Often when we talk about Seek to Serve™, we do so with a focus on business. Yet the power of Seek to Serve extends far beyond professional relationships and win-win outcomes. This mindset can deepen the meaning in our personal lives and spread into our communities. It has for our principal Joel Reed.
Over the summer, Joel earned the Philip Philip Mitchell Alumni Service Award for his volunteer work with his alma mater, Pennsylvania State University. Joel’s decades of volunteering speaks to his commitment to the next generation and to positively influencing his surrounding community. At Mereo, we do not just preach following a Seek to Serve philosophy. We live it.
SEEK TO SERVE IN ACTION
Joel’s love for his alma mater runs deep, and he has been driven to give back as much as he can to the university that has given him so much. The opportunity to work alongside talented alumni and students also inspires his volunteering.
Since 2012, Joel has contributed to many areas of Penn State. With the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Joel serves on the alumni board of directors and collaborates with the college’s student council. In 2017, he helped create a mentorship program within the college that provides students with workforce insights and assistance, and a forum where alumni can engage with current students. Joel walks students through interview preparation and practice. He and his peers encourage students to get involved in volunteering too. This sort of investment fosters future alumni volunteers in this program that keeps giving back.
In 2021, the college’s development council invited Joel to join as president and redesign the entire board. Along with the dean and members of the council — past and present — they created a more action-oriented group versus a strategy-oriented group to continue the work of getting more alumni involved in contributing time, talent or treasure to advance the mission of the college and its departments.
A DRIVE TO SPREAD GOOD
In addition to his work with Penn State, Joel and his wife take on many volunteer opportunities within their community — a Seek to Serve action all Mereo principals share. Joel considers himself and his wife fortunate and they strive to pay that forward by helping others who need a hand and a leg up on things. The Reeds volunteer with the Food Bank of the Rockies and consider this one of their most involved services.
“It’s fantastic when you’re working with volunteers to see all the things that people are willing to do to help others,” Joel says.
SEEK TO SERVE WINS IN BUSINESS — AND LIFE
Mereo was founded on the Seek to Serve, Not to Sell® philosophy. This approach has instilled true meaning and value into our clients’ operations and personal lives — and can help your organization too. Learn more about this philosophy with our free Seek to Serve eBook.