December 1, 2020

The Dive Awards for 2020: Leadership in a time of crisis

Davide Savenije

This year, like no other in recent memory, has been defined by crisis.

From the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic recession to a racial reckoning and sociopolitical upheaval, 2020 changed business and life as we knew it.

At Industry Dive, we recognize the best in business through our annual Dive Awards. Each year since 2016, our publications have reviewed and reported on the most impactful achievements, people and companies in the markets we cover.

But this was no ordinary year. After reporting on how companies and business leaders adapted to and navigated the new normal throughout the year, we decided the Dive Awards for 2020 would recognize those who showed leadership in a time of crisis.

As we reviewed the honorees’ and their stories, a clear pattern stood out. From acting with compassion to nimbly pivoting their operations to meet the moment, the organizations and people whose stories are told through this year’s Dive Awards demonstrated empathy, agility and resilience in the face of unprecedented adversity.

There's the story of Jill Castilla, the CEO of a small community bank in Oklahoma. While many people had to wait weeks or even months for their stimulus checks to arrive, Castilla leveraged her position and worked quickly to launch an advance payment program in partnership with billionaire entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. As Banking Dive reports, the small bank’s program didn’t just help its customers — it became an industry model that was shared with roughly 400 other banks.

There’s the story of Turner Construction, one of the largest commercial construction contractors in the United States. During a year where the construction industry was beset by disturbing racist incidents, the company stepped up to fight hate and discrimination while others quietly shirked leadership. Turner’s moves to quickly shut down multiple high-profile megaprojects in response to racist incidents set the tone for how the industry should respond. As Construction Dive reports, experts believe their leadership on these issues will even provide a competitive advantage for future project bids.

There’s the story of H-E-B, a supermarket chain whose pandemic preparation became “the stuff of industry legend,” as Grocery Dive reports. The company started tracking the virus in January. Stores ran pandemic simulations that ultimately enabled the grocery retailer to pivot its operations far more nimbly than competitors. Stores proactively rolled out policies such as social distancing and traffic metering ahead of other grocers. The brand fostered a strong sense of community in its stores, and also did well by its employees — providing permanent wage increases and issuing one-time bonuses this fall. Despite already “having won just about every recognition and award under the sun,” the Texas-based chain “still managed to outperform expectations during one of the most challenging periods the grocery industry has ever experienced.”

These are just a few of the many powerful stories from the Dive Awards for 2020. While each story is different, they all highlight how organizations and people met the moment this year and showed leadership in a time of crisis.

Read on for all 64 Dive Awards across the 21 markets we cover.

Davide Savenije, Editor-in-Chief, Industry Dive

Press inquiries: please contact Suzanne Struglinski, media@industrydive.com