Born and raised in Kansas City, founders Tricia Costello and Kay Dalton were thrilled when hometown headquartered company Sprint was honored by FORTUNE and Great Place to Work. Sprint was named one of the 100 Best Workplaces for diversity.

As Co-Chair of National Gay and Lesbian Chamber (NGLCC) Tricia Costello was eager to celebrate diversity with Sprint.  Founder of Fresh Wata, Kay Dalton, lives just a few blocks from the headquarters and campus in Overland Park, Kansas.  Both Kay and Tricia are proud of the rich history and art community in Kansas City. “My family and I love all the boutique shops, galleries and creativity down at the Crossroads and energy of the crowd at First Friday.”  Tricia used to hang out with many of the local artists down in the west bottoms when she lived in Kansas City and was drawn to the other creatives and eclectic community.  The sister duo at FW Experiences had seen Phil Shafers of Sike Styles, work on many Kansas City Chiefs murals and thought his use of color would be a nice fit for this honor.  Sike was the perfect collaboration for sprint as he specializes in murals, custom commissions and personalizing each project.  

To determine the Best Workplaces for Diversity, FORTUNE partnered with the people analytics firm, Great Place to Work®, to analyze anonymous survey feedback representing more than 4.4 million US employees. The ranking is based on what employees report in a 60-question Trust Index© survey about the trust, pride and camaraderie they experience in their workplace, and how those experiences compare to their colleagues’ reports of the same workplaces. Great Place to Work also considers employees’ daily experiences of innovation, the company’s values, and the effectiveness of their leaders, to ensure they’re consistently experienced, as well. The remaining 15 percent of the rank is based on the diversity of the company’s overall workforce and its management representation, taking into account industry trends.

Fresh Wata collaborated on the commission project by Sprint to celebrate their diversity in the work place.  The three panel painting was painted and reprinted on aluminum and shipped across the US to Sprint campuses for display in their office.  The artwork was filmed and documented with a time-lapse video distributed internally announcing the honor to employees. #sprintfam

To determine the Best Workplaces for Diversity, FORTUNE partnered with the people analytics firm, Great Place to Work®, to analyze anonymous survey feedback representing more than 4.4 million US employees. The ranking is based on what employees report in a 60-question Trust Index© survey about the trust, pride and camaraderie they experience in their workplace, and how those experiences compare to their colleagues’ reports of the same workplaces. Great Place to Work also consider employees’ daily experiences of innovation, the company’s values, and the effectiveness of their leaders, to ensure they’re consistently experienced, as well. The remaining 15 percent of the rank is based on the diversity of the company’s overall workforce and its management representation, taking into account industry trends.

Sprint employee surveys underscored the company’s strong commitment to workplace safety, fair treatment regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation, and allowing employees to be themselves.

Sprint’s seven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) include over 5,000 members worldwide and are open to all employees. The groups focus on the development of African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, LGBTQA employees, individuals with disabilities, veterans and women. ERGs offer opportunities for networking, professional and personal development through mentoring, coaching and leadership curricula, and avenues to share ideas and drive business.

In addition to employee programs, supplier diversity is also a key focus for Sprint. In fiscal year 2019, Sprint will spend approximately $1.4 Billion with small and diverse suppliers.

“We know that competitive strength is achieved through a diverse group of people working together to find the best solutions, and that’s why we are so committed to increasing our purchases from diverse suppliers,” said Chas Peterson, Sprint’s Head of Procurement and Supply Chain. “We value supplier diversity because it helps us serve our customers better and be good corporate citizens.”