Corporate values, community impact
At Van Meter, Inc., corporate giving is not only considered a responsibility—it’s woven into the company’s very fabric. “It really is part of who we are as a company,” said Tim McClimon, vice president of supplier relations and sales support at Van Meter, a wholesale distributor of electrical and mechanical products.
As the first corporate charitable fund opened at the Quad Cities Community Foundation, the Van Meter Industrial Foundation Fund celebrates 15 years of generosity this year. To date, the fund has distributed more than $600,000 in grants.
“Van Meter is a shining example of what happens when generosity is taught, reinforced, and walked out at the corporate level,” said Sherry Ristau, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “It is an honor to support them as they purposefully invest in their employees and their philanthropic interests—and, in turn, the people living in those communities they support.”
Headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but with more than two dozen locations across the Midwest, the company is built on five pillars: people, partners, progress, place, and profit. “We firmly believe that if we take care of the first four, and really partner with people where they live and work, the last one will take care of itself,” McClimon said. “Our 500 employee-owners are really grounded in those pillars.”
For McClimon, the reach of the fund is exciting. “The number of grants is astounding. But really for us, it’s not about that dollar amount but the amazing impact that number has on the lives in these communities.”
Company charitable giving committees help them live those values. Each of the company’s three geographic areas hosts a committee of employees who listen to the charitable desires of their colleagues and decide where the company’s giving will go each year.
Recent grantees include Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley, the Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities, Humility Homes and Services, River Bend Food Bank, and ImpactLife (formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center).
Van Meter also encourages employees to give of their time, providing up to 16 hours of paid leave each year for volunteering. According to McClimon, the company will often go on to fund the projects employees gravitate toward. “When you can see the impact on the organizations, it’s one thing. But when you see the people in the community that these dollars and hours directly impact, it’s so exciting.”
The Community Foundation has been a vital partner in upholding the company’s philanthropic values, McClimon added. “They are a great resource for us because they not only help us stay organized and do the administrative work of granting the dollars—they also keep us in tune with what’s going on in the community.”
Looking ahead, the company has no plans to slow its giving. “It’s important to us that we are giving and supporting everywhere that we have a presence,” McClimon said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re new to a community or if we’ve been there 95 years—we’re going to support the needs there.”
To learn how your business can establish a fund to conduct your philanthropy in the best possible way, contact Anne Calder, vice president of development, at 563/326-2840 or AnneCalder@QCCommunityFoundation.org.