In the wake of the 2020 protests after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Indianapolis business leaders committed to driving measurable progress in advancing racial equity in a group called Business Equity for Indy. Jeffrey Harrison, CEO of Citizens Energy Group, has served as that coalition’s leader since its founding.
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Indy Chamber and the Indianapolis Urban League are partners in the work. BEI launched with 11 member companies; it now has 50.
Each member has pledged to adopt at least one BEI recommendation or strategy, a list that includes participation in a modern apprenticeship program, certification as a company that pays more than $18 an hour with benefits, and implementation of best practices for supplier diversity. Members must also attend a quarterly, in-person procurement roundtable.
Executives from powerhouse companies such as PNC Bank, OneAmerica Financial, Eli Lilly and Co., Cummins Inc. and Indiana University Health are members of BEI’s management committee.
But a lot has changed in the organization’s nearly five-year lifespan. It began when many business leaders were pledging to end the disparities that exist between races, sexes, ethnicities and other groups in the workplace. BEI worked with a particular focus on achieving racial equity for Black Hoosiers.
Now, both U.S. President Donald Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun have issued executive orders aimed at ending initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion. Trump has called the efforts “wasteful and radical” and labeled them “dangerous, demeaning and immoral race- and sex-based preferences.”
As a result, Harrison said, Business Equity for Indy organizers have been reviewing their programs and the language they’ve used and made changes—and are emphasizing that the organization is about equity more broadly.
For example, a 2022 capture of the organization’s website says BEI aims “to grow a more inclusive business climate and build greater equity and economic opportunity for the Indy Region’s Black residents and people of color.” Today, the website lists a less specific goal: “to grow the Indy region’s economy by expanding access to opportunity for all businesses, entrepreneurs and talent.”
Still, Harrison said the original goal of equity remains at BEI’s core. In its 2024 impact report—the most recent available—the organization mentions, among its wins, a recent law requiring auto-enrollment into Indiana’s program providing free postsecondary education to certain students, a two-year intensive workforce pilot with a DEI focus, and gatherings related to diverse procurement, learning and talent opportunities.
Through the procurement roundtable, a key initiative that began in 2021, companies have invested $277 million in contracts with diverse suppliers, according to data from BEI.
IBJ talked with Harrison about Business Equity for Indy and what the current climate means for its efforts. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
What did it look like when this initiative was first coming together?
We were focused on trying to improve the economic participation of members in our community. And I think while there was a bit more of a focus on the Black business community, where there has been a disproportionate impact, our intent, even at that time, was that, over time … we would address issues that benefited everyone in our community.
I think we’re ending up in the same place that we ultimately planned to be, even from the very beginning.
Has it felt like the momentum for BEI has been continuous? Or has it ebbed and flowed?
With anything, any business, any initiative, there will be some ebb and flow. We’ve experienced that. But I’d say the momentum has been maintained.
Its strength is that we have a number of volunteers who stayed with us and kept with the program over the entire time and have been participating. And so I think the energy level is still high.
But again … we all understand the importance of making sure that we continue to grow as central Indiana, to grow as a state and be an economic player here. And I think that’s been a strong part of the motivation as well.
Are there initiatives that you’re excited about that you’re working on now?
One thing that I’m involved in leading is INCAP, the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway program, where we’re looking at trying to determine if the state can stand up a different pathway around education. I think it could change the way many members in our community participate in our economy.
s there a certain way in which you see equity as part of the apprenticeship work?
From an equity standpoint, I think everyone gets to participate who wants to. It’s not created yet, but we’re working diligently on this program.
There are some disparate programs that exist in various parts of the state. … We’re sharing information across those different programs, trying to improve those programs, and we’re actively working to stand up a larger program that will be more sustainable and, I think, more consistent. Doing so and providing that equitably across the state and allowing everyone to participate is the ultimate goal here.
We’re headed in a very good direction at this time, especially given the leadership of Claire Fiddian-Green from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. She’s doing an amazing job with that.
How did BEI react when President Trump’s and Gov. Braun’s executive orders came out? What did that look like?
I think we took it in stride, just as we would any other change.
We read them, tried to understand them, and we likely talked about them a bit. And then I think, as many organizations do, we looked to see if there were changes that were needed … in order to comply with the [executive orders] and made changes.
With our mission still in mind, we’re still able to move forward. My guess is there’ll be other changes, and they’ll be handled the same way. If there’s another EO, or if there’s a new rule or law or piece of legislation that’s issued, we do the same things.
We do the same thing as organizations all the time. After each legislative session, we have to understand laws or rules that impact us and then understand if we’re complying with those or if we need to make changes because of those.
Has the work fundamentally changed at all due to the executive orders? Or did you just make language changes?
The underlying work to address barriers to full participation and economic opportunities by all members of our community has not changed. That is still our primary and always has been our primary focus. I think early on, there was a target for the Black business community, and I think today that the priority of “all are welcome” comes first.
To your point, some of the wording has changed, but again, we’ve never turned away anyone who wanted to participate in any of our programs, and that’s even more paramount today.
