We have had a very inspiring couple of weeks here at HoldTight Solutions reading over all of the submissions to our Contractor Community Champion (C3) awards, which we co-sponsored with the good folks at PaintSquare in conjunction with their one-of-a-kind online industry event, PaintSquare Connect. (Note you can still watch all of the content from it for free here)
It is great to know that we work in an industry filled with people who care about serving those in need in their local – and not so local – communities.
This year’s inaugural awards were dedicated to showcasing winners who had contributed to their communities during the difficult times brought on by YOU-KNOW-WHO-19.
We had awards for 3 winners this year. Besides the fuzzy feeling of being honored for doing a good deed, winners also receive $2500 for a charity of their choice. We were so inspired that we kicked in an honorable mention as well, who will be receiving $1000.
Here are our 3 winners, in no particular order, plus the honorable mention:
Alpine Painting and Sandblasting
in Paterson, NJ.
Alpine is a second generation family owned and operated business. They have been around for over 40 years. Brothers Sam, Dave, and Ben Scaturro now run the company started by their father Ben and their uncle Steve.
From a small partnership they have grown to employ close to 200 people annually. Now they do industrial and commercial blasting and painting, flooring and shop coating over a wide range of territory in the mid-Atlantic northeast.
We are honoring them because in these difficult times when budgets and staffing have been cut, when projects have been held up, they are turning their energies towards helping out the needy in their local community.
Alpine is partnering with their local Community Outreach Services center to donate more than 150 families in need this Thanksgiving.
And we can imagine that there are a lot of people in a lot of need this fall.
So, thank you to Alpine and congratulations! They will be contributing their donation funds to their local Community Outreach center that they have been partnering with to deliver these meals.
Strand’s Industrial Coatings
in Marshalltown, IA.
Strand’s sells and consults on industrial paint applications as well as flooring. It’s another family business, founded 3 generations ago by the grandfather of Carter Strand, the company’s current president.
Building on their success locally and nationally, Strand’s decided to share of what they have with those in need and founded an orphanage in the Central African Republic called Jonathan’s House. Carter Strand is actually the international director at Jonathan’s house.
Jonathan’s house is both an orphanage and a school, and also has a medical clinic attached to it. It also hosts a school lunch program that feeds 425 children every day.
The Central African Republic has been hit very hard by COVID and you can read more about that and the orphanage’s efforts to deal with the situation here.
During the crisis, schools have been shut down by the government, including that at Jonathan’s House. But the organization has continued to pay all of its staff, nearly half of which are unable to work in the current circumstances. They have also kept their clinic open to serve the needs of the community.
We are proud to award Strand’s Industrial for continuing to support Jonathan’s House both morally and financially in these difficult times. They intend to use the charity donation to continue to support the mission of Jonathan’s House.
Hester Painting and Decorating
in Chicago.
Hester is yet another family business (seems like a pattern!) Founded more than 50 years ago and now stretching across 3 generations.
Hester serves the Chicagoland area in a variety of markets, both residential and commercial.
In the early months of the novel Coronavirus, Hester Painting & Decorating parternered up with their local Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore stores and Gino’s East Chicago pizza company to help out their community. It was called “Helping Out Health Care Heroes”.
Together they raised more than $14,500 in donations and company matching contributions and provided 1225 meals to front line workers in local hospitals in the month of May.
As we know at the height of the crisis so many of these workers were working around the clock.
The company’s president, Steve, together with his wife Heather, head of Marketing, were present personally to deliver these goods on site.
We are proud to award Hester Painting and Decorating as our third winners of the C3 awards, for stepping up in the heat of the moment to support first responders.
Honorable Mention:
The Warehouse Rentals and Supplies
in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
When the COVID crisis hit, they happened to have a large amount of N95 masks on stock.
Who said having extra PPE around wasn’t useful? (Ok, maybe nobody)
They decided to donate their entire stock to local police, fire departments, hospitals, and first responders.
They also decided to make several thousand fabric masks and distribute them freely in their local community.
We just loved to see this and wanted to single out the guys at The Warehouse as well for doing a great deed in your local community.