American Express Company 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Amex-CSR-Report-Full-2015
Amex-CSR-Report-Full-2015
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GRI INDEX<br />
SUPPORTING WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES<br />
The case for the value of women-owned businesses is clear. As of <strong>2015</strong>, there were an<br />
estimated 9.4 million women-owned businesses in the United States, generating nearly<br />
$1.5 trillion in revenues and employing over 7.9 million people. Women-owned business<br />
growth has surged since the recession. In fact, they are growing at a rate five times<br />
the national average. 5 This means women are making a significant contribution to job<br />
creation and economic growth in America.<br />
Providing small and<br />
medium organizations<br />
with resources online<br />
<strong>American</strong> <strong>Express</strong>® OPEN<br />
Forum helps small-business<br />
owners find insights, inspiration<br />
and connections to grow their<br />
businesses responsibly. They’ll<br />
find articles, guides to business<br />
growth, sustainability and human<br />
capital management, videos,<br />
and more.<br />
CHALLENGE HER PROGRAM<br />
In April 2013, Women Impacting Public<br />
Policy (WIPP), <strong>American</strong> <strong>Express</strong><br />
OPEN and the U.S. Small Business<br />
Administration launched ChallengeHER,<br />
a national initiative to boost government<br />
contracting opportunities for womenowned<br />
small businesses. ChallengeHER<br />
delivers free workshops, mentoring and<br />
direct access to government buyers. Now<br />
entering its fourth year, ChallengeHER<br />
has educated more than 5,400 women<br />
entrepreneurs at 39 workshops across the<br />
country and facilitated more than 1,900<br />
meetings between women small business<br />
owners and government officials.<br />
GIVE ME 5 PROGRAM<br />
WIPP and <strong>American</strong> <strong>Express</strong><br />
OPEN are longtime champions of<br />
women entrepreneurs in the federal<br />
contracting space. Together we<br />
created the Give Me 5 program to<br />
give women-owned small businesses<br />
access to knowledge and resources<br />
to help win federal contracts. In 2016,<br />
the U.S. Government achieved its goal<br />
of awarding five percent of its annual<br />
federal contracts to women-owned<br />
small businesses for the first time since<br />
the goal was set almost 20 years ago.<br />
FIFTY FASTEST GROWING WOMEN-<br />
OWNED/LED COMPANIES<br />
In partnership with The Women<br />
Presidents’ Organization, <strong>American</strong><br />
<strong>Express</strong> supports the annual Fifty<br />
Fastest Growing Women-Owned /<br />
Led Companies ranking. Together, we<br />
are tapping into the experience and<br />
expertise of the Fifty Fastest honorees<br />
to help propel other women business<br />
leaders through their journeys of<br />
business expansion.<br />
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