Rickey Green leads by example as CEO of Power Personnel, whose staff stats are impressive when it comes to diversity. More than 80% of the firm’s internal team comprises ethnically diverse workers, and more than 70% are women. Power Personnel — headquartered in San Jose, California — provides both clinical and nonclinical workers to healthcare and professional service organizations and works extensively with diverse candidates to fill roles in the area, where it does a majority of its business. Green leads the firm with his wife, Cynthia Stewart, and has been in the staffing industry for more than 25 years.
Power Personnel’s mission includes working with members of diverse communities. Green says the high level of diversity at the company helps bring in even more diverse talent to the fold, something he calls “diversity attraction.” “Candidates want to work for a company that looks like them and believes in what they believe in,” he says.
Power Personnel’s mission to place diverse healthcare staff became especially important during the pandemic, as it was the sole agency placing registered nurses at isolation hotels and shelter-in-place hotels in the Bay Area county of Alameda. Isolation hotels housed people who had been diagnosed with Covid-19, while shelter-in-place hotels housed homeless and others in need who did not have a diagnosis of Covid.
With more than 70% ethnic diversity, the clinical staff mirrored the community they served and were able to provide care in a time of great anxiety. Power Personnel also provided environmental services staff in the Bay Area county of Santa Clara to support Valley Medical Center during the pandemic. A large percentage of the staff were ethnic minorities. “For us, we prioritize ethnic diversity as our champion. We believe these groups are often left out of the DE&I equation and we want to have an impact”.
In addition to its diversity-focused work during the pandemic, Power Personnel also participates in a program to help certified nursing assistants develop the qualifications to work in acute care, enabling them to earn more money and have more responsibility. Many of the candidates taking part in the program are diverse, Green notes. “My wife, Cynthia Stewart, and I take great pride in using our company and resources to provide job opportunities to the ethnic community during a time of need.”
2023 DE&I Influencers List