Red Fern teamed up with BCT Partners and some amazing people to design and produce a series of VR immersions for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

BCT Partners LLC, a Black-owned social enterprise and data analytics firm based in Newark, said it acquired Community Science to strengthen the company’s ability to provide clients with innovative and measurable diversity, equity & inclusion solutions that lead to a more just society.The new entity will remain under BCT, and be led by Randal Pinkett, chairman and CEO, and Lawrence Hibbert, president.Community Science will operate separately as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BCT while the two organizations work together to fully integrate their cultures, people, expertise and operations and provide their collective customers with deep research, extensive evaluation, and actionable insights — combined with state-of-the-art technology and analytics — to help create greater impact and equity at scale.BCT reported $13.2 million in revenue in 2019 when the firm debuted on the BLACK ENTERPRISE BE 100s list of top Black-owned companies. Today, the company projects more than double those revenues, with upwards of $28 million for 2022.BCT is a consulting firm that delivers strategic planning, research and evaluation, training and technical assistance, information technology and data analytics services to advance equity across interrelated areas of housing and community development, economic development, workforce development, children and families, education and health.BCT credits the growth in business to the uptick in DEI efforts among Corporate America in the wake of George Floyd’s death.“Just about everyone is seeking to put an equity lens on their diversity & inclusion efforts since the social epidemic over the last two years,” explained Hibbert. “This acquisition deepens our capacity and broadens our footprint to accelerate equity.”Community Science, founded in 1997 by David Chavis and Kien Lee, is comprised of renowned scientists, practitioners, thought leaders and social change agents who help foundations, government agencies and nonprofits develop and evaluate effective strategies and methods that result in equitable communities.“BCT has been a longtime partner with Community Science on many projects, and we greatly admire their mission-driven passion, exceptional research and evaluation expertise, and renowned thought leadership. We are thrilled to have them join us and excited to bring our combined talents and expertise together to help customers harness the power of diversity, insights, and innovation to create systemic change that leads to greater equity for all,” Pinkett said.BCT’s staff has grown from 115 employees to 140 employees with the new acquisition