to support local economic development. For example, Gov.
Patrick recently pledged to provide a rail line between Bos-
ton and cities along Massachusetts’ southern coast by 2016.
The Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion
Jobs program provides resources to towns and cities to
make road and utility improvements for business develop-
ment on publicly owned land. What’s more, the
state works with incoming companies to stream-
line the permitting process and break ground on
new projects quickly. Finally, Gov. Patrick filed a bill
to create a $25 million fund that will provide high-
speed Internet access to unserved communities.
“With these initiatives,” says O’Connell, “we’re
working smarter to ensure that the Massachusetts’
economy remains strong and nimble.”
Comcast:
Diversity Enhances
Its Competitive
Advantage
As a leading provider of digital voice,
video and Internet services nationwide,
Comcast relies on diversity and inclusion
to remain on the cutting edge. And in its
NorthCentral Division, which includes
Massachusetts, the company is focused
on continually developing senior leaders
who can help Comcast reflect the diverse
communities it serves.
“Forty percent of our executives are
women, a figure that we plan to maintain or
grow,” explains Shanda Hinton, director
of talent management and diversity. “What’s
more, we are focused on increasing people
of color in senior management in 2008.”
To help meet those goals, Hinton works
closely with hiring managers to ensure that diverse candidates are recruited and evaluated for open-management
positions. More importantly, the bonuses of senior leaders
are tied to their contributions to diversity. The result:
Comcast’s growing reputation in Massachusetts and beyond
as an employer that walks the walk when it comes
to diversity.
But company leaders say their focus on diversity is driven
by more than their desire to be an employer of choice. Comcast’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is also contributing to operational success, empowered employees and strong
business growth through initiatives such as:
• Pa’ Que Te, a culturally savvy marketing campaign using
“in-culture” messaging to communicate with Latino consumers,
last year led to strong sales growth, for instance.
• Comcast also launched English On Demand last year, a
complimentary service allowing non-English speakers from all
backgrounds to learn English from home, using Comcast’s On
Demand service.
“We think our customers appreciate that Comcast takes
the time to understand their culture and to speak to them in the
language they use with their family and friends,” says Karen Breen,
vice president of marketing strategy.
Adds Hinton: “We’ve always prided ourselves as being a frontrunner in our industry that out-innovates our competition. Diversity
is just another tool to help us keep our lead.”
ATTRACTING TOP TALENT
“The demographics of Massachusetts are changing
dramatically,” explains Greg Almieda, president of
Global View Communications, a business market-
ing and research company that recently analyzed
the state’s ethnic and racial populations. What
Almieda discovered: By 2020, 40 percent of Mas-
sachusetts’ residents aged 20 to 25—prime candi-
dates to enter the job market—will be Black, Latino
or Asian American.
Immigrants, who bring energy and ambition
with them, are an important piece of this equation.
More than 14 percent of Massachusetts’ residents
are foreign born; 47 percent of those came from
Latin America (primarily Brazil), while 23 percent
came from Asia. What’s more, foreign-born
workers account for 17 percent of the state’s
work force and have a lower unemployment rate
than native-born workers.
CHUCK ANZALONE, THE GRAPHICS GROUP
