Costco CEO, execs members of Washington business group dedicated to ‘racial equity’

Costco’s CEO and several executives are affiliated with a Washington business group dedicated to advancing “racial equity for Black Washingtonians,” showcasing just how deeply committed the grocery wholesaler is to diversity, equity and inclusion as it faces mounting pressure from investors to drop the controversial programs. 

Washington Employers for Racial Equity is a group that brings together local business leaders, ranging from Costco CEO Ron Vachris to Microsoft President Brad Smith in order to support “Black Washingtonians” and build “a future rooted in equity for all,” according to its website.

WERE members have pledged to achieve a series of equity-related goals by the year 2030. Among those goals are racial quotas for their workforce, vowing to have the percentage of Black employees mirror the percentage of working-age Black people living in the communities the WERE members are doing business in, investing a combined $2 billion in programs to support “racial equity,” increasing investment in Black-owned business and providing anti-bias training. 

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“Equity will increase prosperity for our entire state. Our communities will be stronger, healthier, and more vibrant. Our economy and our companies will benefit from a greater diversity of ideas, a more robust talent pipeline, and increased opportunity for all Washingtonians. We will start by owning our part of this problem, actively working to contribute to solutions, and using our voices to advocate for governmental action that supports transformational and lasting change,” WERE’s report “The Commitment to Progress: An Equitable Future for Washington,” said.  

In addition to Vachris, several other Costco execs are members of WERE’s “Supplier Diversity Task Force.” Costco Director, Journeys, Diversity & Inclusion Claude Green, Senior Vice President, Corporate Foods & Sundries Nancy Griese and Food & Sundries Assistant General Merchandise Manager Leanne Bender are all listed as being part of the taskforce. 

“This task force focuses on removing barriers and identifying opportunities to improve supplier diversity and support investment in Black-owned businesses,” the website stated. 

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Costco’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has made the grocery wholesaler the focus of a broader national conversation around DEI. In January Costco’s board shot down an investors’ proposal to investigate the risks associated with their DEI policies, which led to backlash as well as support from the Rev. Al Sharpton, who staged a “buy in” at wholesaler’s Harlem location. 

In response, 19 states’ attorneys general wrote a letter to CEO Vachris ordering the grocery chain to drop their DEI policies to get in line with President Trump’s executive orders combating the controversial programs. 

A former Costco executive Roger Campbell told Fox News Digital that DEI is part of the company’s culture, and a key ingredient in the secret sauce that made the grocery chain so successful. 

“The term DEI didn’t even exist to us, it was the way we ran our business… it’s who we are,” former Costco International Division Senior Vice President Roger Campbell told Fox News Digital.

Several members of Costco’s board donated heavily to Democratic party aligned groups, with Chairman of the Board Hamilton E. James having given $100,000 to the Harris Action Fund in May 2023, FEC data revealed. 

Neither WERE nor Costco responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.