Urbanus employees take diversity training cruise
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 18, 2004
MIAMI — MIAMI— Employees of Urbanus, a Miami-based furniture manufacturer, participated in the first diversity training course offered by the National Conference for Community and Justice on March 10.
The course took place aboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad, docked at the Bayside Marketplace's Miamarina. The Connecticut-based Amistad visits ports nationally and internationally as an ambassador for friendship and goodwill, serving as a floating classroom and a reminder of the injustices of the transatlantic slave trade.
Thirty-five of Urbanus' 40 employees participated in the bilingual (English and Spanish) diversity training. The two-hour training session and cruise of Biscayne Bay incorporated a series of exercises geared toward building a sense of cohesion, fostering collaboration and exploring prejudices and preconceived notions about people.
Urbanus' employees, most of whom are of Latin descent, learned team-building strategies and discussed the importance of approaching co-workers as unique individuals rather than as stereotypes based on their nationality, race or gender. The training session was facilitated by De Palazzo of the NCCJ and Harold Koning of Dynamic Wellness Strategies.
"This was an enlightened program that helped people relate to each other as individuals and not as the jobs they do at Urbanus," said Gayle Zalduondo, the manufacturer's co-founder and creative director. "At Urbanus, we place an emphasis on creating a welcoming and nurturing work environment where each job function is a creative endeavor."
Urbanus produces furniture for specialty stores and independent retailers worldwide, including Crate & Barrel, Room & Board, Storehouse and Ethan Allen.
At the High Point market, the company shows at 336 South Wrenn St.
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