Of the St. Louis American
“We, as an organization, recognize that the best way to serve our diverse customers is with a diverse workforce,” Geoffrey Green, director of talent acquisitions at Brown Shoe said. “Also in being a fashion company, creativity is what we thrive on. The more different types of people we get together the more diverse ideas we get.”
The 127-year-old company boasts annual sales of $2.3 billion and is the number one retailer of value-priced shoes including Buster Brown, Naturalizer and LifeStride. Headquartered in St. Louis, Brown Shoe has 1,300 retail stores throughout the U.S. and Canada and nearly 700 employees. With numbers like that, diversity is key to success.
“We don’t manage diversity by quantities or numbers or percentages,” Green said. “We just make sure that we’re totally inclusive and looking at people with all types of backgrounds, ethnicities and experience.
To recruit diverse talent, Brown Shoe has partnered with several minority organizations including the Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars and locally participates in the annual job fair hosted by the Black MBAs.
“It’s good for us because at the Black MBA Job Fair they have special criteria for entrants,” Green said. “They have to at least have a college degree, which means the caliber of talent is above that which you would find at typical job fairs.”
Brown Shoe is no stranger to partnering with deserving organizations such as the St. Louis Public Schools. This year Brown Shoe donated 200 pairs of free shoes at the annual Back to School rally. This is the second year that Brown Shoe has given away free shoes to help needy children get off on the right foot. Brown Shoe volunteers, like Dorothy Allen, measured children’s feet and allowed them to pick out their own pair of Buster Brown shoes.
“I loved seeing the smiles on their faces,” Allen said. “I was very happy to be a part of that. I’m proud to work for an organization that gives back to the community, especially when it involves helping children.”
Brown Shoe hired Allen, employee communications manager, in 2005 through the company’s partnership with the Professional Organization of Women (POW). Brown Shoe sponsors the organization’s general body meetings at its Clayton headquarters.
In September Brown Shoe sponsored 10 Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars (four from St. Louis) during the annual Gateway Classic Weekend. Drake McCrary, the former Jackie Robinson Foundation scholar hired by Brown Shoe and placed in the company’s accelerated career track program, served as a host.
The company also sponsored the Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars’ alumni weekend in Las Vegas. The company sponsored the first alumni weekend last year in Miami and partnered with the Jackie Robinson Foundation to underwrite the tuition of St. Louis native Fred Shelton III tuition to Morehouse College.
And in terms of diversity, Green said, “we are looking to do more things in the future.” The company is currently in talks with the Black Retailers Action Group (BRAG) and in the future hopes to partner with the St. Louis Metropolitan Urban League to help sponsor some of the organization’s events when the National Urban League convention comes to St. Louis in 2007.
Brown Shoe also recruits heavily from Howard University and maintains active partnerships with the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative.
Tickets to the 7th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards Luncheon are $100 for Corporate/VIP tickets, and $75 for general seating. Keynote speaker Mario Armstrong will be holding a special Technology Seminar that morning from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. The combo cost for attending both the seminar and luncheon is $195. For tickets and information, call 314-533-8000, ext. 305.
