What started more than 20 years ago with 150 employees working in their community rather than in the office for a day has now become an industry-wide effort focused on making the world a better place, one city or town at a time.
Thanks to the backing of the Security Industry Association, Convergint’s annual Social Responsibility Day–celebrated the first Friday of every June since 2002 in honor of that company’s anniversary–has become Security Industry Community Service Day.
The industry-wide effort was created by the SIA Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Board to “rally the entire security industry to give back and make the world a better place,” according to the association announcement. Participants are asked to use the hashtag #SECURITYGIVESBACK.
“This is the day that every colleague at Convergint who’s been here more than a year certainly it looks forward to,” says director of marketing Micah Carlson. “It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year. It’s a great time for us to get out and give back to our communities.”
This year, Convergint will have more than 10,000 employees from its 220 offices around the world participating in community service projects. The shutdown will total more than $3 million in payroll, says Carlson.
“We talk security and integration and technology and stuff all day long, but at the end of the day, we’re 10,000 people who all live and work in in communities and it’s an opportunity for us to give back,” he says.
Why Community Service Day is So Important
Among the projects on which Convergint will work is a return to KC Pet Project in Kansas City. That’s where Zenitel joined them last year and will be back with them this year, says director of marketing Diane Ritchey. Zenitel Americas also run an annual holiday season community service project.
In addition, Zenitel will be part of Convergint’s technology day with other industry partners, talking to students who might be considering a career in security integration but who aren’t sure how to get started–or who may not even know it’s an option for them.
“We really do have a culture of giving back, and that is really pushed by [president] Dan Rothrock,” she says.
“Dan kept saying to me, ‘we’ve got to make this an industry-wide event. It should not just be a Zenitel-Convergint thing. The security industry is so talented and always so giving traditionally. Let’s make this an industry-wide event,'” says Ritchey.
“Sustainability efforts are inclusive of people, planet and profits,” says Amy Musanti, director of sustainable building solutions at ASSA ABLOY, which co-sponsors Security Industry Community Service Day with HID Global, and a member of SIA’s Environmental, Social and Governance Advisory Board.
“It is imperative to dedicate resources to the people portion of sustainability. This annual event gives colleagues around the world an opportunity to collaborate with a cause that is close to their hearts. Members of the security industry are known leaders, as demonstrated by their desire to give back not only on June 7, but year-round,” she says.
Convergint employees in the Denver area will participate in their largest STEP (Secure, Train, Educate, Protect) Up effort with more than 400 people, including from partner companies, and $400,000 in donated equipment and materials aimed at making the school safer in every way.
“We’re not doing it to benefit ourselves,” says Carlson. “We’re doing it because we’d like to see a bigger impact. It’s no secret that our industry has this challenge with talent. It’s difficult to find really good people to hire. That’s not just our industry. I think it’s a lot of industries.
“We want to pull people in who are motivated by this stuff. It aligns so well with our values and beliefs, and it aligns so well with our desire to be our customers’ best service provider, so for us, that’s another avenue is as a way to recruit and bring in top talent. It attracts a certain type of person that you want to have on your team, so that I think that’s a positive thing,” he says.
If you are participating in Security Industry Community Service Day on June 7 or are involved in other service-based initiatives, please contact SSI digital editor Craig MacCormack at [email protected].
Click here to read all the stories in our Security Gives Back series!