Our nearly 50,000 employees are trailblazers, makers and movers. Every day, we work in plants, labs, stores and offices. We represent wide-ranging nationalities, cultures, sexual orientations, languages, religions, ethnicities, and professional and educational experiences. As a company and society, our differences make us stronger. Our goal every day is to operate as One PPG.
We believe in active listening, reaching out to our employees at all levels from across the globe. From employee listening sessions to group forums to one-on-one meetings, we remain committed to hearing and sharing the unique stories of our employees in order to learn.
We act on the feedback we hear directly from our employees, and we will use it to update our vision and strategy on a rolling basis.
The stories below provide a glimpse into who we are and what makes us #PPG Proud of who we are as an organization. We bring different strengths, yet our collective goal is to include all voices.
We regularly highlight the unique stories of our employees both internally and externally. For additional stories, please visit our PPG People blog.
As a student at a primarily white institution, Jamella Garfield, PPG process engineer in Greensboro, North Carolina, noticed that she was the only person in most of her classes that looked like her. This made her want to pursue engineering even more because she realized that women of color were underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
"Stepping outside my comfort zone and embracing the feeling of discomfort have helped me grow as a leader," said Garfield. "At PPG, I have had the opportunity to consistently put myself in uncomfortable situations and complete projects that I never would have imagined I'd get the opportunity to work on."
Our employees across the globe communicate in dozens of languages, but not every language includes the spoken word. At our aerospace manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama, Randy Smallwood, a computer numerical control machinist, communicates with coworkers through signs, gestures and written notes. Smallwood has been deaf since losing his hearing at a young age.
“We write notes and use body language with gestures, and some of my co-workers have learned basic signs that help during the day," Smallwood explained in writing. “We also bring in American Sign Language interpreters for meetings so that I can participate. It's a really supportive work environment."
When Eva-Gabriela Nagel, senior legal counsel, Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA), joined PPG, she was pregnant with her son.
"I greatly appreciated that, even during the hiring process, PPG demonstrated its true commitment to DE&I," said Nagel. "I truly believe that the diversity of our people is one of our success factors. Every day, every one of us has the chance to look at things from a new angle and dare to do things differently"
A PPG color technologist and stylist at our Valladolid site in Spain, Inma González Burguillo is a strong advocate for women in STEM roles. She presented at STEM Talent Girl 2020/2021, and she is a member of our Young Professional Network to help empower and inspire our young talent and connect them with other colleagues.
"This is one of the ways I can help my colleagues enhance their personal and professional growth and find their own way in the exciting world of STEM that I love so much," she said.
In the more than four decades that Ken Murphy has worked at a PPG PAINTS™ store, he has witnessed the power of having employees who mirror the diversity of the customers they serve.
"Many of our customers in the Bay Area are Hispanic and Asian, and they appreciate working with one of our employees who has the same ethnic heritage and simply looks like them," said Ken, who is manager of our flagship store in San Francisco, California. "By listening to my employees, I've learned so much about the different cultures and backgrounds of our customers and how their experiences impact their paint needs. PPG's commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce energizes and engages not only me but also my team."