Season 2 EP10 - EPS - Corporate Social Responsibility

Welcome to Season 2 - Episode 10 of The Bridge to Kindness Project Podcast.

On this Episode you will hear from the following organizations:

EPS - Kaitlyn Wilde, and Rocky Rodriguez                                    00:00 - 22:15

Each episode features interviews on how you can be involved, volunteer, donate and make a difference being a part of these non-profits in our region.  To learn how your organization can become a part of The Bridge to Kindness project send an email to theBridgetoKindness@gmail.com.  Thanks for listening!  New episodes air each week at 1pm on Saturdays.

You can also find out about The Bridge to Kindness Project by visiting our website at www.TheBridgetoKindness.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:22

This podcast is made possible through the generosity of EPS, signature carpet care, expressions oral design, and let's be honest. Today we welcome a partner of our podcast, EPS. We want to be an encouragement to you to get involved, identify your gifts and talents, and find out where you can use those to bless others and help those in our community with their present needs. So today, we're talking about corporate social responsibility, the opportunity you have as a business to get involved in your community and give back through working with a nonprofit organization and the benefits you'll have as a result of that amazing partnership and work. On our website, thebridge tokindness.com, you'll find out more about our mission and have access to links to the organization's websites we spotlight, as well as an archive of the interviews we have had here on the podcast. We would love to hear from you. Whether you're a volunteer or you lead a nonprofit organization, you can reach us through the website or email us at the bridgetkindness at gmail.com. So let's get started with today's guests. Please welcome Rocky Rodriguez, president of EPS, and Caitlin Wilde, marketing coordinator of EPS. The desire and power behind a business working with a nonprofit organization can be very motivating. Rocky, can you share with us the benefits of those type of relationships?

SPEAKER_03 1:50

I think you know, as a business, we've made it intentional to make sure that our mission statement and how we work with our employees and our customers, and also, you know, the nonprofits that we align with meet our mission statement, right? And so for us, it really is a big thing that we, you know, focus on our three core things of remaining adaptable, which allows us to work with different nonprofits, right? Like to look at different things out there, not just get stuck in one lane, or we only help, you know, there's a lot of groups out there that need help, right? So we try to remain adaptable. We try to find different groups out there, different ways to impact our community. We try to focus on the end user, right? Like, how can we help the nonprofits where they need help, right? Not just where we want to help them, right? Sometimes it could be donations, sometimes it is time, sometimes it is things they need, you know. So um just finding ways to make sure that we're giving them an end user experience as a nonprofit that we're partnering with that does benefit them, right? And then just at the end of the day, you know, one of our core beliefs here is to invest in our people. So if we invest in our people, then they, you know, give us maximum effort. And one of the things that we have tried to do with this program is to make sure that we're allowing them to bring us ideas, allowing them to bring us nonprofits and groups that we can work with so that we get more buy-in from them and that they want to do it because they believe in the cause, right? They believe in what it is. Um, and that also teaches other people in the company about other issues that are out there, maybe they don't know about, right? So it does give us a good chance to really learn the people in our company. You know, we do this thing every month now where we ask employees to talk to three other employees in a different department and learn about the employees so they can kind of understand what makes them tick, right? So that we hopefully have better communication between departments and the between employees. And I think that that, you know, came from this too was like we want to make sure that we are getting that buy-in from them and that we're allowing them to feel like they're being heard. We know who they are, we know what they care about. So it does give a better end result to the end user because we get people that are wanting to be there and they're they're all bought in, and it does make the people in inside of our company feel more accomplished and proud of what they did because it's something they honestly genuinely believe in.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

One of the unique ways that you've found effective is to find nonprofit organizations that align directly with your mission statement as a company at EPS. How have you benefited from that? And what have you seen as a direct result?

SPEAKER_03 4:35

It's been very beneficial, not just like for the business, but like for, I mean, I could say for me personally too. I mean, we do this uh program with VPAC, and that's run through Cardinal Health. And um, you know, we have we we interview, we help review the resumes, veterans getting out of the service, and family members of those veterans getting, you know, who are leaving the service with their uh member. As a veteran myself, having two sons that are in the military, a brother that served, like an uncle that served, like it's a hard transition to get out of the military and to be a little piece that helps them be successful. And hopefully, we we've had so many positive feedback from the veterans themselves of saying, like, man, we really appreciate the little things you did. Just taking that, you know, a couple hours during a week to review their resume, and then we set up a call with them and we talk everything with them to give them that opportunity to say, like, this is what something you know I learned when I went through the process, or Caitlin, you know, with her writing skills to help them, you know, with their writing and the preparation of the document. You know, Dennis, who's our operations manager, not a veteran, but somebody who interviews people every week, you know, he's bought in totally too because he's like, I've seen people come in who are bad interviewers, right? So it's like it it makes him feel better that he's helping a veteran, you know, learn how to do that, right? So I think that like at the end of the day, um helping people out is a good thing, right? And I think that like when you make that part of your business and you make that part of you know your community, it makes your community better. And I think that's our goal too, right? Like uh building that bridge, like you have so beautifully put on your uh on your uh, you know, um your radio uh station is like just talk about that bridge to kindness, building that bridge. I mean, it takes a lot of people to build that bridge, it just wasn't built. You know, you don't just drive over that bridge and think like one guy built it, right? It took a lot of people to build that bridge. So, you know, we we we hope to be one piece of that.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

You had a personal connection recently with a nonprofit organization that your company served in this capacity. How has had that personal connection made a difference in those that you help through the process of choosing who you partner with?

SPEAKER_03 6:52

Yeah, uh, you know, Mike is my partner here at EPS, and um, you know, he's an avid voter, right? It's something he does every year, right? And when the summer comes and it's the weekend, he's on that boat. And um, you know, but he he heard about you know, love like Afton and and and the story of young Afton who passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning um that happened on a boat. And you know, him and his wife Lynn, they took they took it to heart and they've tried to champion that information out there. So last year, you know, we partnered by like helping them uh get some signs that they put out. This year we're trying to help them by getting signs, but also putting some out for them, hopefully. Or, you know, they have some events coming up, like a pickleball event in April, that they're trying to, you know, and and basically what they do is they raise funds to get awareness out, right? To go to different boating events, to go to different lakes, to just put it out there so people know, like, hey, you know, be cognizant of the carbon monoxide on your boat and be cognizant of the safety issues that come with it and like boat safety and you know, just overall, you know, have a good time while you're out there. That's not the the goal is not to say, hey, let's not boat, right? The goal is to say, hey, how can we help you do it safer, right? And how how can we learn from this tragic event that affected our family? And I think it's it's super cool of the Taylor family and Mike and Lynn that they have taken this on. And now as a group, uh we've we're trying to, you know, be a champion for them, help them out, push that message. Um, you know, and those are really the things that we try to do. I mean, uh last month we talked to the Fairfield Humane Society, you know, Caitlin is passionate about pets, right? Like there's a bunch of people in our company that are passionate about pets. And so it's like, you know, how do we help our local community that, you know, with pets, right? Like, how do we help? And, you know, I was at a lunch yesterday and I'm talking to somebody about my house. And I was telling them, like, you know, we were thinking, do we move, do we not move? But the thing I was telling them is my Labrador, Jackson, that I had for 14 years, he passed away in that house. And I was like, I don't know if I ever want to leave that house now, just because of that dog, right? Like, and I think like people don't think like they don't realize how much that pet meant to them until that pet's gone, right? And then you're like, wow, you know, and Jackson really helped me when I transitioned out of the military having that pet. You know, we Caitlin has recently been we've been talking to different veterans groups who give pets out to veterans, and there's different ways to get involved. And I I guarantee you that every company out there who has a leader, which should be every company, right, has a passion, right? Like they have to have something, right? Like they they whether it's their pets, whether it's fishing, whether it's boating, whether it's you know, baseball like me. I mean, whatever you care about. I mean, and there's groups out there that need something, right? And we can help them if we all just open our eyes and look around.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

What are some of the results you've seen with your own staff as a result of this work?

SPEAKER_03 9:49

I do I can I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that I've had two employees come to me in the last month. Uh, one that's worked here for a very long time, uh, almost 10 years, um, who told me that her spouse told her the other day he has never seen her this happy when she comes home. And she said, you know, I just love what I'm doing. And I love how the office is working, I love the team, I love what we're trying to do with our community. I just love it, you know, and I'm just having a lot of fun. And that meant a lot to me because she came and told me that story. And she was like, I never thought about it until he asked me. And I just want to tell you, you know, thank you. I think that you and Mike have created this environment here where we can all feel part of this. And I think that was awesome. And we had a longtime employee who uh worked here for a while and then um left for a little bit and has recently come back. And, you know, he we were at an event last week, two weeks ago, um, and he came up to me at the event and he said, Hey, I just want to tell you thank you for bringing me back. This has been one of the best decisions of my life. And I think what we've tried to do is create an environment where the employees enjoy going to work and they feel like we're a company, like we say, good guys, uh, me and Mike are just a couple of good guys who like doing good, and they feel like that energy, right? Like they feel that and they want to, you know, hopefully at the end to project that to the client as far as like going the extra mile for them, helping them out, doing the things that matter, and just being a good company. We're not gonna be perfect. Um, we're gonna make mistakes. Um, everybody does. That's what humans do. Um, but I think at the core, if we can if we can help them be, you know, people who project positivity and feel that positive energy from us, then hopefully they'll be able to pass it on to our clients and pass it on to our community.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

Caitlin, can you share with us your insights and what you've experienced?

SPEAKER_02 11:48

For my end, you know, I'm getting the responses when they're like, hey, I want to sign up to volunteer. You know, I send out the information, um, you know, what we're doing with the different organizations. And, you know, we're a small company, so we can't all leave the office as much as we would all like to go volunteer some days for some causes, you know, it is some people have to stay behind and do the work. Um so it's interesting to see how departments kind of work this out, you know, our accounting departments, two people. And when one goes one month, one can go the next month, or you know, it depends on what the cause is. But if one's like, I really want to work this one, you know, they'll work it out between themselves so that everybody gets to go do what they would like to do while maintaining the business. So we just have to kind of think about it strategically like that a little bit. Service has a little bit more people in it, but again, they have to make sure that the needs are covered of the business while still being able to get out and volunteer. So it's kind of fun to see who volunteers for what and how they have worked out who who gets to go out. Um, so that's something I've enjoyed seeing.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

When we come back, we'll talk about how easy it is to set up a volunteer opportunity. That comes your way next. As the Bridge to Kindness podcast continues, I'm Ron Smith. We'll be right back.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

The purpose of this podcast is to encourage you to identify your gifts and talents and to help you identify ways that you can use those to bless others and serve your community. For additional information about the Bridge to Kindness project or any of the guests appearing on today's podcast, visit www.thebridge tokindness.com or email us at thebridge tokindness at gmail.com. This podcast is made possible through the kindness of EPS, signature carpet care, expression scoral design, and Lindsay Conduct.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Welcome back to the Bruce the Findest Podcast. I'm Ron Smith. With us today are our friends at EPS, Rocky Rodriguez, president, and Caitlin Wilde, marketing coordinator, speaking about how corporate social responsibility has made an impact to their business serving local nonprofit organizations through volunteerism. Studies show that companies that explore this aspect of their business have a higher retention rate of employees and a happier work environment as a whole. Caitlin, you arranged those acts of kindness expeditions. How easy is it to set up these opportunities for the staff of VPS?

SPEAKER_02 14:50

I definitely, when I first started, when Rocky first approached, you know, I knew the local organization since I grew up in central Ohio. Um, but partnering through uh different chambers and different uh nonprofits, I've discovered even more. But just a simple Google search, you know, for example, April is National Volunteer Month. So there's tons of things to do. There's an entire week, I think it's the third week of April. Um there's an organization called BESA here in Columbus, and they basically have nonprofits on their platform with what they need, and then you can sign up through there. So you don't even have to do the legwork per se if you can find organizations like that. Um, otherwise, I get on and I just you know typically email like the info at whatever organization, you know, dot org or something. Um don't feel like they're ignoring you if you don't get a response right away. They are also very busy and they wear a lot of hats. Um, following up isn't a bad thing. And even a phone call is sometimes even better. Uh so don't get discouraged if you don't hear back. Um, you know, I give it two or three times sometimes, and sometimes it's just not gonna work out, you know, between their schedule, our schedule, you know, their needs and stuff. But there are plenty of other organizations out there that would love uh to hear from you and get your get your help.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Rocky, you have some great words of advice to share on getting started and serving. Can you share with us today? Because this has had a personal impact on you.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

I would just tell you, like, that's one of the things I think persistent persistence is a good thing, right? Like, um, you know, there's a lot of people in this world who can tell you how many ways you can't do something, but it just takes a little belief and a and a lot of effort. And I think that you will find yourself being successful in things. And when it comes to volunteerism, when it comes to helping people, I think if you're persistent with it, you will find good groups to partner with. You will find, like she said with Bessa, I mean, that's a good group. I mean, we we did a thing, they ran a uh a day of volunteerism at the Middle How Food Collective last year. We did it with them, right? And it was very easy. All we had to do was send them a list of how many people and show up. We didn't have to do anything else. I mean, so you know, and we met them at a chamber event. It wasn't like we, you know, we just get out in your community, right? Like start meeting people. And um, you know, I think that that's really what it comes down to. And these groups are just, you know, they're amazing people, really trying to help their communities. And, you know, if you have a business that you feel like, well, we can only align with certain groups, whatever, that's fine too. There's groups for that, you know, look for them, you know. I mean, and and that's the thing. I I just if you want to do it, I I believe it can be done. And it can be done on a budget, it can be done, you know, in in a in a positive way. And you you will get such an energy out of it. Like I when we did uh last year, we did the tunnels to towers um 5K in Westerville, uh, and we went and talked to the people at the at the location where you do all your registration and get all your stuff, to hear the stories of some of the 9-11 survivors that were in there, to hear some of the veteran families that were in there working, to know that I served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I kind of know have my own side of that whole 9-11 experience. But like just seeing my children listen to them, my children understand like, wow, my dad was part of this, right? Like, that was a really rewarding experience for me. So I would just tell people all the time, like, I mean, you'll never know what you would get out of it. And a lot of times you'll get a lot more than you think you will.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

Caitlin, you have a unique way of finding just the right opportunity and where to serve. Can you share with us how you do that throughout the year?

SPEAKER_02 18:40

I say volunteering is definitely a core value for me. So doing this is something that I really enjoy. It's it's don't think of it as a chore. I mean, again, Google offers so much. Um reach out to your local chambers because they also volunteer probably, um, if you're feeling stuck. And uh honestly, I find the most fun in seeing like what national month is. So, like for March, it's National Women's History Month. So we're gearing our volunteering towards, you know, women. You know, there's National Pet Month. We'll do probably the shelter again, the Humane Society. Um, there's military month in May, there's mental health awareness also in May. September is national security month, I believe. So, with that being our industry, you know, that's something that you can align with. So you you might not be in the security industry, but maybe you're in the mental health industry. So you could gear volunteering really big around May. So just you know, each month brings something new. There's so many categories to choose from. Um, I feel like new ones are added each year. So pick something fun and you know, poll your employees. I did that in the fall, and we kind of picked uh for suicide prevention awareness. So that was that was kind of uh surprising to me. It was one of three options that I sent out. Um and it wasn't something that I was expecting my coworkers to, you know, overly pick, but it was pretty overwhelming that they wanted to support helping get raise awareness for suicide. Um so we ended up partnering with LOS LOSS and we stuffed um envelopes that they give out to families who have lost um friends or family members, you know, just information and um tips on how to you know navigate life after loss uh from suicide. So, you know, you might be surprised what your team or coworkers are passionate about. So don't ever discount anything until you kind of put feelers out.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

What an exciting way to energize your staff through coming together to perform acts of kindness and help a local nonprofit organization in the process. Thank you both for sharing with us the impact you're having in your community, county, and beyond. For more information and to reach Rocky or Caitlin, go to www.thebridge tokindness.com, click on our partner page, and click on the EPS logo. That brings to a close this edition of the Bridge to Kindness Podcast. This podcast is made possible through the generosity of EPS, signature carpet care, expressions floral design, and Lindsay Honda. Special thanks to Rocky and Caitlin joining us today. Take a moment and think about how you or a business can engage with a nonprofit in your community to make a difference to those around you. Join us again on our next episode, and we'll profile more individuals and nonprofits in the Comets region and share how they help people and how you can be involved. Until then, from all of us of the Bridge to Kindness, I'm Ron. Smith, make a difference, make an impact.