EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS

‘Oblivious to the risk,’ Monge went off script

BY NANCY LAVIN | Lavin@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: This is the 28th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success.)

DROPPING OUT OF COLLEGE to start a business is probably not what most parents dream of for their children.

Especially if those parents are immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of the financial stability that higher education and a good job provide.

Just ask Xander Monge. When Monge left Syracuse University during his freshman year to concentrate on his fledgling video production company, his parents – natives of the Dominican Republic and Guatemala – weren’t exactly supportive.

“They came to the U.S. specifically to go to school and to get a job, so they wanted me to do the same,” Monge said. “My dad was so mad.”

Monge did it anyway. He can’t quite put his finger on why he was able to cast aside the pressures from his parents, or the barriers that dissuade minority entrepreneurs from starting their ventures.

“Probably, I was a little oblivious to the risk,” Monge said. “I am ambitious, and maybe it’s a little bit of ignorance but not in a bad way.”

Indeed, in the four years since he turned his YouTube channel into a media services and video production company, Monge has seen Deft LLC take off. He’s booked promotional video projects with major universities, including Brown University and Duke University, received accolades and grant funding from competitive startup organizations, and landed an office in the coveted CIC Providence LLC coworking space.

But his success in the corporate world has not come without challenges.

As a 22-year-old Hispanic business owner, Monge is acutely aware of the differences between him and the university leaders or business executives who hire him.

“Everyone in these meetings are [older] corporate white people,” Monge said. “No one is ever overtly racist, but I If I wanted to hire think they have a lot of doubts about me at first.” A lot of that is proba Hispanic director ably due to his age more than his ethnicity, Monge acknowledges. But he of photography, it can’t discount his Hispanic heritage, which has shaped his experience as wouldn’t happen a business owner in ways both good and bad. The good: being a because there minority business owner, including the accompanying certification through isn’t one [in the state Minority Business Enterprise program, has helped him get grant Rhode Island]. funding, he says. Although he has never been openly discriminated against because of his ethnic background, there have been racist undertones he has seen rise to the surface, especially for his parents. One memory from his childhood stands out as an example: a passing customer in a grocery store scolded Monge’s mother for speaking Spanish to her son.

“I was probably 11 at the time and didn’t really think anything of it,” Monge said. “But as the years went by, the fact that I still remember it, I kind of realized how messed up people can be.”

It’s also hard not to feel like an outsider in an industry where there are still few people of color. He couldn’t think of any Hispanic videographers in the state.

“If I wanted to hire a Hispanic director of photography, it wouldn’t happen because there isn’t one,” he said.

Monge hopes his business success can serve as an example to other aspiring Hispanic videographers and filmmakers. When not running his business, he teaches videography classes – in Spanish – at a Providence bilingual charter school.

Xander Monge

Deft LLC

THROUGH HIS LENS: Xander Monge says he has not experienced overt discrimination in his business dealings since establishing his media services and video production company, but he’s aware of the differences between him and many of the people who hire him.

PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

1Do you believe racism is keeping minorities from starting businesses in the Ocean State or succeeding when they do? Yes, although it’s a complex answer. I think it is because minorities don’t have a lot of confidence to start their own businesses because they don’t see other people doing it. There is, of course, direct racism too, but I think a lot of it is because minorities, especially immigrants or children of immigrants, don’t have the same privileges or opportunities.

2How dependent is your business on the support of other minority groups? Is that a sustainable business model? Right now, it’s not dependent on it at all because I do a lot of corporate stuff, and corporate stuff is a lot of white people. I am trying to switch to focus more on documentary-style films, and [I] hope to feature and work with more women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

3What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minority-owned business success? I think anything that shows that there are minority-owned businesses already out there succeeding would be helpful. Rhode Island is really big on advertising its small businesses, like the “Buy Local” initiative, but they don’t have that same, cool Buy Local Rhode Island branding and advertising for immigrants or minority-owned businesses.

4Have you had to turn somewhere other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions generally treat minorities fairly? I have never gotten a loan from a bank, so I can’t really speak to that.

5If another minority entrepreneur asked you where they could turn to for support for their business, where would you direct them? I would send them to RIHub’s Venture Mentoring Services, which is a mentoring program for entrepreneurs. They helped me start my business and connect me to a lot of mentors, and even offered me free office space in CIC Providence. n

Why Diversity Matters

DIVERSITY WIDENS VIEWPOINTS and takes different ideas and perspectives into account. This can translate into creating richer solutions, obtaining better results and maximizing productivity, innovation and creativity. Having a diverse workforce means happier and healthier employees, customers feel more respected, and managers have greater access to the talent and skillsets they need for their organizations to thrive. A diverse workforce also better reflects the diversity of patients served and enhances an organization’s ability to fulfill a greater purpose. Join us in our conversation with Amgen leaders about why diversity matters and how it appears in action at Amgen.

Carol Malysz Executive Director, RI Bio Moderator

WHY IS DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION IMPOR TANT AT AMGEN? WHAT IS AMGEN’S STRATEGY FOR 1. INCREASING DEI?

Fernando: Employees want to work for employers whose mission is serving a greater purpose. They want to feel like their voices matter and that their overall well-being is being considered. Amgen is increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion by making sure that everyone can develop meaningful relationships in our new hybrid work environments through deep trust and honesty. Amgen is also focused on increasing the representation of Black people and women in management. Dania: We are on an ongoing journey to become a more diverse and inclusive organization that recruits, develops, and retains a workforce representative of the global communities we serve. This journey requires deliberate and consistent action to address longstanding challenges and bring us to a better place, together. Beyond Amgen, we are engaging with business and other community leaders, government officials, and external partners who share our desire to promote social justice and equity. Monika: Having a workforce that reflects the diversity of the patients that we serve and being very intentional in creating an environment in which every staff member can flourish and deliver for the patients we serve is our ambition here at Amgen. We consistently encourage our staff to be open about their identity, heritage and cultural believes. DEI must be deeply rooted in our culture, with leadership accountability. We must work together at all levels, to create a safe environment where everyone can reach their highest potential.

2. SINCE AMGEN IS A GLOBAL ORGANIZATION, HOW HAS THE COMPANY’S DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION STRATEGY BEEN IMPLEMENTED EQUALLY ACROSS ALL LOCATIONS? HOW DO CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AFFECT DEI PRACTICES?

Fernando: Amgen is committed to fostering a DEI culture globally. Amgen believes that it is imperative to deliver on its mission To Serve Patients. DEI at Amgen is being embedded globally in our business practices, policies, and processes. One way that Amgen is helping the entire organization understand DEI in the same way is through the U Belong Key Behaviors. Some of the U Belong behaviors include Understand others perspectives first, Create Safety, and Celebrate each other’s differences.

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PARTICIPANTS

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Monika: We recognize that diversity and inclusion are threaded through every aspect and every level of management.

3. WHAT TANGIBLE WAYS DOES AMGEN’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY APPEAR IN ACTION? LEADERSHIP? EMPLOYEES? Fernando:

n Listening sessions with Amgen employees and coordinated professional mental health sessions to address the well-being of our staff during periods of civil unrest. n Amgen Foundation announced a $7.5M commitment to address and advance social justice and racial equal opportunity in communities across the U.S. n Amgen leaders collaborated with partnering CEOs, such as Echoing Green, to facilitate conversations about the importance of global partnerships and allies during the pandemic and multicultural movements. n Amgen’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) initiated global discussions to address tough topics and authentic dialogue. These efforts led to an increase in ERG membership and the formation of new global chapters. n To accelerate our efforts, we’ve established a DI&B (Diversity Inclusion & Belonging) work council, which consists of a subset of CEO staff members and DI&B leads across all our major functions. Dania: Some tangible actions that demonstrate Amgen’s commitment to DE&I include: n Attract talent from diverse candidate pools and strive to eliminate potential bias from the decision-making process. n Provide staff members with mentorship, sponsorship, and career development opportunities. n Develop practices around pay, promotions, and performance management with a focus on improving equity. n Emphasize and respond to the personal well-being and mental health of our staff. n Create a work environment where psychological safety and belonging is paramount. Monika: In order to become a more diverse and inclusive organization, we need to enable inclusive leadership as a unique and critical capability for all our leaders. Training resources are made available so we can strive for a visible commitment from every leader at every level, their awareness of biases, and curiosity about others. We want our leaders to empower others, pay attention to diversity of thinking, to be able to create psychological safety and to focus on team cohesion.

HOW IS AMGEN’S DEI REFLECTED IN PATIENT CLINI-

CAL TRIALS AND OTHER PATIENT-FACING PRACTICES?

Fernando: Amgen is a strong believer that our differences lead to better science. As part of the effort to become a truly diverse and inclusive organization, Amgen is reducing long-standing healthcare inequities, where communities of color are disproportionately represented by increasing minority representation in clinical trials. Dania: Amgen supports initiatives to advance health equity with the goal of everyone experiencing the benefits of science, including providing access to life-saving medicines and care. Our Approach Includes: n Making our products more accessible through responsible pricing, patient support programs and targeted donation programs. n Working to address underlying social factors that can have a greater impact on health than clinical factors. n Working with partners to strengthen health systems and support health equity, including a focus on representative product development, comprehensive health education, and accessible and inclusive healthcare. In addition, Amgen is working to improve the proportional representation of trial participants in clinical trials by addressing key systemic issues that deter people from participating in

research, especially those groups who have been historically excluded due to race, ethnicity, sex, age, and other factors. Amgen’s Representation in Clinical Research team, also known as RISE, is working to address these barriers. In 2021, RISE led engagement with representatives of historically underserved and excluded communities through a series of product agnostic community advisory boards. This helped us obtain insights and perspectives on best practices for engagement with these communities more broadly, with the goal of building long-term, sustainable relationships. We will continue to seek guidance from key community advisors to help ensure that our efforts resonate with community needs and highlight community members’ voices.

HOW DO AMGEN EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS (ERGS) SUPPORT DEI? ANY OTHER TOOLS THAT SUPPORT DEI EFFORTS (I.E. TRAINING, WEBINARS, FORUMS, ETC.)?

Dania: Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a tool we use to promote and support as well as illustrate the impact and value that has on our business. There are currently eleven Global ERGs at Amgen, all with executive sponsorship, that are organized around a primary diversity dimension. These ERGs promote employee development, professional growth, and inspiration. Some of the activities the ERGs lead include networking events, community and volunteer activities, healthcare topics relevant in local communities/public speaking events, mentoring programs and cultural awareness. Our ERG groups also provide strong engagement to support our diversity recruitment efforts at colleges, universities and conferences including National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). We provide leaders and managers with training and tools to lead a diverse workforce and create an inclusive environment. Monika: We want to create a solid foundation for our inclusive culture and enable effective collaboration. We continue to share new learning resources available on our DI&B portal, focused on key behaviors needed to create an environment in which diverse teams can flourish. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are instrumental in promoting, supporting, and illustrating the impact a diverse workforce has on our business. Currently, we have eight ERGs at Amgen Rhode Island, all with executive sponsorship, and all organized around the primary focus of diversity. Our ERGs help us deepen our understanding of the people we work with and allow us to build trusting relationships. We practice cross-ERG advocacy to create meaningful dialogues related to building resiliency, allyship and creating psychological safety and the act of caring within our teams.

HOW DOES AMGEN MEASURE ITS PROG- RESS OF DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLU-

Fernado Fialho (he/him) Executor Director, Dania Gonzalez-Guzman (she/hers) Monika Soban (she/hers) Director Manufacturing SION INITIATIVES? HOW (WHERE) HAVE THESE INITIATIVES BEEN MOST SUCCESSFUL?

Plant Manager, Amgen Rhode Island Head of Quality, Amgen Rhode Island and ARI DI&B Site Lead Fernando: Globally, Amgen is measuring progress by the percentage of underrepresented groups in manager and above roles. Locally, Amgen acts on feedback and opportunities derived from employee surveys which focus on engagement, diversity, and belonging. Monika: We continually leverage staff feedback to improve our organization. We maximize our cross-ERG collaboration (Impact vs. Activity) advocating for conversations that matter. We hold diverse panel discussions with our senior leaders about topics based on quarterly survey results. Our leaders are highly engaged with all our staff, and we are investing in learning and growth to strengthen their capabilities. We embed diversity, inclusion and belonging as a foundation for a strong culture.

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Big News for Eyes: Delta Dental to Offer Vision Coverage

With the launch of DeltaVision®, Delta Dental of Rhode Island – the state’s leading dental insurer – recently added vision benefits to its growing portfolio of coverage options.

Created through a partnership with VSP® Vision Care, the nation’s largest vision benefits company, DeltaVision offers a wide range of comprehensive plans to provide members with the affordable, highquality eye care and eyewear they need.

“We are thrilled to partner with VSP Vision Care to offer this much-needed benefit here in our home state of Rhode Island,” said Delta Dental of Rhode Island Vice President, Sales & Business Relations James Kinney. “We know that many of our members are actively looking for trusted, affordable options when it comes to their vision care, and we look forward to helping these members save on the care they need.”

75% of adults are currently in need of some sort of

vision correction, and – especially as our collective reliance on “screen time” continues to increase both at home and in the office – experts expect this trend to progressively worsen in the years to come.

Proper vision care increases productivity and improves overall health…

Why Vision – and why now?

Delta Dental of Rhode Island has focused exclusively on oral health benefits for the majority of its 50-plusyear history at the center of Rhode Island’s health community. That commitment to oral health certainly isn’t going anywhere, Kinney said, but this move into a new coverage area is in line with both a growing demand for vision coverage among employees and Delta Dental’s organizational focus on improving its members’ overall health.

The launch of DeltaVision comes at a time when the need for vision care benefits across Rhode Island and around the country reaches an all-time high. VSP Vision Care studies show nearly Left untreated, eye strain and other common vision impairments can greatly impact an individual’s overall health quality of life, leading to headaches, fatigue, lapses in focus and other chronic symptoms. Add in the fact that routine eye exams can often help doctors catch and prevent serious, potentially life-threatening diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, thyroid diseases, and certain types of cancer, and the case for reliable, affordable care is strong. Keeping up with vision health needs is a win for the workforce as well. Have you ever had a day where a lingering headache or itchy eyes made it tough for See the Savings with DeltaVision® Annual Vision Care Services Source: VSP Vision Care. Comparison based on national averages for eye exams and most commonly purchased brands.

Without DeltaVision Coverage

With DeltaVision Coverage Eye Exam $184 $10 Frame $150 Bifocal Lenses $158 $25 YOUR AVERAGE Custom ANNUAL Progressive Lenses SAVINGS WITH VSP IS $600

$255 $175 Antiglare Coating $148 $85 Total $895 $295 you to stay focused at work? You’re not alone. In fact, VSP reports that a staggering 90% of American

workers say “visual disturbances” – anything from eye fatigue, dry eyes, to untreated myopia – greatly impact their productivity and performance at work.

“It’s very clear that employees in today’s workforce need and want vision coverage for themselves and their families,” Kinney said. “And employers are smart. They understand that providing that coverage and keeping their employees happy, engaged and productive is in the best interest of their business.”

One-stop shopping for dental and vision coverage

With DeltaVision, it’s easy to offer both dental and vision benefits to your employees. One enrollment process, one account representative, one ID card for your employees, one website and customer service team, one payment.

Plus, with thousands of in-network providers -- more than 200 in Rhode Island alone! -- it’s easy for employees to get in-network eye care. DeltaVision members can also get care and eyewear at popular retailers like Walmart®, Costco®Optical, Pearle VisionSM and Visionworks® and can expect to see an average of $600 in annual savings on eye care and eyewear, and even more savings on additional pairs of glasses or sunglasses, laser vision correction surgery, hearing aids, hearing aid batteries and more.

“We designed DeltaVision to give employers a range of customizable, high-quality, affordable vision options to enhance their organizations’ health benefits packages, all from a company Rhode Islanders already know and trust,” Kinney said. “High-quality vision plans are a great way to increase productivity in the workplace, and keep your workforce engaged and happy.”

Learn more at hrbenefits.deltavisionri.com

NEW!

in partnership with VSP® Vision Care

Learn more at hrbenefits.deltavisionri.com

DeltaVision® is underwritten in Rhode Island by Altus Dental Insurance Company, an affiliate of Delta Dental of Rhode Island. Claims processing, claims service, and provider network administration are provided under contract by Vision Service Plan Insurance Company (“VSP”). Delta Dental and DeltaVision are registered trademarks of the Delta Dental Plans Association. VSP is a registered trademark of Vision Service Plan.