If you stop by Skoda Minotti’s office on a Monday, you might notice a few people are missing. The empty chairs are not because the people had a rough weekend or are sick, but because they are out delivering food as part of the Hillcrest Meals on Wheels program.
On a company level, the financial advisory firm is one of only six partners for the program that delivers food to people in need. An employee pitched the idea to the firm’s leadership, including Chairman Gregory J. Skoda and President Michael Minotti, six years ago, and every Thursday since then, two employees have completed one of the routes for that day. Participants range from senior management through administrative staff, and the program proved so popular that another route was added on Mondays that allowed for another 20 employees to deliver on the promise to the community.
This commitment to the community is just one way that Skoda Minotti helps those in need. The firm believes in delivering on promises to the people it serves, which includes customers and community members. Everyone at the firm believes that when a promise is made, it should not be taken lightly. The majority of employees serve on a nonprofit board or volunteer for at least one organization and many serve multiple charities in different ways. All told, employees volunteered 2,327 workday hours between July 2009 and June 2010. That translates into more than $465,000 worth of employee time spent supporting the community.
The type of charity supported by the firm’s employees is wide-reaching. The firm participates in Done-In-A-Day projects through Business Volunteers Unlimited and has helped organizations like Eliza Bryant Village, New Avenues to Independence, Santa’s Hide-A-Way Hollow, Berea Children’s Home, Cleveland Sight Center and Hattie Larlham.
Senior managers at Skoda Minotti have taught sessions on financial awareness and responsibilities to individuals in the not-for-profit sector and offered advice to nonprofits through the Nonprofit Update, a quarterly e-newsletter, blog posts and articles.
The firm participated in the Cleveland Corporate Challenge the last four years, and its first-place finish this year resulted in a $500 donation to Up Side of Downs, an organization providing support, education and advocacy for people with Down syndrome and their families.
How to reach: Skoda Minotti, (440) 449-6800 or www.skodaminotti.com
