The World's Best Connectors has announced the winners--Bitwise and Compliance Testing--of its "Is Diversity Your Competitive Edge?" contest.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA, October 2, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Technology is one of the driving forces behind the great population migration to the Southwest. Many tech companies are coming to take advantage of low taxes, while all business people have discovered that they can run their businesses remotely while sitting next to a pool in a place where the sun shines all the time. But what happens when one of the least diverse industries meets a soon-to-be minority-majority population? The World’s Best Connectors, (www.thewbcs.com, a virtual community of C-suite executives) in partnership with Arizona State University (the #1 Most Innovative University seven years in a row) are gathering tech CEOs and business owners at the Diversifying Tech Leadership Conference Presented by Arizona State University on October 28, 2021, in Scottsdale, Arizona, to make that encounter profitable for all parties.

This technology conference will focus on people instead of products. Despite 20 years of programs like S.T.E.M. and editorial pronouncements of support for social, economic, and criminal justice equity after the George Floyd murder, African-Americans still comprise less than seven percent of tech jobs, and women make up less than 27%, dropping 2% in 2020. Instead of just talking about the problem, this conference will help attendees identify the ongoing barriers to inclusion at management levels; learn what works and what doesn’t from fellow CEOs, and gain access to resources, references, and referrals they can apply immediately in their workplaces.

“While there are tech contests for the best robot or rewards for the best gamer,” says Denise Meridith, CEO of the World’s Best Connectors, “We should also be rewarding companies who attract, mentor, and retain the best talent, regardless of race, gender, sex or physical ability, in the industry.”

So, WBC has hosted a competition prior to the conference, called “Is Diversity Your Competitive Edge?” to recognize tech companies, who are as innovative in recruiting and developing diverse executives and professionals, as they are in developing new products and services. The judges included Dr. Neal Lester, Alejandro Crawford, Delmar Johnson, Jack McCauley, Alex Muir, Gerran Bettison-Clark, and Brad Bonomo.

The winner in the small business category is Compliance Testing in Mesa, Arizona, which has been testing and certifying projects for 50 years. CT’s Founder and CEO is Michael Schafer.

One quote from Compliance Testing’s (https://Compliancetesting.com) nomination was “CT's commitment to valuing diversity is to continue to exemplify the value generated from diversity. We not only want to provide a culture that allows people to be objectively evaluated based upon their unique performance, character & contributions; We also want to help show other Arizona organizations how & why this benefits us.”

The winner in the corporate category is Bitwise Industries (https://bitwiseindustries.com), which, since 2013, has used technology consulting, development of real estate, and workforce training to empower diverse people. Inclusion is the core of Bitwise’s culture, mission, and success. Its CEOs are Irma Olguin Jr and Jake Soberal.

In its application, Bitwise said: “The company itself is designed to be a tool in which those who are underrepresented and/or excluded have a pathway into the tech industry, which has traditionally been exclusionary. Bitwise continues working toward creating a workforce that is representative of the communities they serve.”

These companies will be lauded for their efforts and success during a luncheon as part of the Diversifying Tech Leadership Conference Presented by Arizona State University. Susan Casper, co-host of ABC15’s Sonoran Living, and sponsor Charlene Ignacio, of CMO Guru, will help recognize the winners. Tech and other business leaders are invited to register for the conference and luncheon at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/diversifying-tech-leadership-presented-by-asu-tickets-159274880455

“Those tech companies, who want to attain or maintain profitability in the decades ahead, will need the representation of their communities at all levels of the organization,” says Meridith, “Because, ultimately, Diversity=Dollars.”

Denise Meridith
World's Best Connectors LLC
+1 602-763-9900
email us here

Denise Meridith & the DTL Video