PartsSource wins 2007 World Class Customer Service Award for Training & Development of Associates The idea for PartsSource actually began as a philanthropic effort of the President and CEO A. Ray Dalton to see excess or obsolete medical equipment in the United States moved to impoverished countries where it could dramatically improve the quality of life. The initial concept of PartsSource was that of a company that would broker needed medical equipment and parts to areas of the world where it could do the most good. It became apparent very quickly, however, that this mission could be better served if PartsSource was completely committed to running a "for profit" company that would leverage opportunities to help others through our expansive network of suppliers and customers.

 

Specific organizations that we are actively involved in supporting are as follows: Mediquip Missions, Global Links, India Gospel League, Samaritan's Purse, Mercy Ships, Assist International, Youth Challenge as well as the Akron Pregnancy Center and many local churches. PartsSource believes that outreach is a critical component to a healthy corporate environment and we try to encourage each employee to "give back" to the community whenever they can.

 

Through our work with hospitals throughout the United States we are presented with many opportunities to acquire old or unwanted medical equipment. In many cases this equipment is in perfect working order but the technology is considered outdated and of no practical value to hospitals here. In some cases the equipment is not working and we provide the needed parts to restore its functionality. This same "outdated technology", however, can be effectively utilized to save many lives in third world and medically challenged countries and it is our goal to see that it gets there. We have had the opportunity to send such equipment to India, South America and many other impoverished areas of the world. And we do so at our expense. After hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans we turned our warehouse into a staging area for needed supplies and shipped an entire semi-trailer of food, water and clothing directly into the flood zone. We also organized an employee contribution and matched, dollar for dollar, every contribution and raised over $20,000 for the relief efforts.

 

In addition to this work we also have organized contributions to the United Way through employee donations. We have raised several thousand dollars and continue to work with this charity to raise money. Every quarter we organize a blood drive at our Corporate Center and encourage employees to give blood by sponsoring a prize to be raffled off to everyone who participates. Every year we purchase a table for the annual Youth Challenge fundraiser which benefits physically challenged young adults here in Northern Ohio by helping mainstream them into society. We have even gone so far as hiring these young men women directly when needed. In short, PartsSource has made and continues to make real dollar contributions to charitable efforts, locally, nationally and world-wide because of our belief that "giving back" is a key component to our incredible success.

 

In addition to our "official" work with the United Way, American Red Cross, and a host of international relief efforts we also have many employee generated volunteerism efforts. We worked this past year with the Run for Life organization to help raise money for cancer research. Our employees are encourage to "get involved" in helping others and the company allows them to take the time needed to make this happen. During our Katrina relief work we had virtually the entire company help organize the contributions and we worked with many local churches and other civic groups to make the PartsSource warehouse a Northern Ohio staging ground for needed supplies. Our President, A. Ray Dalton has also made several medical mission trips to India at his expense where he directly helped provide medical care to people who had never seen a doctor, much less American medical equipment. Ray has a passion for helping others and has created a corporate environment that not only encourages his employees to do what they can to help others; he also provides the time and financial support to do so.