Inclusion by Instinct : The Financial Impact of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Small and Medium Sized Businesses

Presented by Baldwin Wallace & Cuyahoga Community College

This virtual series is designed to help small and medium sized business owners, professionals, and HR staff learn about the financial benefits of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The series will look beyond internal strategies for HR, recruitment/hiring and thought leadership, and dive into how inclusive practices can help businesses attract a diverse community of customers. Attendees will get tangible tools for implementing inclusive practices as well as vital resources and community connections for professional growth.

The series will take place over 5-parts with each session featuring speakers who represent a diverse community. Through their personal and professional experiences, they will help provide tangible practices you can implement to help be part of the solution in encouraging an inclusive environment for all people.

Each session will cover areas such as:

• Buying power and economic trends of different communities
• Values, cultural competencies, accommodations, and other factors that can help create a more inclusive environment
• Things to keep in mind for physical and digital spaces to create an environment of inclusivity
• Talent attraction and retention for members of diverse communities
• Appealing to diverse customers - putting your business where they are instead of waiting for them to come to you
• Improving the diversity of your suppliers and vendors
• Resources and organizations that can help you further connect with different communities

Join us for the conversation, connection and education from an esteemed group of speakers who are working diligently to promote DE&I in the workplace and to improve our community as a whole.

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, this series is FREE and open to all. In order to receive the Zoom link for each session, pre-registration is required.

Session 2 - Tuesday, October 11: 8:00-9:30am

Focus: LGBTQ+ Community

Speakers: 

• Amanda Cole - Executive Director, Plexus LGBT + Allied Chamber of Commerce
• Shanelle Johnson (she/her) - Sr. Deal Flow Associate, JumpStart Inc.
• Tim Marshall (he/him) – Director, Digital Marketing Center & Assistant Professor, School of Business, Baldwin Wallace
• David Robinson - Director of Events & Engagement, University Circle Inc.