Women’s History Month has been celebrated annually in the United States for more than three decades. There is no part of history or any movement where women have not given our work, wealth, and wisdom. We are always workers. We are always contributors. We are always leaders. That sentiment is no different here at GOJO in how we lead through challenging times while making significant ongoing contributions.
Women have a rich history of contributions and achievements at GOJO. We have shared some of these stories previously, including those of our co-founder, Goldie Lippman, and a few of our first female employees (read the blog “GOJO Honors International Women’s Day with a Look Back at Four Women in GOJO History"). As Women’s History Month begins and GOJO enters our 77th year of existence, we reflect on our present and future.
GOJO has grown a lot during the past few years as we responded to the existential human need created by the COVID-19 pandemic and made significant capital investments, including three new facilities. Our current leadership continues to shape the future of our next 75 years in both a thoughtful and meaningful way.
Women in GOJO Leadership Today
GOJO proudly and humbly marked our 75th anniversary on March 6, 2021, during an inflection point for society: a pandemic that has challenged the world to develop new solutions to help save lives, support well-being, and facilitate the return of public life and the economy.
Today, GOJO leadership is in the hands of Marcella Kanfer Rolnick, the third generation of family leadership and Executive Chair, and Carey Jaros, President and CEO. Under their leadership, the organization has expanded our capability and capacity to better meet the needs of our customers as we move into the post-pandemic “new normal” in which hygiene will play a more visible and vital role across society. At the same time, we continue to innovate to bring even safer and more effective solutions to the world that solve real problems – just as Goldie and Jerry did 75 years ago.
In addition to these important business imperatives, Marcella and Carey are leading us toward realizing our vision of “becoming a vital enterprise of flourishing individuals on a whole new scale,” which they describe as “being a role model for society,” saying: “We must rapidly transform our policies, processes, systems, and tools to adapt to changing conditions. And we must nurture a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture of people who care passionately about our Purpose and each other.” Whether it’s what we’re doing inside GOJO or out in the world, we are deeply committed to be always learning and constantly innovating to deliver on our GOJO Purpose and live our Values.
Within GOJO, we are excited to champion our newly established Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as one additional way for our over 750 women today, in roles in Product Management Innovation, Research and Development, Market Research, Human Resources, Sales, and Supply Chain, to connect and create community.
GOJO is a WBENC-Certified Women’s Business Enterprise
In 2020, GOJO became a WBENC-certified Women’s Business Enterprise. This certification supports our customers’ supplier diversity goals and connects us more directly with the diverse business community as both a supplier and a customer. Being a WBE aligns with our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to creating sustainable value (social, environmental, and economic) for all of our stakeholders. Our WBENC certification is a reflection of how we live our GOJO Values in real and impactful ways.
We continue to respect, admire, and appreciate the accomplishments of other women and women’s business enterprises within our community and the communities we serve.
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