasic
Sales Associate
Initiatives & Projects Committee
“I love to see that DEI is being celebrated at ASB. This is important since it acknowledges the individual strengths of each employee and the potential they bring to ASB.”
Kimberly Villanueva
Field Employee
Initiatives & Projects Committee
“DEI allows organizations to be more inclusive of different ideas, cultures and lifestyles, leading to improved company culture, and this is so important to our customers. The way we treat our employees and our customers should match. I have years of experience being in customer service and coming from a diverse multi racial household.”
Nikki Craig
Sales Associate
Initiatives & Projects Committee
“I am a minority woman born in Marianao, Cuba (foreign, refugee now US Citizen). I was a former Chair and Co-Chair of the Diversity Leadership Team for Russell Corporation. I look to be a neutral voice for all and help ASB be a diversity leader.”
Chip Brady
Sales Associate
Council Liaison & Outreach Committee
“I am admittedly the polar opposite of what someone would think of when it comes to DEI. I’m a late-middle-aged, straight, white guy. But I believe that if our company, and our world, is going to reach its full potential, we need to recognize and involve everyone, regardless of the differences between us. We can only do that if we reflect on what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, and eliminate the barriers that keep that from happening.”
Rhianna Graham
Sales Support Representative
Council Liaison & Outreach Committee
“I want to learn how to help everyone achieve their goals and how to best facilitate any needs they may have. ASB is an amazing company, and I can only imagine the things a company like this can do, not just for their employees, but the communities of those as well. DEI is such a widespread area.”
Steffany Rivera
Marketing Specialist & Graphic Design
Council Liaison & Outreach Committee
“I want to learn more about the impact DEI makes on society, especially in the workplace. I was born in Central America, El Salvador and when I arrived to the USA 18+ years ago, DEI was not a significant movement. There was a lack of representation of people my color in high school, university and my early professional jobs. I have experienced the consequences of the lack of awareness of DEI in the workplace.”
Eric Gorghuber
Senior Director of Enterprise Systems
Council Member
“As a leader of a team that has people with many different backgrounds/cultures, I hope to extend my understanding of guiding them as best I can.”
Stan Klarenbeek
National Director of Vertical Markets
Council Member
“I think there are misconceptions about what DEI is, and this is an opportunity to deal with misconceptions and help all to understand the goals of ASB in this endeavor.”
To learn more about American Solutions for Business, visit http://www.americanbus.com.
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