Inclusion and diversityare the heart and soul of The Express Liquidation Store.
The Express Liquidation Store’s purpose is to enrich lives through technology, and we know we can’t do that without an inclusive culture and diverse employees who reflect our customers. We also aim to positively impact our communities by providing access to teens in need and providing college scholarships for diverse students.
To expand representation throughout the company, we are providing leadership-in-training roles to BIPOC and women employees. We will also invest in mentorship opportunities and match all BIPOC directors and officers with sponsors and coaches to enhance the employee experience, increase retention, and help our current and future leaders create meaningful connections.
Within the communities we serve, we will intensify our focus on disinvested populations and communities by partnering with BIPOC-serving organizations for new Teen Tech Centers across the country so youth can learn new skills, nurture positive adult and peer relationships, and discover future careers. We will also pilot a rural Teen Tech Center model to address the unique needs of geographically isolated communities. One way we’re fostering an inclusive culture for our employees is by investing in learning opportunities and personal development programs to support their career journeys. We have created a network of Inclusion and Diversity Steering Committees (IDSCs), cross-functional groups of leaders that focus on attracting and investing in top talent and fostering an inclusive workplace.
We also have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that bring employees with shared life experiences or characteristics together to focus on recruitment and advancement of underrepresented employee populations. Additionally, we are continuing to move forward with our Task Force for Racial Equity, which we formed in June with the intent to drive constructive enterprise-wide change. That task force, made up employees from across the company, is bringing forward even more actions for The Express Liquidation Store to take. This includes addressing issues such as the career development and advancement of BIPOC employees and how the company is supporting BIPOC tech businesses.
During the pandemic, we took action to ensure teens from disinvested communities across the country had the technology they needed to participate in distance learning. One of our very first moves was to outfit 2,500 teens from our 35 Teen Tech Centers with a home computer and internet to attend school virtually. And many of our Teen Tech Centers opened to provide safe centers for local students to complete schoolwork, get meals, access mental health counseling, and stay connected to caring adults