Jan 27, 2020 Nashville, Tenn.

Bridgestone Americas Employee Resource Groups celebrate milestones in 2019, look forward to more in 2020

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at Bridgestone Americas celebrated many milestones in 2019 that continue to help make Bridgestone a more diverse and inclusive place to work. At Bridgestone, our ERGs are led by employees and are built to provide a network of support, as well as provide community service and learning and development opportunities. In 2019, employees worked together to grow the ERG network, impact the community through volunteer opportunities and strengthen our employee population through developmental workshops and mentoring relationships. 2019 was an important year for the continued growth of the ERGs at Bridgestone Americas.

2019 brought the launch of two new ERGs to Bridgestone. BBOLD, an ERG focused on cultivating an empowered and inclusive community of Black/African American employees launched with kick-off events at the Bridgestone Operations Center (BOC) and Bridgestone Tower (BT) on July 16. BPROUD, an ERG aimed at promoting and encouraging an environment of inclusiveness and collaboration between the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, hosted kick off events at the BOC and BT on July 31 and August 1. These groups join existing ERGs Bridgestone Women’s Initiative Network (BWIN), Bridgestone Americas Veterans Organization (BRAVO) and BNEXTGEN. Together, our ERGs are made up of 1,476 employee members, 40 executive members and 64 employees gaining leadership experience as members of an ERG leadership team. 

Each of our ERGs participate in a blend of activities both within Bridgestone and externally within the community. In 2019, 414 ERG members spent 1,061 collective hours volunteering or participating in over 20 community activities or events. For example, BRAVO members sorted food for family members in need at Second Harvest Food Bank; BNEXTGEN helped elementary students enhance their reading capabilities through Level Up for Literacy, helped teens experiencing homelessness by volunteering with the Oasis Center of Nashville and planted trees for 2019 Tree Day; BBOLD members built a playground at a local school, partnered with PENCIL reading program to help close the reading gap in Nashville and hosted a Summer Leadership Academy focused on career exploration for eighth through twelfth grade students; BPROUD participated in this Nashville's PRIDE Parade along with many Bridgestone employees and wore purple to raise awareness and support against bullying of LGBTQ youth; and BWIN participated in the kick-off of a new Nashville organization focusing on Advancing Women in Nashville.  

Collectively, members of all five ERGs engaged with other employees and leaders during 42 developmental meetings including BWIN’s sessions about improving your emotional intelligence, developing a personal brand, learning how to Advocate with Impact, and finding your passion; and through 13 informational meetings such as BRAVO’s Lunch and Learn with leaders from a local Veterans and Military Family Center and BWIN’s informational meetings at the BOC. Not only do ERGs provide the opportunity for personal learning and development, they provide the opportunity for the creation of new relationships. in 2019, 134 mentoring relationships were established through involvement in an ERG.

We look forward to a year filled with more development opportunities and community engagement in 2020