Messer Construction Co


CVS Samaritan Award
At Messer Construction Co., employees believe that giving back to local organizations will help create vibrant communities, and those vibrant communities will benefit everyone.
The philosophy of the construction company is that corporate citizenship isn’t necessarily based on the amount of money people give but more about personal engagement. When people get engaged, it changes them and they can change the lives of people affected by the organizations that they help. Because of this, Messer is committed to supporting organizations where employees personally choose to invest their personal resources, leadership, energy and time.
While it’s not about money, employees certainly still know how to open their wallets to help others. Last year, Messer employees invested more than $575,000 in a variety of community organizations in the greater Cincinnati area through sponsorships, employee participation in events, senior manager matching donations and in-kind donations.
Under the leadership of President and CEO Thomas M. Keckeis, employees were able to attain 112 percent of the goal for Cincinnati in the 2010 United Way campaign, and on top of that, they increased 16 percent over their 2009 pledges.
In addition to the amazing involvement by Messer employees, the company is also dedicated to making sure other organizations are their strongest so they, too, can help people in the community. To accomplish this, in 2005, The Messer Foundation was established because company leaders saw a need for these major financial gifts to grow the capacity of these local organizations. Employees sponsor organizations they support and jointly sign the grant application. Organizations can apply for a grant, and considerations for grants are given to organizations that have a high level of employees involved with their efforts. Another consideration in the grants is that they benefit communities where company employees live and work. Since its creation, the Messer Foundation has awarded $450,000 in total grant money — through individual $25,000 increments — across all of its regions. Within the Cincinnati area, three organizations have been the recipients of one of these grants — the Woodward Career Technical High School in 2006, The “Rosie’s Girls” program of the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati in 2008 and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation in 2009.
The efforts of Messer employees are making the greater Cincinnati area a stronger community, and they hope their efforts help eliminate poverty and give Cincinnati a brighter future.
How to reach: Messer Construction Co., (513) 242-1541 or www.messer.com