Great Oak Awards Dinner a Great Success

The Great Oak Awards inaugural dinner, held at The Palace at Somerset Park, honored New Jersey businesses that demonstrate the highest level of commitment to local and statewide charitable institutions and social causes.

The Great Oak Awards stemmed from New Jersey Monthly’s Seeds of Hope program, which has acknowledged exceptional volunteers from around the Garden State for the past 10 years. Likewise, the Great Oak Awards honors businesses that not only have strong New Jersey roots, but also generously work on behalf of charitable causes. Ten winners were selected from a pool of 56 finalists, all of which contribute significantly to their local and state-wide community.

Before the winners were announced, keynote speaker Dr. Randal Pinkett enthralled the crowd with a rousing speech about legacy and the difference between success and greatness. Dr. Pinkett, best known for his victory on the fourth season of The Apprentice, is the founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multi-million dollar management and information technology solutions firm based in Newark. Pinkett praised the efforts of not only the companies, but of the individuals who comprise the organization and work to make them great.

“You send a message for people outside of New Jersey,” he said. “You say that here, we put people before profits, communities before cash and the less fortunate before fortune. That’s how we do it in New Jersey."

The finalists were broken into three categories: small, medium and large companies. Crest Savings Bank, Lowy’s Moving Service and Roof4Roof took home honors for the small companies. Crest Savings Bank, based in Wildwood, is a major sponsor of the Boardwalk Basketball Classic, a six-day tournament that raises scholarship money for graduating seniors of the two local high schools.

Lowy’s Moving Service’s program Move For Hunger encourages customers to donate their unopened, nonperishable food that would otherwise be thrown out during the moving process. Last year, the company collected and donated approximately 90,000 pounds of food to food banks throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties

“We used an existing system that could expand a niche we had and grew it into something meaningful, “ Stephen Lowy said. “There’s nothing greater than helping people. I mean, why else are we here?”

Roof4Roof gives free roofing to a needy family each time a new roof is purchased. Last year they provided roofing to over 100 families throughout the state as well as Pennsylvania, Colombia and Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Phillipines.

Medium company winners were AAA NJ Automobile Club, Campbell Soup Company, DCH Auto Group and Ocean First Foundation/Ocean First Bank.

AAA allows employees to dedicate eight hours of company time per year to worthwhile causes, such as Saint Elizabeth’s Coalition for the Homeless and the Hillside Community Foodbank, as well as other organizations in Morris, Essex and Union counties.

Headquarted in Camden, which is classified as a food desert, Campbell Soup’s focus is on providing affordable and nutritious food choices to the city’s residents.

“Our overarching goal is to create a healthy community in Camden,” said Wendy Milanese, one of Campbell’s employees. “I’m routinely floored by the compassion and passion of our employees, who enthusiastically get out there to volunteer and support our corporate goal.”

DCH Auto Group is dedicated to promoting safety among teen drivers, and partners with S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Driving) to work with high schools to educate young drivers about being smart on the roads.

“Auto accidents are the biggest cause of teen death,” said DCH owner Shau-Wai Lam. “We’re in car business so we feel like we can do something to prevent that.”

Ocean First Foundation/Ocean First Bank considers itself a food neighbor to the greater Ocean County area, and that was never more apparent than in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Foundation provided half a million dollars in grants to aid non profits and relief-effort organizations.

Bank of America, Prudential Financial, Inc. and Wakefern Food Corporation rounded out the evening as the large company winners. Bank of America’s charitable efforts hone in on three areas: workforce development and education, community development and critical needs. Their signature programs, Neighborhood Builders and Student Leaders, help identify and train emerging community leaders at high-performing nonprofits.

Prudential Financial, Inc. supports nonprofits focused on improving education outcomes for children and transforming neighborhoods into thriving, economically diverse communities.

“Our approach is to provide a variety of resources that best meet the needs of whoever we’re aiding, include grants, investments and the time and talent of our employees,” said Leta Reddy of Prudential.

Wakefern Food Corporation is best know for their ShopRite stores and has become a major combatant of hunger in New Jersey. Partners in Caring, Wakefern’s year-round program to fight hunger, provides nearly $2 million annually to New Jersey food banks.

To learn more about the judges and methodology in selecting winners, click here.

Read more From the Editors articles.

By submitting comments you grant permission for all or part of those comments to appear in the print edition of New Jersey Monthly.

Required
Required not shown
Required not shown