Johnell Bell lost his mother nearly three years ago. One of their last conversations was about his career.
“She would always tell me, ‘You’re not going to be happy until you work for yourself,’” Bell said. “I think that was probably the impetus.”
That marked the end of Bell’s 18-year career in government, and the beginning of Espousal Strategies. Most recently, Bell served as state field director for Sen. Jeff Merkley.
The company is centered on diversity, equity and inclusion, and does consulting work in government, community and public affairs.
“What motivated me was really just a desire to offer something different in the space,” Bell said. “Having been on the other end of the table, where I was either being lobbied or interacting with public affairs firms, I wasn’t seeing people who looked like me.
“What was really important to me was hiring a diverse staff, and offering something different in this market place and something that was more reflective of the communities that I care about."
Bell launched the business on his own with no outside investment, and is still trying to figure out where its place is in such a competitive landscape. Espousal currently has eight employees, and Bell plans to expand in the near future.
Espousal Strategies works in a variety of spaces, including private, public and government sectors. The company has recently worked on projects with the Portland Haulers Association, and the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project.
Espousal Strategies also runs campaigns, primarily for candidates of color. It recently ran Travis Stovall’s successful campaign to be the first Black mayor of Gresham.
“As you can tell, we’re all over,” Bell said.
The company’s DEI work consists of analyzing an organization through interviews, surveys, and research into existing policies, procedures and company structure. Bell has noticed an increased demand for DEI consultation, but finds that the commitment to DEI is lacking.
“We find a whole lot of organizations wanting to hire us to check the box,” Bell said. “We don’t work with those entities. We’re not window dressing.”
Bell sees increased success from businesses with a diverse workforce. It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s also the competitive thing to do, he said.
“Organizations who are more diverse, perform better, achieve better, and are much more adept at problem solving,” Bell said. “If you want to be competitive you have to have a diverse workforce.”
He challenges organizations rushing to hire DEI practitioners to take a moment for introspection to ensure their efforts are sustainable and responsible.
“You cause a lot more harm in these organizations, particularly with very limited diversity, if you aren’t careful, and aren’t carefully thinking through this.” Bell said. “
