Big hearts

In 2004, the 55-employee accounting firm of Bober, Markey, Fedorovich & Co. raised 45,960 pound of food for the Akron/Canton Regional Foodbank.

That’s an average of 958 pounds of food per person. The contribution was so large that only a company with 2,500 employees beat it for overall contributions.

The Harvest for Hunger drive is just one of many community organizations that the firm helps. Employees serve on more than 90 local boards, have raised more than $31,000 for United Way, donate time to assist local charities, participated in the Akron Public Schools Read-To-Me Day and bought and wrapped gifts for needy kids at Christmas time, just to name a few.

Employees are encouraged to pursue whatever involvement with the community they like.

“We do not put a strong arm on the employees,” says Richard Fedorovich, managing partner of the firm. “We’ve always said that what the firm would do is support the individual in any way we can if they want to get involved. It’s never a matter of we need a person for a particular board, and they need to be on it. That’s exactly the wrong approach.

“We’ve always believed that getting involved in the community is the responsibility of the individual, and needs to be done for the right reason, which is to help whatever cause you are involved in. You shouldn’t do it to tidy up your own resume or to put yourself in a position to get business.”

Fedorovich says the firm tries to create a nurturing environment that makes people feel good about helping out in the community. Involvement comes from every level of the organization and across all age groups. Some people commit to helping out a specific charity, while others focus on umbrella organizations like the United Way.

“We provide them with the time to do it, and in a number of cases, we have provided other resources, including advertising or contributions,” says Fedorovich. “I think by allowing people to select what they want to participate in, it helps the enthusiasm and helps them take ownership.

“If someone has an idea of what they would like to do, with the leaders here at the firm, we have enough relationships and contacts to get them started in their charitable endeavor.” How to reach: Bober, Markey, Fedorovich & Co., (330) 762-9785