Giving Back Lifts Spirits and Brings People Together

RCS Influencers Seth and Ashley Pietsch say their team members support individual causes throughout the year, but they come together over the holidays to give back together. 

Editor’s note: The following is an interview with Ashley and Seth Pietsch of Integrity Insurance as they share their thoughts giving back. You can watch the video or scroll down to read the transcript below.  

Karen Edwards: Hi everyone. This is Karen Edwards, editor at RoofersCoffeeShop®. And today I am with Ashley and Seth Pietsch from Integrity Insurance and Bonding, two of our roofing industry influencers. Welcome guys. 

Ashley Pietsch: Hi. 

Seth Pietsch: Thanks for having us. 

Karen Edwards: Yeah. And so, November's question topic is surrounding giving, which is appropriate. We've got Thanksgiving coming up this month. And the question we're asking our influencers is what do you do when you give back? So tell me a little bit about what you do as a company to support your community. 

Ashley Pietsch: Well, currently for this holiday season, we have partnered up with National Women in Roofing, and we are putting together 10 boxes and 30 items in each box, and we're donating these boxes to three different nonprofit organizations. And we all agreed as a group, which ones we felt were in need for us and what was important to us. And so as a group, we voted on three of them, and we have extended this to our family members, are friends, colleagues to help put together these baskets. So they will be going out right before Thanksgiving. 

Karen Edwards: And that was a great initiative put together by National Women in Roofing for 30 days of gratitude. And they made it real easy to just put an item in a box. And at the end of the month, you've got a nice box full of food to help support an organization. Now, this is the time of year we always think about giving. It's the holidays, it's Thanksgiving. What do you guys do during the rest of the year? 

Ashley Pietsch: We do volunteer at times in different non-profit organizations. Each person here in the office has something that their heart tugs towards a little bit throughout the year. So throughout the year, we pretty much do things individually, but then as a group, during the holidays, we find something that means the most to all of us, and we do that. 

Karen Edwards: That's great. Your team members support their individual causes, but that you come together and do something together toward the end of the year. How do you find that that helps create a bond among the team maybe, or increase morale? 

Ashley Pietsch: Yeah, I would say, just seeing everybody get into the holiday spirit and especially in 2020, with things that have just been going on, we've just all pulled together and felt the need to help people out. And it's pretty amazing seeing employees, spouses of the employees, just really want to come together and help out. 

Karen Edwards: That's fantastic. Why do you think as a company, it is important for you to support organizations and your community? 

Seth Pietsch: Well, I was just thinking that it's good. It's good all the way around. We're not looking for any sort of recognition from anybody. We just like to help the local community out. And just when companies do that, that just shows that they're committed to their communities and that they really truly care, and they value everybody around them. And that's our main goal is just to really be a positive influence in maybe a time where it's just a little bit not so positive for some people. 

Seth Pietsch: So if you can just try to lift people's spirits up and show that you really care for the community, I think that's really what we're trying to accomplish and just, hopefully inspire other companies to do the same. Because there's a lot of businesses and just individuals that are struggling right now. And if you can just show them that you're there for them and you care somehow, then I think that lifts everybody's spirits. 

Karen Edwards: I agree wholeheartedly. You know, I always say the roofing industry has such a big heart, so many contractors, so many companies across our industry give back in terms of free roofs and just supporting their community and helping people in need. And the food has definitely been an issue that has come to light with the craziness of 2020. So by supporting that 30 days of giving and gratitude, that definitely is an important cause right now. 

Karen Edwards: It's great to hear from you guys and to see what you're doing to give back to the community. And I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts, and we'll talk to you again next month as we're a little closer to Christmas. 

Ashley Pietsch: Sounds great. 

Seth Pietsch: All right. Thank you very much. 

Ashley Pietsch: Have a good one. 

Karen Edwards: Thanks. Bye. 

Seth Pietsch is the president and Ashley Pietsch is vice president of Integrity Insurance & Bonding Inc. See Seth’s full bio here and Ashley’s full bio here.