Community Relations

HD Supply IT Leadership Team Volunteers Time,
Talents For Deserving Orlando Kids

When 70 Information Technology (IT) leaders from across HD Supply met in Orlando recently, business was just one of the key items on the agenda. An active community service program is a top priority at this annual meeting, and 2011’s focus on Edgewood Children’s Ranch was a great opportunity for the team to lend its time and talents. Edgewood is a non-profit facility that provides housing, education and counseling services for approximately 75 at-risk youth from around Central Florida.

“Community service has become much more than an important piece on our annual meeting agenda – it is the most highly-anticipated event,” said HD Supply’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Michele Markham. “It’s a reflection of our team and the company’s passion for being an extension of the local community and making a difference through involvement where team members live and work.”

Edgewood Children’s Ranch staff strives to deliver guidance, academic remediation and behavioral training to help construct a healthy family environment that will serve as the foundation for a child’s future success.

“What made Edgewood a truly unique service opportunity for us was their one request to spend time and interact with their kids to help them see what positive role models are all about,” added Markham.

The best service contribution was quickly determined to be resurfacing the facility’s softball field where the kids spend much of their activity time. That led to a plan to spread two truckloads of field clay, install new bases and add a variety of other finishing touches to restore the field to great shape. The HD Supply team also determined that their collective expertise was a perfect fit to address another big need area – helping to stabilize Edgewood’s computer network environment and troubleshoot connectivity issues among the various ranch buildings.

As teams assembled to address the softball field and network communications challenges, the idea wheel was turning to fulfill Edgewood’s primary request. “The final piece of this service opportunity was the most important,” said Jody Fales, director – IT Sourcing and PMO for HD Supply. “How do we best meet the Edgewood staff’s request to truly interact with the kids and leave a lasting, positive impression?” After a quick brainstorming session, the team had their answer – the first-ever Edgewood Children’s Ranch Games – a series of fun, friendly competitions among the kids that included events such as tossing paper airplanes, jumping with a pogo stick and racing with objects carried on spoons.

“It started as a simple idea and blossomed into a great way to bring our team and the kids together for a really fun experience,” said Fales.

“The kids who call Edgewood home have come from many challenges,” said Markham. “Our team hopes that we helped them to see the opportunity that comes with being involved in our communities, leading by example and being a positive role model.”

At Work in Local Communities

HD Supply strives to be a responsible corporate citizen in all aspects of our business – financially, environmentally and socially.  From fostering a company culture in which integrity and honesty are core values, to supporting charitable endeavors and environmentally-conscious practices, we strive to make a positive difference in the cities and towns where we live and work.

Like everything else at HD Supply, our community relations strategy is driven by our goal to make HD Supply the distributor of choice for investors, customers, suppliers and associates. Although we have a vast business footprint across North America, we know that building and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships at local levels is at the core of our values and what makes us successful.

HD Supply’s charitable aid is in the form of volunteerism, product donations or giving to non-profit organizations that positively impact the communities where we live and work. We believe in directly supporting causes that adhere closely to our business operations and seek to better the world in which we live. Specifically:

About HD Supply