30 Chamber Executive Fall 2016

“The need for better understanding on diversity and inclu-sion issues is nothing new. It’s nothing new in my com-munity, and it’s certainly nothing new for other commu-

nities across the country,” Mike Neal, CCE, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, says. For Tulsa, they can trace this need back roughly 95 years – to race riots in their promi-nent Greenwood District. The wounds from the violence and physical damage in what was once called “Black Wall Street” can still be felt today.

The chamber’s first formal attempt to address disparity in their region began in 1995, with the formation of their Minor-ity Business Council. Like many similar chamber programs across the country, this group served largely as an economic development effort to encourage the formation and support of minority-owned businesses.

The program provided scholarship funds to assist growing businesses, but lacked dedicated staff support and organiza-tional ownership. Without efforts to engage business owners beyond funding, many did not stay on with the chamber. The program therefore, was not highly effective for either members or the chamber.

A New Leader, a New DirectionThe Minority Business Council trudged along until 2010 when the chamber invited one of their dynamic board members, and former chair of Tulsa’s Young Professionals group, to take the helm of the council. He said he’d do it, but only if the chamber agreed to “blow up” everything they’d been doing and start from scratch.

Under the direction of the new chair and with support from board and organizational leadership, the chamber was able to change course and direct their work into a more effective route. The new effort, which would eventually be called Mosaic, al-lowed the chamber to re-orient perspectives and truly adopt diversity and inclusion into strategic plans for the chamber and the economic development organization.

This new journey began with a look internally, a decision which catapulted their conversations in a meaningful and stra-tegic way. With the help of a local author and diversity expert, the chamber conducted an internal assessment of staff makeup and perception of diversity and inclusion.

After looking internally, the outward focus depended on the addition of more voices from around the community. Mosaic’s chair helped the chamber bring along new partners and stake-holders in the new direction. According to Denise Reid, execu-tive director of Mosaic and workforce, including nonprofits and other non-member partners was essential to the work. “We need them at the table to validate the work that we’re doing. We need their voice; we need their expertise.”

Reshaping Tulsa’s MosaicBy Hannah Nequist

“Mosaic has full support from our volunteer leadership. That has made

a big difference and has sent a strong message to our membership about

the importance of this, no matter the size of your business.”

– Mike Neal, CCE

Chamber Executive Fall 2016 31

Also crucial to the new direction was being much more in-tentional and vocal about the work.

In 2011, the Tulsa Regional Chamber unveiled a new name, logo and focus for its minority business council. The newly-re-branded division would help small and minority owned com-panies grow and develop; it would also push the entire business community to adopt more inclusive practices and embrace the competitive advantages of diversity.

With a mission to “educate, lead and influence businesses on creating diverse and inclusive workforce cultures to enhance their competitive advantage,” Mosaic encourages organizations to focus on five key pillars:• CEO commitment• Diverse people practices• Internal policies• Community outreach • Diverse suppliers

The chamber supports these pillars with a menu of rich pro-gramming including their monthly meetings, various commit-tees, networking opportunities, direct peer-to-peer connections and, most notably, their Inclusive Cultures Survey.

Beginning four years ago with an admittedly “light” start, the chamber has put out an increasingly deep survey for local businesses and organizations each year to assess their internal inclusive practices around Mosaic’s five key pillars. The 2016 survey even included two versions, one for smaller companies with fewer than 50 employees, and another for those with more than 50. The chamber then recognizes top performers at their annual Inclusion Forum. Categories include Rising Stars and three-Star, four-Star and five-Star recipients.

The survey process not only allows the chamber to honor those organizations already doing a great job, but also serves as a learning tool for companies still improving their efforts. As respondents – usually CEOs – work through the questions, they are able to clearly see which areas of their organization need to improve efforts in order to qualify as a Top Inclusive Culture.

A third layer of benefit from the assessment is the chamber’s ability to collect this data. It is helpful to see improvement in the community, but also to allow Mosaic to tailor programming based on community needs. Organizations specify what tools they need to reach their inclusion goals, which helps Mosaic strategically build programming and resources.

4 Chamber Executive Spring 2015

a c c e n e w s

Check your passport and make plans to attend ACCE’s 2015 Convention Aug. 11–14 Rendezvous with ACCE when we bring our annual convention to Montreal’s Palais des congres, Aug. 11-14. This international city features an eclectic blend of cultural influences from all over the world, and it’s where chamber professionals from North America and beyond will gather for three days of learning, networking and total immersion in Montréal’s atmosphere of celebration. Online registration is open at www.acce.org/convention. U.S. citizens and non-Canadians: make sure your passport hasn’t expired! For more information, visit the web sites of Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of State (Pass-port Information).

260 Chambers Urge Congress to Act on Infrastructure InvestmentMore than 260 local, regional and state chambers of commerce signed a March letter urging Congress to resolve the impending insolvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund, and to pass a long term federal transportation authorization bill. The first paragraph of the letter says: “Transportation infrastructure investments in our cities and towns are key to America’s long-term economic competitiveness. That’s why leaders of local and regional cham-bers of commerce and economic development organizations from across the country urge you to resolve the impending insolvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund and pass a long term federal transportation authorization bill this year that restores confi-dence and stability for investments within our regions.” The full letter and list of signatories are at http://goo.gl/8Az2S7

Apply for an ACCE Convention ScholarshipACCE is offers convention registration scholarships in the names of Mike Hauser and Shelia Lee, two leaders of the chamber move-ment and ACCE, whose contributions to the chamber profession will always be remembered. A total of two scholarships, which

cover the cost of registration only, will be awarded. • Chamber professionals of all levels and disciplines are

encouraged to apply, however those who have received a convention scholarship from ACCE in the last two years are not eligible.

• ACCE Board members are not eligible.• Non-members are eligible to apply, but if selected, the

recipient will be required to pay the difference between the member registration price ($879) and non-member registra-tion price ($999).

Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. EDT on May 15. For more information and to download the application, visit www.acce.org/convention/scholarship.

Get your Salary Survey data in for FY2014 and get instant reports!Participate in the FY2014 Salary Survey in Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking (http://www.acce.org/research/research-over-view/) and receive FREE Salary Reports and Comparisons instantly, like the NEW CEO Compensation Overview report and reports on HR Statistics, Senior and Mid-Level Staff, Sales Staff, and Admin Support Staff. Use the on-screen comparisons or instant PPT slide downloads to customize your reports. CEOs: You may designate a staff person to access the Salary Survey with your permission emailed to HERO@acce.org. Remember, you can also use Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking for the Operations Survey and Membership Statistics reports.

Upcoming FREE Webinar: Take the ACCE E-TourLearn how to make the most of your ACCE membership when you join us for a quick guided tour of the ACCE website on Wed., May 13 at 2 p.m. EDT. ACCE staff will show you how to log in and review and update your membership information and how to:

• Explore our 2,000-document Samples Library w

“We want everybody to feel like they can join this conversation – get on the journey – no matter

where they are.”

– Denise Reid

A 2011 press conference announcing the public launch of Mosaic – the new name and brand for Tulsa’s minority business council.

32 Chamber Executive Fall 2016

Mosaic leadership team at the 2015 Mosaic Economic Inclusion Forum with the keynote speaker, Noel Hornsberry, senior diversity business partner with Kellogg Companies.

Mike Neal with Mosaic 2013 Chair, Jim Langdon, presenting past chair, Shane Fernandez, with the Catapult Award at the 2013 Economic Inclusion Forum.

ImpactSince the relaunch, the Tulsa Regional Chamber has welcomed an increasingly large group of people into Mosaic. Early meet-ings regularly attracted about 10 people each, but after six years, monthly meetings routinely attract more than 60 attendees. Mosaic now boasts over 210 member companies (375 total in-dividuals).

According to survey data, participating companies in 2014 employed over 29,000 people. With increased responses in 2016, almost 48,000 employees were represented. That’s a strik-ing potential impact on people in the community by companies improving their policies and internal culture.

While membership in the chamber isn’t a prerequisite to being part of Mosaic, the program has created a new revenue stream. Sponsorship for Mosaic has grown over 700 percent since 2012, as businesses have realized the value of the inclusion work and the potential impact on the community.

From an economic development standpoint, Reid says, “Mo-saic has been a driver for a lot of our workforce conversations with companies that have diversity as a core value.” Top compa-nies already understand the power of diverse teams, so working with a community with a strong commitment is a no brainer. According to Neal, the Tulsa Regional Chamber has been in-volved in the creation of 28,800 jobs in just the last five years.

What Mosaic has been able to accomplish for the Tulsa Regional Chamber and the community has been significant, but it did not come without the hard work and dedication of both staff and community partners. According to Reid, “When you look at what we’ve done, it’s been incremental. It hasn’t happened overnight.” And they certainly don’t intend to stop here.

Hannah Nequist is community advancement coordinator at ACCE. Hannah can be contacted at hnequist@acce.org.