Making a Positive Impact with Clients, Colleagues & Communities

Portfolio Link Arrow teamsparq.com
  • STATUS

    Active

  • YEAR

    2019

  • LOCATION

    Atlanta, Georgia

  • IMPACT METRICS
    Company data as of Dec 31, 2022
    Software jobs created in small and mid-sized metro areas
    65
    Colleague upskilling and training investment
    $9.3M
    Employee satisfaction
    82
  • B IMPACT SCORE
    54
    2019
    95
    2020
    104
    2021
    106
    2022
MISSION STATEMENT

Create high-quality IT careers across America’s heartland while helping clients accelerate their digital transformation journey.

Opportunity

Traditional ways of working are rapidly changing, especially around where and how people work. As this landscape continues to evolve, forward-thinking companies that meet workers where they are well positioned to achieve greater success and drive increased employment for the underserved.

Solution

Sparq is the leading provider of outsourced digital engineering to build, deploy and support digital applications, products and experiences. Sparq’s unique U.S.-centric, 100% remote delivery model accesses untapped and underleveraged technology talent, and eliminates the obstacles of distant time zones, language, and geopolitical risks.

Examples in Action

Sparq began to discuss what Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (EI&D) meant to the organization many years ago as a grassroots effort. The company’s EI&D ambition is to have a workforce representative of the United States and to have an inclusive workforce that employees speak highly of. These goals led to the formation of the EI&D Council – a group that solicits engagement across the company, sets the EI&D framework, metrics and goals, and develops initiatives to achieve progress - internally, within local communities, and within the technology industry at-large.

Sparq encourages informal workplace communities where employees can connect for open and honest dialogue. To date, the company has established Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs) for the LGBTQ+ community, Women, , Black Colleagues, Veterans, and individuals living with disabilities or neuro-differences. The CRGs offer direct input on company-wide EI&D initiatives, such as organizing Pride celebrations, identifying diverse talent management and recruitment platforms, and developing partnerships with nonprofits focused on driving diverse candidates into STEM. As an example of the influence and impact of its CRGs and its EI&D council, Sparq helped organize a Juneteenth celebration, virtually bringing together 80% of Sparq’s colleagues to celebrate Black culture with poetry, music and speakers.

Formalizing CRGs has had a direct impact on employee satisfaction, , as well as the company’s level of service it offers to clients.

“If we have a more diverse team, we have a more diverse approach to software development. At Sparq, it is critical that we bring multiple perspectives to a software development project. Ultimately, we believe that different backgrounds, and different experiences improve the quality of the product. And it’s hugely important in the mission because our clients will benefit.” -Anne Lucero

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