Giving back is one of the pillars on which Kimmins was founded 100 years ago. To shed light on this topic, we talked with the president of Kimmins, Joe Williams, to learn more on how “Community” is a core value that Kimmins lives every day.

What does Community mean to Kimmins?
When our founder, William Kimmins, created the company, in 1923, he did so on the foundation of giving back. Simply put, this means supporting the residents, companies, and institutions that enable us to do business in the communities we serve. We continue to honor the tradition of giving back and do everything we can to support our customers, neighbors, and worthwhile organizations.

How does Kimmins give back to the community?
We give back in many ways, both large and small. Some examples include:

Leadership initiatives to cultivate future business executives. Our Protégé-Mentor Program is a collaboration we have with Aerial Business Group and Strategic Property Partners to help small businesses discuss ways to improve their businesses’ operations in areas such as the bidding process, insurance and bonding, financial management, and safety compliance.
Mentorships to boost local minority companies. Similarly, our Protégé-Mentor Program also teaches business skills and provides special assistance to minority business leaders and students.

Gifts and services to charitable organizations. Our participation in efforts like Breakin’ Clays for the Community, with Transcor Recycling, raises funds for nonprofits like the Exalted Warrior Foundation and Veterans Counseling Veterans. Our participation in Tampa General Hospital Children’s Operation Santa toy drive collects toys for hospitalized children. We also support a number of important organizations and cultural institutions including Champions for Children, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Metropolitan Ministries, Tampa Museum of Art, Straz Center, Tampa Kids Camp, and Valor Service Dogs, just to name a few.

How does Community factor into the nature of your everyday work?
Giving back is very important in terms of our work as utility contractors. We are responsible for maintaining and restoring essential services like power and water. People depend on these services, so we must be conscientious, work quickly, and minimize our impact. This means being respectful of the homeowners, businesses, schools, and all community stakeholders.

To better understand what Community means to Kimmins, we invite you to view this video created as part of our 100th anniversary celebration. Community is one of the core pillars of Kimmins. The others are Character, Competence and Considerate. We call them our 4C’s.