GRDC Member News and Kudos

Bausch & Lomb Top Sponsor of Diversity 2004

Hector Velez, (left) internal sales and co-chair - B&L's Latino Employee Network, at 2004 Diversity Conference.

Bausch & Lomb is a top sponsor of a three-day national meeting on workplace diversity - the 2004 Diversity Conference - held this week in our Company's hometown of Rochester. The event's aim is to create a learning community within the business world to address diversity and its benefits.

"Our sponsorship and the decision to have a Bausch & Lomb exhibit booth at this national conference demonstrates our commitment to workplace diversity and exemplifies one of our key brand attributes of knowledge sharing," said Clay Osborne, vice president of Human Resources, Global Diversity, Staffing and Organizational Effectiveness. "This meeting brings together people from Bausch & Lomb and organizations around the United States with key thought leaders on diversity issues to share information and best practices."

Attracting nearly 500 attendees from 20 states, the conference featured 36 sessions and guest speakers including Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General; Yolanda King, daughter of the late civil rights activist Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; and Rain Pryor, an actress, singer and comedienne, daughter of comic Richard Pryor. The Greater Rochester Diversity Council (GRDC) organized the conference. Bausch & Lomb, one of GRDC's founding sponsors, has been instrumental in the success of the conference and the council's development.

"Getting support from Bausch & Lomb is about as important as it gets," said Michael Streeter, Executive Director - GRDC. "When we formed the GRDC in 1996, Bausch & Lomb was one of the first businesses to participate. With B&L's support over the years, we have grown from 17 members to over 45 members. The whole idea is to get organizations to understand diversity issues in a broad and inclusive way and to develop initiatives to improve their organizations."

9/21/04