On Nov. 11, Jack Isselmann, senior vice president of external affairs and corporate communications at The Greenbrier Cos., sat down with RailPrime Associate Editor Grace Renderman about Greenbrier’s 2022 environmental, social and governance (ESG) report.
The report highlights the company’s extensive strategies for hiring and retaining employees. Diversity, equity and inclusion play a big role in those initiatives, Isselmann says. The company’s "IDEAL Commitment" pledges to put those three things at the forefront of its hiring practices, as well as the "A" for access and the "L" for leadership.
"Access recognizes that not everybody can access the same opportunities equally," Isselmann says. "But if we make adjustments, most folks can access every opportunity that’s available here."
The company has achieved at least one key diversity goal: To hire its first female CEO. Lorie Tekorius, who has spent just under three decades with Greenbrier, took over in March. And the company’s board has achieved one-third female membership.
Greenbrier’s Second Chance Hiring program — in which the company works with previously incarcerated individuals to help them return to steady employment following their release — is also part of those diverse recruitment efforts, Isselmann says.
The program doesn’t just start after release from incarceration. Greenbrier brings current inmates into the program in partnership with community colleges and other technical work programs, he adds.
"We find our second-chance workers to be among the most dedicated and loyal employees that are with us here at Greenbrier," Isselmann says.
