Corporate Responsibility

In 2008, Maritz worked with the ALS Association to help improve the effectiveness of its retail pinup program. This program encourages customers at various retailers around the country to contribute by purchasing a paper pinup to be displayed in the store.

Maritz set out to develop and implement an innovative, behaviorally-based incentive program, which evolved into “RUN to Defeat ALS.” Maritz Motivation provided research and design efforts to motivate the store managers and frontline employees to educate the public and drive donations. With “RUN to Defeat ALS,” managers are involved and motivated to get behind the program, and employees are given clear, easy- to-remember direction based on the “RUN” behavioral acronym:

REQUEST - $1 contributions from every customer
UNDERSTAND – ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease
NOW! – is your opportunity. Ask now!

2008 was the first year that Maritz worked with ALS Association, and donations doubled compared to the year before in beta testing conducted in Bob Evans and Honey Baked Ham stores,.

“I cannot thank you enough for the endless hours and efforts Maritz has poured into the pin-up program. Chapter Executives and Board Members have already approached me with potential retail partners for the program. I whole-heartedly believe this program will have a considerable impact on our mission.”

- L. Ashton Chase, senior director – national signature events, The ALS Association

Find out more about the ALS Association.

Maritz is a proud supporter of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, an independent, local, non-profit organization that serves the city of St. Louis and 10 surrounding counties in Missouri and Illinois. Maritz employee donations, plus corporate donations and training, provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in support to the United Way.

Maritz has supported the United Way for more than 35 years through corporate gifts, in-kind services and annual employee campaigns. Chairman and CEO Steve Maritz served as the General Chair for the 2006 United Way of Greater St. Louis Campaign, leading the campaign and inspiring volunteers to achieve the 2006 goal of $66 million.

Maritz holds an annual employee campaign in October, inviting and encouraging its people to get involved. The United Way Days of Caring is a unique opportunity for Maritz people to volunteer during their workday at a United Way agency. They participate in a number of activities, including yard work, painting, and interacting with children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. Hundreds of Maritz people volunteered for over 50 United Way Days of Caring events in 2007.

Since 1977, Maritz has helped prepare and train over 500 volunteers each year to serve as United Way employee campaign coordinators and representatives, and continues to open its facilities and provide assistance in the training of United Way staff and volunteers.

“Maritz’ legacy of generosity has made the United Way of Greater St. Louis the envy of other United Ways across the country.”

-Gary C. Dollar, president and chief executive officer, United Way of Greater St. Louis

Find out more about the United Way.

Maritz has supported the Avon Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer since its inception in 2005. The Walk Around the World is an annual campaign that brings women, men and families together for one cause, raising breast cancer awareness around the world. For the 2007 campaign, Maritz donated its travel services and became the official travel sponsor for the event, along with co-sponsors Reebok and Novartis.

Breast cancer survivors from participating countries around the world travel to other countries to attend a Walk Around the World event as an honored guest. The visiting breast cancer survivor passes a unique “Connection Ribbon” to a local breast cancer survivor as a symbol of shared hope and survivorship. The ribbon receiver then travels to another country to pass the ribbon along to the next survivor.

Maritz provides all of the travel accommodations, along with logistical support for the event, transporting the survivors from one country to the next. Maritz is instrumental in making sure that every travel detail is perfectly planned and executed.

Avon Walk Around the World participating countries:

Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

Find out more about the Avon Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer.

Maritz works with the Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) to support its philanthropic goal of helping people in the St. Louis community reach their potential.

CID helps hearing-impaired children, from birth to age 12, learn to listen, talk and achieve literacy without the use of sign language. The school provides services that include speech and language therapy, pediatric audiology, mainstream assistance, continuing education for teachers and professional consultation for schools. CID’s educational tools are used to help deaf children in all 50 states, all provinces of Canada, six provinces of Australia and 33 other countries around the world.

By partnering with CID, Maritz has been able to act on its commitment to helping people create solid foundations on which to build bright futures. This partnership strengthens CID’s capacity to serve children with hearing impairments and their families, maximizing their opportunity to succeed academically, socially and professionally.

In August 2006, Maritz gave CID a grant to support the schools technology upgrade. The Maritz grant helped provide 48 new workstations for CID staff, eight new laptops for the student computer lab, and classrooms SmartBoards used by CID’s primary school students.

Along with providing the grant, more than a dozen Maritz volunteers provided two days of on-site technical support for the technology upgrade. Since then, Maritz volunteers continue to take part in a variety of IT-related activities, including training and serving on CID’s technology committee.

“Our teachers, staff and students have been waiting for the new computers for a long time. Thanks to the generous support of Maritz and the bequests we have received this year, we were able to purchase the equipment we need to educate our deaf and hard of hearing students.”

-Robin M. Feder, CID executive director

Find out more about the Central Institute for the Deaf.

One of the ways Maritz celebrates its partnership with St. Louis Children’s Hospital is during its annual Holiday Lights event. Each year a different Maritz family with close ties to the hospital kicks off the holiday season by switching on more than 100,000 strands of lights that decorate the entire Maritz campus.

Maritz began celebrating the Holiday Lights event in 2003 to commemorate and support the contributions Children’s Hospital makes to families both locally and nationally. Since the partnership began, Maritz has donated an Endowment Fund for literacy, education and a sibling playroom.

Through the partnership with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the Holiday Lights event is one way to recognize the work Children's does for families across the country.

Find out more about St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Maritz is a corporate sponsor of Fair Saint Louis/Celebrate St. Louis, an annual series of events celebrating downtown St. Louis with free, live entertainment and fireworks on the riverfront. Fair Saint Louis/Celebrate St. Louis draws hundreds of thousands of people who celebrate, remember and honor the spirit of the community.

In 2006, Maritz CEO Steve Maritz served as the general chairman of the Fair. Steve’s father, the late Bill Maritz, was one of the original founders of the Fair.

The Fair officially opens with the VP Parade, a St. Louis family tradition for 130 years. The Parade features floats, marching bands and helium balloons, one of which is annually sponsored by Maritz and escorted through the streets of downtown St. Louis by a team of Maritz people.

“There is a long history of support for the Fair in St. Louis, and I believe in doing my part for the community. It was both an honor and privilege to be the chairman.”

-Steve Maritz

Find out more about Fair Saint Louis/Celebrate St. Louis.

Maritz proudly supports the not-for-profit organization Teach For America, a national corps of outstanding recent college graduates and professionals of all academic majors, career interests and professional backgrounds. Teach For America members commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools, and are leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity. Maritz established a partnership with Teach For America in 2006, joining in the effort to close the academic achievement gap between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

For the past two years, Maritz has paired with Teach For America corps teachers who are recent college graduates and have traveled from all over the country to work in low-income St. Louis schools. In 2007, Maritz, in addition to financial support, conducted a company-wide school supply drive and adopted 11 teachers and their classrooms.

Find out more about Teach For America.

Maritz moved its Global Sales Conference from its corporate headquarters in St. Louis to New Orleans in May 2006, sending a strong message to the global travel and meetings industry that one of the world’s premiere destinations is back and ready for business after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Maritz’ presence provided a prime opportunity to showcase the city as a destination for meetings and incentive trips and generate millions of dollars in economic impact. By moving the sales conference to New Orleans, Maritz salespeople reported back to thousands of clients that New Orleans is alive and well, encouraging clients to book future business in the city.

During the sales conference, over 300 Maritz salespeople also were able to give “sweat equity” to the people of New Orleans by spending a day mulching, painting and sprucing up City Park’s Carousel Gardens.

The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitor Bureau named Maritz the first recipient of the “Champions of the Crescent City” program, honoring organizations that choose and support New Orleans as a meetings destination.

“We are deeply grateful to Maritz for supporting New Orleans and making a huge impact on our hospitality industry, which is so vital to the city’s prosperity.”

- Stephen Perry, president and CEO, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.

Find out more about New Orleans City Park.