News
Brunini Co-Sponsors State's First Corporate Conference on Diverstiy
Jackson, MSIn the first-ever such event of its kind held in Mississippi, high level executives from the largest companies in the United States gathered in Jackson on November 16, 2006 to discuss the role of diversity in the American workplace. The conference took over a year to organize, and was driven by the efforts of Sharon Bridges, a member of Jackson's Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC, who chairs the Hinds County Bar Association's Diversity Committee. The event was jointly sponsored by the Hinds County Bar Association and other member firms.
Over 300 people attended, including representatives from such corporate giants as Cingular, Pfizer Inc., Tyson Foods, Georgia-Pacific Corp., Baxter International, Harrah's Entertainment, Nissan North America, Ford Motor Co., BellSouth, Prudential Equity Group, The Coca-Cola Co. and DuPont.
The Conference drew participants from across the country, and featured minority speakers who have earned significant positions within their companies. The keynote address was delivered by Joaquin Carbonell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Cingular Wireless LLC, and Chairman of the Litigation Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Another highlight was a roundtable discussion on "Diversity: A Corporate Counsel and Corporate Executive Perspective," during which panelists emphasized the need to focus on diversity in their companies, including the law firms that represent them.
According to Ms. Bridges, "I think corporate America has begun to realize that diversity is just good business. It makes sense to hire employees at all levels that represent the consumers of your products and services. The bottom line is that diversity translates into profits."
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