- Company Name: Strength of Nature
- Years in Business: 26 years
- Website/Social Media: StrengthofNature.com | LinkedIn: Strength of Nature | Instagram: @myafricanpride
- Your Name/Role: Tori Davis-Artis, Chief Commercial Officer
What does giving back mean to your company?
Giving back is about being as invested in our communities as they have been in our brands. Strength of Nature has served multicultural consumers for decades, and with that comes a responsibility to show up in ways that extend beyond the products we create. We want to use our resources, expertise and reach thoughtfully, supporting the people and communities that have been integral to our success and creating impact that is both meaningful and relevant to their lives.
How do you encourage your employees or business partners to participate in the causes your company cares about?
We believe our employees and partners should have a voice in how we give back. We listen to them to understand the causes and issues they care about, and those perspectives help inform where we focus our efforts. We also encourage people to contribute in ways that draw on what they do best, whether through their time, expertise, resources or relationships. When people have a personal connection to the work and a meaningful role in it, the impact is that much stronger.
Can you tell us about your company’s community involvement this year and some of the ways you’ve worked to make a difference?
This year, that commitment showed up in a number of ways. For Mother’s Day, we partnered with churches across our core markets, contributing to each congregation and making sure every mother in the room left with a gift of her own. Through Just For Me, we ran back-to-school drives and backpack giveaways, including a community donation to the Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago and a separate backpack distribution across Georgia. During Small Business Saturday, we backed small businesses in the neighborhoods where our consumers live. And year-round, we invest in the pipeline coming out of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, supporting student organizations and scholarship programs that help open doors to opportunity. That same commitment shows up at the plant level. Our Savannah, Georgia facility runs its own community calendar, including corporate blood drives, support for MLK Day events, and a local food and hygiene pantry. We’ve also looked for ways to engage consumers beyond a traditional brand interaction. Through African Pride, that included ReplenishHER at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, an experience designed to celebrate, support and create space for women to connect. Moments like these do more than build goodwill. They let us engage consumers directly, hear what matters to them and use those insights to shape how we show up for our communities going forward.
What is one lesson your company has learned through its community involvement that you hope to carry forward?
One of the most important lessons is simple: listen first. It can be easy for a company to decide what it believes a community needs, but meaningful involvement starts by hearing directly from the people you hope to serve. That perspective helps us be more intentional about where and how we show up, and it is something we will continue to prioritize as our community efforts evolve.
In what ways do you believe businesses in the beauty and personal care industry can use their influence to make a positive difference in their community?
Beauty brands have a powerful role in shaping culture, confidence and representation. That influence can also be used to open doors, amplify voices that are often overlooked and expand access to opportunities within and beyond the beauty industry. That’s part of why, when we choose the marketing and commercial partners we work with, we prioritize ones rooted in the communities we serve. Whether through mentorship, education, workforce development, trade programs or partnerships with community organizations, beauty companies have an opportunity to turn their reach into tangible impact. The communities we serve do more than purchase our products. They influence our brands, shape our industry and contribute to our success. We believe that influence should be reciprocal.
