FIA NYC Employment announced today that their CEO and Director of DEI, William D. Brown, has been Appointed to the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors. The first time FIA will be represented within this prestigious board, William D. Brown brings over 25 years of business and entrepreneurial leadership experience to represent the company and its initiatives. In addition to leading the organization, Brown currently leads FIA NYC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, is a 2022 Men of Influence awardee and has been featured on several media platforms including PBS, WFMZ and Lehigh Valley Style Magazine.
About FIA NYC Employment A proud member of the Greater Lehigh Valley community, FIA NYC Employment continues to focus on providing “Corporate service with a personal approach”. Specializing in professional services and healthcare staffing, FIA NYC works with clients ranging from startup-Fortune 500, including global brands. FIA NYC’s journey began in New York City, and relocated its headquarters to Lehigh Valley, PA in 2013. FIA NYC is a 2022 Excellence in Business Award Winner, as well as a two-time Best Staffing Agency (PA) Winner in both 2020 and 2021.
The divisions of FIA NYC are: ⁃ Staffing & Recruiting ⁃ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consulting (C-level Executives, HR & General Staff) ⁃ Career Coaching & Resume Writing Services Learn more about FIA NYC Employment at www.fianyc.com
About The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber’s mission is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley. Serving more than 5,000 businesses and members with more than than 280,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top six nationwide. Our thirty-plus affiliated chambers, councils and committees are On Every Main Street with more than 1,500 community focused volunteers who actively contribute, at the grass roots, to develop and achieve their respective and collective goals.
Allentown, PA- FIA NYC Employment, a professional services staffing firm, today announced it was named the winner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce 2022 Excellence in Business Award, in the Micro Business Category.
The award was presented to FIA NYC by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Business Council at the Northampton Country Club in Easton, PA on June 16, 2022.
About FIA NYC Employment
A proud member of the Greater Lehigh Valley community, FIA NYC Employment continues to focus on providing “Corporate service with a personal approach”. Specializing in professional services and healthcare staffing, FIA NYC works with clients ranging from startup Fortune 500, including global brands. FIA NYC’s journey began in New York City, and relocated its headquarters to Lehigh Valley, PA in 2013.
The Excellence in Business Awards (EIBA) are awarded to companies and individuals who exemplify outstanding business practice as demonstrated by their mission, Chamber and community involvement, customer satisfaction, and demonstrated commitment to quality, leadership, marketing, training, and development.
The Chamber’s mission is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley. Serving more than 5,000 businesses and members with more than than 280,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top six nationwide. Our thirty-plus affiliated chambers, councils and committees are On Every Main Street with more than 1,500 community focused volunteers who actively contribute, at the grass roots, to develop and achieve their respective and collective goals.
A diverse and inclusive workplace is the result of a long-term commitment from company leadership, according to the local business leaders participating on Lehigh Valley Business’s Diversity and Inclusion panel.
The panel, held as part of LVB’s virtual Diversity Summit on September 16, followed up a presentation by Eric Ellis, president and CEO of Integrity Development Corporation, an Ohio-Based inclusivity-training firm.
Sustainable inclusion, or the constant state of being more inclusive of people of color, LGBTQ persons, women and minorities, is a necessity in today’s business world, he said. And creating a diverse and inclusive workplace isn’t just the right thing to do, but also makes good business sense. The global Black Lives Matter protests have shone a light on the changes that need to be made, Ellis said.
“Don’t be silent,” he advised employers, take the time to strengthen your inclusion efforts.
To make effective changes, Ellis encourages employers to address unconscious bias, which operates outside of conscious awareness, or outside of our stated beliefs. For example, we may say out loud and even believe that we don’t have a problem with certain minorities, as long as they get the job done, but our actions may say differently, he said.https://c95aba02b490dc13bf9e5a19a42ae003.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Bias limits innovation, while also reducing a potentially diverse talent pool that leads to an increased turnover of employees. People don’t want to stay in workplaces where they feel marginalized, he said.
Desha Dickson, associate vice president of community wellness at Reading-based Tower Health and panelist at the event, said it is important for company management to reflect the community that it services. Patients of color who receive care from doctors of color have better health outcomes, Dickinson said.
“We need to bring the community’s perspective to the table and create a space for those who don’t have the same privileges as you,” she said.
Judith Harris, an attorney with Allentown’s Norris McLaughlin, said that while businesses may tend to hire a homogeneous staff because people “like to work with people who are like them,” working with people who are like you should be about shared values, more than race, gender or age.
William D. Brown, CEO at FIA NYC Employment Services, said it wasn’t logical to expect companies to fire people in order to bring in more people of color. Rather, he said, start with the Human Resources Department. Bring in a diversity consulting firm that can partner and be a resource to top-level leadership as diversity becomes a part of the company culture. Mindsets change over time and it takes time to build habits, he said.
Reading Hospital’s Dickson added efforts must be put into not just hiring diverse leadership but retaining those employees. “Diversity needs top-down support from the C-Suite.”
Underscoring Ellis’ point that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is good for the bottom line, Norris McLaughlin’s Harris said clients are demanding diversity of businesses today. “If you want to be current, part of being current is showing that you value diversity,” she said.
