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Bob
Johnson unveils Website in effort to match minorities, business
opportunities
(February 8, 2012) Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ
Companies, in collaboration with Ariel M. Friedler, president of
Symplicity Corporation, the market leader in online career tools, today
announced the launch of OppsPlace.com. OppsPlace provides companies with
the best opportunity to find qualified, minority job seekers and
minority businesses in one online destination. OppsPlace is free of
charge for job seekers and minority firms and allows corporate human
resources and procurement executives to easily access qualified job
seekers and qualified minority businesses for openings to provide the
best opportunities.
"I created OppsPlace for several reasons," said Johnson. "First to
reduce the disparity in unemployment for minority Americans and to
increase access for vendor services and supplier contracts for minority
businesses. Second, I also created OppsPlace to provide corporate
America with a targeted destination to identify and interact with
minorities for employment and business opportunities. With over 30
charter member companies who have joined OppsPlace, it clearly
demonstrates their commitment to diversity and inclusion," he added.
"As more U.S. companies, large and small, become OppsPlace members,
OppsPlace will help reduce unemployment for millions of minority
Americans, will provide access to capital to thousands of minority
businesses, and will help drive the economic recovery of this country by
giving minority Americans a fair shot which they deserve to participate
fully in the American Dream," Johnson concluded.
"Unique to OppsPlace is the profile builder which allows companies to
focus on their diversity initiatives, mentorship programs, business
match-making as well vendor/supplier opportunities," said Friedler,"
said Ariel Friedler, president of Symplicity Corporation and co-founder
of OppsPlace. "OppsPlace is not a destination to simply upload a
standard resume, but it is a platform that allows job seekers and
minority businesses to network with each other and interact with
professionals at hiring companies," he concluded.
"OppsPlace is much more than a jobs board," said Kelli Richardson
Lawson, president and COO of OppsPlace. "It is a diverse online network
that aggregates rich content and resources in one destination and is
dedicated to helping job seekers and minority business owners engage
directly with key decision makers in corporate America," she added. "It
is the only place on the web that aggregates job seekers and minority
businesses in the spirit of helping communities of color enhance their
lives and financial well-being," she concluded.
For many years, Johnson has been focused on creating opportunities for
minorities and recently announced the RLJ Rule for public and private
sector businesses. The RLJ Rule is an adaptation of the National
Football League's (NFL) Rooney Rule, which requires the 32 teams, to
interview at least one qualified minority candidate whenever a head
coaching or general manager position become available. The RLJ Rule is
designed to encourage companies to voluntarily establish a "best
practices" policy of diversity and inclusion by identifying and
interviewing minority candidates or vendors that are often overlooked
under traditional hiring or procurement practices.
OppsPlace and the RLJ Rule are two solutions where Johnson believes
businesses both large and small can take direct action to increase
employment and business opportunities for minority Americans.
To date, more than 30 companies have joined OppsPlace as Charter
Members:
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Giant Eagle
State Farm
Aflac
HBO
State Street
Avery Dennison
KB Home
Strayer Education, Inc.
BNY Mellon
Kimberly-Clark
Textron
Capital One Financial Corporation
Lowe's
Toyota
Colgate-Palmolive Company
McDonald's
Travelers
Dell
New York Life
United States Steel Corporation
Education Management Corporation (EDMC)
Northern Trust
UPMC
EMC
Penn Mutual
Vibrant Pittsburgh (VP)
FedEx Corporation
PNC Financial
Visa
General Motors
PPG Industries, Inc.
YUM! Brands
Prudential Financial, Inc.
For more information visit
www.oppsplace.com.
Go to Target Market News homepage
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