I heard Colin Powell once say the problem with giving back is that it involves a certain amount of giving up. That said, what is our responsibility as a company when it comes to giving back? What time commitments should any company require of its employees around community giving? What should small business owners give of their time and money so that we collectively make a difference?
If you have the time, I invite you to the California Caster facility in San Francisco to meet Hay Jue, one of my very favorite employees of all time.
I was first introduced to Hay by Terry Goodwin from The ARC San Francisco, a non-profit organization that advocates for individuals with learning and developmental disabilities. Terry’s introduction to Hay has significantly changed my life and as greatly impacted all the employees at California Caster and Hand Trucks. Hay works very hard cleaning all the casters, hand trucks, wheels and levelers prior to shipping. He is very serious about his job, shows up to work on time every day and most importantly, he makes all of us appreciate how lucky we are to have our health.
While Uncle Sam keeps taking more and more in taxes from small businesses, the importance of giving back to local community has never been important. We have received so much more by working with Hay than we have invested in hiring him. He makes us all laugh and in some small way requires all the employees to take serious stock in the good things they have in life – and not focus on what they’re missing. That makes Hay Jue our most valuable employee.
Greg Williams, President
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, than just feed one.”
Unknown