Dr Edwin Garcia, Chief People Officer of US-based construction firm PPC Partners Inc, explains why the company has launched a women’s employee resource group (ERG) to promote gender diversity in an industry where they are still relatively uncommon. He also outlines his personal experience of the many benefits that ERGs can offer not only to staff, but employers too.
Although Employee Resource Groups (also known as ERGs, affinity groups, or business network groups) have been around for over 50 years, these groups are not yet common in the construction industry. That is about to change! Since Xerox served as the cradle that launched the first ERG in Rochester NY, many employees have benefited from their participation in ERGs, which contributed to its popularity half a century later.
I also had my introduction to ERGs in Rochester NY when I became a founding member of HOLA (Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Advancement), along with eight other Eastman Kodak Latino employees. Later as the Diversity Director at Kodak Park, I joined other groups such as Network NorthStar, Lambda and the Women’s Forum, to name a few.
EMPLOYER BENEFITS
In these ERGs, I found mentors, sponsors, coaches and advocates. The rich relationship building environments provided by ERGs served to advance my career and shape who I am today. Yet, the benefits of ERGs are not only for the employees! I have also seen how companies benefited directly from their investments in employee resources groups.
Two examples of how companies can benefit from their ERGS are Frito Lay and Kimberly-Clark. The Hispanic ERG at Frito-Lay (Adelante) had a hand in the development of Latino snacks like Habanero/Guacamole flavoured Doritos and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in Plano Texas, during the late 2010s. Similarly, the African American Employee Network (AAEN) at Kimberly-Clark helped seed the idea of using shea-butter in its Huggies branded toiletries (in Neenah, Wisconsin in 2004), leading to the adoption of these products in a market already crowded by well-established branded offerings.
UNITING WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
At PPC Partners, we are an employee-owned business founded on principles of Servant Leadership. We see our commitment to ERGs within an industry not known for them, as an extension of our call to serve. We are proud to start our ERG journey with the launch of United Women of PPC Companies. For over 70 years, our company has been serving customers and communities providing exceptional service and innovative solutions as an electrical, mechanical and automation contractor – and now the firm has one of the few women ERGs in the construction industry.
Congratulations to our inaugural United Women Leadership team: Elizabeth Green, Chairwoman; Jessica Miller, Vice Chairwoman; Ashley Moore, Recorder; Shravanthi Maniscalco, Advancement Chair; and Morgan B, Communications Chair.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Dr Edwin Garcia is Chief People Officer of PPC Partners Inc, and a pioneer in the diversity and inclusion (D&I) field having held senior roles at Dell, Eastman Kodak, ESPN and Kimberly-Clark. He is also currently on the board of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. He has over 25 years’ professional experience in leading D&I, HR, corporate strategy, engineering and research science. Garcia has also been a guest speaker on the topics of global D&I at various national forums.
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