For more information:
Niki Khanna
Good Vibrations Public Relations
415-974-8985 ext 203
nikik@goodvibes.com

BEHIND THE VIBES: Many Faces, One Mission

Good Vibrations Launches National Diversity Awareness Campaign

San Francisco, CA -- April 30, 2004 -- Good Vibrations, San Francisco's women-owned and -operated sex toy, book and video cooperative, is proud to celebrate more than a quarter century of devotion to diversity by launching an nationwide awareness campaign, "BEHIND THE VIBES: Many Faces, One Mission."

Good Vibes has good reason to celebrate: since 1977, the company has established industry benchmarks in anti-discriminatory practices, embracing diversity in every aspect of their business, from their hiring practices to their purchasing decisions to their educational offerings.

Many Faces

Says Beth Doyle, General Manager of the Good Vibrations cooperative, "In a global marketplace that has become increasingly focused on diversity within all aspects of a company, Good Vibrations' commitment is more than just a smart policy decision. It's good business."

Good Vibrations is committed to employing a diverse workforce, including persons who are gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, single and working parents, students, welfare-to-work clients, persons with disabilities and people of all cultures, including Hispanic, African American, Asian American, Middle Eastern and Native American persons.

"Promoting diversity in all areas of a company has been shown to improve corporate culture, company image and relationships with customers," says Priscilla Castillo, Human Resources Manager at Good Vibrations. "Many highly desirable candidates will not consider a company for potential employment if he or she learns the company lacks a commitment to diversity."

"Above all else, Good Vibrations is about people," adds Doyle. "Since our inception, our philosophy of inclusion drives our organization every day, helping us succeed in this rapidly changing marketplace. Ultimately, we serve our bottom line every time we choose to include a different face in the Good Vibrations cooperative."

One Mission

The Good Vibrations Mission Statement -- to provide access to accurate sex information and sex toys, books and videos through its retail, mail order and publishing companies and to promote healthy attitudes about sex -- dovetails nicely with the goals of the company's newest component, the Diversity Task Force. The Task Force was established in 1999.

A core group of staff members committed to bringing multicultural awareness and understanding to Good Vibrations, the Diversity Task Force will provide resources for growth in communication and diversity, seeking to create a cultural transformation that will affect every arm of the business by creating a safer workplace, facilitating and modeling communication and accountability, supporting activities that help quash oppression and fostering "transparent" company policies.

"In order to provide quality information about sex and promote healthy attitudes about sexuality, advocating diversity is absolutely essential," says Carol Queen, noted author and staff Sexologist. "How can we possibly expect people to embrace new ideas about their bodies if they are afraid to embrace one another? By making diversity a priority, Good Vibrations is setting an excellent example for our global community."

To date, the Diversity Task Force has completed a number of projects, including the implementation of new, company-wide communications guidelines and the incorporation of diversity training for staff and new hires. As a result, the company has seen a welcome increase in employee discussion about race, gender and class and has shared their ideas at the Western Worker Cooperative Conference, an organized event tailored specifically for like-minded companies including Rainbow Grocery of San Francisco.

Realizing Our Potential

Good Vibrations' commitment to diversity goes beyond recruiting and employing a diverse workforce. The company's many educational, outreach and multicultural awareness programs are a vital component of their ongoing mission: to enable people throughout the world to realize their full potential as human beings.

In addition to creating the Diversity Task Force, Good Vibrations has defined itself an industry leader in diverse company practices by promoting and supporting the following:

• Disability Resources and Accessibility
  Good Vibrations wholeheartedly supports the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act and actively addresses the needs of the disability community and supports programs for the differently-abled. In addition, Good Vibrations is committed to sourcing and providing products and education that specifically relate to the needs of people with disabilities.

• Community Diversity Education Programs
  Good Vibrations has pioneered innovative ways to serve our diverse communities by partnering with Asian Pacific Islanders for Reproductive Health and Familia Unidas, a Contra Costa County organization dedicated to delivering quality mental and physical health counseling, advocacy and information services to the Latino community.

• Company Diversity Education Programs
  These internal programs reinforce Good Vibrations' commitment to diversity and ensure that their employees have the tools and resources they need to grow professionally. The emphasis is on understanding and valuing differences, and leveraging them in order to compete effectively in an ever-changing marketplace.

• Valuing Diverse Ideas
  People are the source of Good Vibrations' energy: creative people from all types of backgrounds having new ideas, meeting challenges and helping people realize their full potential. Good Vibrations has established a number of employee-originated initiatives to promote and integrate diversity at every level within the organization, demonstrating this commitment locally, nationally and globally.

• Diverse Employee Resource Groups
  Good Vibrations encourages the formation of self-organized, employee-initiated resource groups that provide support and networking opportunities-mentoring, recruiting, volunteering, career development and cultural awareness assistance.

• Multicultural Outreach Programs
  Good Vibrations has developed relationships with key minority and women's professional organizations across the country, participating in conferences, facilitating workshops, supporting annual events that promote diversity and electing to advertise in non-English-speaking magazines and papers and with companies that reach African American, Latino and Asian American communities.

In the upcoming months, Good Vibrations will launch new components of their diversity awareness campaign, "BEHIND THE VIBES: Many Faces, One Mission." For more information, please visit the Good Vibrations web site at or contact publicist Niki Khanna at 415.974.8985 x203 or nikik@goodvibes.com.

About Good Vibrations

Established in 1977, Good Vibrations is a worker-owned and operated cooperative comprised mostly of women, who strive to help women and men realize and celebrate their sexual health and potential. They're a group of individuals committed to making the world a place where sex and pleasure are recognized as a birthright. Good Vibrations' branches include retail stores in San Francisco and Berkeley, California; a mail order catalog; web site, www.goodvibes.com; publishing company Down There Press; audio division Passion Press; Sexpositive Productions, the GV Video Production Team; and an Education/Outreach department that presents educational workshops nationwide.

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