15 May Fleet Response Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Fleet Response continuously evolves to meet the needs of our customers, but our values never change. Since opening our doors in 1986, we have consistently added capabilities and defined industry standards by applying the founding principles of innovation, professionalism, accountability, and effectiveness.

We not only strive to meet the needs of our customers, but our employees as well. Operating on the founding principle of innovation with a culture that places clients and employees at the forefront of the business.

As we continue to grow, Fleet Response maintains a family-like culture with beliefs that focus on employee and customer satisfaction. The combination of our people and culture gives us the most powerful source of competitive advantage.

One of the key things in creating this family-like culture is ensuring that all our employees feel that their voices are being heard and paid attention to. It means creating opportunities to address issues that matter to our employees.

To be successful in an increasingly diverse world, an organization must be able to manage and leverage the differences that exist within the workforce to develop an inclusive environment.

The drive toward diversity and inclusion at Fleet Response came from the top-down, and the executive team took the first step in assembling our Diversity & Inclusion committee reaching out to employees to lead this group. More than 20 employees signed up to be on the committee as they kicked off this new initiative, which is now being led from the bottom-up.

“As someone who strongly believes in diversity and inclusion, I wanted to be a part of ensuring I work for a company that promotes my beliefs,” said Jeff Butler, Diversity & Inclusion Member. “I am proud to be a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee because it shows that Fleet Response shares my vision for a diverse and comfortable workplace with opportunities for all. As a member, I see how serious the company takes this matter and is doing everything in their power to promote these ideals.”

The committee meets once a month, in which they are given the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns regarding Diversity and Inclusion, as well as assist in planning, preparing, and executing program initiatives.

“I joined the committee to make a difference in the company, to be a voice for my peers and leaders, and to strengthen relationships” Kelly Medcalf, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Member said. “The diversity of the group allows those who never get involved to be a part of something special. The fact that we are all learning together is awesome!”

Another committee member, Tom Simon said “I joined the committee because I felt I could bring a different insight to the struggles and stereotypes of the modern workplace. I have physical disabilities due to two hip replacements. I am old enough to be just about everyone’s dad and possibly grandpa. I have seen a lot in my work career and was still blind to the issues that exist.”

When asked why he is proud to be a part of this initiative, Simon said “I am glad that I can help make a change for the best of our company family. I am so proud to work for a company that CARES!”

The Fleet Response Diversity & Inclusion Committee is committed to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees. One of the goals is for all employees to create and nurture an environment where any person, from any background, can feel empowered and proud to succeed. The diversity throughout the company guides how teams are built, how leaders cultivate and create a company that delivers best in class service.

One of the first program initiatives the committee organized is celebrating World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21st. To kick off this celebration, a Diversity and Inclusion Seminar will be held for all 179 employees on May 20th. Day of festivities include Jeopardy giving employees the opportunity to test their diversity and inclusion knowledge against co-workers, facts and information will be shared throughout the day, while encouraging employees to share their thoughts of diversity and inclusion on our internal message board throughout the day. A video highlighting our employees and our commitment to these values will be shown as well. You can watch the video below.

We are proud of this committee and the values they hold. We look forward to continuing to be able to cultivate as we continue to grow. We hope this committee will serve as a resource that allows for opportunities in advocacy for diversity and inclusion for all our employees.