by LaTisha Brandon, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Throughout the month of March, The Container Store is proudly observing Women’s History Month, a celebration of the contributions of women throughout history. What began as a national week-long celebration forty years ago has evolved into a month-long observance recognized in countries across the globe that continues to inspire and empower generations of women.
On March 8, we will be a part of the celebration of International Women’s Day and pay tribute to the economic, political, and social impact of women around the world. For more than a century, International Women’s Day has served as a clarion call for accelerating gender parity and raising awareness about women’s equality. This year the International Women’s Day theme is #BreakTheBias and sheds light on how biases, whether deliberate or unconscious, make it difficult for women to advance.
The Container Store is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that all of us have EQUAL opportunities to grow, develop and achieve our dreams. We still have work to do to increase diverse representation, particularly women of color in leadership, but our efforts to achieve gender parity in both representation and compensation are positive indicators that we are moving in the right direction.
Our commitment to #BreakTheBias goes beyond our employees and extends into the communities where we operate and to the suppliers that we partner with. Last month, we announced our new Supplier Diversity program and partnerships with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). By engaging with advocacy groups like these, we are enhancing our efforts to provide equitable opportunities for small and diverse owned businesses to connect and do business with us.
“We are proud to have The Container Store as a Corporate Member of the Women’s Business Council – Southwest (WBCS),” says Bliss Coulter, President & CEO of WBCS. “Their support is valuable to our 1,200 regional women owned business and the more than 17,000 across the nation. Supplier diversity is a business imperative in today’s corporate environment that produces a ripple effect into the local and regional economies.” In 2021, we awarded more than $20 million dollars in contracts to woman-owned businesses in the U.S. In fact, some of our most popular product lines are from women-owned companies, including Stashers Inc., Three by Three Seattle, and The Laundress.
We invite you to join the month-long celebration of Women’s History Month in-store, online and in the community. Here’s how we’re celebrating…
In-Store
There will be signage throughout our stores and at the registers that will allow our customers to learn how we’re commemorating Women’s History Month this year.
Companywide
On March 8, we are hosting a panel discussion for our employees entitled “Breaking Barriers and #BreakTheBias.” Featuring three of The Container Store’s dynamic female leaders–Eva Gordon (EVP of Stores & Services), Tasha Grinnell (VP General Counsel), and Barbara Snook (VP of Custom Closets GM)–the panelists will share the biases and barriers they’ve experienced and overcome throughout their careers. This will serve as both inspiration and an important resource for all our employees.
In the Community
To help both our customers and employees commit to forging a more inclusive world, we are encouraging them to share their #BreakTheBias images, videos, resources, presentations, or articles on social media using hashtags #IWD2022 and #BreakTheBias
As part of our commitment to give back to causes that are important to our employees and customers that align with our commitment to making a lasting social and economic impact, we invite you to support female entrepreneurs by contributing to the Lillie Knox Fund. Presented by the Women’s Business Council Southwest, the Lillie Knox Fund is a cash prize of up to $20,000, exclusively available to WBCS Women’s Business Enterprises, to help further business growth. The campaign will run throughout the month of March. Customers and employees can support the Lillie Knox Fund by making a donation here.
As we celebrate the contributions of women throughout history, let us acknowledge the progress we’ve made in society towards gender equality but also be reminded that the work is not done yet!
#BreakTheBias
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