The Necessary Journey

4

Harnessing the Power of Diversity of Thought at Uncle Nearest

COMPANY: Uncle Nearest

STAGE: Integrated

BEST PRACTICES: Clear values, culture of diversity of thought, creating industry change (sphere of influence), acknowledging trade-offs

KEY QUOTE: “When you set this as your intention from the start, then you are able to build a culture where DEI is so innate that people will question when something is not aligned with that value.”—Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder, Uncle Nearest

Nathan “Nearest” Green, known to many as Uncle Nearest, was an enslaved man living in Lynchburg, Tennessee, in the 1850s. He made whiskey using a special charcoal-filtering technique he learned when cleaning water back home in West Africa. His method of filtering whiskey ...