Garmin Honored with Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award

The Johnson County NAACP honored Garmin with the Henry E. Lyons Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy award on Monday, Jan. 20, at the Sheraton Hotel in Overland Park, Kansas. The award recognizes local leaders who advocate for diversity in their organizations and communities. In its 16th year, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy and Scholarship Awards Dinner is the largest Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in the county and features student essay scholarship winners reading their essays honoring the late civil rights leader.

“It was an honor for Garmin to receive this award,” says Katie Allgood, STEM, diversity and recruitment specialist. “I am proud of the work done by our Diversity and Inclusion Committee and members of our employee resource groups, which helps further the mission of Dr. King.”

Garmin executives and associates involved in the company’s diversity and inclusion groups, known as employee resources groups (ERGs), were present as CEO Cliff Pemble accepted the award. Currently, there are more than 1,000 associates involved in the five ERGs.

“Martin Luther King Jr. inspired and challenged us to think, to act and to be better people,” says Laurie Minard, vice president of human resources. “He embodied the spirit of true servant leadership, and he brought people and a nation closer together through greater acceptance and unity. It was truly an honor for Garmin to receive the Legacy Award at this event.”