Diversity Champion - Small
Genesis Companies
Genesis Cos. is a 38-employee real estate development firm that specializes in mixed-income and affordable housing in New York and New Jersey.
The company, founded in 2004, says its work has translated into more than $700 million worth of economic impact. It often works with minority- and women-owned firms, among them architects, engineers and expeditors.
“The lack of permanently affordable housing is a critical issue for under-resourced communities, especially in communities of color,” Karim Hutson, Genesis Cos. founder and managing member, said in a statement. Hutson was previously recognized by Crain's as a notable Black business leader.
Genesis has built up relationships with local organizations to build a staff that “lives in and represents the communities we work with,” as described by Hutson.
Earlier this year Hutson joined a panel of Black business leaders hosted by the Association for a Better New York for a discussion called “The Evolution Of Black Communities In New York City: Development, Culture And Economic Empowerment."
Genesis has updated internal policies to encourage inclusion. The firm expanded maternity and paternity leave. It made Juneteenth a new paid holiday, before the city and the federal government recognized the date.