Black Women Entrepreneurs in Motion Part 2

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios. It’s time for Women in Motion. Brought to you by WBEC West. Join forces, Succeed Together. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here with Dr. Pamela Williamson. Another episode of Women in Motion. So excited about the group we have here today, Pamela.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:00:37] Me too. I am excited for two reasons. One, this is our second show where we are celebrating Juneteenth. And the second reason that I’m excited is because we have two amazing guests. Our first one I’d like to introduce is Anna Spearman. She is the CEO and founder of Techie Staffing. Since launching this amazing business, she has placed VP’s of engineering senior directors of UX, principal data scientist, directors of Product management, directors of Engineering, Teche Staffing was profitable within the first year of operation and they will be celebrating their third anniversary on July 6th of this year. So Anna, welcome. Our second guest that we have today is Todd Jackson, also known as TJ. He’s the manager of supplier diversity at Republic Services. He’s responsible for creating and managing supplier diversity in the environmental service industry space. So, TJ, I’d like to throw the first question out to you, which is just tell us a little bit more about your role within Republic Service and talk to us a little bit about who Republic Service is.

Todd Jackson: [00:01:51] Sure. Thank you, Pamela. Yes, this is TJ. Supplier diversity here at Republic Services really started back in the emphasis of the George Floyd movement incident, and Republic Services wanted to to change the narrative of diversifying the supply chain. And so my my job was to create and design a program that will allow diverse suppliers, certified diverse suppliers to participate in the supply chain in the environmental industry. So our purpose is really to transform supplier diversity within the environmental services industry and then just really drive that economic empowerment with diverse communities and through that is the inclusive supply chain. So our procurement procedures, we’re changing those, we’re making sure we’re doing different things. And I would always like to to say that I’m probably more of a dad, see, and which that means D is the disruptor, A is the advocate and D is the doer. And then I’m a supporter. And then of course, the C is the connector. So I’m all those things here at Republic Services.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:12] Now the topic of today’s show is to celebrate black women entrepreneurs. Is there anything black women entrepreneurs can get some help with when it comes to some of the barriers that it is to get into some of these corporations to do work with them? I’d like to throw that out to to both TJ and Anna, maybe explain some of the barriers and also explain some of the ways to get into the corporations to partner.

Anna Spearman: [00:03:44] Hi. So this is Anna. So I would.

Anna Spearman: [00:03:46] Say, you know, as of course, I’m a black woman entrepreneur and for the past three years and I would say maybe one of the biggest barriers is just networking. You know, I really realized with DEI and specifically diverse suppliers and diversity in general, it’s really about breaking that network because a lot of people who only network within their own circle, usually it’s only going to be a lot of homogeneous groups and it’s not going to be truly diverse. So it’s really interesting when you when I first got in and when I was creating Tiki staffing, I had no network, no contacts. Like, you know, I had to create all of that from scratch. And it’s interesting how you see how a lot of people have the privilege to have different contacts in their families and friends that have the opportunity to make decisions and really give them an opportunity, because that’s all it takes, is an opportunity.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:44] Tj, can you share your your kind of because you’re on the other side you have some of these opportunities that the entrepreneur would want?

Todd Jackson: [00:04:52] Yes. And I would say an Echo Anna’s is really about the network and getting to know the supplier diversity professional if they have one in their that particular company or someone who has that connection, such as an area president, such as a general manager to connect with that that supplier. But really growing the network is what it’s about. And I would say that just because you have that connection doesn’t mean that that business is going to happen. I think the emphasis should be more on if you don’t have the network, grow the network, make sure that you have a relationship with that person. And then when opportunities come, they can have that opportunity to provide you as a supplier within that response for a proposal or just doing business.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:53] Now, are there any advice on how to grow a network when you don’t have a network like Anna was mentioning? There’s you know, some people have relatives or friends that are part of that crowd you want to get involved with. But if you don’t have anybody, how do you kind of penetrate that network so you can get that opportunity.

Todd Jackson: [00:06:14] That this is? Tj That’s a good question, Lee. I think one of the ways is that the organizations such as Whitbeck West is providing those opportunities to connect with network, with corporations through conferences, through some of the venues that the organization is providing, I would say show up, be available and continue to to network and harvest those relationships.

Anna Spearman: [00:06:46] And this is Anna. And just like what TJ is saying last month, actually, or actually it was the month of March, I attended the Webbank National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. And being in person instead of because I initially was just doing cold outreach on LinkedIn, but being in person and having people see me and be able to introduce myself and really tell my story in person really made a difference. It was amazing to not only network with the WBS, but networking with corporate members who were there was the expo where I was able to connect with many supplier diversity professionals from Fortune 500 companies and health care, automotive, just a diverse set of industries. So that really allowed me to just open my network and I was even able to run into people that I had attended previous in-person events with at the Webbank West. And it was amazing that they were able to see that I was there and I was actively investing in my business and coming out and just really showing that I really want to be an active member. And it really made a difference, you know, to have increased introductions and more people really wanting to create additional connections for me.

Todd Jackson: [00:08:00] Yeah, totally agree, Lee on that. This is TJ and it’s just really about that in person. I mean, as you know, we’ve been going through the virtual world for since the pandemic, but we’re out of that pandemic. So those those that eye to eye contact relating to the stories that folks are telling is very important. And as Anna spoke about, is, you know, there’s going to be a lower probability of you connecting through those cold emails such as LinkedIn or just getting on a corporation’s website and putting in something. You really need to have that interaction. And the organization such as we bank, whereas and the National We Bank can provide that.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:57] Pamela.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:08:59] I think the only thing I would add is that showing up is definitely a significantly important. I think the other thing that I hear a lot from corporations is that people will show up, they will connect and get that eye to eye experience. But then sometimes people forget to follow up. And I think that’s the other big piece of having a successful networking experience is to make sure that you follow up with who you connect with. I think my other comment would just be around making sure that you have a strategy for your networking. I think a lot of people just go out and connect but don’t really have a strategy with what they’re going to do with that connection once they make it. So I think the follow up and showing up, following up and having a strategy are the three pieces that I think are significant.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:54] Now, do you think that if you do an effective job in networking in this manner and really take advantage of the associations like Quebec West, where you can be seen, you can be heard? Is that going to help us resolve this lack of representation? A lot of women of color feel.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:10:15] This is Pamela. I’m going to say no. I think that that’s a piece that is a woman of color. That’s a piece I can own. Like I can definitely attend networking events. I definitely am going to show up. I’m going to hold conversations. I’m going to follow up. But I think corporations hold a big piece of moving that forward, especially if people want to do businesses with corporate America. I think that. Todd I’m curious what your thoughts are around what corporations can do or what your corporation is doing to not only just ensure that women of color have a seat at the table, but also ensuring that they’re able to order and they’re able to actually eat from that table of opportunity.

Todd Jackson: [00:11:06] Yeah, that was I was thinking about that as you were you were speaking. I noticed that here at Republic Services, there were really some, a couple of, um, internal goals that were set and, and it was really based on doing business with not only black owned businesses, but women of color as well. And so I think some of the corporations, through that pandemic and all the the killings that people were really trying to commit to doing business with women of color and black owned businesses. But I think sometimes the corporations may forget what how to proceed in that after all the the limelight have settled. So I think it’s really it’s really on the corporations to main that particular focus on making sure that when they provide those opportunities, get them to the table and you can look at your supply chain and know how many suppliers you have, you know, the ethnicity around those suppliers, I think your focus has to be intentional, and that’s for any corporation. If they’re doing true business around supplier diversity, it is not a box for me. It is the way of life for me here at Republic Services. And and you have to have mechanisms in place for corporations to make sure that those those initiatives are are valid and make sure those initiatives are done and and materialize. So putting metrics around that is one of that. One of the things also trying to have compensation around the businesses that you’re you’re bringing in or doing business with. Here at Republic Services, we’re a little different model. We’re somewhat of a hybrid. So we have operations in approximately 40 something states. And so we’re headquartered here in Phenix. But it is it behooves all of us in Republic services to to understand that it’s not only sustainability as a pillar, it’s not only charitable giving as a pillar, but it is also diversifying in the supply chain. Because if we’re doing business in a diverse community, we need to have a diverse supply chain and we need to make sure that all of our city are represented in our supply chain.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:54] Now, Anna, your business is just three years old. Have you seen any progress?

Anna Spearman: [00:14:01] This is Anna. And of course, I’ve seen progress. You know, when I started during the pandemic and had to make that pivot, it definitely was. It was a little daunting at first, I’ll admit. I always say that it was super stressful, but at the same time it’s super rewarding. So actually in 2021, that’s when it really blew up because at the time I had contacted a CEO who raised 50 million a Series B round of funding and they were going through a hiring sprint. And it was an amazing first client to really have because basically it was just a really mission based pharma tech company. And so it felt amazing to be able to pitch that startup to engineers and really emphasize how they can potentially help people’s lives in terms of getting the proper drug pricing transparency that they need. And so in one month, we actually filled five roles. It was senior front end, senior back end and senior full stack engineer roles. And since then, you know, we’ve been working with companies like Indeed as well as multiple high growth startups to fill their engineering leadership as well as their product and design roles. So it’s definitely just taking a lot of contacting and creating everything from scratch from my networking as well as establishing the business paperwork and coding the website. But but for sure, I’ve seen like crazy progress and it’s amazing to see how I started and where I am right now. It’s just truly a transformation for myself and tech staffing.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:36] Pamela.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:15:38] So I have a follow up question from TJ’s statement that he made. I’m curious about you talked about the diversification of the supply chain. I’m curious about whether you see a correlation between the diversification of the supply chain and the diversification of those individuals within organizations that make decisions.

Todd Jackson: [00:16:08] Uh, yeah, good question. Yeah. So if you see, if you here at Republic Services, I think you probably hit the, uh, the head on the nail. There is basically if you have those particular diversifications within that particular area, I think you get more, more diversity. I mean that you can really go on a correlation here with Republic services as far as supplier to area. So we’re we’re definitely in all the 43 states, right? So if you have some diversification within a particular area, I think it drives more diverse. Unlike unless you have a super champion that is a non diverse area. So I think you can draw that correlation for sure. Pamela But it’s not always true. But I think the the thing that I harp on here at Republic Services is that we continue to be those change agents, whether you’re in a undiverse area or not, right? So here at Republic Services, probably in the Wyoming and the Montana and all that areas, we probably won’t have a lot of diverse As far as women of color. However, we do have a lot of diverse for veterans as well. So that could be that’s kind of how you kind of correlate it to areas of the United States as well. Um, I think you probably can draw other correlations to the geographical area within the United States as well. But yes, there are many correlations throughout our corporations and probably other corporations as well on where they see that. So I really think, yes, you really need to have some diversification within your workforce to drive supply chain diversity education as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:10] So I’d like to shift gears a little bit here. Can we talk about how you’ve individually overcome some adversity? And from your standpoint as a startup, you know, that has its own challenges? And then TJ, in your role, there must have been a lot of, you know, hurdles you had to get over in order to kind of see your vision through.

Anna Spearman: [00:18:36] Well, this is Anna, I would say. Well, just to start off with my background. So three years ago, actually at the time I was attending the University of Virginia where I was a computer science major in an entrepreneurship minor, and I was coming back to LA where I was born and raised for spring break, and that’s when lockdown happened in spring of 2020. So I had to finish my second semester of senior year remote and upon graduation there was initially I either wanted to be a junior software engineer and then be a technical product manager and then become an entrepreneur. That was always going to be my goal was to be an entrepreneur and no matter what because I was raised around entrepreneurship. But so but just basically there was a rapid dwindling of entry level tech and product roles with companies during the time. They just didn’t really know how to ramp up entry level tech talent or really what was going on in general. But on these same job boards, I saw a wealth of senior tech jobs, specifically with companies that were thriving due to the pandemic, such as Discord and Peloton. So I with a little bit of experience recruiting at a past summer internship, as well as wanting to utilize my entrepreneurship minor, I just thought, why not start now? And I created tech staffing. So tech staffing is actually a technology staffing agency specializing in direct hire engineering, product and design roles nationwide.

Anna Spearman: [00:20:01] So the biggest adversity is, of course, you know, starting off like I am young or it’s almost like a triple minority because I have, you know, I’m definitely I’m a black woman, but there’s also the age. So just overcoming I always have to be twice as good. You know, I have to make sure that I am extremely sharp because if I make a mistake, then people will be like, Oh, well, she’s young. Like, okay. They’re like and just disregard when really there’s a lot of people that have many years of experience that make plenty of mistakes, you know? But because they have that years of experience to protect them, that definitely helps. So it’s just always trying to stay as sharp as possible and really honing in on my craft so that people truly understand that, you know, we will be able to provide like top tier caliber talent. And we worked with Fortune 500 companies where we beaten out agencies that have been around for for 30 plus years. So it’s just always staying as sharp as possible and, you know, doing what I can personally do to break down barriers. You know that. In my control because some things I do understand aren’t in my control. But, you know, the some of the subjects or things that I do have to learn that are in my control, then I am going to execute on it.

Todd Jackson: [00:21:20] Yeah, this. This is TJ. I think if you if I go back a few years prior to Republic Services, I did work with Intel. Intel was one of the members of the DDR who were looking at to do more business with not only black owned businesses, but women of business as well within the the DDR. Um, when the the incident happened about 2020, 20, 21, that’s when I kind of opened up my LinkedIn to, to see if I can do more of an impact to those corporations that do not even have a supplier diversity program. So from, from that standpoint, just coming in and creating a new environment around diverse suppliers was a barrier of itself, right? Because it’s more of when I say a supplier, diversity professional, you really are a change agent for the corporation as well. And you have to put in some of those particular practices of, of, of um, you know, where you have MSAs with different content and how do you go about creating certain policies around supplier diversity. So you always have that kick back of, you know, why have we got to do this or barriers such as that or why we got to change? Um, why, why this and why that? My, my answer to that is, is that the world is changing as well. And when you have a diverse supplier, I would say probably over 90% of that diverse supplier has that innovation, that technology that some of the larger corporations or suppliers don’t have because they don’t have to be agile, they don’t have to be flexible, they don’t have to be adaptive.

Todd Jackson: [00:23:27] They’ve already got their foot into the door. And so we have to make sure that those barriers for those diverse suppliers are removed or at least have an opportunity to to do that. So what I do is I really try to make sure that it is the barriers that are pop up that we resolve them, whether it be through supplier segmentation, whether it be through Tier one. Not everybody can be a Tier one supplier within the the Republic services. Some may have to work with a non diverse supplier that has the niche of the market in the environmental industry and put that into a tier two span. But either either way, Tier one or Tier two would definitely want to make sure that the supply chain from end to end is diverse. And so those barriers such as networking or getting them in front of some of the category managers or senior manager leaderships, that that is that is important. And of course, dispelling, dispelling those myths around, um, diversity as far as diverse supplier, it needs to be nipped in the bud.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:44] So TJ, what are some of those myths?

Todd Jackson: [00:24:48] I think some of the myths are that they’re too small, right? Everybody started out at some point small. They just grew the business. The second of all is they don’t have the innovation and technology. We know that that’s not true because they’re more agile and flexible than the bigger boats. I mean, you can take, for instance, the ship of Intel. Intel needs very small tugboats to put it in the port, same as the environmental industry, where environmental industry was more waste connection, waste connected. So how do you go about dispelling that? You know, this is just a male dominant, which it is a dominant field. How do you go about saying that women can play a part of that as well? So you have woman owned disposal companies, you have women owned gas providers, petroleum that can do that. So the question is, is not about not about if they not can do it, but how about giving them opportunity to do it and execute. And that’s what it’s that’s what it’s about.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:03] Well, stories kind of are a great way to illustrate some of these points. T.j., can you share a story about a minority supplier that really with with an opportunity really got to a new level? You don’t have to name the name, but maybe explain the challenge that they were asked to to deliver on and how they delivered.

Todd Jackson: [00:26:27] Well, I think one of the things is, is that one of the suppliers we are using in one type of capability. So when we looked at that particular supplier, we noticed that the supplier had many channels of opportunities for this particular for a Republic services. And the question is how do we expand the growth? How do we expand their capability within the organization from one product to to the next that that we can use? Well, we just ensure that, you know, it met the criteria around that and then provided an opportunity for that to to to happen into one of the one of the areas that geographical areas because each each landfill is different each state has different regulations around how we align align the sales for making the landfill. So that provides different geosynthetics around liners and things of that nature. So giving them an opportunity to expand within the organization from one product or one service to multiple services. So using that particular supplier to grow their business through multiple services and capability, that is just one of the ways. And then the other way is bringing on that supplier that in a small way providing, you know, everybody needs an opportunity, but providing the service that they do, um, got more, more notoriety around the, the stakeholders. And once the stakeholders did that, the word spread and then after the word spread, the, the, the supplier got more opportunities within a sector and started growing the business by that. So there’s, there’s two stories that I shared that shows you how you can grow within the Republic services.

Lee Kantor: [00:28:40] Now, Anna, can you share a story for your firm where you were given an opportunity and maybe you don’t have to name the company, but the problem they were having in how you were able to help them and that helped you get to a new level.

Anna Spearman: [00:28:53] Of course. This is Anna. So at the time I was working with a Fortune 500 company and they were hiring for a VP of engineering. And this company, their future was really going to be embedded in AI and really trying to just transform their industry and really make a difference. So they this VP of engineering, was going to manage an org of 300 engineers and hire an additional I think it was about 250 engineers. So this was a big role. And both the internal and other agencies, it was other executive recruitment agencies that were really large and had been around for years. They just really weren’t sending any talent that was even passing through the initial stages of the interview. So they decided to give tech staffing a chance. And that’s all it takes is a chance. So I took that chance and I wasn’t going to lose it. So we recruited for the role and by the end of that project we finished with two VP of engineering candidates that the company liked so much that they were willing to present both of them an offer. So if one candidate rejected the offer, it would be presented to the other candidate. And it was just an amazing candidate. Matchmaking experience. Like it really warmed my heart because the candidate that ended up accepting the offer he was really looking for the role just wasn’t about the salary.

Anna Spearman: [00:30:27] It was overall about the company he was working at and the culture, and especially due to the pandemic. And it really changed his outlook and his mindset. So that company coming in during that time really made a change to his direction and his career and also just making a change at that company itself since they were just really thinking about an innovative future, like especially in AI. So that definitely was the most heartwarming, especially, you know, since we were able to make a difference in just like TJ was saying, you know, the first myth that they say is they’re small. But even though we may be smaller right now, we’re extremely flexible and we’re also just on it versus a lot of other agencies who are bigger, they’re a little bloated and they’re not having maybe as many people who just truly care and are really on it in terms of finding the right aligned talent. So even though we were one of the smaller agencies of that company, we ended up being their top performer because we just we, we just like I said, we had to be sharp and we had no room for error. But that’s all we needed was a chance. And we took it and we executed on it. And and we’ve received nothing but praise for that company from that company.

Lee Kantor: [00:31:45] Now I’d like to share or put this out to the group. What for the for the organizations and the leaders that are listening now that maybe haven’t leaned into working with diverse suppliers as much as maybe other people in their space? What are some of the benefits of having a more diverse entrepreneur pool to be choosing from in your mind that you’ve seen in TJ? Why don’t you start?

Todd Jackson: [00:32:14] I think one of the first things is you have if you have a diverse supplier pool, you have different perspectives. You’re not only representing a particular group, you’re representing the world because the world has changed, right? The world is, um, people of color, people with different backgrounds, seeing how things work. So I would, I would say the perspectives is probably one of the, one of the things that people should lean into is right is having that I think Anna hit it on the head again is, you know, you may be small, but you’re agile, you’re flexible. You can give that personal relationship where maybe a larger company cannot give that. Um, then you’re able to pivot as well. So I think those are very, those are things that you really should be leaning into and providing that, particularly if you serve in the communities and the communities is diverse. I mean, you have an obligation to be diverse as well. That’s kind of where I stand, is, you know, um, why not put the tax dollars into the communities that are diverse? They’re coming from that community, they’re working from that community. So it’s all impactful to to not only the community, but those those corporations that are doing business within those communities. And I would suggest that those communities that are diverse, I would I would lean on corporations that are in my my community to say. Hey, what are you doing in the world of workforce diversity? What are you doing in the world of supply chain diversity? Who is doing business in our community? That looks like me. Those are some of the questions that I would would push back on from a community standpoint.

Anna Spearman: [00:34:12] This is Anna. I would definitely just agree with TJ there in terms of working with supplier or the diverse suppliers, it’s really just that change in perspective. So coming from my perspective, my background is not not as traditional. You know, I was a computer science major and as a black woman, I would walk into lecture halls of 100, maybe 200 students, and I would see maybe one other person that looked like me and just know other black women. So you really understand, like walking. I’ve always been used to walking into spaces where I’m the only one. And so that definitely provides perspective. So for some of these companies, and although we don’t specialize in diversity, you know, and but it’s just been super natural in providing a diverse candidate pipeline because in the back of my mind, I’m always thinking about, you know, will I be the only one when I walk into this room? So it just adds that needed perspective and also just that resilience, you know, So you’re just strengthened by those battle scars of all of that adversity. So like I said, from all of the times that I’ve, you know, had to break down those barriers, it’s made me stronger.

Anna Spearman: [00:35:26] And it’s it’s made me, I don’t want to say hardened in a way, but it just made me, like I said, battle ready and sharp where I have to really know that craft. So having all of those different perspectives, you know, and perspectives outside of my view, you know, LGBTQ age, all different backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, like that’s super important because I came from a private school and I was a financial aid kid. But you know that private school, their tuition is like 40,000. So interacting with people that were from lower socioeconomic all the way to the top 1%. So having all of those different perspectives, especially perspectives outside of my view, really just provides a value add because every company is always talking about how they understand their users. But if they’re if their users or if their teams aren’t reflecting who their users look like or what their users backgrounds are, then how are they ever going to be able to accommodate and help the users lives in any way?

Todd Jackson: [00:36:31] Yeah, and this is TJ and I like to just add on. Even though we’re here talking about women of color, diverse supplier just comes in all types of ways. Here at Republic Services, we do the five major groups, right? So people with disabilities, LGBTQ plus that Anna talked about, of course minority owned our veterans owned and then of of course, women business as well. So all that diversity within a company can can contribute to a larger diverse supply chain. And I think one other thing is sometimes times, even though you want to lean in through those particular procedures and programs, sometimes you just have to be intentional. And what I mean by intentional is, is that you got to focus on, hey, let’s bring in some business. I have that. I have that opportunity, I have that decision making. Let’s let’s do this. That’s being intentional.

Lee Kantor: [00:37:36] Now, is there any advice or any thoughts on what it takes for the community to inspire and encourage maybe the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs?

Anna Spearman: [00:37:50] This is Anna. I would definitely say my number one word for that is exposure. Exposure makes such a huge difference. So, for example, I studied Chinese for eight years, so four years in high school and four years in college. And I was actually able to study abroad in China. And really getting that exposure just really changed my life and just changed my perspective, you know, because I’m always trying to look at different perspectives that are outside my my views. So it’s just, you know, really when you expose people and it doesn’t have to be just like STEM or just any new topic that can really change their life. Like my life was also changed in high school where my counselor or one of the science teachers. Since they knew I enjoyed math, they recommended that I join the OR. I join a robotics summer camp for Girl Scouts. And that changed my life because I never really heard about coding or computer science at all. And I learned Robot C and I learned how to code a robot autonomously. And that was that blew my mind. And all that took was one counselor to just expose me.

Anna Spearman: [00:39:01] And so I always say to just exposure. And I actually had a beautiful full circle moment where so I played tennis when I was eight and I attended. I was a part of this program in South Central that helped my basically exposed minority kids to tennis, which is like the sport of kings and queens and is a really elegant sport. And I was able to come back and just teach them about STEM and just teach them about what I was doing. And although they had no idea what I was talking about, about UX research managers and data scientists and machine learning, but at least they heard it and at least they were exposed to it. And you never know whichever kid that may be allowed them to Google it and can lead them to a new path. So exposure is so important in order to get people the opportunities that not only that they need, but that they’re passionate about and that only grow, you know, different organizations or have them create their own companies.

Todd Jackson: [00:39:59] Yeah, this is TJ and I’m going to echo on the word exposure as well. Um, and I may not know, Mandarin like, uh, like Anna, but I do know a little of Japanese. So being in the Air Force was exposed to a lot of different countries, a lot of different people. Um, which in hand exposed my, my two children who are engineers, aerospace industrial engineers. So just knowing, um, the exposure around that and making sure that folks are giving back, that is probably the most important thing because I can remember doing taking a whole, um, junior middle school through a science program. Did STEM, did robotics, uh, my son did robotics as well. But exposure is so important. Um, those kids never knew about rockets on how to build a rocket or what is propulsion and things of that nature. Those kids didn’t know what materials can actually clean a a copper penny. So it’s really about trying to understand the exposure and give those folks exposure that may not be able to go outside of their community to see any other thing that’s happening. And that’s why it’s so important that corporations do do those particular things in the charitable giving, um, space as well as, as volunteering. Uh, those your skill set into those, those communities did mentoring as well. So you know going to that. Nesby Junior Nesby meetings and things of that nature provides that opportunity that that exposure for those and then hopefully those exposure provides that entrepreneurial spirit where we have more awareness in the world as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:42:03] Well, thank you, TJ. Well, TJ, what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Todd Jackson: [00:42:11] Oh, I need to make sure how you can help me is make sure that when we have those diverse suppliers, they really know about the industry that they’re they’re committing to. Right. So you’re talking about the waste industry waste and the environment is going to be here to. We’re not here. Uh, so how do we go about moving that that waste? How do we go go about doing doing the organics? How do we go about doing plastic circularity where we’re recycling those particular types of plastic so they don’t end up in the landfills, so they don’t end up creating the, the, the impacts of our our environment. So we really want to make sure that we, uh, we really learn about those industries. I’m one of those industries that people really don’t think about, right? They just put their cart on the edge of the the street and some truck come and pick it up. But it is a process behind picking up that truck, putting it in a transfer station, transporting that to a landfill, packing it, composing not only composing, but understanding that, you know, decomposing, give off methane. How do you collect that methane, making sure that the environmental waste is not our tables are not contaminated. So using these different synthetics to cover it and underlying our landfills. So that is where we want to start putting people in, because really environmental waste industry was really dominated by male and dominant by Caucasian. So we really want to put some diversity within this space and all aspects of environmental waste.

Lee Kantor: [00:44:06] So so TJ, if somebody wants to learn more about Republic or connect with you, what is the best way to do that?

Todd Jackson: [00:44:13] Oh, you’re just going to our website Republic services.com supplier diversity and there will be a contact that you can send as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:44:23] And what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Anna Spearman: [00:44:28] Oh, this is Anna. I would say, well, same thing. Exposure. So, you know, just like touching different audiences, whether that’s hiring managers or whether that is engineering, product and design candidates. I do say we specialize from senior level to C-suite talent, but if you are entry level, you know, feel free to contact me because I definitely understand what it feels like to be entry level and trying to get that first job. You know, I had to create my own first job, but I can definitely try to just help in any way I can and provide any resources. So just any exposure at all to to any audience would be amazing.

Lee Kantor: [00:45:04] And then the website, the best way to contact you?

Anna Spearman: [00:45:07] Yes. So my website is w-w-w dot tech staffing. So tiki Tiki staffing staffing.com. And you can contact me at my email and my email. It’s Anna Anna at tech staffing.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:45:28] Good stuff. Well, Pamela, what a show, right?

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:45:33] It’s been great. You know, I want to thank both of our guests for providing both valuable and just some great, vibrant conversations on this topic and sharing the their the journeys and experiences that they’ve had to their success. So thank you both.

Anna Spearman: [00:45:53] Thank you. Glad to be here.

Todd Jackson: [00:45:54] Thank you. Glad to be here as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:45:57] All right. This is Lee Kantor for Dr. Pamela Williamson. We will see you all next time on Women in Motion.