At Wymer Brownlee, we believe that success is measured by much more than financial gains; it’s reflected in how we impact the world around us. This is why our Company Advance, an annual corporate retreat dedicated to strengthening our team and mission, includes something we call the ‘Pizza Guy Award.’
Ten years ago, during one of our retreats, a pizza delivery driver delivered dinner to our team. Inspired by his kindness and dedication to his work, we decided to thank him not only with a generous tip but with notes of appreciation and encouragement. That small gesture turned out to be incredibly powerful, and it has since become a tradition we cherish.
Each year, we select a service worker in the area where we hold our retreat—a person who might otherwise go unnoticed in their daily efforts. Our team writes personal notes of gratitude, recognizing this individual’s role in their daily work.
Our team members often talk about how transformative this tradition is. It inspires us to practice generosity and kindness not just on one special day each year but as an ongoing, daily choice. Many employees have adopted the “Pizza Guy” spirit in their personal lives, regularly extending small gestures of appreciation and support to those around them.
As Jena McNaughton, our Client Relationship Coordinator, shares:
“This tradition has inspired me and my family to do the same. Each year after our Christmas Eve service, we select someone to surprise with words of encouragement and a generous tip, just as we do at Wymer Brownlee. It’s become a meaningful part of our holiday, especially for our young children, and a reminder of how even small gestures can make a difference.”
Our hope in sharing this story about what we do is that it inspires others to look around, recognize hard work, and spread a bit of kindness in their own way.
Over the years, we’ve discovered other individuals and organizations adopting similar gestures of appreciation, which makes our vision feel even more impactful. We once saw a video online of a similar act of kindness that inspired us to begin our own tradition, and it’s been amazing to see this ‘pay it forward’ approach catching on. Our goal is for the ‘Pizza Guy’ award to be contagious—to spark more generosity and encourage others to make small, meaningful gestures that recognize and uplift the people who make our daily lives easier.
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