Once upon a time, Nick Gomillion was a philosophy graduate from Millsaps College in Mississippi. He had, as he told EmployIndy, met and married a Hoosier, which brought him to Central Indiana. Gomillion was also looking for a job at the time, a search that landed him in a bank teller position, which he held for four years. 

Gomillion had no idea at the time that he would one day be tasked with hiring entry-level tellers and advocating that they be paid good wages, but several years later, as a Staffing Officer for the National Bank of Indianapolis (NBOI), that’s exactly what he is doing.  

The National Bank of Indianapolis has been around since 1993. Partnership with EmployIndy may not go quite that far back, but it goes a lot farther back than Gomillion’s five months in his current professional role. Even so, the decision by his employer to pursue the Good Wages Initiative (GWI), which officially launched in April of 2022, was made during Gomillion’s tenure at NBOI. GWI certifies, celebrates, and showcases Marion County employers that are committed to providing full-time employees both a wage of at least $18/hour and access to health insurance benefits.

“Offering employees a wage of $18/hour and access to health insurance benefits is a fundamental part of employers’ roles in actively investing in Indianapolis’ economic ecosystem,” says Jamey Applegate, director of the Good Wages Initiative at EmployIndy. “GWI certification provides heightened opportunities to promote an employer’s commitment to their employees—which can help those businesses attract the most qualified employees first and continue to sustain our collective workforce.”

GWI’s specific hourly rate target comes from a 2018 Brookings Institution report called “Advancing Opportunity in Central Indiana,” but EmployIndy’s program also, in part, is modeled to resemble North Carolina’s Just Economics, which has been certifying businesses that meet its criteria since 2008. 

Despite a state and a federal minimum wage of just $7.25 an hour, NBOI bumped their entry-level hourly pay, according to Gomillion, up to $15 an hour in 2018 and then again to $18 an hour in 2022. Gomillion said NBOI had been considering the latest increase since 2021, but GWI as an incentive didn’t hurt either. 

“GWI was not a hard sell,” says Gomillion. “The time is always right to invest in your greatest asset, which is your people. Our leaders want to do right by our employees.” 

Gomillion’s language mirrors that of one of NBOI’s founders, Mickey Mauer, who was known to say, “People are the most important part of every deal.” According to Gomillion, the decision to pursue GWI fits in with NBOI’s “culture of excellence.” 

The hourly increase at NBOI was made for current employees first but will also apply to all future employees yet to be hired. Entry-level tellers, for which NBOI is currently hiring, have to be 18 years old; if they work at the company for a year, they also gain access to tuition reimbursement resources.

GWI provides participating Marion County employers with marketing resources and a network of other businesses across the city who are committed to investing in their employees. For those businesses who cannot initially meet the $18/hour threshold, GWI offers Committed status for those organizations who are dedicated to raising wages to at least $18/hour and offering access to health insurance benefits within the span of the next two years. 

To learn more about the Good Wages Initiative, visit www.employindy.org/goodwages.