TALENT

TALENT TRUST PUSHES GROWTH

Fifth Third Bank invests in employee inclusion and diversity with a view to its future talent. —SARAH M. MULLINS

When the murder of George Floyd sparked passion around supporting minority communities across the nation and globe, Fifth Th ird Bank took a stand. Th e bank was already a leader in striving for employee diversity and inclusion and announced additional investments, including $2.8 billion dedicated to accelerating racial equality, equity, and inclusion.

Fifth Th ird’s initiatives weren’t noticed just locally and within the company—the company was recently named to Forbes list of Best Employers for Diversity in 2021. Leading the charge is Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion and Diversity Offi cer Stephanie Smith, who’s worked at Fifth Th ird Bank for more than 20 years. “We knew this work would have implications for all other of our diverse groups,” she says. “We understood that whenever we’re looking at solutions for the most marginalized in our communities, it would have implications for every other group where there might be a bias, inequality, or lack of fairness and representation.”

Fifth Third has encouraged employees to bring their authentic self to the workplace, and ultimately those eff orts reverberate throughout the staff and impact the community. Th e company reports 100 percent participation in unconscious bias awareness training and set a list of inclusivity goals to achieve by 2025, which include increasing leadership positions for women and persons of color, creating a workplace without disparity in race or gender, and ensuring the staff refl ects the customers they serve. Inclusion councils and business resource groups further support African Americans, Asian and Pacifi c Islanders, individuals with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, Latinos, and women.

Despite the pandemic halting many events, resource groups continued to make an impact. The Asian and Pacific Islander business resource group, for instance, held a virtual celebration for Diwali, while the LGBTQ resource group celebrated Pride month virtually in June. Another pillar of Fifth Th ird’s initiative is equitable pay. “We’ve been doing internal pay equity analysis since 2011,” says Smith. “After the [corporate tax restructure] in 2016, we increased our minimum wage by 50 percent from $12 an hour to $18.” She says CEO Fifth Third Greg Carmichael felt it was important that the new law should benefi t encour- employees as well as the company ages em- because “rising tide raises all boats,” ployees to she says. While Fifth Th ird is attracting bring their talent and creating an inclusive authentic environment from the top down, self to the Smith says, the real test is in the future. “Th e real work is going to workplace. be What does Fifth Third look like three years from now? How are our employees feeling? Th at trust is built over time. But I think we’ve created a great track record already that gives Fifth Th ird the ability to sustain, continue, and grow.”

TALENT

AMPLIFY ASIAN VOICES

How Asianati boosts local spirits and

restaurants. —SARAH M. MULLINS

Last year’s Asian Food Fest met the same fate as most of Cincinnati’s large festival events, cancelled due to the pandemic. The event had grown into a gathering and celebration of local Asian eateries, and for Asian Americans across the region it had become a popular way to celebrate their culture as well as a place to be themselves. With racist rhetoric and hate crimes increasing nationwide during the pandemic, the cancellation erased a safe space for many.

In response, Koji Sado (a Procter & Gamble executive) and Bao Nguyen (co-owner of the Pho Lang Thang and Quan Hapa restaurants) launched the Asianati website to be a resource for local Asian food as well as support Asian-American businesses in general. They recognized that many individuals and families were moving or relocating to Cincinnati and didn’t know where to go to get a taste of home. The website celebrates the local Asian food scene with a directory of restaurants, telling stories behind the restaurants and highlighting dishes to try.

Sado says he and Nguyen wanted to share and celebrate what they were finding out themselves about Cincinnati’s growing Asian cultural and business presence. “The Asian communities here are in silos, with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and other groups somewhat keeping to themselves,” says Sado. “We’re hoping to create synergy among all Asian people here, especially by showcasing our amazing food options.”

Asianati started mobilizing to help local businesses in a time of crisis, not only because the pandemic shuttered restaurants but also because racist outbreaks increasingly targeted the Asian-American community. After the Tea ‘N’ Bowl restaurant in Clifton Heights received harassing phone calls, Asianati rallied local groups and individuals to support the business. “We saw an Asianowned restaurant really hurting and a member of our community personally impacted by the hate and discrimination caused by COVID,” says Caitlin Behle, former Co-Editor of Asianati. com. “We saw an opportunity to broadcast a call to action to get people to go out and support this business. That isn’t a huge part of what Asianati does, but we do think that it’s part of our mission to amplify Asian-American voices.”

Behle says supporting Asian-American events and organizations helps retain employees for businesses across the region. “We want Cincinnati to be a place that’s welcoming to everyone,” she says. “So it’s really important to create these spaces where people feel like they belong and know they don’t have to go to a coast or a big city to feel that way.”

Asianati celebrated its annual Asian Food Week in May, and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber is bringing back Asian Food Fest on October 9-10 at the new Court Street Plaza downtown.

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Asianati helped rally support for Tea ‘N’ Bowl restaurant owners Yvonne and Joe Low (above) after they received harassing phone calls.