Gene Goodwin is co-chair of Equal@Frito-Lay, the GLBT employee resource group with Frito-Lay, Inc. (PepsiCo). He is also involved in a number of other organizations in the GLBT community.
How did Equal@Frito-Lay get started?
Troy Greenstreet was the originator of Equal@Frito-Lay, which is now in its second year as an employee resource group at the company. Troy worked on getting the company to include sexual orientation in its equal employment opportunity statement in June of 2002. Then he got Equal represented on the Diversity Inclusion Steering Committee, and then he worked on getting domestic partner benefits, which started in 2004. Our first Equal@Frito-Lay meeting was held in February of 2004.
What changes have been made since then?
Gender identity was added to the non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies in 2005. Our company has gone from having a 29 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s list of GLBT-positive companies to having a 100 percent rating.
When did you become the group’s leader?
I took over from Troy in October of 2004 when he was promoted and moved to another job outside of Frito-Lay’s corporate headquarters in the Plano area. We just changed from a president/vice president structure to a co-chair structure this year.
What are some of your duties as co-chair?
For the last two years, I have put the Frito-Lay Pride parade entry together. It’s loads of work. I have even driven the Frito-Lay truck while our group walked around passing out Frito-Lay products and Pepsis.
What other community organizations and events are you involved with?
I am a past board member with the Collin County Gay Lesbian Alliance. Now I am social chair and I handle all of our third Friday mixers. I am a facilitator with Youth First Texas. I am involved in the Eldorado Park Homeowners Association, and I am the usher/greeter captain for my church, Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Dallas.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, May 5, 2006.