Corporate Social Responsibility
We are dedicated to corporate social responsibility.
Parallel is committed to advancing social equity through meaningful actions and partnerships that positively impact the communities where we live and work. In all the markets in which it operates, Parallel focuses on economic empowerment, diversity and inclusion through job fairs, skills-building training and seminars, fellowships, and social equity grants, among other actions.
Parallel is committed to increasing its diverse 1,700-person workforce, which is currently comprised of approximately 30% of minority and female-identifying employees, and approximately 40% of Parallel’s leadership team consists of female and minority representation. Parallel’s proposed slate of seven independent candidates to its public company board of directors, post-closing of the transaction with Ceres, includes two female and three BIPOC directors.
We recognize there is more to do, and we will continue to take positive steps that make a difference.
Social Equity
Internally, we've created Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to ensure diversity and inclusion initiatives reflect the desires of employees as well as provide input on ways we can reflect different perspectives in the way we operate.
Our ERGs include:
- Black Empowerment Network (BEN)
- PRIDE@Parallel
- Women’s Impact Network (WIN)
- Patriots of Parallel
- Awarded a $25,000 Security Equipment Grant in 2021 to provide financial support for a social equity certified applicant in Massachusetts to help lower cannabis industry entry cost barriers.
- As a founding member of CultivatED in Massachusetts, a first cannabis industry jails-to-jobs program, hosts fellows to give them on-the-job experience and workplace preparedness training.
- Partnering with the Minority Cannabis Business Association in 2021 to host job fairs, skills building programs and expungement events in Pennsylvania to help increase equitable opportunities.
- Collaborating with CannabisLAB in Florida to educate, connect and empower people to increase equitable opportunities in the cannabis industry.
- In 2020 we launched a Get Out to Vote campaign, providing employees tools and resources to exercise their civic duty safely.
We are an active community partner in our markets.
- Introduced Green Team efforts in 2018 to conduct employee volunteer community clean-up efforts in Massachusetts and conducted Earth Month 2021 campaign for environmental education and volunteering efforts.
- We strive to enrich our communities in many ways, including annual food and clothing drives organized around the holidays to help give back to those in need.We also have supported our communities through giving and volunteering related activities such as disaster relief, hunger and homelessness, medical causes, and social cause awareness building initiatives.
- We also support local women and minority-owned businesses and conduct annual holiday food and coat drives to give back in local communities. (Images from NETA)
Giving and Volunteering
- We have an employee-centric giving and volunteering program called Parallel Cares, which is designed to support the diverse interests of our employees and the causes that matter most to them. When employees give and volunteer, the company provides matching donations.
- We introduced an Employee Relief Fund in 2020, which is a program where employees can donate to a fund that provided extra support to fellow employees in times of need.
