Commercial Integrator July 2021 - 54

CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY
Community
Connected to the
Shure Proud of Company's 95-Year Legacy
of Community Involvement
Company founded in 1925 has long, rich history of philanthropy that it wants to celebrate and talk
about more publicly as it nears a century in business. by D. Craig MacCormack
PHILANTHROPY IS NOTHING NEW for
Shure. In fact, it dates back through most
of the company's 95-year history, but you
might not have known much about it because
company officials were often hesitant
to talk about it out of fear it would come off
as too self-promotional.
As the company nears 100 years old, it's
established a Global Day of Service, which
gives the worldwide company's 1,300-plus
employees a paid day off to engage in a
charitable initiative if their cities or towns,
says Jim Schanz, VP for global sales of integrated
systems at Shure.
He believes Shure's decision to be more
upfront about its philanthropy is long
overdue and he's proud to talk about all the
good thing the company's employees are
doing and continue to do, One of the most
recent efforts was a charity golf tournament
in February to benefit the MaxLove Project.
MaxLove supports children with cancer
and other life-threatening illnesses and
Shure's charity tournament attracted more
than 100 participants for a day of fun on the
links that also featured a closer look at MaxLove's
programs, says Schanz. And, oh yeah,
they raised thousands of dollars for the cause.
" One of our core values is Shure is a
good corporate citizen, neighbor and
employer, " says Schanz.
Shure has had a matching grant program
for any employee donations to several
worldwide organizations, including the
United Way and American Red Cross, every
October since 1940. The company also donates
annual to Grammy Camp, VH1 Save
the Music and the Teen Innovation Summit
Employees are involved with the annual
Special Olympics plane pull at O'Hare
Airport, Chase Corporate Challenge,
Chicago Children's Choir, AVIXA Education
Foundation events, fall park cleanup as well
as holiday toy and food drives.
This year's toy drive generated enough
toys to help an entire class at a Chicago
54
Commercial Integrator JULY 2021
Shure employees participate in all sorts
of activities to raise money for charity.
school, says Schanz, meaning Santa Claus
and his elves left everyone with smiles on
their faces when they made their delivery.
In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak,
Shure recently gave thousands of masks
to a local hospital and gave listening
equipment for local schools to help them
with distance learning. The company is
also working with Direct Relief to donate
personal protective equipment to health
care workers.
" It's amazing to see the giving spirit of
our employees, " says Schanz. " We're so
proud to be supporting our communities
worldwide. It really speaks to our company's
leadership and what's important.
" It's fairly unique in our world to have so
many avenues to give back to our communities
- and our reach continues to expand.
Our employees around the world continue
have the same giving spirit as Mr. and Mrs.
Shure. It's not just about writing a check.
It's important to be out in the community, "
he says.
Schanz is glad Shure's philanthropic slant
is as strong as it was when the company
started - and he's proud to let people
know about it.
" I think it's endured because it was part
of the DNA of the company when it was
originally set up in 1925, " he says. " We realize
how important it is to give back to the
community you're a part of, whether it's your
physical community or the AV community.
" We know it's absolutely imperative for
those who are more fortunate than others
and who have some ability to provide assistance
and charity to do so. We firmly believe
in that and would hope other companies do
similar types of things, " says Schanz.
If you know about an AV or
IT company doing something
good, email editorial director
Jonathan Blackwood at jonathan.
blackwood@emeraldx.com.
commercialintegrator.com

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Commercial Integrator July 2021

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