Companies from Philadelphia and its suburbs represent more than half of the 16 Pennsylvania companies that earned perfect scores in the annual Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index. Most of the rest come from Pittsburgh. The organization released its 2016 index on Wednesday.
Here are the companies that earned perfect scores:
- American Eagle Outfitters from Pittsburgh (100 this year and last)
- Aramark Corp. from Philadelphia (100 this year and last)
- Blank Rome LLP from Philadelphia (100, this is its first year)
- Comcast NBCUniversal from Philadelphia (100 this year and last)
- Dechert LLP from Philadelphia (100 this year and last)
- Erie Insurance Group from Erie (100 this year, 95 last)
- The Hershey Co. from Hershey (100 this year and last)
- IKEA Holding U.S. in Conshohocken (100 this year, 90 last)
- K&L Gates LLP from Pittsburgh (100 this year and last)
- Lincoln National Corp. from Radnor (100 this year, 90 last)
- Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP from Philadelphia (100 this year and last)
- Pepper Hamilton LLP from Philadelphia (100 this year and last)
- PNC Financial Services Group from Pittsburgh (100 this year and last)
- Reed Smith LLP from Pittsburgh (100 this year and last)
- SAP America Inc. from Newtown Square (100 this year and last)
- Vanguard Group from Malvern (100 this year, 95 last)
Thirty-three companies from Pennsylvania participated in the index, with 11 coming from Philadelphia and six of those receiving perfect marks. Wawa Inc. drastically improved its score to 90, up from 65 last year. PPL Corp., an energy company from Allentown, brought its score up to 95 from 65. Rite Aid Corp. also jumped to 65 from 30 last year.
Regionally, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City earned a perfect score. This was the first year the company participated in the index.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Joe Lupo, senior vice president for operations at Borgata. “To hit this mark out of the gate speaks to our commitment to equality.”
Lupo said Borgata has increased its focus over the last two years on building a stronger relationship with the LGBT community. The company started an Out at Borgata initiative, including a website and Facebook page “to communicate directly with the community” about specific events and promotions.
“From an employee standpoint, support for the LGBT community has always been a priority,” Lupo said. “We realized the Human Rights Campaign was one of the most important barometers for a company.”
Forty-two companies from New Jersey are ranked in the index, with 12 earning perfect scores. Campbell Soup Co. in Camden was among the companies with top marks.
Four companies from Delaware participated, with two earning perfect scores. Both companies — DuPont and TD Bank North America — have headquarters in Wilmington.
“This year, many leading U.S. companies have broken new ground by expanding explicit non-discrimination protections to their LGBT workers around the globe,” HRC president Chad Griffin noted in a statement. “They’ve shown the world that LGBT equality isn’t an issue that stops at our own borders, but extends internationally.”
Out of 851 companies rated by HRC, nearly half — 407 — received a perfect score. That’s a record high, according to the organization.
HRC invites the 1,000 largest publicly traded businesses and top-200 revenue-grossing law firms to participate in the rating process. Any private-sector for-profit company with 500 or more full-time U.S. employees can also request to participate.
The index rates companies based on their nondiscrimination policies, employment benefits, public commitment to LGBT equality, responsible citizenship and organizational competency and accountability around LGBT diversity and inclusion.
For full results, visit www.hrc.org/cei.