In our latest edition of BizVoice, we featured many companies that graced the recent Best Places to Work in Indiana list. Among those was Cassidy Turley (included in this article on maintaining a positive culture after mergers or rebranding), which will set out tomorrow to revamp Al Polin Park in Indianapolis.
With the summer months quickly approaching, more than 60 Cassidy Turley employees are joining forces with Indy Parks to make sure hundreds of Indianapolis children and families have a fun, safe and beautiful place to play. On May 16, Cassidy Turley’s Day of Caring will completely revamp Al Polin Park, located on the Near Northside of Indianapolis at 100 E. 29th Street.
“We estimate that 1,000 – 1,500 people use Al Polin Park each week,” explained Allen McClendon, Indy Parks’ senior manager for community partnerships. “Between neighborhood kids, basketball tournaments, family cookouts and our Summer Supervised Program, the park is usually a pretty popular place. That’s why we’re especially thrilled to have Cassidy Turley help give this park a much-needed makeover.”
CertaPro Painters of Indianapolis has donated supplies to repaint playground equipment, picnic tables and shelter areas to give the park a fresh, clean look. Mainscape Landscape Maintenance Services has also provided 50 cubic yards of mulch so employees can weed and re-mulch around the park’s trees and perimeter, helping the trees retain water and live longer.
In addition to hundreds of volunteer hours, the company will also pay for the installation of a new piece of playground equipment, as well as a new grill, concrete pouring for an ADA-accessible grill area and a fresh seal and coat for the high-use basketball court.
“It will be like a total 180 degree transformation when it’s done,” added McClendon. “We absolutely rely on our community partners like Cassidy Turley to do the aesthetic work that brings our older parks up to the standard of a brand new park. And it makes a huge difference in the community. People see we care about them and are inspired to take ownership of their parks.”
Cassidy Turley’s Day of Caring is not without benefit to the companies involved, though.
“Working with respected groups like Indy Parks is a perfect way for our team to gain more first-hand knowledge of the communities we serve on a daily basis,” said Michael W. M. Weishaar, SIOR, senior vice president and principal at Cassidy Turley and longtime board member of the Indianapolis Parks Foundation. “Events like the Day of Caring are very tangible, hands-on reminders that our work – not only in commercial real estate business and development, but also as volunteers – makes a real difference in our communities. It’s definitely worth the investment.”
This is the second year the company has teamed up with Indy Parks. In 2011, Cassidy Turley devoted a Day of Caring to the beautification of Stringtown Park on the city’s Westside.
PICTURED: Shown is a picture from last year’s Day of Caring, when Cassidy Turley staffers worked to beautify Stringtown Park in Indianapolis.