The Joseph Groh Foundation
0:01
Trades, Joseph Grove Foundation
11:54
Foundation Grant Support in Trades
16:47
Luminary Giving and Foundation Support
Tanya Strittmatter, a passionate advocate for the trades, shares her inspiring journey and the profound sense of community that binds the industry. Listen to Tanya as she recounts how her husband's legacy as a second-generation business owner shaped her path and fueled her mission to learn from past mistakes for collective success. We explore the role of organizations like Service Nation in fostering collaboration among contractors and celebrate the heartwarming support extended to Joseph Grove by the Joseph Groh Foundation after his life-altering accident. This episode is a testament to the trades industry's spirit of solidarity and generosity.
Discover how the Joseph Groh Foundation makes a tangible impact by providing grants to those in the home service industry facing disabilities or life-changing injuries. Learn about the foundation's simple, yet effective application process and the incredible work done by volunteers across 37 states. Tanya sheds light on the concept of luminary giving and the myriad ways business owners can weave charitable activities into their company culture, from participating in golf tournaments to making tax-deductible donations. Join us as we inspire listeners to engage with the foundation's mission and create meaningful community connections.
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Speaker 1: 0:01
What's up, lemonheads?
Speaker 1: 0:02
Welcome to another episode of From the Yellow Chair. For those of you that are listening today, I'm really excited to have our guest with us as we talk a little bit about giving back to the trades, how the trades sticks together like a family and one of one of the most awesome organizations that Lemon Seed is lucky to be a part of and I know that this lady on this call with us today is feels lucky to be a part of, and I know that this lady on this call with us today feels lucky to be a part of as well. So sit back, listen up as we talk about how impactful the trades industry really is. So let's sip some lemonade, all right, tanya stridmatter, friend, I know you are the life of the party. Every time I go to it like I'm looking for you and joe to see what kind of craziness we can get into, especially if I have lapita, the sales assistant, with us yeah, that's where trouble always comes is when, when we all get into especially if I have Lupita, the sales assistant with us.
Speaker 1: 1:10
Yeah, that's where trouble always comes, is when we all get together.
Speaker 2: 1:12
Absolutely, absolutely. We work hard to play hard.
Speaker 1: 1:14
Well, that's right. That's right. Well, one of the things I always start off with and I know that we're going to talk today about the Joseph Crow Foundation and things like that but I always like to ask everyone on the podcast hey, tonya, tell me something about why people should listen to what you have to say. I know you come from the trade, so I wanted to hear a little backstory about you.
Speaker 2: 1:35
As far as why they should listen, or a backstory, because there's, I mean.
Speaker 1: 1:39
Both, both. I think they should know how deep you are in the industry.
Speaker 2: 1:44
Yes, no, I've not grown up in the trades, but my husband grew up in the trades. He's a second generation business owner, so I was alongside him for a good part of that time before I decided to join him. I feel like the whole point of us learning how to do anything is one to be able to do something good for ourselves, but then to be able to give back and teach what we've learned to other people. We definitely did everything the wrong way the first time. Help someone to maybe not have to go through all of that hardship to be able to find something that we've found out that it worked for us, then that's what we want to do.
Speaker 2: 2:32
We want to be able to, not only about a technician standpoint, to be able to grow our technicians, but then with other business owners, even people that were within our same market, then you know, if we align ourselves together, then the customers have an expectation of. It's not one we're not. We're not competing against each other on the, the, look, the feel, the words, the, whatever we start to. You know, look the same, sound the same, where it's building an expectation for our customers too. I mean, obviously none of us are here without that. So if we're able to help build up other people and be able to align together within our industry, then it's like the sky's the limit for everyone.
Speaker 1: 3:18
Oh, I love that. Yeah, and you know I will say this. You know I am a trade baby. You know like I was born into this industry and things like that. And you know I am a trade baby, you know I was born into this industry and things like that. And you know I give a lot of credit to organizations like Service Nation and things like that that really have been like this centralizing hub for contractors to come together, visit with like minded people, people that are struggling with the same things and trying to overcome the same things, but also just the exposure that you get from being a part of those groups to things like the Joseph Grove Foundation and how it encourages you to be a part of it.
Speaker 1: 3:50
And I know I mean I feel like I speak the same for you. I've actually seen the work that Joseph Grove Foundation has done. They tend to highlight, like a lot of their stories where you actually see your dollars being put to work, and so it's one of Lemon Seed's favorite organizations we give every year that we have our conference, we give a donation to Joseph Crow because it's important that we support the industry and we support organizations that are such a big part of the trades for sure. So I know that you bring a lot to the table here. I think you're a great addition as a board member. So why don't you tell us a little bit what is the mission of the Joseph Grove Foundation? Just tell us a little bit about the foundation as a whole.
Speaker 2: 4:33
Okay, well, let's start with how everything got started. So Joseph Grove, he was born in the trades. He's well, he was the third generation in the trades his son now and daughter both in the trades, and they're grazing the third generation in the trades his son now and daughter both in the trades, and they're grazing the fifth generation in the trades. They were on the vendor side of things, so they were in like on the manufacturing side with equipment dealers. And 2008, it was Father's Day and Joe went out for just a regular bike ride just afternoon. Just, you know, get out of the house, do whatever. Out for just a regular bike ride just afternoon. Just you know, get out of the house, do whatever.
Speaker 2: 5:06
Hit a rock, went over the handlebars and ended up being paralyzed from his C7 vertebrae down, so pretty much from his, from his shoulders down he was paralyzed, so freak accident. You know just something that you know. I mean just regular day, and then this is what happens. So he had his community of people within the trades. You know his customers and people that he worked with as far as contractors, but then the rest of his community that he worked with, they all kind of poured into him to be able to help get him accessible within his home and make things comfortable for him.
Speaker 2: 5:44
And he had this you know kind of group around him where it was the thought of like, wow, this probably happens all the time. You know, people aren't prepared, they're not prepared for an injury or something that ends up having such an impact on just your day-to-day life. And that was kind of his you know his kind of key moment of aha, wow, this could be something that we could do Again, always being a part of the trades, then it was always about this family connection and how we take care of each other. And so, end of 2009, 2010, then he started the foundation. So it is a 501c3 charitable foundation.
Speaker 2: 6:29
And the main mission for us is education to people that have either been through a disability or that have been disabled, for them and for their caregivers. So just resources of information of what is what does it look like now and what are some key things that are important for your day-to-day, just just health-wise. If you end up not being able to be mobile on your own and you know you spend a lot of time, you know, probably laying in a bed or in a chair or whatever the case is then things that things that are important for you to do just for your own health, but then financial assistance to be able to help make things better for them. So majority of the grants that we give are bathroom remodels, ramps to be able to make their home accessible, vehicle retrofitting to be able to get them where they can get out of the house and, you know, have that independence. But then there's also even automating your house. You know, right now, I mean, technology is such a major part of everything.
Speaker 2: 7:41
So being able you know, control lights with your phone, your thermostat from your phone, being able to have things that you know that make it where you still feel like you have control over certain things If you can't just get up and and walk over to take care of it. And then the other major part is we partner with some vendors on being able to provide short-term and long-term disability. If business owners are not providing that to their technicians, then we work with some people that we can connect people with to have that as a resource, because what Joe Grow always says is that people are more prepared to die than they are to have a disability.
Speaker 1: 8:22
And oh yeah, that's true yeah, you know, like so many people like you don't think about it.
Speaker 1: 8:28
So, like my husband even has like a walking um disability I hate to use that word at this moment but but still, like his ability to navigate like uneven, even like uneven, uh, like gradient in the ground or stepping over things or anything like that, like he, he just doesn't have that and it, it, it, it really will change like just your ability to live life, what you would think would be normal, and so I completely understand like this is devastating to people that work with their hands, with their legs, they get up and down ladders, in and out of trucks and and push and pull all day long.
Speaker 1: 9:03
And so you know that statement's very true, like they're probably much more prepared to die than they are to live in that altered state. And you know, I've seen, I've seen a few of the stories as a board member. So right now you sit as a board member for him on his organization, correct? Yes, ma'am? Okay, what are some of the like impactful stories? Like do you have some specific examples of a few times that you guys have done a specific project for a recipient?
Speaker 2: 9:30
Well, I actually have a letter that I would love to share from a recipient that went through as a car accident, and this is what he sent back to us after we were able to help him with a bathroom remodel. He said Dear Joseph Grove Foundation, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your incredible support. The bathroom remodel has been nothing short of a miracle for me, even amidst the challenges we faced with the contractor. That's a side note, we'll get into later.
Speaker 2: 10:02
After my accident, I struggled to accept my new reality. I hesitated to make any changes that would remind me of my disability, which only made life harder for my girlfriend, my devoted caretaker. But thanks to your foundation, I have found a renewed hope and an outlook on life. Being able to take a shower when I want to care for myself in simple yet profound ways has opened my eyes to what truly matters. I realize now that adapting my home doesn't signify weakness. It's a path to reclaiming my independence and dignity. You've given me more than just physical accessibility. You've given me my life back. I will forever be grateful for the light you've brought into my world.
Speaker 1: 10:41
Oh gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. So it gets me, yeah. Well, you know, so many of us are so blessed and so lucky to not be faced with those challenges. But, you know, at the end of the day, I think it's really important that we acknowledge that the Joseph Grove Foundation is doing good things. Our industry, home service industry people are doing really good things. People are doing really good things.
Speaker 1: 11:09
You know, we're here to talk about the importance of keeping your inner circle. Keeping, you know, not being afraid to share content, like, oh, if I share or if I get too close to people in the industry, they might take from me and all those things. You can't live your life that way, right? And so when you build this network of people, you build this network of support. When things like that, you know, go down when things start happening. So how does Joseph Grow kind of, what is the foundational pieces and I think you kind of leaned into it here with that contractor issue but how does the foundation itself ensure that it reaches those in need, you know? So what is their process? Do they just listen for stories? Is there an application process? Like, how does that work? They?
Speaker 2: 11:46
just listen for stories. Is there an application process Like how does that work? So the grants are given to anyone that has a connection with the home service industry. So all of our you know HVAC, plumbing, electrical roofing, pest control, garage doors, whatever the case is not only for the person that is within the industry but even their family, the person that is within the industry, but even their family. So we've had situations where we've helped the daughter or son of a contractor that ended up going through something that resulted in a disability or life-altering injury, so anyone that is connected to the trades. Then the process is just that. It's just an application. You can do that straight through our website. Those applications all still go directly to Joseph Grow, so he is the one that's going to receive them. He is then going to send that out to the board and then we decide what we can or can't do or what suggestions we can make if it's maybe not something we can help with.
Speaker 2: 12:49
A lot of the equipment for rehabilitation for people is very expensive. It's really sad how expensive some things are. So we just we look to see what's the best fit on what we can do to be able to help them, and then once, once we have that process, you know we're helping contractors all over the United States. It's not Joe and myself, we're. We live in North Texas. It's not, you know, it's not just something that happens to someone around here, this is nationwide. So we've started to be able to kind of build a bank of contractors where if we end up in a city that's maybe close to somewhere even I mean close to us, is within a couple hours of maybe somewhere that we've helped someone previously then we're reaching back out to those contractors. You know, again, this is the trade. So when we're talking about bathroom remodels, you know, again this is the trade. So when we're talking about bathroom remodels, then a lot of times those contractors are going to donate their time to be able to help get get a bathroom retrofitted for for one of these recipients. So it's pretty cool to see just kind of full circle with that. But we're trying to kind of build a book of of people that we can reach out to within, you know, within the industry. And then again, since we can't be there throughout the process, then you know we're just relying on the recipient to keep us informed. You know we want to kind of have progress pictures so that we can share that story and then be able to see the final product complete and everything done. So then we can be able to share that with whoever has donated and let them see that this is what your dollars are doing.
Speaker 2: 14:37
And then with the foundation, the board of directors is completely volunteer. It's not like we're over here pulling a know, pulling a salary or something like that. So you know, $9 of every $10 stays with the foundation. So there are expenses, you know, obviously, with any with any organization. But you know the money we were we're keeping it to be able to continue to help people. And now we've. We've helped. We've helped people in 37 states throughout the nation and we just surpassed $1.4 million in grants. Oh my gosh, that's fantastic.
Speaker 1: 15:16
I know Well how can other home service companies really incorporate support for the foundation into their own business or even maybe their marketing efforts. Is there anything that you've seen be successful or have any advice?
Speaker 2: 15:30
Well, right now, that's the biggest part of what we're trying to do is, you know, Service Station is our, you know, one of our biggest, biggest supporters, and now we're trying to be able to branch out to get in front of more people.
Speaker 2: 15:44
Right now, it's just being able to educate people that the foundation is even available, and it's just being able to educate people that the foundation is even available and that it's out there. And we have some opportunities this year where we're going to be at some more of the trade shows and hopefully be able to kind of broaden our audience, because it is hard to just be like, hey, let me shout it from every rooftop that this is available, in case this happens. So, right now, anyone that is familiar with the foundation or has had any interaction, then I would strongly encourage them to like their Facebook page. We've got a YouTube channel, we've got a LinkedIn, be able to follow those and whenever you see spotlights of grant recipients, to maybe share that and just be able to kind of, you know, spread that across your network of people where you know.
Speaker 2: 16:36
again, if it's not something that someone has ever heard of, then maybe it might catch their eye and they can, you know, dig in and kind of take a look and and see what it's about and, um, you know. The other thing is we have our luminary drives. Like, luminary giving is ongoing giving, so just a monthly give of whatever you want it to be. And so, uh, any business owners, then I encourage them to bring the foundation to their team, encourage the foundation, encourage the foundation, encourage the technicians to to maybe look into being a luminary giver so that you know they're, you know, ten dollars a month and be able to see what that can do to someone within their trade family and how that can be a very impactful gift for somebody you know that's within the home service industry.
Speaker 1: 17:31
Yeah, I mean I love that. I think that we all need to be paying attention to how we can go ahead and provide resources for our teams to be able to give back to organizations like the Joseph Grove Foundation and then, as large companies like we can always, you know, at the end of the year, especially like people are looking for places to make a donation. The Joseph Grove Foundation would be a wonderful place for you to start. It should be near and dear to most of our hearts and I guess be looking for you guys at some of the upcoming industry shows.
Speaker 2: 18:01
Yeah, we're going to branch out a little bit.
Speaker 1: 18:04
Yeah, doing some big things. So yeah, well, is there anything else you would like the listeners to know about Joseph Grove Foundation and then tell us for sure? How do we like officially reach out, what's the web address and things like that?
Speaker 2: 18:17
So web address is josephgrovefoundationorg and I mean I just encourage you to go, click through it and kind of familiar, familiarize yourself with what, what there is, what we're doing and what we've done, be able to read some of the stories, and then we one of our other opportunities, if it happens to be within your area, is that we have four golf tournaments a year. That's a, you know, a big, a big contribution for the foundation. So there's one in the Dallas area, chicago, minneapolis, and then with Service Nation at their fall show in Vegas. So if those are, if you're a golfer, then you know, maybe check out the information on the website to be able to see if maybe that's near you and if you want to be able to be a part of that. But otherwise it would be just to share it, just be able to talk about it. Again, if you're a business owner, then talk about it with your technicians and let them know what's out there.
Speaker 2: 19:28
The biggest part of anything we're trying to do is just to broaden our reach.
Speaker 2: 19:33
So if there's a if I mean I am, I've done a couple of team meetings just via, like Zoom, where I'll come on and be able to talk about the foundation and let them, let the team know what they can do to be able to, you know, help their fellow contractors.
Speaker 2: 19:52
So, you know, it's just, it's just talking about it and letting people know that it's even available because, um, I think that our, our circle has has been small up till now and being being able to, you know, to branch out and to look and and see what other opportunities there are out there. Um, like you said, with business owners, with it being the end of the year, you know, all donations are a hundred percent tax deductible. So if someone's looking for that you know last last ditch effort for a little charitable contribution on their tax return, then we would love to be able to help you with that. Or then, you know, even within your organization, if you want to do an event or you know something where a portion of you know a proceed or something is going to the foundation, then we've seen things as far as you know a lot of times. You know, you see food drives and people just want to be able to just provide money for a food drive or you know something like that.
Speaker 2: 20:54
Well, if you have an event or something that you're maybe reaching out to your area and your customers to be able to support, then you know you have a customer that's a, you know, fan for life of your business and they love your technicians. Then you know they maybe they're going to want to, you know, support something that is supporting the people that are taking care of their home. So it's then you know, even more full circle.
Speaker 1: 21:24
Absolutely, and you know again, I'm going to go back to a couple of things that you said that I want to pick up on Like, one of those things is you know it has to be a part of your culture to give back, and so when you, as a business owner, when you make it a part of your company culture to give back, then you start identifying what organizations really impact your team. Joseph Grow is a great representation of that, but a lot of your team might have grown up in foster homes or the Boys and Girls Clubs or whatever the organizations are that really impact them. So it really should be a lot of our core values that we are implementing, of a good partnership with local organizations, so that we can give back. So-, well, perfect Well. Tonya, thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 1: 22:06
I know this one was short and sweet. We just thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about the foundation. I do know that Joseph Grow has a unique spelling, so it's Joseph, and then G-R-O-H foundation website. Make sure you visit it josephgrowfoundationorg. And again, guys, whether it's a donation, a partnership for those of you that can, or just sharing, like Tanya mentioned, their social media, getting on there, encouraging this luminary giving that she mentioned. There's so many opportunities for you to be a part of something greater and something that's really making a difference in the trade. So, tanya, if people wanted to just reach out to you for any reason, how can they reach out to you?
Speaker 2: 22:47
Email is fine, it's tanyastripmatter. We'll need to maybe put this somewhere, because along with Joe's name and his spelling, then mine is unique. But Tanya, t-a-w-n-y-a dot strip matter S-T-R-I-T-T-M-A-T-T-E-R at josephgrowfoundationorg.
Speaker 1: 23:08
So we will put that in the show notes.
Speaker 2: 23:11
Yeah, or my cell phone. You can call me. If you need help or there's something that you want you know some clarification on, or something that you want to be able to try and partner with, Then I call me up my phone number 940-465-4581.
Speaker 1: 23:28
Absolutely. We'll get all that put in the show notes for people to reach out and then we'll be promoting it on our From the Yellow Chair podcast socials. So make sure you go follow it, Guys. Thank you for listening to another episode of From the Yellow Chair. We would love for you to give us a share, a like, a comment, a review, anything you can to help us spread the word about us sharing tons of marketing and important culture information here on From the Yellow Chair podcast. Limitsy Marketing is your marketing coaches for all things marketing strategy and branding and we will sip some lemonade next time. Talk to.
