It can’t always be take, take, take. You need to give back to the community any way you can.
Jeff Williams heeded that message from his parents when he was growing up, and it factored into his support of what is now the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation.
Williams, co-owner of Williams AutoWorld with his brother David, made his first gift to the Foundation in 1983. There have been few years since when he has not made at least one contribution in support of the hospital.
Though the size of his gifts have grown substantially through the years, Williams views his giving as an extension of the philanthropic values his parents instilled in him and two younger brothers.
“They made it clear it was our responsibility to give back at some point,” he said. “If you did well, then you should do what you could to contribute to the community.”
Williams’ support of the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation has not been limited to financial gifts. He donated countless hours as a volunteer by serving on the Foundation’s board of trustees from 1999-2010, including two three-year terms as chairman. He is currently a board member emeritus.
He said the “camaraderie” with fellow board members and the “ability to raise money for the hospital” are two things he cherishes most about his time on the board. He enjoyed raising funds for projects such as the Chi Heart & Surgery Center, which opened in 2007, and attributes much of that to the collective passion of a board that included members such as Theresa Hubbell, Chuck Lasky, Ralph Shaheen, Darrell Lindman, Nancy Elwood, and Ed McRee, the hospital president and CEO who passed away earlier this year.
Shaheen, the president of Shaheen Chevrolet, was recruited to the board by Williams.
The two of them met when Williams was an undergraduate at Michigan State University and a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Shaheen had been a member of the fraternity during his undergraduate days and he and Williams have been close friends for years. They enjoy fishing, hunting, playing hockey, and tailgating at MSU football games. They also have taken vacations together with their wives.
“He’s a great guy. He’s a caring guy,” Shaheen said about Williams. “He will do anything for you and I would do anything for him. We respect each other and will talk to each other about the auto business. If he has an idea he thinks might be useful to me, he will bounce it off me.”
Williams’ father, Wayne, founded the family business in 1971. But it was not a foregone conclusion that his eldest son would follow in his footsteps. Though Jeff began working part-time at the dealership as a sophomore in high school while doing odd jobs, he eventually earned an undergraduate degree in marketing and advertising from Michigan State University while working full-time as a salesperson at the dealership. He and his wife Sally contemplated moving to New York or Chicago so he could pursue a job in his field of study, but living in a big city did not appeal to them and they decided to stay put.
His job responsibilities have changed over the years, but he still enjoys the challenge of selling automobiles and striving to give the customer a “good, positive experience while fulfilling their needs and wishes.”
Though Williams AutoWorld consists of three dealerships that sell Audi, Subaru, and Volkswagen vehicles, Jeff’s office is located at Williams Subaru. That seems fitting for someone with a philanthropic background, as Subaru stages one annual event that raises funds to support research into finding the cure for leukemia and lymphoma, and another to advance science, engineering, and innovation in schools. A third effort donates $250 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased across the nation, with customers given the option of directing the proceeds to one of five designated nonprofits.
In addition to the above events, Williams AutoWorld does other things to benefit the community.
For example, a couple of years ago, in lieu of giving employees bonuses near the end of the year, the company gave them cash to buy things for families in need. Paired up in groups of two or three, employees went shopping for items such as toys, clothes, boots, and hats. After that, they wrapped the gifts and donated them to St. Vincent Catholic Charities.
“Our employees know we’re a caring company,” Williams said. “That was one way of showing that.”
Kelly Beach, a fitness trainer and one of the owners of The Trainers Studio, would not be surprised to hear of Williams and his employees helping the less fortunate.
She has been training Williams since 2005 and they have a relationship that involves a lot of good-natured, verbal sparring. Williams calls Beach the “sister I never had” and Beach says Williams is “a brother from a different mother.”
Beach said Williams has a strong personality, but he’s a softie underneath it.
“He would do anything for anyone he knows,” she said, “and he would do anything for someone he doesn’t know.”
Mark Simmons would concur with that. He knew of Williams for many years through their mutual interest in playing hockey. But they have become good friends over the last 5-6 years and are members of a loosely-defined motorcycle club they jokingly refer to as “The Mild Dogs.”
Simmons describes Williams as a sincere person who is loyal to his friends. He also thinks highly of “his character and integrity.”
For his part, Williams enjoys making people laugh and feels fortunate to be able to support the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation, as well as other organizations in the tri-county area.
“There comes a time in your life when you’ve got the ability to support community organizations,” he said. “You have a nice home, your kids have been able to get a good education, and you’re doing well in what you’re doing. It’s a good time to give back to the community.”
If you would like more information about the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation, please call 517.975.7100, email [email protected], or visit www.mclaren.org/lansingfoundation.