By Linda Coburn Contributing Reporter In the last two years, Michigan-based Comerica Bank has doubled the number of banking centers it operates in California, from 41 to 75. The cultural diversity of the state could have proven to be a stumbling block but the bank chose to view it as an opportunity. Barry Holtzclaw, corporate communications officer, said that about two years ago, Comerica formed market segment initiative groups comprised of bank officers who represent specific gender, ethnic or cultural groups that are being targeted as customers. “In California we have a women’s initiative, an Hispanic initiative, an Asian- Pacific initiative and an African-American initiative,” said Holtzclaw. The groups’ influence has been felt by customers and employees alike. For example, Holtzclaw said, “These groups have been able to develop some really good advice for our marketing team,” such as which media outlets might best reach, say, Hispanic business owners in Orange County. “Sometimes targeted ethnic media falls below the radar screen of the national or regional advertising agencies,” said Holtzclaw. They are also being tapped for their knowledge about under-served areas that might be good places for new offices or banking centers. Mark Nakamaru, senior vice president and head of private banking for Southern California, said being part of the Asian-Pacific initiative committee has been a very rewarding experience. “We have representatives covering most of the major Asian nationalities: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Filipino and Vietnamese,” he said. Made up of seven Northern California and seven Southern California officers, the group has monthly, or “as-needed,” conference calls and physically meets once each quarter. One way Nakamaru measures the group’s success is lack of committee turnover. “Everyone is very proud about going back into their own communities and spreading the word about Comerica’s initiatives,” he said. Internally, the bank is committed to broadening the diversity of its workforce at all levels. Ray Boyadjian, senior vice president of middle market banking for the San Fernando Valley region, said that all managers and officers are graded on their success at creating a diverse workforce. “Part of my goal, as a manager, is to make sure that my staff is pretty well diversified. If I end up with a staff of all white, Anglo-Saxon males, I will be questioned,” he said. “It also must happen at all levels it can’t just be administrative assistants, but it needs to happen in promoting and management also.” Comerica also has cultural sensitivity training programs for employees at all levels, promotes diversity in their suppliers and donates to a widely diverse group of community development organizations. Their efforts landed them, in 2006, on the top companies for diversity lists of “Black Enterprise Magazine” and “Asian Enterprise Magazine,” and “DiversityInc” has Comerica listed as third on the list of “Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity” and 37th on their “Top 50 Companies for Diversity in the U.S.”
