The LinkedIn Talent Awards Hand Black Rifle Coffee Company a Win

Every year, LinkedIn recognizes businesses across the globe for achievements in a number of different categories, including “Best Culture of Learning,” “Best Talent Acquisition Team,” “LinkedIn Rising Star,” and “Diversity Champion.” The LinkedIn Talent Awards are metrics driven, decided by a group of analysts within LinkedIn that tracks traffic and uses algorithms to determine what companies out of the more than 57 million registered on the site deserve each award. 

Image courtesy of LinkedIn.

In the “Diversity Champion” category, there are eight subcategories. Five are based on companies’ numbers of employees, and three are based on industry (academic, health care, and search and staffing). Black Rifle Coffee is recognized in the “below 1,000 employees” category, first as a top-three finalist and then as the winner of the category.

“There are some giant beasts of companies competing against us,” Theresa Hoehne, director of talent acquisition at Black Rifle Coffee, said. “And as this scrappy coffee company that said, ‘We’re gonna hire 10,000 veterans,’ ... here we are.”

Opportunities such as the Talent Awards can help put Black Rifle Coffee on millions of peoples’ radars, which increases the company’s reach and hiring potential. It can also spread the word about BRCC’s mission and products. 

Image courtesy of LinkedIn. 

“I think it’s important to recognize that this wasn’t anything we applied for,” Hoehne said. “This is LinkedIn pointing at us and saying, ‘You’re doing what you say you’re gonna do.’ LinkedIn submitted us for it with their own data, and we won. To me, this is Black Rifle Coffee’s integrity showing by being recognized with this award.”

In the LinkedIn community of 800 million users, BRCC has had a notable impact. Every post, like, hashtag, and interaction related to BRCC’s veteran hiring initiative helped to put the company in the running for this recognition. Anyone who’s ever shared Black Rifle Coffee content about veterans — this award is thanks to them. 

Photo courtesy of Theresa Hoehne/Black Rifle Coffee Company.

“The big thing is that this [award] belongs to the supporters and promoters of BRCC,” Hoehne said. “This award tells the story of [BRCC] doing what we said we would do: Create opportunities, connect with the community. And from a solely mathematical perspective, we have been proven to do what we set out to do.”