A long-time DiversityInc Top 50 company, Verizon continues to build an inclusive workplace and to use its diversity efforts to reach an increasingly multicultural marketplace.

The company has a diverse board of directors, which is a third female, a quarter Black and 8.3 percent Latino. Verizon cascades its diversity commitment down throughout the workforce. It has 10 resource groups, which are available to all employees, including hourly workers. The groups meet during the workday, have company funding and have senior executive sponsors. They are used for recruitment, talent development, on-boarding, mentoring, supplier diversity and market outreach. The company says it views individual participation in resource groups as “assisting with their overall development and leadership skills. Ultimately, these skills lead to employees’ promotional opportunities.”

Verizon is very cognizant of the need to positively impact the communities it serves. Sixty-two percent of its philanthropic budget goes to multicultural nonprofits, including LULAC National Educational Service Centers, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, the American Foundation for the Blind, the Point Foundation and the ASPIRA Association.

The company has a well-established supplier-diversity program, which includes a strong certification process, mentoring for its diverse suppliers, procurement compensation tied to diversity goals, and financial assistance and financial education provided to these suppliers.

U.S. Headquarters: New York

Global Employees: 196,146

U.S. Employees: 183,248

Last Year’s DiversityInc Top 50 Ranking: No. 22