For Asbury Automotive Group, the death of George Floyd and the ensuing civil unrest nationwide was a turning point.
Amid a backdrop of companies managing turbulence among their employees — some of whom had taken to social media to share inciteful and bigoted attacks against protesters of police brutality and racial injustice — Asbury sought external consultants to help craft a more formal program focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Diversity and inclusion "became a much larger focus with the events that took place last summer," said Jed Milstein, the retailer's chief human resources officer and leader of the company's DE&I strategy. "We saw a more acute need, as many peer companies did, to have a very intentional program around this."