Fostering a welcoming workplace for all

Rachel Sankey

Past Staff

October 16, 2023

GREEN BAY – Schreiber Foods’ home office just received a pop of color – and it comes with an important message.

The Green Bay-headquartered company recently announced the addition of its new mural, which focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Programs Manager DJ Daniels said the process – from the initial idea to the finished product – took about a year.

Schreiber, Daniels said, also installed a basketball court, which got Scott Schumacher, a Schreiber partner and key account manager, thinking.

“He had an idea of showcasing our business resource groups on the basketball court, maybe their logos or something of that nature,” Daniels said. “He ran into our CEO (Ron Dunford) one day at lunch and pitched the idea, and the CEO said he loved it – it’s a great idea.”

Daniels said Schumacher then talked with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) team at Schreiber to get the ball rolling.

“(The idea) evolved from being on the basketball court to, ‘how can we showcase our business resource groups and the cultural backgrounds of all of our partners in the organization in a bigger sense, in a bigger fashion and in a bigger way?’” he said. 

Schreiber Foods currently has seven business resource groups (BRGs), which Daniels said “are content creators and implement programs and cultural fluency engagements that are part of Schreiber’s DEI curriculum.”

The seven groups are:
Network of Women Business Leaders (NOWBL)Black Business Network (BBN)VETS Support Group (VETS)LGBTQ+ Support Group (PRIDE)Disability Support Group (ENABLED)Global Support Network (MOSAIC)Support for Millenials & GenZ (EMERGE)
“Our business resource groups look after the hearts of our partners,” he said. “I can set a strategic global strategy, but our business resource groups are the ones who are executing on those strategies and finding ways to engage partners in our global facilities.”

With the mission at hand, Daniels said the DEI team began discussing potential options to further showcase its BRGs – eventually agreeing on a mural.

Once the team decided where in Schreiber’s home office the mural would be painted, and found a local artist – Beau Thomas – to execute the mural, Daniels said the DEI team looked internally to their creative design team to come up with ideas of what the painting would look like.

“We (told) them, ‘this is what we’re thinking about doing. Be creative, be bold, be different. Give us your ideas,’” he said.

By the end, Daniels said the graphic designers and communications team presented about seven different designs.

The design showcased today, Daniels said, came from Jeff Minzlaff, company branding specialist for Schreiber.

The mural at Schreiber Foods’ home office in Green Bay features the company’s seven business resource groups, which are part of Schreiber’s diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum. DJ Daniels Photo

A mural with meaning
Since most of the walls throughout the office are white, Daniels said the painting provides a “big pop of orange,” along with other “vibrant colors.”

But, more importantly, he said the mural conveys an important message.

“What it symbolizes is that, ‘you don’t have to be one of, to stand with,’” he said. “You don’t have to be Asian American to want to support them when hate crimes are happening. You don’t have to be Black or African American to be an ally and offer support when there are issues impacting Black people. You don’t have to be a veteran to say, ‘I support our veterans, and I want to see them thrive and return home safely.’”

The response from both employees and customers who visit the home office, Daniels said, has “been an amazing outpour of love and support.”

“I think most of our partners understand we are a global company, and we not only want to mirror our communities, we want to be better than some of our communities,” he said. “So, what does that look like? That means we are casting a wide net and making sure we’re looking everywhere for diversity and looking for the best talent out there.”

Daniels said the mural also stands as a physical way to show that “Schreiber is a place where everyone can thrive and be successful.”

“We all know the world is changing – we’re more divided than ever,” he said. “But when we come into these four walls (at Schreiber), we want to have an organization that welcomes diversity (and) that is inclusive.”

Daniels said as a company, it is important that at Schreiber individuals with different lived and learned experiences, as well as ethnic diversity, feel like they “have a seat at the table.”

“That (they) feel like (their) voice is heard and that (they) are valued,” he said. “That’s what the mural is saying.”

More diversity, better team
Committed to having a diverse team of employees at Schreiber, Daniels said, benefits everyone.

“When you think of some of the resources out there – 67% of job seekers look at diversity and inclusion when they’re seeking jobs,” he said. “We know candidates are going to our website. They’re looking at the makeup of our executive leadership team. They’re looking at the makeup of our board of directors, and if they don’t see people that look like them… they think, ‘is this a place for me? Can I see myself growing and being an asset here?’”

DJ Daniels

Daniels said from research he’s seen, by 2030, 57% of the workforce will be diverse.

“So, if you’re sitting in an organization… and you’re looking around and you don’t see diversity, in a few short years, when you’re trying to sell a candidate on your organization, and they’re looking around and they don’t see any diversity – are they going to join your organization?” he said. “Or are they going to join an organization that seven, five, three years before, decided they need to be bold and courageous and use intentional, specific efforts to diversify the workplace?”

That, Daniels said, is exactly what Schreiber Foods is doing. 

“We’re being innovative,” he said. “We’re doing things to make sure that in a few short years, we’re going to be a more diverse organization than we’ve ever seen before.”

And, in the end, Daniels said it all comes down to thinking about those around you.

“We care deeply about our customers, our community and our partners,” he said. “All of our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are centered around creating an inclusive culture where diversity is embraced and valued… Schreiber is an organization that welcomes all.”