Entering a new market can be daunting for many organizations, and engaging the local community can significantly impact the success of a nascent venture. Social consciousness must be at the forefront of any endeavor, meaning companies have to ask how their work will impact the communities at large. 

In the era of stakeholder capitalism, corporations are increasingly realizing the value and necessity of workplace diversity. Research has long shown that diverse teams are better equipped to innovate as well as attract and retain, essential for market growth in today’s highly competitive landscape.

Businesses today are inundated with data. When used properly, it can be a goldmine that informs how they meet consumers’ wants and needs. But without context, data is meaningless.

Minority business enterprises (MBEs) – firms that must undergo certification processes by government agencies to establish their status – play a critical role in stimulating the American economy, as they generate $2 trillion in revenue each year. By further enhancing opportunities and closing gaps...

Record levels of federal funding have become available in recent years to address climate change—but translating that money into local impact still comes with tremendous challenges. The Justice40 Initiative, established by President Biden under Executive Order 14008, set a goal of distributing 40%...

In the last year, attacks on equity—from the Supreme Court to state legislatures—have gained momentum. One need look no further than our nation’s college campuses to see how leaders are executing an organized, systematic takedown of longstanding equity programs. The anti-DEI machine threatens to...

Pharmaceutical industry leaders increasingly understand the importance of health equity – both to improve health outcomes and accelerate growth. However, realizing measurable impact has proven challenging.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a transformative force across industries, and healthcare is a prime example. In addition to emerging use cases for the technology in the clinical context, health insurers have begun adopting AI to automate claims processing, more effectively forecast...

In 2020, amidst an unprecedented wave of corporate pledges to combat racial inequity following the murder of George Floyd, a leading Fortune 200 financial services company focused on a significant societal need where they could potentially have impact: reducing the racial wealth and opportunity gap...

According to a report by the FDIC, approximately 5.9 million U.S. households were “unbanked” in 2021, meaning no one in the household had a checking or savings account at a bank or credit union. Another 18.7 million households were “underbanked,” meaning the household had a bank account, but used...

New York’s recently enacted law requiring healthcare providers to evaluate the health equity impact of proposed construction or renovation projects creates an avenue to address longstanding disparities in care delivery. Hospitals, nursing homes, birthing centers, ambulatory surgery centers, and...

Diversity efforts to hire a more inclusive pool of talented workers have yielded some success. As noted by a recent Bloomberg article, promises made by nearly all S&P 100 companies in 2020 to hire more people of color actually came to pass. In 2021, these companies increased their workforces by...

While clinical trials are instrumental to the development of new pharmaceuticals, a lack of cultural diversity often limits their impact through decreased drug efficacy with diverse groups, widened trust gaps between the industry and underrepresented communities, and, ultimately, decreased bottom...

Tony Totty, president of a United Auto Workers (UAW) local representing General Motors workers in Toledo, Ohio, recently labeled the shift to electric vehicle manufacturing “the largest transition in our industry since its inception.”

The Biden Administration’s $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) represents a generational opportunity to make a significant impact on vulnerable and marginalized communities. The legislation could help address some of our biggest problems, like lack of affordable housing,...

Banking has gone digital — 78% of U.S. customers now opt for mobile apps or websites over in-person banking. As branches become more vacant and ATMs less active, banks must navigate an evolving challenge in digital services: Accessibility. For customer groups like the elderly, underserved...

The U.S. government is making historic investments in the country’s infrastructure. Between the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act—laws passed within the last three years—a combined $3.8 trillion is being...

Major retailers have cited retail theft as a significant reason why they reduced revenue and profitability projections during Q1 earnings calls in 2023. Target, Foot Locker, Ulta, Dollar Tree, TJ Maxx, Kohl’s, and others all lowered financial expectations due, in part, to what they called an...

The cost and frequency of billion-dollar climate disasters are devastating to communities in the United States. According to recent data from a Ceres/ESG Initiative/Wharton Climate Center study, there were 15 large-scale climate disasters in 2022 with combined costs of $300 billion. In 2000,...

The recent Supreme Court decision to strike down race-conscious affirmative action programs in higher education reversed decades of legal precedent on remedial approaches to increase enrollment of historically disadvantaged communities.

Healthy public transit systems are an imperative in 21st-century America. They connect our communities, enable mobility, and underpin our economies. In an era of increasing urgency around climate change, they do it all more efficiently and cleanly than motor vehicles, and at a moment of increased...

The back-to-back passage of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act and the technology-centric $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act has paved the way for public-private partnership opportunities galore. Transformative infrastructure projects – including thousands of clean energy...

Due to a range of historical, systemic, and socioeconomic determinants, major health inequities persist throughout the United States. Factors like a person’s race and zip code are still powerful predictors of health outcomes. It’s no surprise that these inequities also exist within health insurance...

Supplier diversity is one of the leading issues driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. From scaling internal DEI initiatives to procuring strategic partners in surrounding communities, building inclusive supply chains empowers organizations with a multi-faceted approach to equity....

Major retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon are ramping up healthcare delivery investments. Best Buy is partnering with Atrium Health to offer in-home hospital care to patients. Walmart, which launched its own health centers in 2019, announced earlier this year that it would double the...

This article was originally posted on empirereportnewyork.com. Climate advocates scored a big win in May when New York became the first state to advance legislation for constructing new zero-emission homes and buildings. This landmark law, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions that...

Newly-minted Mayor Karen Bass embraced a whole new universe of responsibilities last fall when she became the first woman elected to lead Los Angeles. But her historic win came with an awful catch: overcoming a debilitating homelessness crisis that ensnares an additional 200 people each month — a...

“Next window, please.” For most people, that’s an invitation to inch forward a bit, collect a snack-filled sack dangling from a drive-through window, and munch on a few crispy, salt-flecked fries as they speed off on their merry way. But the hourly workers inside any given fast-food restaurant are...

It’s no surprise that in-house counsel is often labeled as “Doctor No” for leading with risk mitigation as they advise their growing companies. Going to legal can seem like a “check the box” exercise for many executives who will wait until a strategy is fully formed even to consult legal, as they...

The murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed during the summer of 2020 inspired a $200 billion flood of financial commitments by companies and philanthropic institutions to fight racial injustice. The lion's share of the giving—90% of pledged funds—came from financial services firms,...

The breathtaking pace of scientific breakthroughs in the pharmaceutical industry has been stunning. Few, for example, thought developing a COVID-19 vaccine in less than a year would be possible. That innovation doesn’t come for free, of course. Achievements in medicine are often the result of...

America’s downtowns were in dire straits after pandemic lockdowns, office closures, and the massive shift to remote work turned the bustling central business districts of major U.S. cities into virtual ghost towns. Looking at eerie images of empty streets, sidewalks, and shuttered shops, it was...

Across America, the 20th century was the age of the automobile, and lower-income neighborhoods everywhere were devastated by the spread of the highway. From Robert Moses’ Cross-Bronx Expressway to Charleston Boulevard in Las Vegas, highways ripped apart communities of color, leaving scars that have...

Over the past 12-18 months, businesses across the U.S. have faced increasing backlash over their "woke" sustainability agendas. As ESG becomes increasingly politized, how can organizations avoid derailing the momentum and progress already made? On April 5th, Ichor CEO Eric Eve sat down...

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Reuters Responsible Business conference in New York. I participated in a compelling fireside chat with Helle Bank Jorgenson, CEO at Competent Boards, about how leaders can navigate the politicization of ESG and achieve both profitability and...

The country’s healthcare workers drew deserved praise for putting themselves on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the stress and burnout they continue to suffer during even more normal times will not go away by itself, further weakening an already overwhelmed healthcare system. To...

It’s an ambitious goal: delivering 20,000 units of affordable housing in the next three years in Atlanta, a city that’s widely seen as leaving behind its low- and moderate-income residents. But it’s also a crucial one, not just because the need is so great, but because of what’s at stake. Atlanta...

As the recent global financial turmoil reminds us, banks play a huge role in our society. But it’s not just in times of turmoil. Banks significantly shape our communities in profound ways every day. Their basic functions—taking in deposits, evaluating credit risks, loaning money, and even deciding...

Running to the store. A simple enough task for consumers able to muster the free time, reliable transportation, and disposable income needed to pop by their local Ralphs, Publix, Safeway, or Meijer supermarket and pick up a little something to eat. Or, conversely, an ordeal for the roughly 19...

This article was originally posted on governing.com. A series of freight-train derailments over the past months has increased scrutiny over the safety of America’s vital rail network — and with good reason. The derailment in early February of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio,...

Our society has been trending away from cash for a while, but the COVID-19 crisis accelerated the process. Online purchases and touchless in-person transactions complied with social distancing guidelines and eased fears of transmitting the virus. In the worst months of the pandemic lockdown,...

The COVID-19 crisis spurred exponential growth in telemedicine. With many patients stuck at home and hospitals and medical offices inundated with COVID patients, many doctors, nurses, therapists, and other providers turned to their phones and computers for virtual patient visits. The practice...

Environmental justice is a slippery term, not easily defined, and like the environment itself, complex and multifaceted. The official EPA definition is this: Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income,...

When it comes to conscious capitalism, yogurt behemoth Chobani has caught plenty of attention. While issues pertaining to how companies can adopt AI and machine learning, digitally transform brick-and-mortar stores, and leverage new technologies to reduce attrition and increase safety were...

Everyone has bad customer experiences. They come in all forms. A customer walks into a drugstore to pick up a few basic necessities. They find things like toothpaste and deodorant kept under lock and key. A family visits a flagship store of a luxury brand, ready to buy expensive items. The staff is...

This year’s theme for the 47th commemoration of Black History Month, as selected by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, is “Black Resistance” – a recognition of the movements Black Americans have led and sustained to enact social change throughout our country’s...

Until recently, most corporations have treated equity issues as a check-the-box public relations strategy designed to deflect public criticism – if they gave much thought to it at all. But that is changing as more powerful investors are demanding accountability, arguing companies that are truly...

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), specifically anticipated government regulation, was a prominent topic for in-house counsel at the 2022 Association of Corporate Counsel’s (ACC) annual conference this past Fall in Las Vegas. Throughout the conference, speakers emphasized the growing...

This article was originally posted on www.nydailynews.com The new CHIPS and Science Act is not just a rare opportunity; it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to uplift people traditionally left behind while also ensuring the U.S. remains secure and competitive, allowing us to resume our role as...

This article was originally posted on www.timesunion.com The long-anticipated climate bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden Tuesday is great news for the country, and particularly for low-income neighborhoods and communities of color that have suffered for...

This article was originally posted on www.nydailynews.com When President Biden and Congress enacted with great fanfare a once-in-a-generation $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, Democrats boasted that the package will improve equity moving forward while also addressing past projects that...

Investing money into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts cannot on its own transform the workplace. Corporate America spends more than ever before – $8 billion a year – on DEI training but fails to grasp why underrepresented employees increasingly resign in droves. As the world...

In the first quarter of 2022, Ichor administered our second proprietary community pulse survey, collecting responses across 25 U.S. cities. Ichor’s quarterly survey gathers insights on key issues and assesses constituents’ perceptions of access to essential resources. The data enables us to...

For decades, the pharmaceutical industry has struggled to recruit and retain diverse participants for clinical trials. More recently, this failure is resulting in new regulatory and legal risks and costlier trials. On April 14, the FDA released new draft guidance advising sponsors to...

This article was originally posted on amsterdamnews.com For years, people from communities of color have advocated for equity policies at both the federal and state levels, only to be left disappointed and disillusioned that their governments were not working for them. My father, Arthur...

This article was originally posted on governing.com . As New York continues to move toward implementation of the country’s first central-city congestion pricing program, in Manhattan, there are already lessons to be gleaned for other areas considering similar projects, such as Boston, Los...

Today’s watchful world demands more from its leaders than ever before, and success hinges on how well their stakeholders believe they have met expectations. Even more daunting, the definition of “stakeholder” has become increasingly broad – encompassing employees, shareholders, regulators, and...

This article was originally posted on empirereportnewyork.com . The COVID-19 pandemic has had a host of short-term and long-term impacts. One of the least explored is the negative effect on the development of our children. Over the past two years, school-aged children have suffered...

Every year on Martin Luther King Day, numerous speeches building off the civil rights leader’s “I Have a Dream” address are delivered with promises of carrying on MLK’s vision and scores take part in a “Day of Service”. The next day, everyone goes back to business as usual. To really...

At Ichor we combine analytics and research with community engagement to develop novel solutions for your unique needs. Our unparalleled research capabilities include an efficacy and impact assessment that evaluates the intentional progress and equitable impact of your work. In the fourth...

Gov. Hochul’s first State of the State address Wednesday drew a very clear line on how something as mundane sounding as infrastructure can play a huge role in suppressing or uplifting communities. For decades, it’s often been communities of color and low-income neighborhoods that have suffered...

This article was originally posted on timesunion.com The state Legislature returns from its six-month hiatus on Wednesday with continuing uncertainty thanks to the omicron COVID-19 variant, which threatens to upend the legislative session for a third straight year. But whether in person...

This article was originally posted on nydailynews.com On New Year’s Day, Eric Adams will become New York City’s 110th mayor, and just its second Black chief executive. He takes over a city that fashions itself the most progressive in the nation yet is still wrestling with major issues of...

Built on tribal land of the Duwamish people, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest. Tech innovation has generated rapid economic growth in the city; both Microsoft and Amazon have their headquarters in the area, which attracts skilled workers. Forbes ranks Seattle as number...

This article was originally posted on amny.com The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package pushed by President Joe Biden and passed by Congress represents a chance of a lifetime to create sustainable jobs, address historic inequity issues, and make cities a better place overall. And...

This article was originally posted on nydailynews.com President Biden’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was passed last Friday, is the largest infusion of federal funding into infrastructure investments in over a decade. This bill has the potential to be a...

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the economic and social realities of our communities, further highlighting an already weak infrastructure system. The time is now to build more resilient infrastructure, and to address the inequities that have plagued communities of color...

President Joe Biden’s bipartisan, $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, if passed, will be the largest federal investment into infrastructure projects in over a decade. It is a once-in-a-generation investment to address persistent economic disparities. Some have maintained...

Our work at Ichor is driven by communities. Developing a nuanced understanding of underserved areas in a city and the key issues communities are facing is critical to our clients successfully forming authentic relationships and addressing concerns and inequities. Through this work, we ensure...

For centuries, Black Americans have been unable to create or pass down generational wealth, due to policies systemically created and perpetuated by federal and state governments. While strides have been made in recent years toward closing this gap, setbacks have persisted. The challenge...

Tell us about your previous experience as a community health worker. Prior to joining Ichor, I worked with Bronx Community Health Network, a nonprofit partneringwith the Montefiore Health system. With them, I had two different grants. The first involved addressing social determinants of...

Franchised businesses have always played a fundamental role in the economy. More than 60 percent of all jobs added annually in the U.S. occur in small businesses, including franchised locations. According to data from the International Franchise Association, franchise-format businesses...

Last summer, many companies began to recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday, giving their workers time off for a day that’s been celebrated by Black Americans for more than two centuries. Juneteenth marks when the last slaves in America were freed from Galveston, Texas two and a half years...

One of the first initiatives of the new Biden Administration is a $2 trillion Federal infrastructure bill. No matter which side of the political aisle one falls on, the bill will have far-reaching implications for communities across the country. Not only will the proposed package cover...

This article was originally posted on MarketWatch.com On May 25, 2020, the brutal murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sent shock waves throughout the U.S. and ushered in a modern civil rights movement in protest of deep-seated racial and economic disparity. Ripple effects were also...

The world changed as we knew it when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. With this declaration, clinical and epidemiological data became foundational for all decision-making among health researchers, physicians, pharmaceutical companies,...

Fintech companies have entered the mainstream with promises of leveraging technology to address financial exclusion. However, increasing access to finance is not synonymous with democratizing it, as we saw when Robinhood abruptly halted trading after users created a short squeeze of GameStop...

Last month, the country watched as severe weather thrust Texas’s electrical grid into a colossal tailspin. While it may take years to fully measure the impact of this blackout, we’ve already seen its effects through displacements, illnesses, trauma, soaring energy bills, and even deaths. ...

When I worked on Capitol Hill, each year we would see a new push to increase the minimum wage that would struggle to secure the needed Republican votes. This year, we are seeing a similar pattern. In January, House Democrats introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 to increase the minimum...

The civil unrest from the summer of 2020 continues to make waves in 2021 and has revealed a desire from stakeholders to see companies take a stronger stance, followed by meaningful action, on social and racial justice causes. Some financial services companies, especially risk-averse and...

This year, many financial institutions are looking for ways to show their shareholders, customers and employees how they are following through on professed commitments to social and racial justice. For marketing communications teams, this often means a mandate to demonstrate corporate values...

The news that Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca have each developed effective COVID-19 vaccines offers an end to the pandemic. However, there are considerable moral, logistical, and financial challenges standing in the way of ensuring that the vaccine is available in significant quantities –...

Joe Biden will soon be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. The much-discussed “blue wave” neglected to materialize, so a dramatic legislative agenda is unlikely to emerge with a divided or slim majority Senate. Still, there are any number of sectors awaiting significant...

In a normal presidential cycle, pundits rely on three things to make predictions: 1) polling 2) voter registration data and 3) past experience. This year is far from normal, making it nearly impossible to apply lessons of the past to our current situation. The pandemic, K-shaped recovery,

A recent article in The New York Times details the difficulty of recruiting Black and Latinx volunteers to participate in COVID-19 vaccine testing. So far, only 3% of national volunteers for the clinical trials are Black. Increasing recruitment in Black and Latinx communities is a matter of...

Schools are facing unprecedented challenges this fall, prompted by difficult decisions about when and how to physically reopen. The pandemic forced leaders to take into account a complex set of societal, health, and economic factors. As a father of three — two in college, one in high school...

When I was a young boy, my dad constantly reminded me that you are either a part of the solution or a part of the problem. There was no grey, no in between, no room for compromise. As I grew older, this discussion evolved from homework and chores to community service. We are all in this...

Every protest I’ve seen in recent months has come as no surprise. Of course, there is anger; there should be. Decades of lost trust, underscored by daily reminders of pain and inequity, exacerbated by political gamesmanship and transactional leadership, provide powerful fuel. The key to...

Renewed focus on inequity during this pandemic has been particularly poignant in healthcare and financial services. Access to trusted products and services in the two largest sectors of our economy presents unique challenges to narrowing historic gaps and incredible commercial...

The pandemic and national conversation on race have underscored the fact that Black and Latinx communities have far less access to capital. In the private sector only 23% of Black-owned businesses used bank funding in the last five years, in contrast with 46% of white-owned...

It has been widely noted that COVID-19 has had a disproportionately deadly impact on Black and Latinx populations. With the reopening of schools, the fall flu season and growing economic stress, the impact of the virus will be exacerbated. And the uncertainty of when a vaccine will be...

Now months into the national discussion on systemic racism, the first question I still get from corporate and foundation CEO’s is how do we understand the structural inequity problem in our space and what can we do to fix it? Then 30 minutes into the call the real question emerges …how...

Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. -John Lewis In times like these, we must draw wisdom from greatness, in both our personal and professional lives. It’s heartening to see good...

In a recent post on CEO activism, I referred to active listening as one of the most valuable yet least frequently used tools a CEO has at their disposal. It was clear, based on feedback, that active listening is a skill that deserves a deeper look, especially during this historic movement, one...

America’s movement toward fairness has forced a reckoning with racism that pervades every aspect of our culture. The private sector followed with statements against police brutality, financial capital to combat injustice, and vocal support of the Black Lives Matter movement....

Employees nationwide are gearing up for a strike on Monday in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and the occasional CEO may find their true activist coming to the fore. Scores of marketing staff and senior advisors will undoubtedly debate the act before getting to a...

Ic hor Strategies celebrates its fifth anniversary at an imperfect time, when extraordinary division, inequality and injustice rattle the nation. We have reflected deeply on our role. I created the firm from my father’s vision to bridge often opposing interests – institutions that deploy...

Earlier this month, public health departments around the country began releasing data showing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. In particular, we learned that Black Americans were dying from the disease at rates that far exceeded those of white...

As the COVID-19 crisis intensifies, we are only beginning to understand its full social, economic, and political impact. While it will take time to wrap our heads around the scope of this pandemic, immediate action is needed – from governments, nonprofits, businesses, and...

This technology helps businesses and organizations better understand a location or community, contextualize local and global issues, assess and mitigate risks, and ultimately make smarter decisions about how to move forward. If a client is looking to expand their footprint into...

Whether in fashion, tech, retail, or finance, small and large firms around the world are increasingly being urged to evaluate their strategic goals and their commitments to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace. While there are some companies that have taken a proactive approach in...

As the 2020 Democratic convention draws closer (Milwaukee: July 13-16), it’s important to step back from the dizzying field of candidates. The growing risk-averse corporate consensus is to pass on 2020 convention engagement altogether given the reluctance to have a presence...

The purpose of a corporation is to serve its shareholders above all else. This has been a decades-old assertion by the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs from the most powerful companies in the country. Over the years, the group has periodically published a Statement on...

Two-thirds of American cities are making big investments in smart city technology – from intelligent street lights and utility meters to next-generation traffic signals and parking solutions – in an effort to increase operational efficiency, maximize limited resources, and improve people’s quality...

Too often, we see organizations take a reactive approach to crisis management. A scandal occurs, a senior executive is called to testify before Congress, and suddenly, everyone scrambles to respond. Lawyers are called. PR firms are brought in. We’ve seen it up close dozens of times over the years.

No one disputes the fact that our nation’s aging infrastructure – everything from power plants, roads and bridges to telecom networks, water systems and public transit – needs a major overhaul. In fact, it’s one of the few things elected officials across the political spectrum can agree on these...

Every day, whether it’s moving around New York, talking with friends and colleagues, or reading the paper, I’m reminded of the desperate need for further investment in urban communities throughout the U.S. As billions of dollars in global capital continue to flow from east to west, these...

I’ve spent the better part of my career deep within communities, finding out what makes them tick, what their needs are, how they see and experience the world, and what they’d like to achieve for themselves and future generations.