Starting something good
Raquel Valle, executive director of people and culture at Venture Logistics, brings people together through business resource groups. In this Q&A, she explains how the groups help improve company culture — and ways you can start something good, too.
Raquel Valle studied labor relations and dreamed of becoming an attorney before she discovered her true passion: human resources. After several years in the aviation industry, Raquel joined Venture Logistics in 2020. Her job is all about data and strategy; it’s also about tuning into what Venture employees really need. “I spend a lot of time thinking about how to keep people happy — and keep people with us,” Raquel said.
To do that, Raquel makes connections with people, listens to them and learns from them. She has begun to form business resource groups to create a forum where people can come together to connect and work toward a goal. This Q&A explains more about these groups, how they’re making an impact and how you can get involved.
Tell us about the business resource group you started at Venture.
We started our first group, The Venture Women’s Network, in March 2021 and meet virtually every quarter. We focus on women’s issues, but it’s not just for women; it also includes men. A lot of so-called women’s issues, such as parental leave and fair pay, affect men, too. There are about 30 people in the group, who work in different offices across Venture.
What are meetings like?
Each one is a little different. Our steering committee, made of women interested in leadership roles, plans the agendas. Sometimes we talk about policy, sometimes we talk about philanthropy, culture or how we want to act. Once we watched a video and discussed microaggressions. At another meeting, we planned a virtual 5K for charity. A few months ago, we had a big discussion about maternity and paternity leave. We don’t have a formal parental leave policy today, and one man spoke up and said, “My wife is having the baby, but I’d love to have time to bond with my child. How can I afford to spend that time?” It’s been great to hear opinions like that and to provide resources and support to our employees.
What feedback are you getting?
People have told me, “We haven’t seen anything like this in our industry. This is great!” That’s refreshing for me to hear. We’re doing something different, and we’ve been able to spur some interesting ideas and conversations.
Any other groups on the horizon?
We’re talking about a veterans’ group, and we’ve also been thinking about a group for people with disabilities. So many people, including myself, have personal connections to individuals with disabilities. My little brother, Joshua, was born with Down syndrome. Deciding which groups to start can be challenging. We have limited data on our employees because many people choose not to disclose information that could help us learn where to focus. I’m hoping to bridge that gap by connecting with people in different businesses across Schwarz Partners. That would give us a wider net to learn from folks who may have different backgrounds and live in different parts of the country. Business resource groups could connect us.
How will these groups help people?
A group is a kind of network. Once you build it, you can have collaboration and conversations within it — and beyond it — about what people need, whether it’s policies, events or resources. Getting together and talking helps you see employees as whole people. After all, we don’t check our personal lives at the door. We have a lot of opportunities to support people and their unique challenges. We also have the opportunity to set up policies that drive the right behavior and do a better job recruiting and onboarding new employees. Networks help with recruiting by getting our jobs out to diverse audiences. They also help in terms of our community by ensuring new employees feel supported once they get here.
Has anything surprising happened in the group?
People’s desire to do more to support the community. The group got creative and came up with a fundraising idea that worked during COVID: a virtual 5K. About 50 people participated. Everyone paid $5 or $10 to sign up. Then participants ran a 5K on their own, submitted their results, and the winning business within Venture got to pick which charity would receive all the money. The winning business, Venture Connect, chose the Isaiah 117 House in Marion County, which provides support to kids awaiting foster care placement. The company matched the donations collected by the group, had a big check printed and presented it to them. That was a really great experience.
How can people help make the workforce more diverse?
Here’s an idea to use when hiring and recruiting: Strive to have two diverse candidates on the slate. If there’s only one diverse candidate, they’re an outlier. Think about how to add diverse candidates to the slate and give them an equal opportunity to get the role. Then think about how to make them feel supported if they get it. If they come in the door and feel like an outcast, and they don’t see anybody like them, they’re not going to stay.
How can you help if you’re not a leader or recruiter?
Everyone has a network of people they connect with outside of work. Lean into your network and find opportunities to connect those people (or groups) back into your professional life. One example might be the work you do with a local charity. See if someone from that group might be willing to come to your office and talk about their efforts. Knowledge is power, and the more we can educate those around the more inclusive our workplace will be.
How can others follow your example?
Join an affinity or resource group! Or start one. Mentor people or find a reverse-mentor to educate you about groups of people you don’t know about — people of different situations, ethnicities and cultures. Try to see life outside of your own prism.
What’s next?
I’d love to build more communities. Business resource groups get to the fabric of them. I also want to do more work with our leaders. There’s a general acknowledgment that diversity and inclusion are important, and we’re working to understand how we can become strong advocates in that space.
Ready to start something good? We hope this piece inspires you to think about your own personal inclusion journey. If you’re interested in learning more about Venture’s Women’s Network or Business Resource Groups in general, Raquel would love to talk with you. Please feel free to reach out to her at rvalle@venturelogistics.com.
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The Venture Women’s Network offers a fresh perspective that’s making an impact on company culture. These women were nominated to attend the Women in Trucking Conference as part of an effort led by the group.
From left: Venture Connect Account Management Staff Manager Julia Epperly, Venture Connect Carrier Sales Manager Megan Kozlowski, Venture Transport Director of Dedicated Truckload Operations Maria Sanchez Loero, Venture Solutions General Manager of Warehousing Operations Arica Reynolds, Venture Transport Director of Process Improvement Lacey Padgett, Venture Transport Director of OTR Network Operations Kristina Deckard and Venture Solutions Logistics Engineer Sarah Lombardo.
