By Brian Horn
With so many charities
out there, it could be a
challenge for Robert Byers Jr. to choose which
ones he and his organization
will help.
So, the president and CEO
of Byers’ Choice Ltd. sticks to
helping those charities directly in the community. He also
listens to the suggestions of
his 140 employees at the manufacturer of handcrafted holiday gifts.
“Where we really see a need
and that we know that we can
have some impact — those are
really the two criteria and, of
course, there is an interest
level, as well,” says Byers,
whose company posted 2007
revenue of about $20 million.
Smart Business spoke with
Byers about how to get your
company involved in the community and how doing so can
help you retain employees.
Q. How can a leader get his
company more involved in the
community?
I’ve found that if you take a
step forward, capable people
taking a step forward to contribute are welcomed with
open arms. I think there’s
room for a lot more involvement from businesses and
other groups within to help
out in the community.
If an individual has an interest in something, if they just
explore it, they’ll find that their
skills will be welcomed and
readily utilized.
Q. How do employees factor
in to what charities you give to?
In the past, we’ve had a committee of employees here who actually review — they both
bring ideas and also review
solicitations that come into the
company directly. So, they’ll
vet which ideas look good or
which ones they feel will have
the most impact, and those
will be ones that we fund.
In the past, they’ve tended to
head particularly to organizations that will help needy
youths. But, also food pantries
and things like that. They are
really open to anything. But it’s
a voluntary committee that
any employee can join and
bring ideas to at any
given time.
