DiversityInc - January/February 2007

tectural, mechanical and environmental engineering or other services, we want to see diversity in the bid package,” stated Gary Gibson, assistant project director for the Indianapolis Airport Authority. In the quarter

“_Having _an _inclusiveending June 30, 2006, the Airport Authority awarded contracts totaling _$150 _million _to _minority- _and _women-owned _business _enterprisesagenda is not only (M/WBEs), which is 22 percent of the $685 million total.

_the _right _thing _to _do, “We’re undergoing a construction boom that rivals, if not surpasses, _what _Atlanta _went _through _before _it _hosted _the _Olympic _Games,” _saysit’s also vital to Jonathan Carpenter, director of the city’s M/WBE program.

^{Indianapolis’} ^status ^as^To ^encourage ^M/WBE ^{participation} ⁱⁿ ^these ^and ^other ^civic ^projects,the city launched an e-mail list to help local business owners network. a world-class city.” Participants are regularly updated on supplier-diversity programs and opportunities. As a result, the number of registered M/WBEs in Indianapolis has more than doubled, jumping from 260 in 2000 to 530 in the first nine months of 2006.

Thanks to innovative initiatives and leaders who are committed to diversity and eager to work side by side, this Midwest metropolis is gaining a competitive advantage and poised for future growth. •

—Office of Disability Affairs Coordinator Juli Paini

© DiversityInc^®. This advertising-supported special section was written by Jenny C. McCune under contract to DiversityInc. Content is the property of DiversityInc. For more information, please contact gzoppo@DiversityInc

Simon Property Group: Seeking—and Realizing—Potential

Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, the nation’s leading shopping center developer, places a major emphasis on diversity in all aspects of its operations. “From recruiting and training a work force that shares our commitment to diversity to investing in the future of our city’s minority youth, we look for— and develop—potential with diversity in mind,” says Irv Kravitz, Simon’s senior vice president of human resources.

Simon believes that a diverse and enlightened work force adds strength to the company’s foundation. Since launching its newest diversity training in 2005, more than 550 Simon employ- Lafayette Square ees have participated in the program as part of the company’s Education Resource Center effort to instill in its employees an understanding of and appreciation for the racial and ethnic tapestry that is America.

As a Fortune 500 company, Simon’s participation for a number of years in the Indiana Black Expo Job Fair—one of the nation’s preeminent events of its kind— has provided the company with an outstanding opportunity to introduce itself to a diverse talent pool and promote a broad range of career opportunities.

The company contributes to a myriad of local organizations that serve the minority community. But it is today’s youth—and their potential for playing a role in the future of Indianapolis as tomorrow’s bright leaders—that led to the formation of the Simon Youth Foundation^®(SyF) in 1998. Today, SyF continues to provide valuable educational and life-skills assistance to area at-risk youth (many of them minority) through its Education Resource Centers at a facility adjacent to Simon’s Circle Centre in downtown Indianapolis and at Lafayette Square, a Simon mall located on the city’s west side.

“With a 90 percent graduation rate, these Education Resource Centers are succeeding in equipping their students with the educational depth, self-discipline and motivation to become productive citizens of the community, and it is gratifying to play a role in helping them realize their potential,” adds Susan Massela, vice president of human resources for Simon.