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Posted by William Neuburger

On the Road from Greed to Giving

July 18, 2023

Our firm’s culture has included an aspect of social responsibility since Dave Hallam started in 1981 and the successor leaders and staff have expanded it. When I joined in 2010, it was a foreign idea to me that a firm would donate company money and pay employees to do volunteer work. I came from a bankrupt publicly held company and a small closely held firm. Neither of those businesses had a social mission, they would scoff at the idea of a company investing time or money in non-business causes.

Hallam-ICS has a “giving tree” fund for small cash grants, we have annual community service awards for local organizations and we have an annual service day where we volunteer in our community; last year I built a shed at a transitional living center.2017 Community Service Day See our company social mission webpage for more details. I have grown into the concept of our firm’s social mission. We do not operate Hallam-ICS strictly for our own profit. The spirit of volunteerism here aligns with what I learned from my parents, my years in the Boy Scouts through Eagle Scout and my family’s community activities.

At the Unitarian Church of Montpelier (Vermont), we regularly sing a hymn by Sally Rogers, “Love Will Guide Us.” I like this hymn for the tune, the simplicity (singing is not my talent) and the message. The lyric, “from greed to giving” strikes me every time we sing it. Hallam-ICS has always been on this road, this is a road I gladly travel.

Pastor Ray told something similar on a late-night drive in 1996. While my spouse snoozed, I drove through an unpopulated area of New York state and the only station the car’s radio could find was a religious station. Remember, in 1996 there were no MP3s, no podcasts, no satellite radio and my car only had a tape deck (I had no tapes). Pastor Ray was on the air. He introduced the idea of the Ministry of Talents.Talents He explained each of us has a talent, skill or ability. We each owe this talent to each other. Our talent at Hallam-ICS is engineering, with our clients, we exchange our talent for remuneration. Our clients and our firm profit from this exchange. We share our profits with our colleagues and give back to our community.

Dave Hallam and his successors probably never listened to Pastor Ray late at night or sang Sally Rogers songs, but we continue on the road, we participate in the Ministry of Talents.

Links:

Lyrics: http://sallyrogers.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Love-Will-GUide-US-lead.pdf

YouTube performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LUjDgGnHb4  

More blogs by William Neuburger

About the Author

Bill has been a mechanical engineer since 1995 and with Hallam-ICS since 2010. His career has brought him to the top of the Transamerica Pyramid Center, chemical plants, underground mines, paper mills, and semiconductor fabrication facilities. He has experience designing, specifying and installing mechanical and electrical systems in the built environment covering industrial, institutional and commercial facilities.

Read  My Hallam Story  

About Hallam-ICS

Hallam-ICS is an engineering and automation company that designs MEP systems for facilities and plants, engineers control and automation solutions, and ensures safety and regulatory compliance through arc flash studies, commissioning, and validation. Our offices are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Vermont and North Carolina and our projects take us world-wide.

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Topics: Social Mission

William Neuburger

By William Neuburger July 18, 2023

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