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Evers is also a "social auditor" for the company, keeping tabs on Atlantic Richfield Company's community contributions, analyzing current levels of participation and developing new ways that the company can meaningfully get involved. "This is a real challenge," Myrlie Evers explains. "I have the opportunity to work for and with the community to help build on an established foundation of social responsibility. With the backing of a giant corporation, my participation will hopefully carry some added weight." Minority Purchasing Harry Tolliver's efforts for Atlantic Richfield Company have a direct impact in three areas: (1) Assisting minority firms to become part of the nation's economic mainstream. (2) Easing minority community unemployment and (3) Increasing the circulation of money within minority communities. His principle function is to find or develop minority firms whose goods or services can be purchased by Atlantic Richfield Company during the normal course of business. Through his efforts, an increasing percentage of the company's purchases are made from businesses owned by minority people — black, Mexican-Americans, American Indians — and from female entrepreneurs. "The small businessman is the foundation of the business world," states Tolliver, who has been with Atlantic Richfield Company since 1967. "Many minority businessmen are being discriminated against because of looks, language or habits. We are trying to change that." We've gone into the minority communities looking for companies that might be able to put a deal together" adds Tolliver. "We offer business advice and suggestions, if needed. The company has also gone out of its way to encourage large companies to set up distributorships owned by minorities to serve our needs. Bell, Evers, and Tolliver — three of the people at Atlantic Richfield committed to community participation in a meaningful way. Four-level Interchange And that's only part of what the company means by participation and social involvement. The Atlantic Richfield Company program is actually a four-level interchange involving Atlantic Richfield Foundation, Community Participation, Company Participation and Employee Participation. Established in 1966, Atlantic Richfield Foundation has contributed millions of dollars to thousands of organizations. "The Foundation is a way of plowing money back into the communities that have enabled us to prosper," says Atlantic Richfield Company Chairman Robert O. Anderson. "It is one way we can encourage and strengthen the best aspects of the communities in which we live and work." More than 400 individual projects have been aided. From education, cultural and medical grants to Alaskan communities, to hospitals, museums, the performing arts, drug rehab programs, and colleges in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Midland and Palo Alto. Community Participation, in addition to the work of Bell and Evers discussed previously, includes turning surplus service stations into mini-parks, mini-garden plots, senior citizens clubhouses and auto clinics. Company Participation includes things like environmental concerns in areas of company operations (in addition to those imposed by governmental regulation), energy conservation, and cultural mass-media events on the 240 non-commercial Public Broadcasting Service stations. Employee Participation. Atlantic Richfield encourages employees to be individually active in the community, contributing time and talent. This encouragement takes the form of providing paid time off so that employees can contribute their services as, teacher's aides, Junior Achievement advisors and school-visit sponsors, to give a few examples. Employees are also encouraged to car pool, ride the company-initiated express commuter bus to its Los Angeles headquarters, and conserve energy resources in other ways. At Atlantic Richfield, employee participation starts at the top. President Thornton Bradshaw headed a citizens' advisory committee on public transportation, and spearheaded a recent ballot campaign to finance the improvement of the Los Angeles area bus service and construction of a fixed-rail rapid transit system. Continuing Dedication So, "Participation" at Atlantic Richfield Company is a dedication supported both by good intentions and good deeds...dedication voiced as company policy and company action...dedication for today that will grow stronger with each passing year.
