SRNS receives 2009 excellence in diversity award

The South Carolina Diversity Council has awarded Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) the 2009 Excellence in Work Place Diversity Award in the Large Business category. The award is in recognition of the company's progress and effort toward workplace diversity.

With more than 6,000 employees, SRNS is the management and operations contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The company is also responsible for the retention or creation of more than 2,100 jobs as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) at the site.

"Diversity is a priority within our company," said SRNS President and CEO Garry Flowers. "Our diversity initiatives are intended to create an atmosphere of teamwork and inclusion that fully utilizes the talents and capabilities within our workforce. The return on our investment is that each individual contributes their maximum potential to organizational success. We've also worked hard to see that what we do extends beyond the Savannah River Site's boundaries, in areas like procurement and education initiatives outreach."

The company's initiatives are outlined in a Diversity Strategic Implementation Plan, a tool for integrating diversity into the company's business environment. Included among the company's strategy is a Diversity Board of Directors, a 21-member group of employees and community representatives who provide internal and external viewpoints on general diversity philosophy and best practices.

Other examples of the company's integrated diversity initiatives include a welfare-to-work program that helps area welfare recipients gain practical job skills as SRNS contract employees, a tuition reimbursement program for SRNS employees (currently 78 employees are participating with 41 percent females and 44 percent minorities), an internship program (currently 28 employees are participating with 29 percent females and 25 percent minorities) and a DOE-sponsored Protégé Program that includes nine small or certified disadvantaged businesses involving contracts with those businesses valued at $58 million.

SRNS' focus on local small business awards through the ARRA is performing ahead of established goals. Contracts to certified small disadvantaged businesses, small female-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses and small businesses in historically economically-depressed areas with the CSRA have exceed their goals thus far - some by as much as 200 percent.

SRNS held numerous job fairs for those interested in Recovery Act jobs, including job fairs in Barnwell and Allendale, where unemployment rates among minority populations exceed national and state averages. The Road to Recovery Tour that is under way helps those interested in enhancing their resumes and learning more about job training or job opportunities in small towns in South Carolina and Georgia.

The South Carolina Diversity Council is an affiliate of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. The council's mission is to encourage, support and educate employers as they seek to value and strengthen diversity in the workplace.