• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, July 6, 2021

Portland, Maine-based ad agency VIA, has entered a joint venture with management consultant Beyond Racial Equity, also based in Portland, to provide leadership for VIA’s equity, diversity and inclusion strategy and implementation.

The venture will also steward an ongoing educational and awareness program for agency employees.

The effort is part of a bigger agency DEI initiative that includes diversifying the composition of its board of directors and committing 5% of every employee’s time to anti-racist efforts.  

Beyond Racial Equity provides businesses with frameworks to dismantle systemic racism and build racial equity.   

Leeann Leahy, CEO at VIA, said the agency is “infusing the curriculum of BRE into the agency’s daily operations. At VIA, there is a deep and genuine understanding that diversity, equity and inclusion are foundational to the agency’s success in achieving our mission – helping clients grow through creativity. A joint venture between VIA and BRE will help us deliver on that.”