On The Move
Diversity Recruitment Consortium Launched at OneSouthCarolina 2013
Mar 6, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC - March 6, 2013 - The Diversity Recruitment Consortium (DRC), a dedicated
effort to attract and retain diverse professionals to South Carolina,
launched at the Riley Institute’s second annual OneSouthCarolina event
March 1-3, 2013 in Hilton Head.
The DRC is a group of organizations led by three sponsors: The Riley
Institute (founding sponsor), the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
(coordinating sponsor), and the Greenville Chamber (managing sponsor),
working together to collectively develop innovative programs, practices,
and processes to increase the diversity of professional and executive
talent throughout South Carolina.
The DRC uses a sophisticated recruitment style which offers a broader
understanding of what South Carolina has to offer, for individual
careers and lifestyle opportunities. The DRC will include an Ambassador
Network that will provide access to a broad array of
professionally-trained individuals with similar backgrounds, experiences
and perspectives, offering more robust and relevant information about
the South Carolina community.
All South Carolina organizations committed to increasing the diversity
of professional and executive talent in their own organizations and
throughout the state are invited to join the DRC. Membership is free of
charge and participation includes the following:
Opportunities to attend the following events on a pay-as-you go basis.
The DRC will announce dates this Spring for the following:
DRC Ambassadors Reception: This event will bring
together volunteer ambassadors from the various member organizations to
build relationships, socialize, network, and share ideas on how the DRC
can be a lever for their organization’s recruitment and retention
efforts.
The South Carolina Employee Resource Group Forum: This
event is an educational workshop for members of employee resource groups
/ affinity / networking groups of member organizations. The event has
two objectives: first, to provide best practice suggestions on how to
make employee resource groups more value-added in organizations; second,
to facilitate cross-organizational networking and best practice
support. The DRC believes this Forum will be a catalyst to meaningful
and lasting relationships and support across member organizations.
The DRC Member Organizations Intern Barbeque: This
event will provide an opportunity for interns of the various member
organizations to meet and get to know their peers in other
organizations. The underlying hypothesis is that as these interns
consider whether South Carolina is a good place to start their careers,
having friends in similar situations, career-wise, and with similar
interest, can be a draw that motivates them to accept full-time job
offers. In addition, they’ll build relationships to support the
remainder of their internships, as well as simply have some fun.
The Graduate Schools Engagement Reception: This series
of events will include visits to graduate schools in the state with a
simple message to the talented near-professionals already here: “we want
you to stay in the state of South Carolina for your professional
career.” While working through the Ambassadors program to attract talent
to the state, the DRC also wants to make sure we don’t overlook the
talent that’s already here.
Adhoc Events: A key and valuable aspect of the DRC is
the access to a broadly diverse network of professionals that have
volunteered to help attract and retain talent in member organizations.
The Ambassadors network will include an online resource providing access
to names and areas of interest that any member organization can utilize
in its recruitment efforts. This includes activities as simple as
lunches and dinners, to more involved efforts such as community tours. The number and type of such events is expected to be broad and dynamic.
Quotes from DRC Sponsor Leaders
“The more companies, organizations and individuals we can get to
work together and collaborate on the DRC mission, the greater impact we
can have.” - Benny Walker, Riley Institute
“We want to make sure diverse professionals can see themselves as
able to thrive in South Carolina…connecting those individuals with
others that are like them can be an effective way to recruit quality
talent and retain those professionals as part of our communities.”
-Ben Haskew, President and CEO, Greenville Chamber
"South Carolina is on the cusp of being a business leader. The DRC
will help us get there and enrich our communities and ourselves as we
embark on the longer-term objective of attracting and retaining the best
talent possible. Instead of a hindrance, diversity can and should be an
asset to the State of South Carolina.” - Otis Rawl, CEO, South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.
“The DRC concept is all about the ARC method – attracting,
recruiting and retaining diverse professional executive talent to our
state. This is an opportunity we believe will help South Carolina stand
out among other states and entice large corporations looking to move
here to see us as a destination of choice”. – Nika White, VP, Diversity and Inclusion, Greenville Chamber.
“DRC Member Organizations have access to special designated programs
that leverage the critical mass of participating organizations to
support the success of each Member’s recruitment and retention efforts.” – Cliff Bourke, Chair, SC Chamber of Commerce Diversity Committee.
About the Diversity Recruitment Consortium
The Diversity Recruitment Consortium (DRC) is a group of organizations,
founded by the Richard W. Riley Institute and facilitated by the
Greenville Chamber and South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, to
collectively develop innovative programs, practices and processes that
increase the diversity of professional and executive talent throughout
South Carolina.
DRC Founding Members: Bluestein, Nichols, Thompson & Delgado, LLC;
BlueCross BlueShield of SC; Fisher & Phillips; Gallivan, White &
Boyd, P.A; Greenville Hospital System; Haynsworth, Sinkler, Boyd, P.A.;
Integrated Media Publishing, Michelin N.A.; Nexsen Pruet; Parker &
Poe; South Carolina Chamber of Commerce; Southeastern Freight Lines,
Inc.; Spartanburg Regional Health System; Wyche Law Firm.
About The Riley Institute
The Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics, and Public
Leadership is a multi-faceted, non-partisan institute affiliated with
the Department of Political Science at Furman University. Named for
former Governor of South Carolina and United States Secretary of
Education Richard Riley, the Institute is unique in the United States in
the emphasis it places on engaging students in the various arenas of
politics, public policy, and public leadership. For more information,
visit http://riley.furman.edu.
About the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s first state chamber
Accredited with Distinction by the U.S. Chamber, is the state’s largest
statewide broad-based business and industry trade association
representing more than 18,000 businesses and more than one million
employees, with 90 percent of membership comprised of small businesses.
As the unified voice for business and industry, the Chamber is a
catalyst for increasing wealth and enhancing the state’s global
competitiveness in order to improve the quality of life for all South
Carolinians. For more information, visit, http://www.scchamber.net.
About the Greenville Chamber
The Greenville Chamber, now in its 125th year of operation, is the
largest business organization in the Upstate. The Chamber's vision is to
build one of the premier business communities in the world by driving
economic growth and prosperity, serving as an advocate for business
interests, training future leaders and facilitating the workforce of
tomorrow. For more information, visit www.greenvillechamber.org or call 864-242-1050.
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