ST. GEORGE — While November marks the traditional start of the season of giving, Matt Hickman, an area manager with Academy Mortgage, got a head start this fall.
Hickman — along with a group of more than 100 loan officers, managers, executives and other company representatives — recently participated in Academy’s service expedition to Amaru, Peru. Each Academy employee was allowed to bring one guest, and Hickman brought his wife, Linzee.
For three days, they lived in a tented community and worked side by side with the local people on projects to enhance the village’s quality of life for many years to come.
This expedition’s projects focused on providing labor and resources to build a much-needed reservoir for the village and a production center for a community of artisan weavers. Academy volunteers also assisted in providing healthcare services for people in need.
“As I experienced the way of life in Peru, I felt so fortunate to belong to a company that gave me this opportunity to create memories with my wife and friends while making a difference in others’ lives,” Hickman said.
The service expedition is Academy’s highest reward for the company’s top-performing managers and loan officers. The biennial program rewards those who do well in the business with an opportunity to do good for a community in need. Loan officers at Academy are driven to achieve qualifying production levels in order to participate in this life-changing experience and “off-the-map” adventure.
“Never have I experienced a more rewarding trip,” Hickman said. “There is no greater reward than to give and serve.”
Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, like the service expedition, can promote both purpose and profit. These types of experiences also often require loan officers and their families to work together in a way that creates a much deeper bond with their peers than they might have formed at a sales conference on the beach.
CSR initiatives can unite an organization, build camaraderie and provide a common cause to get behind.
“This trip to Peru was an unbelievable experience,” Hickman said. “Working for Academy provides so much more than just a pay check or career. The company provides an opportunity to give and serve on a level that you might not be able to do by yourself or get from any other company. I feel fortunate to have helped and served in this magnitude.”
Watch a video of Academy’s service expedition to Peru online. For media inquiries, contact Nicole Green at 801-259-8657.
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