STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
We have a broad base of strategic partners among which you will find colleges and universities, professional and community organizations such as National Black MBA Association, the National Sales Network, the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, Chicago Urban League, etc.
INROADS
Since 1998, Grainger has teamed with INROADS to place minority youth as interns within our business. INROADS helps minority talent gain business and industry internships and prepares them for corporate and community leadership. Grainger interns are placed in a variety of functions and divisions throughout Chicago. The interns develop critical business skills over the course of several summers at Grainger by participating in cross-functional teams. The unique part of the internship is the executive presentation, where interns divide into teams and present business cases related to Grainger's operations to executives, including Grainger's CEO.
During our partnership, 84% of our graduating seniors have been hired at Grainger full-time. For more information, visit www.inroads.org.
I.C. Stars
Since 2002, Grainger has partnered with I.C. Stars to provide intensive training in technology, business and leadership to inner-city youths. For more information, visit www.icstars.org.
National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA)
Grainger recruits talent at the NBMBAA Annual National Conference. Participation includes a two-day career fair and on-site interviews. The company also hosts an invitation-only hospitality reception at the conference, attended by several of Grainger's key executives. By partnering with the Chicago Chapter of NBMBAA, which has almost 800 members, the company can recruit mid-to-senior level professionals for leadership roles. Grainger also attends networking functions and developmental sessions and has provided speakers for NBMBAA events. For more information, visit www.nbmbaa.org.
Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE)
Since 2005, HACE teamed up with several Lake County corporations, including Grainger, to host Access College, an educational program for Latino high school students from five high schools in Lake County. Access College features workshops on the college application process, financial aid, testing and scholarships. Each year, Grainger hosts more than 150 Latino high school juniors and seniors, as well as faculty, at our Lake Forest headquarters. Grainger volunteers act as speakers and role models by sharing their personal career experiences and advice with the students. For more information, visit www.hace-usa.org.
National Sales Network (NSN)
NSN's mission is to meet the professional and developmental needs of African-American sales and sales management professionals.
Grainger participates both on a national and local level and has established partnerships with several chapters of NSN. In addition, the company recruits at the National NSN Career Conference each year. Locally, Grainger attends career development activities of local chapters, including Chicago, and quarterly networking functions. Grainger has provided speakers for local and national events. For more information, visit www.salesnetwork.org.
Military Recruiting
Grainger has partnered with Military.com and Militarystars to support our military recruiting efforts. These partners host multiple career fairs around the U.S. focused on deploying military talent to Corporate America. For information, visit www.military.com and www.militarystars.com.