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NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido Kicks Off NCEDA’s New Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Blog Series

Recently, our friends at the North Carolina Economic Development Association (NCEDA) asked NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido to kick off their new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Blog Series by sharing his views on why our state’s business community must prioritize these values. In the piece, which you can read here, Gary details his personal journey toward a growing awareness of the need to vocalize support for these values and to facilitate action that will help build a more equitable North Carolina.

 

“When individuals or companies consider relocating to North Carolina, they must not see only the best state for some, but the best state for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation,” Gary states in the article. “If we can excel at equity, our communities and citizens will be healthier – physically, emotionally, and financially – and our economy will rebound stronger than ever. If we cannot, our economy and our communities will suffer the consequences.”

 

Here at the Chamber, we are taking steps to ensure the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) become an ingrained part of our core value system. Gary details a number of these steps in his blog piece, including his involvement in the creation of a small business diversity training program alongside the Diversity Movement and Capital Associated Industries (CAI) which will be piloted by Chamber staff. We thank NCEDA for giving us the opportunity to spread this important message to a larger audience and we look forward to continuing to share the details of our organization’s DEI journey with our members.