Granite CANDID builds on our existing diversity initiatives around gender and sexual orientation to target systemic discrimination based on race.
QUINCY, Mass. (PRWEB) June 22, 2020
Rob Hale, CEO of Granite Telecommunications, a $1.5 billion provider of communications services to multilocation businesses and government agencies, announced today that Granite is joining the fight against racial injustice among its ranks and within its communities with the launch of Granite CANDID (Community Awareness Networking Diversity Informational Development), a new initiative that promises open and honest conversation, education and action to promote diversity.
“For days, I’ve been watching what has been happening around us with a deep sense of remorse, sorrow and anger,” said Hale. “The senseless killing of George Floyd is beyond my comprehension. The fact that it came so close in time to equally maddening killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are stark reminders of the racism and brutality that continues to be pervasive throughout our country. Despite the progress we’ve made, there’s still plenty of work to be done, so I’m announcing the formation of Granite CANDID.”
Granite CANDID will support diversity in the company and the communities where Granite teammates work and live through education, advocacy, networking and community partnerships.
Granite CANDID is led by a steering committee made up of Granite teammates focused on four areas:
- Community Programs
- Educational Programs
- Equality Programs
- Developmental Programs
The programs are backed by Granite’s commitment to resources, funding for initiatives and willingness to make and/or evangelize change based on the group’s recommendations.
“Granite CANDID builds on our existing diversity initiatives around gender and sexual orientation to target systemic discrimination based on race,” said Hale. “We encourage other companies to have the hard conversations about racial injustice with their teams and to take the next step, invest in programs that will change the hearts, minds and actions of people inside their companies and communities.”
Granite is an active proponent of diversity and inclusion, sponsoring several internal initiatives, such as WE CAN for professional development for women and Granite RockOUT for its LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the company has sponsored civic and other charitable organizations with programs supporting racial and ethnic minorities through its Granite Gives Back philanthropy programs. Granite has been repeatedly recognized as one of the most philanthropic employers and last year was named by Forbes as a Best Employer for Diversity.
About Granite
Granite delivers one-stop communications solutions to multilocation businesses and government agencies throughout the United States and Canada. The $1.5 billion company serves more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100 companies in the United States and has 1.75 million voice and data lines under management. Granite launched in 2002 and grew quickly by helping businesses to simplify sourcing and management of local and long distance phone services with one point of contact and one invoice for all their office locations nationwide. Today, Granite is the leader in aggregating Plain Old Telephone Services (POTS), and has extended its unique value proposition – “one company, one contact, one bill” – to include a range of advance business communications services, including Internet access, SD-WAN, wireless WAN, hosted PBX, SIP trunking, mobile voice and data, mobile device management, managed security, network integration and much more. Granite employs more than 2,100 people at its headquarters in Quincy, Mass., and nine regional offices nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.granitenet.com.