“A lot of companies,” muses Charlie Tetrick, “treat philanthropy as something to do if they have left over money or time.” That’s not going to be the case while he’s running the show at Walz Tetrick Advertising. “We think it’s core to who we are, what our mission is, what our culture is,” Tetrick says. “We think it helps energize our teams, increase our network, and it’s something we believe in here.”
The anchor for that belief system is the donation of roughly 2,500 to 3,000 hours of pro bono work to charities each year, “and everyone at the agency is encouraged to get involved somewhere,” Tetrick said. That’s the equivalent of more than one full-time employee’s output in a year.
He drew on his own personal network to team up with Bill Goldberg, who made a name in pro wrestling after a short stint in the NFL (the two grew up together in Tulsa). Their collaboration led to development of Drive to Feed, a national program aimed at feeding hungry kids across America.
“There are some really amazing companies in Kansas City; everyone knows the big names and the leaders,” Tetrick said. “But I think a lot can happen with companies our size. When you look at volunteering expertise in communications or our marketing expertise, that’s the kind of thing a company our size can do.”
On a personal level, Tetrick has been a director with the Boy Scouts of America for 11 years, managing their brand and hundreds of marketing initiatives. He’s also one of the five officers of the American Royal—the agency develops the Royal’s entire marketing program. Plus there are agency programs on behalf of the Children’s Miracle Network and the Lyric Opera.
Such engagement allows the agency to take its entrepreneurial zeal in new directions, and it yields buy-in from employees.
“On balance, everyone loves it,” Tetrick said. “Some employees jump in with both feet and get super involved, and they like to come to work and be appreciated for that. All of those connections ultimately help the company, and when we give back, it energizes us and we get to work with some terrific people.”