■ Diversity , Equity and Inclusion
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
■ Diversity , Equity and Inclusion
managers , found in the past two years there has been an 18 percent decrease in company leader ’ s endorsement of DEI . For these companies , Richardson-Miller questioned if there had been a true commitment and was it embedded in the company ’ s culture . She also noted the relatively small decline has to be considered against the overwhelming support DEI received immediately following George Floyd ’ s slaying .
“ Leaders are still committed to DEI and the premise of DEI , which is to create more equity and more inclusion in organizations . And at the same time , there ’ s a recognition that this is hard . This topic is really hard and there ’ s that fine line between what employees are expecting and what companies can deliver ,” Sorrentini said .
The new climate led Sorrentini and her team to pivot in their approach , taking on a more long-term advisory role under retain agreements . “ We ’ re delivering services to them as an extension of their team ,” she explained .
“ We get to work with our clients in an advisory capacity to support them on their journey . And equally important we bring forth best practices , we bring forth trends , we bring forth ideas that maybe they didn ’ t even know were possible as solutions to help them grapple with where they are ,” Sorrentini said .
What ’ s keeping CEOs up at night is their concern over compliance and risk . Sorrentini understands the anxiety . Her team listens to the problems , whether it ’ s recruiting , compensation or any other issue , and then makes recommendations for solutions .
The goal of Impact Consulting is to have company leaders provide a value proposition that fits their employees needs and conversely to have employees deliver what the organization needs .
Richardson-Miller said Hackensack Meridian believes that diversity is a strength that provides the network with an advantage that is driving
More companies are signing onto incorporating diversity in their hiring .
innovation and resulting in high quality care . She emphasized a 2020 report by the international consulting firm McKinsey & Co , which found companies that adopt diversity outperform those that do not . Later studies also found diversity fuels profitability .
“ DEI sits on top of everything that is HR . It sits on top of everything that ’ s people . And so for us , with our background as human capital consultants we connect all the dots ,” Sorrentini said .
Photo : Getty Images / iStockphoto / Edwin Tan
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
AnythingIT Grows with ITAD Industry
The discarded smart phones , laptops , monitors and innumerable other tech equipment that clog the waste-stream emphasizes the need for AnythingIT – an innovative company that grew up in the Information Technology Asset Disposal ( ITAD ) industry .
Entrepreneurs David Bernstein and Vlad Stelmak founded the business in 1992 . Back then technology was expensive and users wanted to repair and maintain equipment . Their original niche was buying and selling computer parts , especially the more obscure items .
Initially , they operated out of a boat in Jersey City for no other reason than it was available . Soon they graduated to a small warehouse in Lodi . The entrepreneurs proved savvy businessmen , adapting to every change , as the industry faced the Y2K crisis , cyber-security worries , the dot-com era surges , remote work during the pandemic , and more .
When the calendar flipped to 2000 without a disaster , Bernstein said questions arose . “ It was the first time that the enterprise IT world had to face the obsolescence of technology ” he recalled . Without regulations or industry best practices , it was a “ kind of wild west ,” Stelmak said . Bernstein remembers visiting a Wall Street firm
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where the IT manager was throwing old equipment out a window to a trash bin below . In another instance involving a government client , Bernstein said the supervisor was leaving the technology closet open in hopes that employees would take home the outdated items .
But Bernstein and Stelmak saw opportunity for their business to focus on reselling , reusing , repurposing – essentially recycling technology . Often , they partner with companies that sell new equipment , offering a way to dispose of a client ’ s obsolete items . Bernstein said the business is akin to a used car dealership in some ways . “ If you ’ re going to buy new technology , for the cost why wouldn ’ t you take the older equipment and trade it in to get some value .”
Items that cannot be repurposed and have no value are deemed scrap materials . They go to a very detailed downstream recycling process that AnythingIt is authorized to conduct through its e-steward certification . As the ITAD industry standards and protocols evolved , AnythingIt became fullly certified .
Over the years the operation grew to 30 employees working out of a plant in North Bergen .
Bernstein estimates they have ensured the proper disposal of more than 100,000,000 pounds of e-waste . AnythingIt was also one of the first companies awarded a government contract by the federal General Services Administration for ITAD . Bernstein recalls the company had obtain a Congressional recommendation to be eligible . Public contracts continue to flow to AnythingIt , which is now recycling Ipads used in U . S . Air Force fighter jets .
Bernstein wants to further assist clients by developing comprehensive reporting on the environmental impact of removing old technology from the waste stream . “ It ’ s the single biggest threat to the environment right now because of the sheer volume ,” Bernstein said . His goal is to generate highly detailed reports that will even advise clients on how contracting with AnythingIT affected greenhouse gas emissions . He believes companies will incorporate these reports into their evaluations for ESG – environmental , social and government performance .
Like a proud father , Bernstein is pleased by his firm ’ s accomplishments . “ We created a business , where there really wasn ’ t one .”