Companies We Love: 2007

Ernst & Young

Chris Crespo joined the Ernst & Young accounting firm 19 years ago. Today, as the company’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allies inclusiveness strategy leader, she advises 900 LGBT employees through the company’s bEYond resource group. Active in 65 of the firm’s 95 North American offices, the network focuses on making LGBT employees feel included at work.

Ernst & Young seems to specialize in inclusion. Working Mother magazine deemed it one of the 20 Best Companies for Multicultural Women this year. The firm also made top honors for its overall diversity (DiversityInc) and its progressive environment for employees with disabilities (CAREERS and the disABLED).

One of the world’s Big Four auditing firms, Ernst & Young has received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for three years, but that’s not enough for Crespo. She says that in addition to having all the right policies, she wants to ensure that the company’s LGBT employees feel welcome and valued at work every single day.

Toyota Motor Corp.

After a brief lapse, Toyota recaptured its perfect score in this year’s Corporate Equality Index, which makes it lovable indeed. But Toyota also earned our affection for revolutionizing the green movement.

While other automakers have added hybrids to their repertoire, the Prius retains the most eco-friendly cachet as well as its status as the top-selling hybrid in the nation—U.S. sales last year accelerated to 107,000 (a number already surpassed in 2007), up from 5,500 in 2000, its debut year in the United States. Worldwide, over 1 million Priuses have been sold since its Japanese debut in 1997. The Prius appeals even to those more concerned with saving money than the earth. By switching between a gasoline engine and an electric motor, the hybrid gets between 45 and 48 miles to the gallon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And to suit every taste and style, Toyota offers hybrid versions of the Camry, Highlander SUV, and several Lexus models.

Procter & Gamble Co.

Any company that takes a stand against Dr. Laura and refuses to be bullied by the American Family Association gets props from us. Procter & Gamble canceled plans in 2000 to advertise on Laura Schlessinger’s short-lived TV show and stopped advertising on her radio program, citing discomfort with her controversial opinions. Meanwhile, the maker of Gillette razors and Crest toothpaste continues to advertise on programs like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy despite boycott threats from the AFA. “We seek to reach our consumers where and when they are most receptive to our messages,” P&G spokesman Doug Shelton told The Advocate last year.

P&G supported the repeal of Article 12, an amendment that prohibited the city of Cincinnati, where the company is headquartered, from passing any law that would protect gay men and lesbians from discrimination. The company donated more than $30,000 to Citizens to Restore Fairness, which led the successful fight to repeal Article 12. All that, and Susan Arnold, a lesbian ranked number 10 on Fortune magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2006, was promoted to president of global business units this year and is the likely successor to chief executive A.G. Lafley.