Build teams through volunteering

Back in 1999, when YardApes was a small company, the seven or eight employees would get together about once a month to go golfing and let off some steam. “We used to call it the Hack Fest because some people could barely swing a club or hit the ball, so we’d just go have fun and then have a cookout afterward,” says Shayne Newman, founder and owner.

Then, an employee suggested turning the Hack Fest into a charity event, and after two or three years of talking about it, Newman decided to just go for it. Now in its 13th year, the annual YardApes Quad AM Golf Classic is a huge success, benefitting nonprofits in Connecticut to the tune of $43,500 since 2006. “We’ve had a lot to learn but we’ve been really successful,” he says.

And that’s just one of many projects YardApes employees take part in. Newman is a big believer in the idea that if you do good things, good things will come back around. But once the company started giving back, he realized how much recognition the company would get from the community and the landscaping industry. Not to mention the team-building aspect of volunteerism.

“The one thing we didn’t realize is what a team-building opportunity it is,” he says, adding that employees are not paid for their service time. “That was a big part of the concept for me because I wanted people to really know what it feels like to give back and to feel good when somebody appreciates what they did volunteering their time.”

And it really works. About 75 percent of employees sign up for volunteer events every month, including the annual golf outing.

Read more in our August issue here.