Panelists discuss how corporations give back

Wednesday, three corporate representatives and a UA associate professor shared with UA students ways to give back to their community and world.

The second annual Corporate Citizenship Panel was sponsored by the Manderson Graduate School of Business, Net Impact, Randall-Reilly Publishing and the UA Community Center. The panel included Scott Allshouse of Whole Foods Market, Stephen Berry of GE Transmission and Distribution, Randall Fields of M & F Bank of Alabama and Phillip Johson, a UA associate professor and co-founder of Engineers Without Borders.

"The corporate panel gave students an opportunity to realize that it doesn't matter what their expertise is as a student. They can take that into the community, and not only improve the company that they work for, but use those skills and talents to improve the community," said Valerie Phillips, director of the Community Service Center.

Panelists discussed ways to give back to the community, ranging from large-scale disaster relief, such as relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina and tsunamis, to local community projects. Because his company is a local one, Fields said, he focused on ways to improve communities in close proximity to a corporation.

"You have to check your ego at the door when go into an organization to help someone," Fields said. "We have the distinct advantage of being able to touch lives because the people we hire come from the area that they work in."

Fields also said they help the community by refusing to participate in sub-prime lending, which some experts say has contributed to the recent crisis in housing markets.

Berry said one practical way GE promotes community service is providing flexible work hours for their employees, which allows them to participate more in community activities.

GE also sends representatives to primary and secondary education institutes to help children understand math and science and how they can be applied.

Berry said GE distinctly focuses on giving back through disaster relief, healthcare and education.

During Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, Allshouse said, Whole Foods helped feed volunteers with thousands of pounds of gumbo.

Johnson gave an example of UA students giving back by citing Engineers Without Borders' plans to build a bridge in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

"There are poor and isolated villages there. They have trouble getting in and out, and there are heavy tides and flooding," Johnson said. The project will require around $10,000, and EWB is in the fundraising process.

Johnson said the discussion with the three corporate representatives was about much more than self-promotion.

"I think that you can do helpful things that are also self-serving," Johnson said. "Everybody's a winner. If one of these companies benefits, it doesn't change the fact that they're doing good."

Phillips said the companies readily admit that a profit is their goal, but they also help communities in the process.

"I do think that the balance was there in saying, 'This is what we're about. However, we are aware of the community. We are aware that there are so many people we can serve, and can serve better because of the amount of resources that they have,'" Phillips said.

All panelists agreed community responsibility should not be an afterthought nor a way to mend negative public perception.

"A lot of times I ask, 'Should we do this anyway, whether or not it makes us a better corporation?'" Fields said. "The answer has to be, 'Yes,' every time."