Month: September 2023

This year’s tour will visit 11 HBCU campuses in communities Comcast serves, inspiring the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and creators. The event will connect students to career resources and tools and Black small business owners and entrepreneurs. It will also provide a platform to showcase stories about the positive impact HBCUs have had on higher education.

“When it comes to the HBCU experience, the impact goes well beyond the classroom. An HBCU education offers students a support network and community they will cherish long after they graduate,” said Loren Hudson, SVP and Chief Diversity Officer for Comcast Cable.

Through the Xfinity HBCU tour, we’re proud to play a part in providing additional resources and tools for HBCU students to maximize their experience on campus, get excited about future careers and opportunities, and to help contribute to their long-term success.

LOREN HUDSON
SVP and Chief Diversity Officer for Comcast Cable

Explore Career Resources and Opportunities

Through Project UP, Comcast’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities, select students at the Xfinity HBCU Tour will have the opportunity to engage with Comcast talent and recruitment leaders to discuss potential career opportunities at Comcast and get professional development advice and tips. Students will also have the opportunity to attend a resume review session with a talent development professional.

With thousands of HBCU students returning to campus this fall and in need of high speed Internet for schoolwork and job searches, Comcast is offering exclusive Internet deals and spreading the word about eligibility for the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides qualifying individuals with a $30/month benefit toward their Internet bill. If they’re eligible the benefit could save them up to $360 a year.

Connect with Innovators, Entrepreneurs, and Creators

To get students excited about potential career paths and opportunities, additional activities onsite will connect students with innovators, small businesses owners, entrepreneurs, and creators, including:

Comcast RISE recipient: Students will have the opportunity to speak with a recent recipient of the Comcast RISE program, which is committed to supporting the growth of all small businesses, while advancing community investment. Comcast RISE, which was launched in 2020 to help businesses and their communities thrive with a focus on economic growth, provides small businesses with comprehensive grant packages that include business consultation services, educational resources, a $5,000 monetary grant, creative production, media schedule, and a technology makeover. Comcast RISE is committed to supporting the growth of all small businesses, while advancing the objectives of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as community investment.Official Tour Apparel: The Xfinity HBCU Tour has commissioned HBCU and FAMU alum Elijah Rutland to design the official HBCU tour t-shirt. Additionally, Elijah will showcase his creativity by crafting a custom letterman jacket and a pair of Nike Air Force 1s. This initiative celebrates and supports creativity and promotes entrepreneurship within the HBCU community.Writings in the Quad: A mosaic art installation in the center of the activation celebrating HBCU community and pride will allow students to express their creativity during the event.

Celebrate the Positive Impact of HBCU Alumni

Students will be treated to an in-person experience of The Black Experience on Xfinity, a first-of-its kind destination of Black entertainment, movies, TV shows, news, and more. The booth will showcase content from the recent Black Experience original The Black Beauty Effect, produced by CJ Faison, an HBCU (FAMU) alum. The experience will empower HBCU students to celebrate the beauty within themselves.

In 2018, Comcast launched The HBCU Experience, a first-of-its-kind content collection celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the positive impact they’ve had on higher education for the Black community. The HBCU Experience is an example of Comcast’s work, year-round, to celebrate and recognize sports, lifestyle, and culture within HBCUs via relevant content.

Additionally, Black Experience on Xfinity recently premiered two original documentaries centered on the HBCU experience. The Return, a documentary from record-breaking Hollywood producer Will Packer, explores the experience of students and alumni from HBCUs through the prism of homecoming celebrations and traditions. The documentary film Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, from award-winning filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper and narrated by Phylicia Rashād, closely examines the founding and legacy of the first Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, which is now regarded as one of the most significant and influential Black organizations in history.

Participating HBCUs on the 2023 tour are:

Jackson State University: 8/19/23Edward Waters University: 8/24/23Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University: 8/25/23Atlanta DMA/AUCC: 8/31/23Delaware State University: 9/6/23Howard University: 9/8/23Virginia State University: 9/11/23Morgan State University: 9/13/23Tennessee State University: 9/20/23Alabama State University: 9/21/23Texas Southern University: 9/25/23

For more information on Project UP visit https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.

Supply chain operators have narrowed their focus on sustainability and decarbonization thanks to increasing market and regulatory pressures. According to Deloitte, “One of the hottest of the hot buttons for investors, customers, and regulators is better performance and disclosure related to a company’s climate impact.”

Deloitte’s view is supported by a recent survey-driven report that DP World conducted in partnership with Supply Chain Dive’s studioID. The report – “Supply Chains Prepping for a Greener, More Agile Future” – is based on a survey of nearly 160 leaders from across the supply chain, operations and IT sectors, which found that pressure around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) is now a top-three challenge for their supply chains, ranking right up there with demand and supply variability (41%) and inflexibility/inability to adapt quickly to change (34%), and tied with regulatory and compliance challenges (28%). 

Download the full report.

The newly elevated mission to decarbonize their supply chains has these organizations reordering their priorities and shifting how they allocate resources to set up more sustainable, lower-carbon supply chain operations. 

Supplier decarbonization is a big focus.

Suppliers, of course, play a central role in any organization’s decarbonization efforts. Thus, when choosing suppliers and collaborators, respondents indicated potential partners’ decarbonization and sustainability capabilities are becoming critical decision factors. 

In fact, eight in 10 (84%) called these capabilities extremely or very influential in the selection process. Additionally, the ability to support respondents’ carbon reduction goals tied for the second-most-important factor influencing their choice of supply chain solution provider (37%). Their organizations are also monitoring or adding ESG requirements for their current tier one (50%) and tier two (61%) suppliers.

How are internal operations shifting?

Sustainability changes are affecting internal operations, too. 

Three in five survey respondents told us they are taking or planning to take action on supply chain optimization to support their ESG goals. These activities include reducing transportation distances, consolidating shipments and optimizing inventory levels. Their companies are also adopting energy-efficient practices and investments, such as employing fuel-efficient driving practices (38%), using more energy-efficient transportation methods (38%) and reducing energy use in warehouses (35%). 

These tactics should sound familiar to those who follow DP World, which recently committed to several large-scale energy efficiency investments. For example: 

We are investing $500 million to cut nearly 700,000 tons of CO2 emissions from our operations over the next five years by transitioning our global fleet of assets from diesel to electric, investing in renewable power, and exploring alternative fuels. DP World Chile utilizes 100% renewable electricity across all its ports and, in doing so, became the first port operator in South America to secure renewable electricity certification. In Canada, DP World provides shore power at its Prince Rupert and Vancouver ports. Shore power is an emissions-reduction technology that enables ships to turn off their diesel-powered auxiliary engines and plug into British Columbia’s low-emission energy. We’re investing in nature-based solutions by planting 100,000 mangroves — one of the most effective CO2 nature-based sequestration methods — in the Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai. We are investing in electrification throughout South America, purchasing a fleet of 20 electric internal terminal vehicles for use at our terminal in Callao, Peru, and replacing 22 diesel RTGs at the Port of Santos in Brazil with electric versions.

Expectations are high for ESG investments.

Survey respondents are confident in the payoff they expect from their investments in ESG. Top anticipated benefits include increasing efficiency (83% call it very or somewhat significant), increasing access to needed specialized services such as labeling or kitting (52% very, 38% somewhat), and increasing the value of their organizations to business partners/other stakeholders (49% very, 41% somewhat), among other benefits.

These findings dovetail perfectly with DP World’s “Our World, Our Future” sustainability strategy, aimed at adopting the practices, mindsets and technology that will move our customers’ goods and services faster and more sustainably. It’s quite clear that sustainability has broken through to become a top focus for the future of supply chains, and it needs to be a priority in every supply chain decision moving forward. 

Download the full report.