Kettering firm encourages employees to make an impact

Heapy Engineering is an internationally known engineering firm located in Kettering. Started in 1945 by Marvin Heapy, the company has grown to include 180 employees with more than 75 graduate engineers providing services throughout the United States and overseas.

Equally impressive, however, is the company’s commitment to its employees and to giving back to the communities in which it does business. In addition to encouraging employee volunteerism, Heapy supports nonprofit organizations it’s connected to, both personally and professionally, by awarding grants through its Dayton Foundation donor-advised fund.

Rick Pavlak, president of Heapy Engineering since 2005, recently talked to us about the company’s philosophy of making a difference in the community.

Q: What inspires you about the Greater Dayton community?

Dayton is the headquarters for our business. A majority of us were born and raised in the Greater Dayton area and have chosen to stay and raise our families here. We like the Midwestern values of charity, community, faith and hard work.

Q: In addition to its charitable giving funds, Heapy Engineering is very involved in community volunteering. What drives your employees to give both time and dollars to charity?

We have a set of values that we strive to live by as professionals and individuals. This is very important to us in maintaining the type of corporate culture that we want. We feel it’s a leadership obligation to help our employees find opportunities to give that fit with their values and talent.

Q: What are the benefits of encouraging your employees to help in the community?

Engagement in the community helps develop a sense of place. It helps the employee feel he or she is part of a community and can make a difference. We pride ourselves on the longevity of tenures our employees have with the company. If they feel like they belong to the community and are contributing to the community’s success, it is a win-win for us.

Q: How did you first learn about The Dayton Foundation?

We had been aware of The Dayton Foundation for years, as most of us grew up in the Dayton area. It wasn’t until we began looking for a better way to manage our charitable giving funds that we investigated what The Dayton Foundation was all about. Networking with other executives in the area, we were encouraged to look at the Foundation as a vehicle to manage our efforts.

Q: Is there a particular instance of Heapy Engineering’s giving or volunteerism which you feel has made the most impact on Greater Dayton?

Since setting up the Heapy Engineering Charitable Endowment Fund with The Dayton Foundation, we have been able to grow the fund and make significant financial contributions over the past several years that we feel makes a real impact on the health and welfare of the community. Also, for our 60th anniversary, we were the primary sponsor and volunteers for building a new home through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton.

Q: Through your Dayton Foundation fund you promote giving to your employees. How do you involve employees in giving through your fund?

There are several ways we encourage involvement with the fund. First, the company ownership has an ongoing commitment to contribute financially to the Heapy fund. Second, there usually is an interactive activity or fundraising piece for the employees. For instance, “Casual for a Cause” days are suggested by employees. For a $5 contribution to the fund, employees can dress like it’s a Saturday morning, or maybe it’s a sports-themed day where everyone wears their favorite jersey. Money raised by employee activities also is decided by employees as far as which nonprofit organization will receive a grant from the fund. We also have a corporate giving strategy that supports organizations, such as the Foodbank. Finally, we distribute a report at the end of the year to the employees about how money from the fund was spent.

Q: What advice can you share about giving to the community?

Get started. There is no lack of opportunities to help the community. Any effort to help can raise the spirit of your company’s employees and make a difference in people’s lives. Your corporate culture isn’t built overnight, and the leaders of the company set the culture.

Q: How does The Dayton Foundation help you help others?

The Dayton Foundation makes the fund management painless. Their taking on this burden allows us to focus on the charitable giving and activities. This has been great for us.

Q: How would you complete this sentence, “My giving makes me feel_______”?

Blessed.

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