AF
fo
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r com
ernetlse re
puter
acceasons, At
systems
ss pointsnlanta is on
and softw
than nearte of t
are j
ly eveahe top four fastest-growing cities
obs. The region has more major
ry other city nationwide. Plus, it
offers new technology-focused research centers, which have helped
incubate more than 80 start-ups and create over 2,700 jobs. This combination makes the region especially attractive to technology and
telecommunications companies, which contribute 10 percent of
Atlanta’s payroll. The city is a major hub for international business as
well. Several high schools offer international baccalaureate degrees,
Mae Douglas Jimmy Hayes
Cox Enterprises Makes Diversity Work for Customers
Cox Enterprises is a leading national and increasingly international company with four major media-oper-ating subsidiaries encompassing nearly every form of electronic and print communications, plus two auto-motive-related subsidiaries. In all, Cox runs 300 business operations.
Contributing to the company’s successes is its intentional efforts to recruit employees that reflect community diversity. It capitalizes on their unique talents and perspectives, especially in employee development and products and services creation. Cox ranks in the top 10 nationally, based on revenues, in every
major category in which it competes, and its 78,000 employees are located across the U.S. and abroad.
Cable and telecommunications subsidiary Cox Communications, also based in Atlanta, ranked 32nd in the
2006 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® rankings.
“We’re more effective because our work force reflects the communities we serve,” says Jimmy Hayes, president and chief operating officer. “At board meetings every year, we evaluate the progress we’ve made.”
“Through communications, it has become entrenched in our culture that diversity is about all of us, and
our diversity is strategic to our ability to compete,” says Cox Communications’ Senior Vice President and
Chief People Officer Mae Douglas.
The company’s efforts to advance diversity in Atlanta range from the editorial board of The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution to niche publications, online destinations and radio stations that target community
subsets. Its diversity commitment extends nationwide to all communities it serves through programming
that appeals to specific ethnic and cultural groups, vendor selection and sponsorship of community festivals and heritage celebrations. Employees are supported with mentoring and training, and the company
actively supports the Society for Women Engineers and national associations for diverse journalists.
Says Douglas, “Diversity is about all of us and our ability to compete. It has a bottom-line impact.”
and Saturday schools provide instruction in languages other than
English. In addition, about 140 bioscience and related companies—
employing more than 100,000 health-services personnel (one of the
highest concentrations nationally)—are based in the region.
Atlanta is also home to the American Institute for Managing Diversity,
a nonprofit dedicated to advancing diversity-thought leadership through
research, education and public outreach. “Atlanta continues to be vision-
Impressions of Atlanta
Responding “Excellent” or “Very Good”*
80% Having fine Having Being a
d ining and lots of
70 great place Being
shopping things to live, an open,
60to see
and do le arn , work w elcoming
and play city
50
40
30
20
10
0
Source: Atlanta Office of the Mayor
Being an
exciting
pl ace to Being a visit s afe place
t o visit
*Based on a survey of 600 Atlanta residents.
