Pit Boss Gives Back By Honoring Heroes

Ray Sheehan

Published Author

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Did you know that Pit Boss offers a 25% Hero discount on all Pit Boss grills and accessories to first responders and servicemen and women, past and present? This discount is available on their website https://pitboss-grills.com. It’s their way of saying thank you for your service. I recently caught up with Julie Day, one of the managers of the program to find out more about it.

RS- Hi Julie, Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to meet with me. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do at Dansons (the parent company of Pit Boss Grills) and how long you have been there?

JD- Thank you for having me! I’m excited to be able to share a little about our charitable giving initiatives at Dansons. I have always had a passion for volunteerism and giving back to the community. It has been in my blood from a young age, and I was even honored with a YWCA Young Woman of the Year award one year for my service to the community. When Dansons offered me this position, it was the perfect fit for me. I have always been involved in the charitable giving world through various volunteer positions. Before I started with Dansons, I was active with our local Salvation Army women’s ministry van. The owners of Dansons wanted someone they could trust to truly reflect their desire to give back and there are many reasons I am uniquely equipped for this.

RS- What brings you the most joy in your current position?

JD- I always say I have the best job in the company! There’s the brain of the company – our finance and innovations departments, the hands of the company – our production and creative departments, and the feet of our department – our extensive logistics department – to name a few. I get to run the heart of our organization.

 We receive an enormous number of in-kind requests every year. Even though we are unable to give to all of them, reading through the many submissions, I am always inspired by the passion and commitment people have towards others in their community. Most of our requests come in on evenings and weekends, showing how many charitable giving initiatives are labors of love. Many requests come from people who are reaching out outside of work hours because they believe so much in what they are supporting. We can all give back no matter what our situation is. I especially love to connect with enthusiastic Pit Boss or Louisiana Grills owners who are passionate about BBQ AND about supporting their local community. That’s my sweet spot; I love it when we get to support the amazing work of Pit Boss Nation!! Their investment in our business gives us the opportunity to give. It’s a full-circle experience.

RS- What is the PIT BOSS HEROS program, who is eligible for it, and how did it come about?

JD- Pit Boss Heroes was born almost 2 and a half years ago. It was the directive from our founder, Dan Thiessen. He has the utmost respect for those who put their lives in danger every day for the greater good of our communities. He wondered what we could do to show our support. That led to discussions around a discount on our products for police and firefighters. As the discussion progressed, I specifically remember the passion with which Dan’s son and COO, Jordan Thiessen, talked about those in the military who leave their families to protect our freedoms. These were deep, heartful conversations steeped in gratitude.

As our team expanded, it was suggested that a 25% discount would harm our bottom line too much. The program hinged on these words of our “this is not supposed to be a money-making initiative, I want to do something significant to show our support.”

Frankly, I feel very honored to have been a part of these conversations because they set the tone for the entire program – it isn’t just words; it is the heart behind it that we try to reflect through Pit Boss Heroes. Our team meets bi-weekly. Although we discuss numbers and utilization of the program in terms of dollars and cents, every few meetings, we come back to the purpose, “We want our first responders and military to feel significant support from our company. We want them to know that we appreciate and honor them”.