Indiana Minority Business Magazine, sister publication of the Indianapolis Recorder, will honor 15 awardees at the 16th annual Champions of Diversity Awards on Jan. 13, 2023, at the Marriott Downtown Indianapolis, 350 W. Maryland St.
Awardees include individuals and organizations that have shown a commitment to diversity in Indiana and have made an effort to impact the state’s minority communities.
A networking reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., with dinner following at 6:30 p.m. The event will end at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Awardees are listed. Individual headshots are below.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Award
• Dr. Toby Malichi — founder and CEO, Malichi Group Worldwide
Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award
• Karrah Herring, chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer, state of Indiana
Lifetime Education Advocate Award
• The Mind Trust
President’s Choice Award
• Indiana Latino Institute
William G. Mays Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award
• Meticulous Design + Architecture — founding partners Ramon Morrison, Damon Hewlin and Brian Robinson
Award Winners
• Child Advocates
• Akilah Darden — founder and president, The Darden Group
• Angela B. Freeman — partner, intellectual property and patent attorney, Barnes & Thornburg
• Juan Gonzalez — president, KeyBank Central Indiana
• Ting Gootee — president & CEO, TechPoint
• Holli B. Harrington — senior director of equity & opportunity and diversity officer, Indianapolis Airport Authority
• International Marketplace Coalition
• Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies at Wabash College
• Brian Richardson Jr. — director, diversity equity and inclusion, Indianapolis Colts
• The Ross Foundation — Dee Ross, founder and CEO
• Robin Winston — president, Winston/Terrell Group
Sponsorships and tables are available for the 2023 Champions of Diversity awards dinner. For more information, please email championsofdiversity@indyrecorder.com.
Whether you’re looking to spruce up your living space or participate in a little self-care, Victoria Beaty believes tending to a house plant is the way to go.
Beaty is the owner and founder of The Botanical Bar, a Black- and woman-owned plant store in Indianapolis near the Bottleworks District. After operating as a pop-up shop for two years, Beaty said her brick-and-mortar store, which opened at 1103 N. College Ave. back in June, has blossomed into something beautiful for not only herself but the community.
“I can tell the difference between the excitement of when Black women come in the space versus when any other person comes in the space,” Beaty said. “They’re really excited to see themselves in the space.”
Beaty’s journey to plant aficionado didn’t begin as one might expect. She grew up in Indianapolis — in a neighborhood near the state fairgrounds — and studied public relations at IUPUI.
She moved around for a while, working for various restaurants, including in advertising for McDonald’s, before returning to Indy in 2018 to care for her sick grandmother.
When Beaty returned to Indianapolis, she said she had a new desire to learn farming after realizing she grew up in a food desert — or an area where access to fresh, local produce is scarce or unaffordable.
“I didn’t have a grocery store, didn’t have all the things that you think, you know, a neighborhood should have,” she said. “I really had no concept of how the food industry worked outside of fast-food chains.”
She then signed up for an urban farming program through Growing Places Indy, and by 2019, she was the executive director of the organization.
Growing inward and spreading wellness
Beaty said she believes having plants in spaces to create a more welcoming environment was intentional even before COVID-19.
Even when people were at home, they might not have had time to create the space they wanted to live or work in, she said. Once the pandemic kept people indoors, Beaty said people started to dedicate time to a project, home improvement or self-care — including caring for houseplants.
“Because we — none of us had a choice, right?” Beaty said. “We had to sit, and then as we started to come back outside, I think we still were intentional about creating spaces that were saved at home.”
Growing up, Beaty said her mom was a hairstylist and would burn her scalp when pressing out her hair.
“I would always go get some aloe and put it on my forehead and cheek or whatever it was,” she said, “and so you know early on I learned about the healing properties of plants.”
Beaty launched a website for her store, The Botanical Bar, and began operating through pop-up shops and farmers markets in November 2020. She even did a partnership with another Black woman at her shop at Bottleworks for about two years before the desire for her own storefront became too strong to ignore.
“The intimacy of coming to shop for stuff in your home, especially plants, especially living beings, is really an experience that people prefer — at least in this city — to have in person,” she said.
The Botanical Bar
Inside The Botanical Bar, guests will find an extravagant array of leafy green plants to choose from, from the beginner-friendly marble queen pothos to low-maintenance cacti and succulents and everything in between.
Victoria Beaty began selling plants at pop-up shops before opening up her own brick-and-mortar in 2022. (Photo/Martina Jackson)
However, the store is also home to goods such as stationary, art, candles, coffee mugs and coffee made by other women of color in the community. From Shaunt’e Lewis’ paintings to records from Black artists playing over the store speakers, Beaty said she aims for her shop to be a place that Black women feel welcomed and comfortable.
“When I used to go to plant shops in the city, I didn’t feel welcomed,” she said. “People often didn’t even acknowledge you when you walked in.”
This is one of the reasons Beaty decided to open her own shop, making her the first Black woman-owned plant shop in the city, she said.
With The Botanical Bar, Beaty aimed to create a space where people can come in and make a day of picking out a house plant; it’s a place where one could come in, chat and leave with a plant feeling uplifted.
“When you’re checking in with your plants it’s a good time to check in with yourself,” Beaty said. “Like, have you had water today? Have you taken a minute to check in with your breath?”
Beyond the plants
Beaty said she stepped down from her position at Growing Places Indy a few months ago to dedicate more time to The Botanical Bar. In the last two weeks, she hosted a crystal workshop targeted at healing and wellness using crystals and plants in addition to a workshop with Lewis where guests painted pots.
Beaty hopes to introduce more monthly events in The Botanical Bar for the community to engage in self-care and wellness together. She also has plans to bring in speakers and launch a project in 2023 called “Let it Grow, Sis” that will allow women of color to take part in events and workshops focused on wellness for free.
The Botanical Bar is located at 1103 N. College Ave. and is open Wednesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information about the store and online shop can be found at thebotanicalbarindy.com.
Contact staff writer Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848 or chloegm@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Community members on the east side want to bring more employment, add housing options and provide green spaces to the former Black Mountain site on the corner of East Washington and Ewing streets.
The city and its consulting team asked the community what they wanted to see at the former site. Nearly half of the respondents said there needs to be better grocery options and places to eat, especially sit-down restaurants. Many expressed a desire for better pedestrian infrastructure, including improvements to connecting sidewalks and crosswalks, and better lighting in some areas. The few sidewalks that connect to the site are cited as unsafe or uninviting, according to the draft for public comment.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they wanted to see more parks and green spaces in the area. Green spaces are known to enhance youth support, reduce stress and violence, and improve physical and mental health. A green space would provide safer walking conditions.
The site allows for varied redevelopment options. The city has come up with three potential concepts to address the guiding principles that the community wants to see. The concepts include townhome residential space, small retail space, flex industrial space, and temporary or permanent green space.
A flex industrial space is a modern warehouse with taller ceilings, capable of holding modern HVAC equipment, flexible floorplans and more loading docks with wide turning radius for semis.
Scenario A The first scenario would be the best green infrastructure option to mitigate stormwater and emphasize conservation. Industrial flex space, which is a modern warehouse big enough for several loading docks, would address employment opportunities in the area and be developed on the north end of the site closer to East Washington Street. The rest of the land, approximately four acres, would be converted to a green space. The green space would need financial support or maintenance from the owner, according to an Indy Civic Comment online document. Details: • 20,000 square feet of flex industrial space • 5,000 square feet of office space • 24-foot ceilings • Approximately four acres of green space • Cost: Approximately $10 million
Scenario B The second scenario would be a mix of constructed materials and green space. This plan would develop multifamily housing and commercial space at the north end of the site. An industrial flex space would be developed at the south end of the site with green space in between. The green space would need financial support of maintenance from the owner. This scenario would address employment opportunities, mixed-income housing and green space. Details: • 70 housing units • 3,000 square feet of commercial space • Approximately four acres of green space • 20,000 square feet of flex industrial space • 5,000 square feet of office space • 24-foot ceilings • Cost: Approximately $26 million
Scenario C This scenario would include maximizing the use of the land as allowed by zoning requirements. This plan would also develop multifamily housing and commercial space at the north end of the site and flex industrial space at the south end of the site. The middle portion would be used as an interim green space until future development. This scenario would address employment opportunities, mixed-income housing and temporary green space. Details: • 70 housing units • 3,000 square feet commercial space • Approximately four acres of green space • 20,000 square feet of flex industrial space • 5,000 square feet of office space • 24-foot ceilings • Cost: Approximately $26 million A final draft of the community vision project is available for comment until Nov. 25. Comments can be made directly on the public draft document at indy.civiccomment.org.
Contact staff writer Jayden Kennett at 317-762- 7847 or by email jaydenk@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @JournoJay.
The City of Indianapolis Office of Minority and Women Business Development named GroundBreakers its “vendor of the month” for November.
GroundBreakders is a certified woman and veteran-owned business enterprise that performs non-destructive and precise hydrovac excavation services.
“I am thrilled GroundBreakers has received this honor, underscoring our commitment to our customers, employees, diversity, and community,” owner Andrea Sloan said in a statement. “As I look forward, GroundBreakers will continue to delight our customers, treasure our employees, champion diversity, and give back to our community.”
Businesses interested in becoming certified as a minority, woman, veteran, or disabled-owned business enterprise can learn more about the process and connect with OMWBD here.
During the summer of 2020, at the height of racial tensions coupled with the dire, disproportional impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the Central Indiana business community united to form Business Equity for Indy (BEI). Through this initiative — a partnership of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and Indy Chamber with support from the Indianapolis Urban League, led by 120 growing businesses — we’re working to create collaborative, sustainable solutions to dismantle more than 240 years of systemic racism, injustice and inequity that are preventing our Black and brown Hoosiers from opportunity and advancement.
The creation of BEI was quite daunting — with goals of growing a more inclusive business climate and greater equity and economic opportunities for the region’s Black residents and people of color — and yet, when I look back at the work that’s taken place over the last two years, I remain more energized each day.
Over the last two years, as the chairman of BEI, I’ve had a front row seat to the energy, effort and passion that Central Indiana businesses and business leaders of all sizes and from all industries have been able to demonstrate and maintain with their time, resources and commitments to this initiative. This is illustrated by the outcomes BEI has had to date and the impact of those outcomes have had on our most disenfranchised residents.
As BEI has grown, learned and evolved over the last two years, we’ve been able to make great strides in providing Central Indiana employers with resources to better support their Black and brown employees. Some of the most impactful accomplishments of the last two years of work include:
BEI’s Procurement & Participation Taskforce had been laser focused on creating opportunities for Central Indiana businesses to increase their supplier diversity. Through quarterly Procurement Roundtable events, contract-ready, Black-owned businesses are matched with Central Indiana businesses for multiyear, multi-dollar contracts.
BEI’s people initiative taskforces have united to create an inaugural Workforce Pilot. The intensive, two-year cohort is designed to assist companies with adopting evidence-based strategies alongside industry experts that will reduce disparities, drive equity, and support companies’ talent strategies. The participating companies will be announced later this year.
BEI’s Learning & Talent Taskforce hosted an Employer Opportunities Summit to connect business leaders across the Indy region with critical resources to address equity within their industries and companies. As a result of insights shared during the summit, the BEI website now houses these employer recommendations, free for companies to reference and implement within their own organizations.
Additionally, the Taskforce assembled a virtual Education and Workforce Development Catalogue available to the public. This resource allows companies to search a database filled with more than 200 local companies that are doing work to support the education and training needs of Black and Hispanic individuals, ages 0 to 25, in greater Indianapolis.
BEI’s Impediments to Health Taskforce assembled a first-of-its-kind Impediments to Health Playbook which provides a variety of recommendations that companies can consider implementing to improve equity across their companies and in the communities they serve.
Finally, BEI’s Public Policy Taskforce remains dedicated to building relationships, identifying and advocating for policies that remove barriers to opportunities for Black people and other people of color. The Public Policy Taskforce was able to leverage community partnerships that worked to shut down anti-CRT legislation in Indiana — Indiana was notably the first red state to accomplish this as reported by CNN.
Nearly all of the resources produced by BEI over the last two years are available to businesses across the country, free of charge — and that was an intentional decision by task force members. One of the things we excel at as Hoosiers is uniting to support one another. Through BEI, we’ve come to terms with the realization that our companies are on the equity spectrum. The journey of BEI is helping companies to understand if they’re leading the pack, in the middle of the pack, or just getting started in their actions to ensure equity and opportunity for Black and Brown employees — and that’s OK. The goal of BEI is to help companies understand their gaps today that lead to actionable steps toward equity tomorrow.
As BEI celebrates two years of work toward equity, we also recognize that in many ways, our journey is just beginning. Working together, we must continue to question how our actions today are leading to positive impacts and improvements in the quality of life for Black and Brown residents in the years to come. Some of our actions will succeed, and some of them will ultimately fail, but the energy, attitude, and commitment of Central Indiana leaders will allow us to make positive impacts and create equitable opportunities for everyone in our community.
Jeffrey A. Harrison is chairman of Business Equity for Indy.
A February 2021 Mckinsey report found some disturbing news concerning Black employees in the U.S. labor market, but the Edge Mentoring Annual Conference occurring this week in Indianapolis may have the key to reversing some negative trends for Black workers.
While recognition of very real disparities and in the labor force can’t be dismissed, mentoring and support from corporate leaders may be a necessary intervention to a bleak economic position for Black workers.
Mckinsey found that 43% of Black workers make less than $30,000 compared to only 29% of the rest of work force. The study found that one-third of Black workers face the risk of automation eliminating their job.
Locally, Black Indianapolis experienced double digit and even depression level unemployment for an entire decade between 2010 and 2019, with unemployment reaching as high as 19.8%.
Real barriers exist for Black workers, especially in corporate American and Tom Linebarger, Executive Chairman of Cummins, affirmed as much in an interview with the Indianapolis Recorder. “There are real challenges that Black and other underrepresented workers face that I don’t as a white male.”
Tom Linebarger
Linebarger also noted that his father was a painter and his mother worked in health care, but mentors were key in his professional and eventually personal development.
Linebarger shared his views on the role mentoring has played in his career and why it matters. “Having mentors has been critical to my own personal development as a professional,” he went on to say, “I wouldn’t be the leader I am today had it not been for my mentors.”
But for Cummins, mentorship it isn’t just about the job.
Mentoring relationships should involve developing the whole person, a key philosophy for Edge Mentoring—how one shows up as a parent and friend, as well as professional colleague is part of being a good leader.
Since 2005, Linebarger has ensured that Cummins invested in leadership development with some 400-500 Cummins employees participating in an internal leadership development program ran by organization managers.
As part of the program, Cummins leaders spend about 40 days working with employees throughout the organization to invest in their leadership.
He also believes that investing in yourself is key for forward progress in life, “If its education, or an executive coaching, or even fitness trainer you have to be continuously reinventing yourself.”
Linebarger also noted a shift in mindset can help people “be a leader of the assets in a business if that is your desire.”
More recently, there has been a surge in interest in entrepreneurship. This is important given that Indianapolis ranks 55 out of 85 metros in Black business formation.
Linebarger will be participating in Edge Mentoring’s Annual Conference this week with other community and corporate leaders. The local organization partners emerging leaders with mentors who work on whole person leadership development.
In our community, mentoring is the social capital that many of us may not have on the job. We also need sponsors — or people who say your name when there are opportunities when you are not in the room.
Edge Mentoring is a resource our community should consider engaging to find those whole person mentors while we cultivate sponsors on the job.
Marshawn Wolley is CEO of Black Onyx Management, Inc.
Public speakers have an air of confidence that is authentically conveyed, and a big secret to having confidence is to speak your truth. Many people are terrified of public speaking, in fact, it’s ranked as the No. 1 fear, above spiders and death.
This week, EDGE Mentoring hosts their 6th annual EDGE | X Conference. This year’s theme is “Living a Life of Impact.”
Christy Wright is returning to the EDGE stage to share her message of courage, confidence, and clarity. Where we’ve been speaks volumes to where we are now. Wright was in her early 20s when she started working with a nationally branded public speaking organization. Within six months of joining the team, she was speaking to audiences across the country. Public speaking comes naturally to Wright.
“God placed me in one of the most concentrated, most abundant sources to prepare me to help others,” says Wright, whose wealth of experience has prepared her to make an impact in the lives of others.
Wright has spoken to audiences of two to 20,000. This level of experience is incredibly rare, especially for a speech coach. The methodology Wright deploys with her clients is more of a TED-talk style of speaking, helping them truly connect with their audience.
“Gaining clarity and becoming concise, clear, and confident are the goals with my clients,” states Wright, who offers a free eBook on her website.
Becoming a more effective storyteller, sharing engaging messages, and building confidence are the pillars of what Wright coaches. She also has hilarious blooper-type videos on Instagram to showcase common mistakes.
Another EDGE speaker who is having tons of fun is Victoria Eady Butler. Whiskey is in her blood — literally. Butler is the great-great-granddaughter of Nearest Green, the first known African American Master Distiller. Butler will be speaking to the power of saying, ‘Yes!”
Victoria Eady Butler
The story of Nearest Green, her great-great-grandfather, had been shrouded in mystery until Fawn Weaver’s curiosity unveiled his story. Weaver left her home state of California and traveled to Tennessee to investigate a man mentioned in the NY Times. She had read this article, which credits a slave for the secret ingredient in Jack Daniels whiskey. His name is Nearis (Nearest) Green. Green taught the young Jack Daniels distilling. Weaver initially thought she was going to write a book on Nearest. Nearest Green is the first known Black Master Distiller. He invented the Lincoln County Process, which is a system to filter whiskey through sugar maple charcoal. In 2013, the Governor of Tennessee signed into law that states “any Whiskey designated to be ‘Tennessee Whiskey or Bourbon’ must undergo the Lincoln County process”. This law makes Nearest Green the Godfather of Tennessee whiskey.
Throughout her research, Weaver contacted descendants of Green, to share her discoveries. A cousin of Butler’s said, “I would love to see Nearest Green’s name on a bottle of whiskey” and Weaver took this to the extreme, as she founded the Uncle Nearest distillery one year later. Since inception, Uncle Nearest has become the most awarded American Whiskey or Bourbon for the past four years. It is also the fastest growing distillery in history. And it’s the only one owned by an African American female, which honors an African American man.
Prior to joining the Uncle Nearest team in March 2019, Butler had just retired from a more than 31-year tenure with the federal government, working as an Analytical Manager with the Regional Organized Crime Information Center in Nashville, when Weaver approached her about becoming involved in the Uncle Nearest brand.
The opportunity to carry on her family legacy first-hand and to help to cement Nearest’s name in history was one that Butler couldn’t pass up. She blended the very first batch of 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, which launched in July 2019. A few months later Butler was appointed Master Blender after the immense success of the first two batches, which earned numerous awards including DoubleGold medals at the China Wine & Spirits Awards and the Sommelier Challenge. Butler is the first African American female Master Blender.
The accolades keep coming. By 2021, Butler was named Master Blender of the Year three times, by Whisky Magazine, VinePair and The Spirits Business, followed by a second award by Whisky Magazine in 2022. She is the first person in history to receive this honor two years in a row!
“Instead of easing into a job as I geared up for retirement, within sixty days of accepting an administrative role at the distillery, I became the Master Blender and have been traveling the world and meeting amazing people — and I work with an incredible team,” states Victoria, who is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Uncle Nearest is distributed to all fifty states and is currently in twelve countries. They are launching in the Caribbean soon and Butler’s next stop, after EDGE | X, is to Japan.
“My story is quite different from most: our company is 5 years old and I am continuing a family legacy that started 160 years ago,” states Butler. “My job is so fulfilling, and my life is an example of what happens when you say, ‘Yes!’ and believe in yourself.”
Both Wright and Butler are living impactful lives — and all because they both said yes.
Sharon Matthews, a 61-year-old veteran, was the first person to attend a mobile bank event hosted by the Martindale Brightwood Community Development Center on Sept. 16. She saw the flyer on Facebook and thought it would be an opportunity to learn how to become a homeowner.
“I am tired of renting,” she said. “I deserve it. I worked hard for it. You have some beautiful homes in this area, and if the bank wants to help me, I am going to get a home in this area.”
In a plaza near the Martindale Brightwood CDC, Matthews went inside the Fifth Third Bank eBus — a bus with customer service and learning stations inside — where she was able to learn about her options to buy a home in the next year.
Martindale-Brightwood residents have been without a bank in the community for nearly three years, as the last bank, PNC Financial Services, closed Nov. 15, 2019. Amina Pierson, executive director of the Martindale Brightwood CDC, said the event helps residents learn about banking.
“Banks can do so much for the community,” she said. “Once you build a relationship with a bank, it opens so many doors for small businesses.”
Inside the bus, people could speak with Fifth Third bankers, learn budgeting and saving strategies, get a free credit score report and learn how to raise their credit scores.
Several vendors were also selling their products at the event.
Pierson said the Martindale Brightwood CDC is working on getting a bank back in the area. She encourages people to plan all purchases and to teach their children about banking.
“Getting your finances in order is the beginning of getting out of debt and being able to start building a financial legacy for your family,” Pierson said.
Contact religion reporter Abriana Herron at 317-924-5243. Follow her on Twitter @Abri_onyai. Herron is also a Report for America corps member with The GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and worldwide.
Last month, we celebrated Black Business Month. August is an opportunity to not only recognize, but to empower the many Black-owned businesses in our community. While the month has ended, the good news is your support does not have to. In today’s digital world we can all connect and support more minority businesses.
The last two years have been tough for so many of us. Too many of us lost loved ones. Our businesses went on emotional roller coasters, and marginalized communities often saw the worst of it. As rent became too much, many of these same Black-owned businesses moved their companies entirely online. And so many of us stepped up to help them. We built online presences and sold items across the online marketplace. These niche online communities we created were inspiring to see, but the toll taken on business owners should not be overlooked. I know moving forward, businesses will need to continue to adapt in order to thrive.
As a small business owner, I have witnessed this struggle firsthand. So much of my business exists in the digital world. I’m a photographer, blogger and digital content creator who inspires people to live their best life, whether that’s through photography, trying new products, experiencing the world through travel, or mental wellness. I’m all about building small businesses up together and achieving goals.
I love to help the smallest, most unique businesses reach their potential. The advice I give to all of my clients looking to grow their business is to engage with their customers on social media. When many of us were forced to close our doors, or cancel events, and virtual became the norm, we saw opportunity.
Social media offers my business and so many others a unique way to connect with customers. Whether through Facebook Ads or Instagram Reels, these tools unlock potential and expand reach for small businesses in untapped markets within and outside of our communities. I’ve created websites and project management structures for small businesses, and I currently offer mentorship on social media marketing for free to business owners.
Small businesses have been through so much these past few years. So, as we head out of Black Business Month and into the fall, I ask you to find a new way to support our local small businesses. Connect with us on social media, share our posts, or recommend us to a friend. Small actions can go a long way in terms of support. As we begin to see light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, let’s continue to build up other small, minority-owned businesses in the community.
Azia is a self-employed photographer, videographer and gaming content creator. She runs “The Moments Between Us,” a video and photography business in Indianapolis.
Annual costs of work-related stress total $300 billion in the United States. However, the nature of managing teams, on top of performing within the organization, is exhausting. Often, companies find that leaders aren’t equipped with the knowledge to support employees’ mental and emotional well-being — which is why they’re turning to businesses like Peak Mind.
Founded by business owner and social scientist Alicia E. Mckoy, Peak Mind is a Black-owned tech startup focused on company-wide solutions to improve employee well-being, company culture and healthcare expenses. After more than 20 years in the interior design business, Mckoy had a realization that changed the trajectory of her career.
“Working as an interior designer brought me so much joy as I would reimagine and later recreate the aesthetic of a space,” Mckoy said. “But around 2019, right before the pandemic, I had a stark realization that no beatification of a space could alter the experience a person has if they’re not in a healthy mental state. Little did I know, that was the birth of Peak Mind.”
Peak Mind provides companies with a unique set of tools to empower workers to thrive while also equipping leadership with an insightful road map to safer workplace environments.
Through the application, employees have on-demand access to well-being coping activities that can quite literally help them find their calm in a moment of chaos. Through easy, science-based techniques, employees or diverse teams can participate in small actions from the convenience of their desk area or when gathered in large-meeting spaces.
Corporate wellness programs and tools lead to more energized and productive employees, and therefore a more productive company culture. Overall, corporate wellness programs result in a productivity increase of 5% or greater.
Peak Mind was recently one of the five, Black-owned businesses featured through the Business Equity for Indy (BEI) August Procurement Roundtable. When Mckoy was approached, she immediately felt this could be a platform to help inform companies across the Indy region, leading in the DE&I space, to ensure they were taking care of their own people.
“Just as a flight attendant would encourage travelers to put on their oxygen mask first, here at Peak Mind, we ensure that people are prioritizing their own self-care,” Mckoy said. “BEI companies are committed to advancing equity, but that work is cumbersome and can be overwhelming. We saw an opportunity to talk not only about Peak Mind’s diverse roots, but to shed light on how this tool provides essential support to those working in the DE&I space day in and day out.”
Through BEI, Black-owned businesses are leveraging opportunities to connect with various supplier diversity professionals looking to diversify their vendors. The procurement roundtable, which takes place quarterly, provides a platform for BEI companies and diverse suppliers to meet, get to know each other and, ideally, foster ongoing, mutually beneficial business relationships.
“Since the August Procurement Roundtable, we’ve engaged in conversations with a few Indy companies interested in exploring Peak Mind,” Mckoy said. “Opportunities like the Procurement Roundtable are a great tool for Black-owned companies to better engage with the corporate community.”
To learn more about Peak Mind, please visit the website. To learn more about BEI or to register for the next Procurement Roundtable, please visit the BEI website.
