84.51°
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
It starts with us, all of us
Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging mission is to create a diverse culture of inclusion and belonging that inspires our associates to bring their whole selves to work every day. When our associates feel included, valued, and respected for who they are and what they contribute, they feel a greater sense of belonging.
Connie Ross, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Manager
Connie Ross leads the charge for organizational progress with respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) at 84.51°. She ensures that a DEI&B lens is applied across organizational decision making and transformation, while also supporting Leadership, Talent Development, Recruiting and Business Partners in executing on the vision and values of 84.51° to deliver on organizational goals and commitments.
Connie boasts more than 20 years of experience and was inducted as a 2022 AMA Cincinnati Marketing Legend and was the recipient of the 2022 CLIMB Award for “Seizing Every Angle To Do Better”.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Giving to causes we care about
By sponsoring programs and organizations who make DEI&B their priority — like International Women’s Day — we're able to broaden our impact and influence the workforce beyond our four walls. The theme for our 2024 celebration was “Spark Inclusion” as a call to ignite change by encouraging dialogue, recognition and empowerment through the month and beyond.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Bring your authentic self
With the help of our DEI&B roadmap, we strive to provide a culture of inclusion and belonging that allows associates to share their background, cultural practices, and general thoughts about DEI&B to create awareness and understanding. This opens the door to learning more about each other and providing space to bring our whole and authentic selves to work.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Diversity drives innovation
By fostering inclusive teams that embrace diversity of thoughts and experiences, 84.51° can create innovative and inclusive products and services that support all of Kroger’s customers, CPG partners, and the communities they serve.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Empowering our associate resource groups
Our associate resource groups include – but are not limited to – EDGE, with subcommittees for women in tech and women of color; Men For Equality, a group learning how to make the workplace more equal and inspiring others to take their lead; and ITOPiA, a place for introverts to be acknowledged and supported. All of our associates are invited and encouraged to join a team or start their own.
Connie Ross, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Manager
Connie Ross leads the charge for organizational progress with respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) at 84.51°. She ensures that a DEI&B lens is applied across organizational decision making and transformation, while also supporting Leadership, Talent Development, Recruiting and Business Partners in executing on the vision and values of 84.51° to deliver on organizational goals and commitments.
Connie boasts more than 20 years of experience and was inducted as a 2022 AMA Cincinnati Marketing Legend and was the recipient of the 2022 CLIMB Award for “Seizing Every Angle To Do Better”.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Giving to causes we care about
By sponsoring programs and organizations who make DEI&B their priority — like International Women’s Day — we're able to broaden our impact and influence the workforce beyond our four walls. The theme for our 2024 celebration was “Spark Inclusion” as a call to ignite change by encouraging dialogue, recognition and empowerment through the month and beyond.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Bring your authentic self
With the help of our DEI&B roadmap, we strive to provide a culture of inclusion and belonging that allows associates to share their background, cultural practices, and general thoughts about DEI&B to create awareness and understanding. This opens the door to learning more about each other and providing space to bring our whole and authentic selves to work.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Diversity drives innovation
By fostering inclusive teams that embrace diversity of thoughts and experiences, 84.51° can create innovative and inclusive products and services that support all of Kroger’s customers, CPG partners, and the communities they serve.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Empowering our associate resource groups
Our associate resource groups include – but are not limited to – EDGE, with subcommittees for women in tech and women of color; Men For Equality, a group learning how to make the workplace more equal and inspiring others to take their lead; and ITOPiA, a place for introverts to be acknowledged and supported. All of our associates are invited and encouraged to join a team or start their own.
Connie Ross, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Manager
Connie Ross leads the charge for organizational progress with respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) at 84.51°. She ensures that a DEI&B lens is applied across organizational decision making and transformation, while also supporting Leadership, Talent Development, Recruiting and Business Partners in executing on the vision and values of 84.51° to deliver on organizational goals and commitments.
Connie boasts more than 20 years of experience and was inducted as a 2022 AMA Cincinnati Marketing Legend and was the recipient of the 2022 CLIMB Award for “Seizing Every Angle To Do Better”.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Giving to causes we care about
By sponsoring programs and organizations who make DEI&B their priority — like International Women’s Day — we're able to broaden our impact and influence the workforce beyond our four walls. The theme for our 2024 celebration was “Spark Inclusion” as a call to ignite change by encouraging dialogue, recognition and empowerment through the month and beyond.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Bring your authentic self
With the help of our DEI&B roadmap, we strive to provide a culture of inclusion and belonging that allows associates to share their background, cultural practices, and general thoughts about DEI&B to create awareness and understanding. This opens the door to learning more about each other and providing space to bring our whole and authentic selves to work.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Diversity drives innovation
By fostering inclusive teams that embrace diversity of thoughts and experiences, 84.51° can create innovative and inclusive products and services that support all of Kroger’s customers, CPG partners, and the communities they serve.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Empowering our associate resource groups
Our associate resource groups include – but are not limited to – EDGE, with subcommittees for women in tech and women of color; Men For Equality, a group learning how to make the workplace more equal and inspiring others to take their lead; and ITOPiA, a place for introverts to be acknowledged and supported. All of our associates are invited and encouraged to join a team or start their own.
Built by Our People, For Our People
Our associates don't just join the culture—they create it. Explore the employee-led groups below, all started by team members who turned their passions into action.
ITOPiA
“In my mind, ITOPiA is another wonderful example of 84.51°’s accepting & supportive workplace culture. What I love about ITOPiA is that it gives a voice to a fairly large group of people who are less likely to speak out otherwise.” – 84.51° associate
Diversity in the workplace is critical for innovation and problem-solving. Introversion and extroversion are two personality traits that are widely discussed in the context of workplace productivity and success. While extroverted individuals are typically seen as outgoing, assertive and sociable, introverted individuals are often viewed as reserved, reflective and introspective. Introversion can be considered both a superpower and a weakness—especially for career advancement.
a11y
“We want 84.51˚ to be a place where anyone can be comfortable being themselves, so we want to make sure disabled and neurodivergent associates don’t feel like they need to mask at work,” … “We’re challenging the very ways people think about disability, and then from the challenge we’re helping to build accessibility into our environment, our ways of working, our tools, and more.” – 84.51° associate
We’ve implemented a range of initiatives to make our workplace more inclusive and supportive for disabled and neurodivergent associates:
- Working with the events planning team to incorporate quiet rooms, verbal and written instructions, live captioning for speakers, and clear communications at large company events.
- Providing sensory-specializing occupational therapists
- Creation of a community, a11y established a chat just for neurodivergent people.
- Provide team consultations on inclusive meetings, research, and product design, and created self-service courses to help associates learn about neurodivergence, disability, and accessibility.
- Offering external speakers share there neurodiversity journey with our associates.
- Launched the Accessibility Champions Program a training program to help more associates better understand disability and how to make 84.51˚ more accessible.
Celebrating and elevating women
84.51° thrives because our associates live authentically and are valued for the unique contributions, no matter their gender identity. These beliefs are woven into everything EDGE does. This associate resource group is organized into multiple subcommittees, which support and celebrate the diversity of 84.51° women.
- Women of Color are given a safe space to learn, connect, understand and be understood.
- Women in Tech supports all women technologists throughout their technical career from pre-career to mature career.
- Important and relevant topics are discussed in a holistic, brave, and constructive way with ACE (Amplify, Connect, Enrich).
- Gender Lens raises awareness on how gender biases affect employees and course-correcting steps to take are provided.
- Networking gives EDGE members an opportunity foster connections inclusive of all communication styles and forums.
- Marketing & Operations encourages participation in events at varying levels of engagement – leading to a strong community.
Green Team
Our passion lies in educating and promoting sustainability in our workplace, homes, and communities.
We make it easier for our associates to live more sustainably through key green programs in our offices such as compost, recycling, and energy savings.
In 2024 we helped to divert 32,000 pounds of food and paper towel waste to compost courier. We use a central waste disposal program in our offices instead of placing waste bins at every desk, so associates take waste to a central location and consciously and intentionally place it in containers designated for landfill, recycling, or confidential shred.
The Green Team offers activities to help educate on sustainability such as:
- Beekeeping and Native Plants
- Urban Farming
- Foraging and Farming
- Household Hazardous Product drop-offs
- Installing Rooftop Solar Panels
Degrees of Giving
Through our Degrees of Giving charitable initiative, we proudly supported nominated charities throughout 2024, channeling our associates' time, talent, and treasures to make life more rewarding for both our communities and our team members.
In 2024 we had:
- 55+ volunteer events
- 800+ volunteers
- 1,200+ volunteer hours
Lead with Intention, Include with Impact
84.51° developed the "Inclusive Leader Journey," an 8-week experiential program grounded in Intrinsic Inclusion research, to foster an inclusive culture.
The only way that we can grow is by taking the time to become aware of our inherent biases, immerse ourselves in the experience and have honest and open dialogue on where we need to go from here. The Inclusive Leader Journey provides us intentional space to pause, learn and reflect on ourselves. - Kristin Foster, SVP, AI & Data Science
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