Tractor Supply Company in Ray Brook, pictured here Thursday. (Enterprise photo – Sydney Emerson)
RAY BROOK – The general manager and an employee of Tractor Supply in Ray Brook have resigned and more are considering leaving after the company signaled it would eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and end its commitment to to meet its environmental goals after the next few weeks. conservative reaction online.
The general manager of the Ray Brook location, Joe Montello of Saranac Lake, is a gay man. He has worked at Tractor Supply for a total of six and a half years and felt that the company was supposed to be inclusive, taking care of everyone – regardless of their sexual orientation or background. But after reading the company’s statement last week, his feelings changed.
“I felt betrayed” he said. “I felt that they betrayed not only their employees, but also a large portion of their customers.”
The Brentwood, Tennessee-based Tractor Supply Company said in a statement last week that it would eliminate its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team and phase out its DEI goals; would stop the sponsorship “non-business activities”, such as pride festivals and get-out-the-vote campaigns; and that it would stop sending data to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for LGBTQIA plus rights.
The company also said it would withdraw from its carbon emissions goals and instead “Focus on (its) soil and water conservation efforts.” The company initially aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its 2020 levels by 20% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions across all its operations by 2040, the CEO wrote. Tractor Supply, Hal Lawton in a 2021 opinion. in The Tennessean.
After reading the company statement, “Many customers came to me and told me they would never shop at Tractor Supply again,” said Montello. “They didn’t want to support her anti-diversity policy.”
Jacob Vennie-Vollrath, whose family owns a more than 100-year-old lunar farm, worked at Tractor Supply part-time. He resigned this week as well, to support “People of color, those with disabilities, and LGBTQ plus employees and customers who were affected by the sudden politically motivated change in corporate policy,” he said.
The company said it plans to do so “Further focus on rural America’s priorities, including (agricultural) education, animal welfare, veterans’ causes and being a good neighbor.”
The move was praised by conservatives. He also received a backlash — the National Black Farmers Association on Tuesday called for the Tractor Supply CEO to step down.
The Saranac Lake-based Adirondack Diversity Initiative called Tractor Supply’s statement a “A shocking betrayal of human rights and dignity, the environment and our democratic voting rights.”
“We stand firmly with our neighbors and family plus the LGBTQIA specifically called out in Tractor Supply’s public statement. ADI will continue to champion the true priorities of Rural America: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging – values that our Adirondack and North Country communities consistently show their care, concern and commitment to and for. ADI Director Tiffany Rea-Fisher said Thursday.
Tractor Supply did not respond to a request for comment for this story by Thursday.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
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Vennie-Vollrath said she would go to Tractor Supply “On farm odds and ends for (his) little farm since the store opened and Joe (Montello) was always great to talk to.” He works hard to get by – “like most everyone in this field,” he said. He joined Tractor Supply to help in the midst of the labor crisis in the area.
“Joe created a safe work environment where everyone felt welcome to be themselves – which I think was reflected in the diversity of people on his staff.” he said.
“Any person who reads the statement made by the CEO clearly sees it as a political statement … intended to please a particular party.” he added. “Politics should just be kept out of the workplace and with a letter the CEO made it political and alienated a lot. It was an un-American, irresponsible and political decision that doesn’t align with their company’s stated values, and in an instant the CEO changed the way he felt about Joe and others working there and shopping there… including me.”
The company’s statement last week is a significant change of policy for a company that wrote, in its annual report released in March, that DEI plays “A key role in driving (his) business forward.”
The company highlighted that racial and ethnic minorities make up 18% of its workforce in its annual report, saying it has “Built a strong and diverse team by purposefully seeking diverse, highly qualified candidates with diverse backgrounds, experience, perspectives, ideas and skill sets.” Last year, the Human Rights Campaign gave Tractor Supply a score of 95 – out of 100 – for workforce protections, comprehensive employee benefits, internal training and inclusive culture.
“This was a shocking and embarrassing turnaround from a company that, just a year ago, Newsweek hailed as one of America’s Best Workplaces for Diversity. I have no doubt that was why they were targeted. Rea-Fisher said.
The company’s reversal comes after it faced a conservative-led online campaign encouraging consumers to boycott the business because of its DEI work, with conservative political commentator Robby Starbuck telling his followers on X on June 6 that “We don’t want our hard-earned money to be spent on these smart priorities.” He encouraged those who “Start buying what you can from other places until Tractor Supply makes REAL changes.”
“It is infuriating that they have given in to a group of extremists destroying the goodwill, respect and community they have built within their communities, employees and customers alike.” Rea-Fisher said. “This is not the first attack on DEI’s efforts and it will not be the last. However, those of us who remain on the right side of history will continue to make our voices heard.”
The reaction came amid anemic comparable sales growth for Tractor Supply so far this year, with sales rising just 1.1% in the first quarter, Fortune reported this week.
Online campaigns led by conservatives aimed at encouraging consumers to boycott businesses — such as Bud Light and Target — have cost companies tens of millions of dollars, Fortune reported.
While some companies, such as Tractor Supply, have publicly made statements announcing intentions to eliminate their DEI goals, others have quietly changed their DEI programs as part of a growing trend of corporate policy changes in the wake of of a wave of legal challenges that followed the Supreme Court’s June decision to strike down affirmative action in higher education.
Montello said he felt Tractor Supply had “unfolded” to those who are boycotting the company.
He said that only at Ray Brook Tractor Supply, a “quite small” location for the company, there are many LGBTQIA plus employees and people who have LGBTQIA plus family members.
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What is DEI?
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DEI, in its simplest form, promotes the fair treatment and full participation of all employees, Rea-Fisher said.
“A diverse workplace acknowledges the individual strengths and potential of each employee, allowing them to bring their full selves to their work.” she said. “Valuing others’ differences creates a positive company culture, and studies have shown that this equates to stronger financial performance, employee attraction and retention, and company creativity and innovation, all of which contribute to a company’s competitive advantage.” company. Companies with strong DEI goals and initiatives compete better than those without, all while valuing members of their community whether their employees or customers.
“Not only do clearly defined and enforced DEI goals in the workplace promote fair treatment and greater employee participation, but studies have shown time and time again that it also produces better decision-making because of the range wide range of perceptions in the room; enhances innovation as a mix of backgrounds and perspectives encourages creative problem solving; it improves economic performance by ensuring better business outcomes and a big one is mitigating biases,” she added. “DEI goals help identify and address systemic biases and barriers within an organization. These are just a few examples and the list goes on, which is why Tractor Supply’s decision to roll back their DEI targets due to political pressure is an unsustainable path forward.”
The Adirondack Diversity Initiative assists local businesses and organizations with their DEI goals and initiatives. This often includes “One-on-one support in drafting comprehensive job descriptions or fair and impartial HR policies,” according to ADI. ADI runs DEIB focused training for business managers and staff and is in the process of developing a “Welcome and Belonging” microcredential soon to be offered through North Country Community College.
ADI’s symposium this November, Creating Inclusion for North Country Sustainability, is working closely with the Adirondack North Country Association’s Small Business Program, with a focus on helping businesses and nonprofits network and build capacity for create inclusive employment practices and inclusive organizational cultures and to diversify the workforce and customer bases, according to ADI.
Local businesses interested in learning more can visit the ANCA and ADI websites: www.adirondack.org and www.diversityadk.org.
At Tractor Supply, Montello hopes the company will step back and keep their DEI and environmental goals in place.
“Many different types of people shop there,” he said. “People just need to be able to live and shop and feel safe where they go – and feel valued.”