City Of Fort Worth: City, Local Companies Sharpen Their Focus On Business Equity

Press release from City of Fort Worth:

June 21, 2021

Leaders from the city’s Diversity & Inclusion Department and Waste Management Inc. recently opened a dialogue to share ideas on how corporations and local municipalities can collaborate to improve capacity building and to forge stronger relationships.

The meeting was part of ongoing efforts to further embed inclusion and diversity strategies into every part of city services. All of the parties involved in the meeting agreed to continue to have transparent conversations that drive awareness and foster true progress.

“The resilience and well-being of our local small businesses are critical to sustain the upward trend in our regional economic development,” said Christina Brooks, the city’s chief equity officer and director of the Diversity & Inclusion Department. “Making sure we support a strong, competitive, inclusive and equitable business environment that reflects the diversity of entrepreneurs with great ideas, a Texas-sized work ethic and smart business equity partners that provide or support financial services means we bounce back stronger and faster than other regions around the country.”

Executives with Waste Management hailed the meeting as a starting point for enhanced business relationships with their municipal partners.

“At Waste Management, diversity, equity and inclusion is not an initiative; it is how we do business,” said Tiana Carter, Waste Management’s senior director of culture and engagement. “To share our best practices with the City of Fort Worth was a privilege, and I look forward to continuing to grow our relationship.”

Gwen Wilson, the city’s assistant director for business equity, said Fort Worth continues to build relationships with companies like Waste Management and Knight Waste Services.

“The diversity of local business is important and should reflect the diversity of the residents of our city,” Wilson said. “The city’s Business Equity Division continues to refine our certification processes, gather data and determine where any gaps and roadblocks exist in our current processes. Basically, we’re asking ourselves, ‘What can we do to mitigate those things to create a fair and equitable marketplace?’”

The city’s Business Equity Division supports aspiring and existing businesses in several Business Equity Firm categories: Certified Minority Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.

Brooks said she anticipates presenting additional amendments to the city’s Business Equity ordinance that will further strengthen the economic bond between the city and local business equity firms.

“Consistent, inclusive business support means we can all ride the economic recovery wave into a very bright future for Fort Worth,” Brooks said.

The Diversity & Inclusion Department has been working with the Law Department, other departments and the Business Equity Board to prepare proposed amendments to the business equity ordinance. The purpose of these amendments is to reflect recommendations from the 2020 disparity study and to codify current processes. Plans call for a City Council briefing on Aug. 3 and an agenda item for City Council consideration on Aug. 10.

View the city’s Business Equity Ordinance adopted last November. 

Photo: Meeting participants included Veronica Villegas, municipal equity manager, City of Fort Worth; Gwen Wilson, business equity assistant director, City of Fort Worth; Steve Kellar, public sector manager, Waste Management; Edwin Medina, senior manager for engagement, Waste Management; Rick Losa, area director for public sector solutions, Waste Management; Marcus Knight, president, Knight Waste Services; Tiana Carter, senior director of culture and engagement, Waste Management; and Christina Brooks, chief equity officer, City of Fort Worth.

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This press release was produced by City of Fort Worth. The views expressed here are the author’s own.