By building equitable and inclusive practices, Biltmore attracts and empowers a workforce as diverse as the 1.7 million+ annual guests that we serve. Our efforts are aimed at empowering our current 2,000+ employees while concurrently creating the workforce of the future.
We’re fortifying these efforts through the establishment of clear and ambitious goals, along with developing strategies and pipelines to enhance diverse representation at Biltmore.
Recruiting and Development
We are recruiting, developing, and networking with top, diverse talent across all levels of our organization. To facilitate this progress, we have increased engagement with, and participation from, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and our local Hispanic communities. We initiated Biltmore’s Project SEARCH internship in partnership with the ARC of NC to provide real-life work experience to help young people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. We are actively enhancing our accessibility initiatives to more effectively accommodate employees and guests with visual impairments and/or other physical disabilities. And we have established pathways for access and visibility, specifically building mentorship, experiences, and career pathways for underrepresented populations.
Black Communities
Biltmore has committed to partnering, assisting, and investing in organizations that concentrate on economic empowerment, education, and social justice aiming to tackle racial disparities affecting Black Americans, including such entities as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association Prayer Breakfast, YMI Cultural Organization, WNC Diversity Engagement Coalition, and the Shiloh Community Organization.
Women at Biltmore
We take pride in the fact that women constitute 55% of our total company workforce, including senior leadership positions. We are committed to fostering the advancement and development of women, partnering with organizations like WomenUp Asheville and Women of the Vine & Spirits.
Native American and Indigenous Communities
Biltmore is focused on empowering Native American and Indigenous communities in North America. We believe it is critical to hear and learn from Indigenous voices, and to share their stories about how they helped build our local communities.
Through ongoing archeological investigations of Biltmore’s land and its earliest inhabitants, many prehistoric and historic period sites have been identified, registered, and studied, including trade routes, small-scale habitations, and larger village sites of the Connestee and Pisgah peoples, whom the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) acknowledge as their direct ancestors.
Cultural and Community Partnerships
Biltmore is proud to partner with other inclusion-focused community events and organizations, including Blue Ridge Pride and Festival, and such veteran’s programs as Compensated Work Therapy and Goodwill Industries of WNC Operation: Good Jobs.
We also partner with culturally philanthropic organizations of Western North Carolina, including Mountain Housing Opportunities, OnTrack WNC, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, Working Wheels, and Eblen Charities.
