Lehigh Valley, PA- William Brown and Lindsay Watson, owners of FIA NYC Recruitment Firm were featured in Lehigh Valley Rising’s Ep 6- Black Owned Businesses on PBS 39.
Image grabbed from Lehigh Valley Rising
Hosted by Valerie Bittner, the show highlighted FIA NYC’s unique approach in redefining recruitment services by prioritizing DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) when it comes to attracting top talents in Lehigh Valley and keeping them there.
Image grabbed from Lehigh Valley Rising
“We work with companies to identify top talents, to retain top talents and we also help them from the C levels perspective especially to dive into what changes need to be made in the culture of the business in order for top, amazing wonderful diverse talent to be hired and to stay.” says Lindsay Watson, co founder and Vice President.
Image grabbed from Lehigh Valley Rising
FIA NYC is the only black owned recruiting firm in the Lehigh Valley that is proudly a 100% minority-owned business (MBE). Founded in 2012, FIA NYC wants to maintain its goal to bring forth quality staffing services to all clients in the United States.
“We started out as just a staffing agency. After the George Floyd incident, there became a big cry and a call for diverse staffing. We then began to turn ourselves in that direction.” William Brown, President and co-founder added.
Image grabbed from Lehigh Valley Rising
Lehigh Valley Rising is exclusively streamed on PBS 39 every third Thursday of the month.
William D. Brown, FIA NYC CEO/CO-FOUNDER, DIRECTOR OF DEI NAMED ONE OF “Lehigh Valley Style’s Influential Men of the Year” BY LEHIGH VALLEY STYLE MAGAZINE IN 2022.
Allentown, PA- FIA NYC Employment Services, an award-winning staffing agency, proudly announces today that CEO/Co-Founder, Mr William D. Brown, Director of DEI was named as one of 2022’s “Lehigh Valley Style’s Influential Men of the Year” by Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
A first ever recognition program by Lehigh Valley Style, the 2022 Influential Men of Lehigh Valley highlights 5 men who have successfully contributed to the Greater Lehigh Valley Community through their passion for their work.
A versatile man who wears many hats.
Mr. Brown is the CEO/Co-Founder and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) of FIA NYC Employment Services, a professional services staffing agency headquartered in Lehigh Valley, PA. He is also CEO/Founder of 11Thirty Entertainment, LLC., also in Lehigh Valley, PA, which manages performing Tony Award-winning artists, Emmy nominated TV personalities, and actors throughout the United States.
Mr. Brown has supported small businesses, entrepreneurs, and real estate, both financially and as a partner. In 2020, working with one of his mentees, he co-founded Livv Younique, LLC., a full-service salon based in New York City.
He is also the founder of SeKur Technology, Inc., a cybersecurity technology company; Chairman and CEO of a NYC-based non-profit organization with over 20 years of service to the community; and Founder of Mentorship Platform, Vision Buildaz.
“I came up on the street life. Dropped out of high school and did the street thing for a while. Figured out quickly I didn’t want to do that.” Brown said during his interview with Lehigh Valley Style’s magazine.
Wanting to share his passion for individual empowerment, he wrote and published the book, “Harvest Time: What’s That All About?”, outlining the 9 major principles in his journey from lack to wealth and success.
Education, and other interests.
Mr. Brown has an associate degree in Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude, from Monroe College. He is currently a member of the Information Technology Board of Advisors for Monroe College. He also serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley, and as a Disaster Services Volunteer with the American Red Cross.
By: Melinda Rizzo, Contributing Writer November 25, 2020 12:25 pm Who doesn’t want to grow their businesses? Meaningful workplace diversity, where positions at all levels of an organization represent the melting pot of American culture and life, could, in fact, ultimately add to a business’s bottom line.
…William D. Brown, co-founder, CEO and director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at FIA NYC, LLC, in Allentown, doesn’t believe Lehigh Valley employers or human resources professionals are intentionally being discriminatory or racist in their hiring practices. Rather it’s often about being pragmatic.
“I’ve learned a lot of what is perceived as racism is bigotry, and it is really not intentional,” Brown said.
He said people prefer to work with those who are – and look, like them.
The perception of being or working with others who come from the same place, are the same race or culture, and would therefore share common values is a long-standing starting point.
“People who are like me are [actually] the opposite of diversity,” Brown said.
“People like me” thinking further translates into having shared interests or shared political views.
He said diverse teams – or those made up from a variety of cultures, genders, gender identities and age or generational groups are roughly 87 percent better decision makers than those who are not.
And groups including age or generational gaps of at least 20 years will make “much better business decision makers.”
Embracing a diverse workforce can have added positive effects as the business mindset organically widens and stretches opportunities to sell or market products and services beyond a single demographic.
“Bring in more diverse ideas and cultures and you have a bigger audience,” Brown said.
To be enduring and sustainable diversity hiring must be genuine and authentic rather than legal checking boxes or filling mandated quotas. “If you bring someone in who feels different or like a quota, they are not going to stay,” he said.
Becoming authentic requires getting inside the company culture with a desire to expand it, Brown said. Getting to know various people by learning about them, and sharing experiences with their culture and beliefs helps to move us beyond limiting stereotypes.
“If you don’t have that you’re never get anywhere,” Brown said.
Changing the company’s culture starts at the top by increasing diversity among decision makers. Creating strategies to sustain talent and positively integrate everyone into the work culture gives employees a reason to contribute and stay with an organization over the long haul.
“Seek yourself in the culture and be in the culture enough to understand the people,” he said.
