SanMar’s President, Jeremy Lott, has been working with his team in supporting the creation of a new Diversity and Inclusion Council for the family-owned apparel company. The purpose of the council is to advise and guide company-wide diversity efforts and advocate for the value of diversity and inclusion as a pathway to both employee well-being and business success.
“Our company operates by a set of family values that include ‘Make a Difference, Do the Right Thing, Invest in Each Other,’” says Lott. “It’s important that we embrace the strength that diversity brings to our company. To do that, we have to be purposeful about building a more diverse and inclusive community.”
The creation of the Diversity and Inclusion Council was announced in early June. Since then the company has received over 50 applications from talented and highly qualified individuals across the company. “It’s so encouraging to see this kind of enthusiasm for furthering our ideals as a company,” says Jeremy Lott.
The responsibilities of the council members include providing feedback and insight on how SanMar can improve its inclusion and diversity policies, making short- and long-term strategy suggestions, promoting an atmosphere of tolerance and inclusion, and creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue between SanMar’s employees and leadership team.
“The Diversity and Inclusion Council should reflect a diverse mix of employees. We will be taking into account factors such as race or ethnicity, gender identity, disability, age, and veteran status. We are also striving to represent different business areas within SanMar,” explains Jeremy Lott.
President Jeremy Lott has appointed the chair and co-chair of the council himself, and the remainder of the council members will be selected from there. Each member of the council will serve a two-year term. The council will consist of eleven members, including the chair and co-chair. SanMar’s VP of Human Resources will be sponsoring the council and providing guidance, acting as arbitrator, and serving as a liaison between the council and senior management.
The final selection process is currently underway and SanMar anticipates that they will release the names of the council members in September.
Jeremy Lott started his working career at SanMar. As a family-owned company, he learned about the business directly from his father while working in various positions throughout the company. After college, Jeremy worked for investment bank Piper Jaffray as an analyst. After earning his MBA, he returned to SanMar and took over leadership from his father, Marty Lott. Jeremy is the father of six children and, in his limited spare time, he loves to spend time outdoors skiing, hiking, and boating.
