John Hewitt on diversity and inclusion
From An Invitation from John Hewitt · · Matrix Service Company
“Inclusion and diversity is a broad topic; yes, it's race, yes it's gender, but it's also all the other things that go on behind the scenes and our ability as a company to harness the power of the diversity of the people in the room and make sure that they are comfortable to engage with everybody else in the room to solve problems, to help make decisions, to help guide the company to think strategically is going to be a real key to our success.”
On , John Hewitt, Chief Executive Officer, President & Director at MATRIX SERVICE CO, spoke about diversity and inclusion during An Invitation from John Hewitt on Matrix Service Company.
About John Hewitt
In a September 2020 video, John Hewitt discussed his personal commitment to inclusion and diversity initiatives at Matrix Service Company. He stated that the topic "has to be led from the top" and that he feels "personally invested and engaged" in it. Hewitt described the company's first "Day of Understanding" on February 25, 2020, as an event where employees can share experiences related to harassment or bias, and he said he believes creating an inclusive environment is "the only way we're going to make a change in society." He also said that diversity brings "really great ideas" to the workplace and that every employee should have an opportunity "not because of how they look or what the race is but because they earned their spot." In a 2016 interview, Hewitt discussed his career building tax preparation businesses, including Liberty Tax Service. He said he has "brought in over 5,000 franchisees" who have hired "over 50,000 employees." Hewitt described his approach to business as managing "income and structure" in sync, and said he has "built several billion-dollar companies" by balancing the two. He also stated that his current focuses are on Liberty Tax and on fighting world hunger, noting that he has "founded three world hunger organizations" and that the most recent effort aims to stop starvation in Nicaragua by working "one country at a time."