KeeleyOne Spotlight: April Lopinot
KeeleyOne is focused on creating an atmosphere that promotes Diversity & Inclusion. April Lopinot, Vice President of Human Resources and member of the KeeleyOne team, has a passion for recruiting and retaining the best people while fostering a safe, healthy, and inclusive work environment for all Keeley’ns. She knew that KeeleyOne was her opportunity to help bring real, lasting change to the processes and culture at Keeley Companies.
April wanted to be a part of the KeeleyOne team because she noticed a disservice within Keeley Companies and knew it was time for a culture shift. As her team recruits new, diverse talent who are excited about our inclusive culture, she found that new recruits saw something that didn’t align with what they had been told. It was a universal realization that things needed to change, and April has seen the enthusiasm and incredible support from leadership all the way down to craftspeople in the field. Her and the team are ready to truly make Diversity & Inclusion a core part of who we are as she strives to make a true difference in our company and our communities.
“To me, Diversity & Inclusion is about making sure that every voice is heard. When Rusty started KeeleyOne, it was clear that his vision was Diversity & Inclusion of the whole person (background, thought, etc.). This is what I wanted to bring to the table and help bring other’s stories to life.”
Starting a new cultural pillar at Keeley Companies is no easy task, but it is always a rewarding experience for all involved. At the beginning of this process, the most challenging part was getting people to truly see the value. Everyone understood the long-term goals, but it was difficult to get full buy-in across the company so KeeleyOne could become a true part of our everyday lives. Once they received this buy-in and saw the excitement around KeeleyOne, they knew that every challenge was worth it. This experience has taught April how important it is to listen and value everyone’s opinions. She quickly realized that everyone on the KeeleyOne team had a different view on what it meant to them, which allowed for a beautiful blending of opinions to create a common language and set of goals to help guide Keeley’ns. If April could give one piece of advice to Keeley’ns, it would be:
“Have an open mind and ask a lot of questions. These conversations are what is going to help KeeleyOne evolve and reach its full potential.”
This passion and dedication is lighting the way for KeeleyOne’s bright future ahead and April is most excited about the partnerships that are going to come from wholeheartedly embracing Diversity & Inclusion. This is an issue that everyone is talking about and partnering with other organizations will help KeeleyOne to grow and become a natural shift in our lives. Since April has been part of the KeeleyOne team from the beginning, she has a piece of advice for those that are wanting to start a Diversity & Inclusion program at their own companies:
“Gather a group of individuals from a diverse group of backgrounds, races, and opinions, along with a strong passion for making a difference. This will help foster an environment where people will truly want to learn and grow.”
In addition to the numerous educational opportunities KeeleyOne offers, April also recommends the Jennifer Brown Speaks podcast for those that want to continue educating themselves:
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