Awards Reception Was Hosted by the African American Chamber of N.J. and the N.J. Chamber of Commerce
TRENTON, N.J. – Six New Jersey businesses that are leading the way in demonstrating tangible and measurable progress in DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) were recognized Nov. 20 at the second annual DE&I Trailblazer Awards reception, co-hosted by the African American Chamber Commerce of New Jersey and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
“These are the companies and organizations that don’t just support DE&I, they are setting measurable equity and inclusion goals and meeting them,” said John E. Harmon Sr., IOM, founder, president & CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
“They are making a difference. We applaud these trailblazers and encourage their counterparts in the business community to work toward similar measurable goals.”
“We are honoring the companies that are walking the walk,” added Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. “We are recognizing and celebrating the DE&I champions who are meeting the challenge and challenging the status quo.”
The DE&I Trailblazer Awards at the Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge revealed honorees that have excelled in these 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.
The Awardees
The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Corporate Citizenship’ category went to Johnson & Johnson. Between matching employee donations and cash grants, Johnson & Johnson gave more than $12 million in each of the last three years to organizations in New Jersey – with $4.1 million in 2022 going to nonprofit organizations that address DE&I.
The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Access to Capital’ category went to Santander US. Santander offers a free executive leadership training program designed to help small- and medium-sized business owners in under-resourced communities. With a focus on minority-, women-, veteran-, and immigrant-owned businesses, the program helps small business entrepreneurs gain access to executive education, networking opportunities, and debt and equity capital. From 2005 through 2019, the program’s 3,836 alumni companies have averaged 126% growth in revenue, created 22,707 jobs, and raised $2.3 billion in capital.
The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Supplier Diversity’ category went to Hackensack Meridian Health. HMH created an Executive Diversity Council co-chaired by the CEO and the chief diversity officer, who reports directly to the CEO. And it established a supplier diversity-driven goal tied to executive compensation. The result? It increased its annual supplier diversity spend by 32% in 2023 – to $69.3 million. HMH has also created a supplier diversity showcase to ensure small and diverse businesses have equal access to opportunities. As a result of these and many other efforts, HMH was recently ranked first by Diversity, Inc. magazine in its 2023 Top Hospitals and Health Care Systems list.
The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Board Diversity’ category went to Modivcare. The social services company’s board of directors boasts a diverse composition of 10 members, including an African-American member, an Asian-Indian member, two female members, and one director whose gender is non-identified. The awardee’s DE&I success is striking in another way. Their executive leadership team includes an African-American male, who serves as the president of mobility; a white female who serves as chief compliance officer; and a female who is president of its personal care services division.
The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Workforce Diversity’ category went to Phillips 66 – Bayway. In 2022, 36% of Phillips 66 – Bayway’s global hires were women, and 42% of its U.S. hires were from underrepresented groups. Additionally, the company supports academic training grants and education opportunities for young women and minorities working in the fields of STEM – science, technology, engineering and math. Its work has paid off. For two consecutive years, it has earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index based on nondiscrimination policies, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ employees and their families, supporting an inclusive culture, and corporate social policy.
The DE&I Trailblazer Award in the ‘Emerging DE&I Influencer’ category went to New Jersey Institute of Technology. A year ago, NJIT hired its inaugural chief diversity officer, Dr. David E. Jones. And under Dr. Jones’ leadership, it launched the Office of Inclusive Excellence. In the fall of 2023, Dr. Jones was recognized as a 2023 Champion of Diversity by DiversityGlobal Magazine. This fall, in NJIT’s first-year class, underrepresented minorities made up a record 50% of the class, and the enrollment of women – at 30% – was at an all-time high. The number of first-year students identifying as Black has nearly tripled since 2013 – and Hispanic first-year enrollment has reached over 30% for the second year in a row.
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:
AmeriHealth
Bank of America
Bridge Builders Newark, LLC
CannPowerment
The Ceceilyn Miller Institute for Leadership & Diversity
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi P.C.
Cole Schotz
Delta Dental of New Jersey
Gibbons P.C.
Hackensack Meridian Health
Johnson & Johnson
Lockerbie & Co.
Modivcare
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Phillips 66-Bayway Refinery
PSEG
Santander US
Somerset County Business Partnership
Tené Nícole Creative Agency
UnitedHealth Group
We Are Jersey
About the African American Chamber of Commerce of N.J.
The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) performs an essential role in the economic viability of New Jersey. While providing a platform for New Jersey’s African American business leaders, to speak with a collective voice, the AACCNJ advocates and promotes economic diversity fostering a climate of business growth through major initiatives centering on education and public policy. The Chamber serves as a proactive advocacy group with a 501(c) 3 tax exemption, which is shared by the National Black Chamber of Commerce