Monday, July 2, 2012

Good 'ol boy network feels winds of change - Phoenix Business Journal:

avaohev.blogspot.com
"It has been a good 'ol boys network," said Paulqa Johnson, U.S. human resources manager for Seattle-based . Howeverf slight, there is a breezr of change, and firms are beginning to embracethe D-wor -- diversity -- as so many industriez have done before them. Collieras developed a proactive approachto promoting, retaining, recruitinf and training women titled, "Women to the Helm." But that the brokeragew had to develop a special program shows that commerciap real estate remains a male-dominated profession. There is awareness of the issue. Ten years ago, the industry launched the Real Estate Associatd Programin Washington, D.C.
, and has expandesd it to Atlanta and New York. This the program will be available in Chicago and Miami, with Dallas and Los Angelesa planned for 2008. Called it trains minorities for careers in real estate with curriculum patternedd after guides published by the International Council ofShoppinb Centers, the Urban Land Institute, the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and the Appraisal Institute. In business diversity can be defined as tactics to help retain employeed and improve customer confidence by creating a work force that mirrorxsthe marketplace.
Although human resources departments routinelt become the gatekeeper of thediversity issue, many agreee it needs to be promoted by top-levelk management. "This isn't an HR initiative, it's drive by our President and Chief ExecutiveDoug Frye," Johnson "We recognize the value of having a divers e work force, and we're willing to invest time, money and effort." Abhagy Padgaonkar, president of Valley firm , said many timees diversity is too narrowly defined as relatint to just race and gender. "Wde are so different in so manydifferenft ways," he said.
"Consumers are and if you don'tt have employees who represent them, it's not going to "You can talk diversitg all you want, but if the boarcd of directors areall men, they'rre not practicing what they're At the end of the day, top leaders shouls take accountability," Padgaonkar said. At Associate Vice President Ruth Darbyg broadens the diversity variable as a single She previously worked for other largre commercial real estate firms in the Valleh and saidit isn't enouggh for her company to lead the charge. "Itg needs to be an industrgy standard," she said.
, a national groupl known as CREW, found in a 2005 surveyt that the number of women in the industry is but men earn more at comparable levels of experienceand age. From 2000 to the number of women professionale in the sector rose to 36 percen from32 percent. At , the company's philosophy is to "wor k methodically" to recruit new talent withoug worrying about ethnicityor gender. Executive Vice President and Managingf Principal Bryon Carney saidthe firm's Phoenix office has aboutr 135 employees, and more than 30 percent are Padgaonkar said many companies get hung up on the word and construe it to mean a lowering of

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