Philanthropic Spirit Award
Fluor
Good Sports Fluor employees take to the hot seat for a great cause / by Steven Tingle
U
pon first meeting Annette Allen, vice-president of sales, marketing, and strategy for Fluor’s industrial services business line, it’s hard to imagine her in a dunk tank, or for that matter dunking her. “Oh, I’ve been in the dunk tank six years in a row now,” she says, referring to one of Fluor’s events to raise awareness to its wildly successful annual United Way Campaign. “It’s a good, fun way to raise money.” When it comes to giving back to the Greenville community, Fluor excels at raising money. Just the annual charity golf event Golf for Greenville has raised more than $2.5 million since its inception in 1990, benefiting such local charities as The Family Effect, Safe Harbor, Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network, and the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, among others. Fluor is also committed to helping build homes in the community through monetary donations and also a fair amount of elbow grease with Habitat for Humanity and Homes “It’s hard to think of Hope. A sign in the lobby of Fluor’s executive offices currently of the success of reminds the staff that “framers” are needed for the most recent Greenville and our Homes of Hope build. “We provide a conduit for employees to give back on their wonderful Upstate own, both from a monetary standpoint and also from a servitude region without standpoint,” says Allen. “Greenville is a very charitable and a very giving community, and our people are no different.” Nowhere is considering the this more evident than in Fluor’s commitment to the United Way. depth of generosity “United Way is our primary organization that we support from a and leadership global level,” says Allen. “Specifically, here in Greenville, I think it takes on even a more personal meaning to our employees because that Fluor and of the history of Fluor and of Daniel in Greenville.” Fluor matches its dedicated 50 percent of its employees’ donations, and even during a sputtering economy, the company and its 2,200 Greenville employees have employees provide.” continued to raise the bar and then jump over it. “2008 was the first year we exceeded one million dollars including total employee —Mike Wilson, District donations and company match,” says Allen. “And last year our Manager, Government total was $1,656,000.” This year’s campaign has just ended and the and Community numbers are still being tallied, but Allen hints that they’ve already Relations, Duke Energy surpassed last year’s goal. South Carolina “This is really a meaningful recognition for the Fluor Corporation and more specifically for Fluor in Greenville,” says Allen. “Our employees do take a lot of pride in our community and giving back to the community. And to be honored with a recognition of this caliber is very special and very meaningful to us.” THE PHILANTHROPIC SPIRIT AWARD, SPONSORED BY DUKE ENERGY, HONORS A BUSINESS THAT FOSTERS CHARITABLE GIVING THROUGH EMPLOYEE-INCENTIVE PROGRAMS AND IS DEDICATED TO GIVING BACK TO THE UPSTATE IN A SIGNIFICANT MANNER.
88 TOWN / towncarolina.com