Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner and I am your host.
[00:00:24] Speaker C: So we are here at the Mitre Foundation Hershey and event, and it is Tuesday night. It is hopping in here. We've got piano music, we've got an open bar, we've got Casino Night, and we have two wonderful gentlemen who have agreed to sit down and chat with me. So, Jared and Tom, welcome to the podcast.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:00:44] Speaker D: Thank you for having me.
[00:00:44] Speaker A: Appreciate it.
[00:00:45] Speaker C: I'm going to let you guys introduce yourselves, tell us where you work, what you do, and what brought you here. So, Jared, we'll start with you.
[00:00:52] Speaker A: So thanks for having us, Sherry.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: Yeah, thanks for jumping in.
[00:00:55] Speaker A: My name is Jared Little. I'm the territory rep for Naples, Florida. So I go from Fort Myers to Marco Island. I feel I have some of the best dealers in the country, hands down, Tom being one of them. But I've been in Florida for about seven years, been with PGT for six years. This is my second trip to the Mitre Foundation. I'm very passionate about charities and giving back so near and dear to my heart. I did something similar back in Illinois, where I'm from. So I'm glad to be here. And just the stories and what people do and the. What the Mitre foundation stands for, I'm 120% all about. And again, just happy to be here.
[00:01:32] Speaker C: And so you raised your paddle tonight, I assume.
[00:01:34] Speaker A: I did.
[00:01:34] Speaker C: Awesome. All right. And so Tom, I'm Tom.
[00:01:37] Speaker D: I'm with Naples Glass. And prior to being with Naples Glass, as the director of sales, I was a New York City police officer. So when I look at the Mitre Foundation, I'm just so happy that we had a union with Mitre, you know, two years ago, and we were able to get involved in the Mitre foundation because it helps so many people that were impacted by 911 by cancer. My family was impacted deeply by cancer. And we appreciate the efforts that the Mitre foundation puts forth every day and the great job they do Mitre brands as a company. And you could just see the love and compassion that's put forth to people from the company. And the foundation. That's really important to us was.
[00:02:22] Speaker C: Yeah, it's amazing. So I'm curious. Tell me about your experience at 911 if you want.
[00:02:28] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:02:28] Speaker C: No.
[00:02:28] Speaker D: So I'm waiting for the book to come out. No, I'm only kidding. Okay, I'll give you a quick brief summary. I was a police officer on 911 I was responded to the towers and I spent about three months working at ground zero and looking for friends and any survivors we could find. I happened to be at the time I was in the Fugitive Task Force. So we were tasked a lot of work at that time. And it brings the horse soldiers. I spoke to Vince McKayla today and I told him that I really appreciate everything they did because it was an extension of the pain that we felt, what they were able to go and do, and that's a big deal for us. And again, as far as the MITRE foundation helping cancer victims, as of Currently there are more 911 victims succumb to their injuries from cancer or ALS or Ms. Believe it or not, those are 911 related injuries. And there are more that have died post September 11, 2001 than actually died when the towers fell.
[00:03:37] Speaker C: Oh my gosh.
[00:03:38] Speaker D: So it's. It's an injury that keeps going on and it's so nice to know that there are people out there just trying to help and trying to alleviate the pain that people have to go through.
[00:03:50] Speaker C: Wow, I had no idea. I did not know that statistic. Thank you for sharing that. And so we have another person who's decided to jump in. So tell us who you are.
[00:04:00] Speaker E: Tom shared a great story there with some better information. I don't really want to be the one to follow him on that.
[00:04:05] Speaker C: Oh, sorry.
[00:04:06] Speaker E: But my name is Jake Martinez with Diamond Glass. I came here, this is my first Mitre foundation event and really was great. Love what everybody stands for. What touched most, I think with me was also what MITRE does for suicide prevention.
[00:04:19] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:20] Speaker E: Having family who is also in law enforcement that has committed suicide as well, it hits home. And the fact that you guys don't just stop with one thing, whether it's just cancer, whether it's suicide, no matter what the case is, it seems like you guys find every avenue that you can to give back to communities. And it's really a pleasure to be partnered with a company and an organization that takes that stance and that belief and just think it's a beautiful thing.
[00:04:44] Speaker C: Yeah. So one of the things that the American Suicide Prevention Organization did is last year they gave every single MITRE team member across the country. And there's 10,000 of us, right. That work for the company. They gave every single person a T shirt that has the 988 number on it, which is the suicide prevention hotline.
[00:05:06] Speaker D: That is awesome.
[00:05:07] Speaker C: 10,000 T shirts. And they're comfortable too. They're not like the cheap ones that nobody wants to wear.
[00:05:12] Speaker D: Nobody wants the shrinky cotton.
[00:05:14] Speaker C: Nobody wants the stiff ones that are scratchy. Right. This was like super soft and comfortable. And so it's such a nice way to be able to promote that without being in someone's face. Because you can just be wearing it like, hey, I'm washing the car, or I'm grocery shopping, or I'm at the park with my grandkids or whatever, and they can see that number and go, oh, I didn't realize there was a source like that.
[00:05:37] Speaker E: And it's just a simple reminder because you never know what any person walking down the street or that you even see in an event like this, what they're going through or what's touched them in life. And to just know that they have the opportunity to reach out.
[00:05:50] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:50] Speaker E: And again, that's great.
[00:05:52] Speaker C: Yeah, it's great.
[00:05:53] Speaker A: And I think it's anybody. I mean, what's crazy about that whole horrible situation is I've had a close family friend that was invincible. The guy was good looking, stellar athlete, just a awesome human being. And you never know what demons are inside.
[00:06:11] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: And unfortunately, we lost him. And, you know, you never know what. Just a hi, a hug. What can we do to help?
Situation like that. I think Mitre has opened my eyes in so many ways about how we can be better as humans.
[00:06:27] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:27] Speaker A: Not only as employees, but man, it's pretty powerful right here.
[00:06:31] Speaker C: It totally is.
[00:06:33] Speaker D: You know, you become empathetic to people just out there in society. Like you mentioned in the supermarket, you wear the shirt and people notice it. You also, you look people in the eye. People will look you in the eye. Then when they realize that you're someone who is attuned to the suffering of another person.
[00:06:51] Speaker C: Right.
[00:06:51] Speaker D: And you just look at them, you can just say to them, hey, are you okay?
[00:06:55] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:06:56] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:06:56] Speaker D: And just that simple showing of compassion.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:07:01] Speaker D: Can save a person's life.
[00:07:02] Speaker C: Yeah, that's right. Absolutely.
[00:07:04] Speaker E: A little empathy can go an incredibly long way.
[00:07:06] Speaker C: Yeah, for sure.
So what are you guys doing tomorrow? Are you golfing? Are you Clay shooting? I also heard there's flower arranging. I don't think you guys are probably.
[00:07:16] Speaker D: I'm planting petunias tomorrow.
[00:07:18] Speaker C: Are you doing the flower arranging?
[00:07:19] Speaker D: Not at all.
[00:07:21] Speaker C: But maybe your wife is. I don't know.
[00:07:23] Speaker D: We're golfing.
[00:07:24] Speaker C: Are you golfing?
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Okay, Jake, go ahead.
[00:07:26] Speaker C: What are you doing tomorrow?
[00:07:27] Speaker E: Well, I'll be shooting over at Waypoint.
Yeah. Megan was trying to convince me to. To swap that over to the flower arrangements with her, but I just. I Don't think I can do that.
[00:07:36] Speaker C: Are you single?
[00:07:37] Speaker E: I am.
[00:07:38] Speaker C: Well, there's going to be a lot of women over there.
[00:07:39] Speaker E: Well, maybe that's a good business decision, then.
[00:07:41] Speaker A: Maybe they're making money.
[00:07:43] Speaker E: Yeah, it might be good, too. I might have to. Because it's not too late.
[00:07:47] Speaker A: Right?
[00:07:47] Speaker C: I mean, it's like fish in a barrel. Right.
[00:07:49] Speaker A: And there's brunch. I think there's mimosas at brunch. I think you should do that.
[00:07:53] Speaker C: And so, Jared, you're golfing, right, I assume.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:56] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:07:56] Speaker A: Yeah, we had such a good time last year, Cat of golf.
[00:07:59] Speaker C: So thank you guys for coming and sitting down with me. I'm gonna let you get to the roulette table or the bar or the snacks or whatever it is you need to do, but I really appreciate your time. Thanks for chatting with me.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Well, thank you for having us. We appreciate it.
[00:08:12] Speaker C: Thanks, guys. This has been fun.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: All right.
[00:08:14] Speaker E: Thanks, Sherry.
[00:08:14] Speaker C: Have fun. Tomor.
[00:08:18] Speaker B: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact Podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
[00:08:35] Speaker C: So we are here at the Clear Impact Podcast, and we are about ready to wrap this thing up. It has been a very long day. It's Tuesday night. We are in the casino room.
And I don't know about you, Grady, but it's past my bedtime.
[00:08:48] Speaker F: Yeah, I'm pretty tired.
[00:08:49] Speaker C: Yeah, me too. So, Grady, thanks for stopping by to record with me. Tell us a little bit about who you are.
[00:08:55] Speaker F: I'm 14. I like playing basketball.
Yeah, Just happy to be here right now. That's pretty fun.
[00:09:01] Speaker C: Okay. And so you're part of the DeSoto family?
[00:09:04] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:09:04] Speaker C: Okay. And you had special permission to, like, skip school tomorrow, come hang out?
[00:09:09] Speaker F: Yeah. It's going to be fun.
[00:09:11] Speaker C: So nice. Yeah. So what do you know about the Mitre Foundation?
[00:09:15] Speaker F: Know that they do a lot of good stuff.
My dad's pretty involved in it.
[00:09:19] Speaker C: Yep, that's pretty much it. Yeah, he's pretty involved in it. He's pretty passionate about it, actually. Yeah. Are you involved at the company at all? Do you, like, go in on the summers and push a broom around or anything like that?
[00:09:33] Speaker F: No, not yet, but this coming summer, I'm hoping to be able to.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:37] Speaker F: But I'm not old enough yet.
[00:09:38] Speaker C: No. Okay. What grade are you in?
[00:09:40] Speaker F: I'm in ninth, but I just turned 14, so.
[00:09:43] Speaker C: Okay. When was your birthday?
[00:09:45] Speaker F: June 10th.
[00:09:45] Speaker C: Oh, nice.
[00:09:46] Speaker F: A couple months ago.
[00:09:47] Speaker C: Okay. And so what is your favorite thing about coming to a work event with your dad?
[00:09:53] Speaker F: I don't know. Seeing all the people.
[00:09:55] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:56] Speaker F: Being around nice people, all that stuff.
[00:09:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:58] Speaker F: It's fun to see the atmosphere.
[00:10:00] Speaker C: There's a lot of cool people, even though we're all grown ups.
[00:10:02] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:10:03] Speaker C: Yeah. I saw you almost tackle Ali a minute ago.
That was pretty funny. Yeah, I thought he was going down.
[00:10:09] Speaker F: Ollie's such a nice guy. I love Ollie.
[00:10:11] Speaker C: Yeah, he is. And so are you gonna be out on the golf course tomorrow? Yeah, yeah. Are you a golfer?
[00:10:17] Speaker F: No, I just take people's money and run.
[00:10:19] Speaker C: Oh, nice. But you give it to the foundation.
[00:10:22] Speaker F: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:10:23] Speaker C: So when you take their money, what are you offering in exchange for that?
[00:10:26] Speaker F: I hit a golf ball for $50.
[00:10:29] Speaker C: Really?
[00:10:29] Speaker F: Goal is to raise $5,000 tomorrow.
[00:10:32] Speaker C: Are you a pretty good golfer?
[00:10:34] Speaker F: No.
[00:10:35] Speaker C: No? No.
So you're just playing on their heartstrings? Basically.
[00:10:39] Speaker F: I tell them that I'm pretty good, but I can't a ball that far?
[00:10:42] Speaker C: No. Okay. We had a guy on the course today and he'll be out there tomorrow. His name is Jordan Evans and he took some titles when he was a college golfer. And he was hitting 300 yard drives, like down the middle of the fairway for people, and he was only charging 40. Yeah.
[00:10:58] Speaker F: Oh, my gosh.
[00:10:59] Speaker C: I told him he was low on his price.
[00:11:01] Speaker F: Yeah, that's a little low.
[00:11:02] Speaker C: That's what I told him. All right, well, we'll tell him tomorrow he needs to up it a little. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially if you're getting away with 50, I hope. Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. Well, thanks for chatting with me, Grady.
[00:11:12] Speaker F: Yeah, thank you for having me on here.
[00:11:13] Speaker C: All right, take care. All right, bye.
[00:11:18] Speaker B: The Clear Impact podcast is brought to you by Mitre Brands University. We are a part of Mitre Brands, a family of leading window and door brands united by our passion for quality and relentless pursuit of 100%. At Mitre Brands, our common purpose is to deliver value by manufacturing the finest products, services and customer experience every day, everywhere. Our window and door brands deliver regionalized expertise, products and services, all backed by a national company. Mitre Brands University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
