Generac

In 2025, Generac allegedly terminated an employee for his religious beliefs. The defendant claimed “he was fired for refusing to use preferred pronouns that conflict with a person’s biological sex—forcing him, he claims, to choose between his livelihood and his faith.” Generac has not commented directly on the allegations, stating, “We do not comment on employment matters nor comment on pending litigation” (1). Generac promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation and gender in their nondiscrimination policy (2). The company ties executive compensation and any pay metrics to ESG performance (3)(4). The company integrates ESG into its business practices. From its Supplier Code of Conduct & Sustainable Procurement Policy: “[Suppliers] are also expected to undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental
responsibility such as:… Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions” (5). However, Generac has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (6).

Generac does not discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. However, it will only give to religious organizations that provide non-sectarian services. The company’s charitable giving focus areas are “education, responders, sustainability and our community” (1)(2)(3).

The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its Corporate Governance Guidelines and Principles: “In selecting director candidates, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee [seeks] highly qualified diverse candidates, and considers… diversity, in all aspects of that term, including differences of perspective, professional experience, education, skills and other individual qualities, such as gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and the variety of attributes that contribute to the Board’s collective strength” (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruiting. From its 2023 ESG Report: “Ensuring our team is certified in Advanced Internet Recruitment Strategies (AIRS) and Diversity and Inclusion recruitment.” The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its supply chain: “In 2023, we published a formal Supplier Diversity Policy, outlining our commitment to provide opportunities for competitive companies owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to grow their business, subject to comparable delivery, cost and quality.” The company hosts unconscious bias and DEI training for its employees (2). However, the company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3)(4).

Generac supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2023 ESG Report: “At Generac, diversity, equity and inclusion are not just moral imperatives, they are integral to the success of our business” (1). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its Corporate Governance Guidelines and Principles: “The Board fulfills its role (directly or by delegating certain responsibilities to its committees) by:… providing (i) oversight of environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) matters deemed significant to the Company, its stakeholders, and the communities in which the Company operates, with the standing committees supporting the Board by addressing the specific aspects of ESG related to their respective areas of oversight, and (ii) evaluation of management’s efforts to align ESG initiatives and practices with the Corporation’s longterm strategy” (2).

Generac donated to College Possible, National Center for Women and Information Technology, MAYDM, Boys and Girls Clubs, GirlStart, and National Girls Collaborative to support its DEI initiative. The company is also a member of the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (2).

Generac does not operate a PAC or report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).