PPB January 2020

caring culture requires buy-in from everyone at your company—it’s an excellent source of camaraderie, purpose and confidence.” In addition to the ones mentioned, ASB has partnered with organizations including Pope County Hospice, Pope County Humane Society, Prevent Abuse Minnesota, Someplace Safe, Pope County Families in Need and Hearts and Hands Food Shelf. It has also contributed toMeals On Wheels, a national food-delivery program that brings meals to people who are unable to purchase or prepare food independently, an effort ASB has contributed to every week for the past 15 years, in addition to a number of national efforts. And according to Borst, it’s something that’s fared well, not only for recipients, but also for ASB’s business. “We can’t ignore the fact that young buyers, in particular, tend to seek (or even require) that the company they partner with has a philosophy to make the world a better place. Doing good and being good is the competitive edge that will keep you relevant and attractive to today’s customers. PPB spoke with Borst to learn more about the company’s philanthropic involvement. PPB How does American Solutions for Business communicate all upcoming and ongoing charitable initiatives to employees? Borst We have many ways our culture and philosophy are communicated. Internally, we publish weekly andmonthly communications including photos, news and relevant updates about what’s happening with our company. It’s all communicated simply in the way we treat each other. We are a competitive company, but we’re not cutthroat—there’s a focus on motivation for collaboration. Much of that stems from the fact that American Solutions for Business is a 100-percent employee-owned company. Therefore, one person’s success translates to success for all. If someone lands a huge customer, we all win, so it’s extremely common for both our home office teams and fellow sales associates to jump in and help each other whenever necessary. Externally, we communicate much of our activismon social media. We primarily use Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. This has caused some great engagement between our home office, sales associates and supplier partners. As an industry, giveback marketing is a huge trend—is it hipster to say that ASB was doing it before it was mainstream? And it’s been exciting to partner with suppliers (and customers) who share our vision, philosophy and practices. Without social media, it’s tough to spot these like- minded people and companies. It's exciting to live in an age where this level of communication and understanding is possible. PPB Can you share with us a particularly impactful moment from one of ASB’s volunteer efforts? Borst Every year, American Solutions for Business employees and salespeople contribute to a gift for our founder and CEO, Larry Zavadil, and his wife Diane, who is the president of American Diversity, our woman-owned sister company. About 20 years ago, an employee had the idea to stop buying Larry tangible gifts and instead to participate in Adopt-A- Family in the Zavadil name, where our company collects money, household goods and holiday gifts for a local family in need. Larry often says that the first time it was presented to him, it brought tears to his eyes, and that every year, it’s one of his favorite things to re-experience. We’ve received many letters over the years from impacted families and they are always incredibly moving. PPB What’s on the horizon for 2020? Borst We’ve recently started to incorporate charitable aspects into the major events we host, particularly our National Sales Conference and Sales Summit. Last year, we hosted a 5K Run/Walk at our national conference to benefit the UnitedWay, and at Summit in August, we made tie blankets and raisedmoney through a raffle to benefit the Gillette Children’s Hospital. In 2020, we plan to increase these efforts and look for additional opportunities to incorporate giveback. In addition to volunteerism in our communities, we’re also focused on finding ways to be more mindful of sustainability. Recently, we’ve been working on a large project to reduce energy use, and “solar polar” will soon be incorporated into our plan. Caring for the environment is perhaps one of the most philanthropic things we can do for our future. Luckily, we have a strong leadership team with the strategic foresight to invest the proper time and resources in ensuring these goals are met. We’re excited to hit the ground running in 2020 to ensure that ASB continues to thrive in its growth, culture and altruism. Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB . SPOTLIGHT ON GOOD WORK Social Good is a new column spotlighting the good work of PPAI member companies toward helping others and the planet. If your company and employees are involved in these kinds of initiatives, let us know for consideration in a future column. Email Danielle Renda at DanielleR@ppai.org . | JANUARY 2020 | 65 GROW