Ameren Corporation has been recognized as one of the 50 Best Companies for Diversity by Black Enterprise magazine, as well as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
In its rankings, Black Enterprise magazine identifies corporations that are the best in developing a culture and policies that promote inclusion of African Americans within the workforce, senior management ranks, corporate boards and supplier pools.
Ameren received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The index rates American workplaces on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.
“Workforce diversity not only enables us to recruit and retain the best talent, but also allows us to better understand and meet the needs of our customers and find innovative solutions to tough business challenges,” said Sharon Harvey Davis, Ameren’s vice president of diversity and inclusion and its chief diversity officer.
Other 2016 national honors include a No. 1 ranking by DiversityInc, which lists the nation’s Top 7 Utilities for workforce diversity and inclusion; recognition as a Top Company in the Disability Equality Index Survey; and a Military Friendly Employers designation by Victory Media.
“We’ll continue to pursue community partnerships and identify initiatives to promote the importance of diversity and inclusion in our organizations and in the communities we serve,” said Warner Baxter, chairman, president and CEO of Ameren Corporation, who also serves as board chair for the St. Louis Regional Chamber.
Harvey Davis credits the company’s diverse and inclusive culture to its leadership team, who created and continues to support Ameren’s employee resource groups.
“More than 15 years ago, Ameren made a commitment to develop and support a diverse workplace – and as an extension of that effort, we created employee resource groups to ensure that all viewpoints are heard and recognized,” said Harvey Davis.
“These groups of employees reflect the diverse populations we serve and employ, and they provide valuable insight when challenges or opportunities arise. Because of the ongoing support provided by our executive leadership team, we can realize the full potential and power these groups possess.”
Earlier this year, Ameren released “Discussions Across Differences,” free community resources to promote discussions about diversity and inclusion. The materials, which Ameren uses for its own employees, have been downloaded more than 900 times and utilized by organizations such as the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce.
“We know these are not easy conversations to have, but we recognize they are essential to healing and strengthening our neighborhoods,” said Wendy Pfeil, executive director of the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce.
St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation provides energy for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries.
