McDonald’s Has Sizzle for Diversity…

For the second year in a row McDonald's Corp. has topped Fortune's list of the Best Companies for Minorities. The annual survey evaluates the number of minority employees,
hiring, promotion and retention for more than 1,200 U.S. companies. Gerry Fernandez, president of the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance, says that considering
long-term U.S. demographics -- by 2050 one out of every two Americans will be an ethnic minority -- companies can't afford to ignore diversity. "PR execs can use diversity as
another arrow in their quiver," he says. "It's a way for the company to say to the public: 'Here's why you want to invest in this firm because we are getting the best and
brightest from all communities and that's going to make us the better than the competition when you think of where the demographic trends are headed."

One way companies can demonstrate they are committed to diversity is to have senior managers participate in diversity conferences. Another PR vehicle: highlighting individual
stories of diversity and pitching them to the rapidly growing field of minority media. Fernandez adds that diversity, among other things, is also a bottom line issue. "More and
more corporate fund managers are making sure companies are hiring and promoting minorities and women," he says. Contact: gerry.fernandez@mfha.net