In 1962, the first Meijer Thrifty Acres opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Today Meijer's 80 stores and nearly 60,000 employees incorporate the original Meijer family's values and the Meijer corporate ideals: extraordinary selection, low prices and friendly service.

The company's values – diversity, dignity, respect, and a healthy balance between career and home – attract employees from all walks of life. Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana, where Meijer stores are located, are comprised of diverse populations and Meijer management realized it needed to better leverage diversity so that its employees could better communicate with and serve customers and each other.

Placing a premium on training, the company's Instructive Learning Technology department has set up learning labs with computer-based training programs in each store to accelerate learning across the company. Meiijer liked the diversity instruction developed by Global Lead Management Consulting, and wanted it transformed into a computer-based program. With the help of Mills James Productions (based in Columbus) and Media 1 Interactive (based in Nunica, Michigan), Dialogue on Diversity was piloted in CD-ROM and on the company's Intranet with the company's executives and Human Resources managers across the company.

According to Kevin Shafer, project lead for the diversity initiative, feedback thus far has been extremely positive. He was able to track his company's use of the e-learning course through the program's management system.