Swift gives back around the world with first annual Swift Day
Swift Worldwide Resources, a specialist supplier of manpower resources to the global oil and gas industry, recently celebrated its first annual "Swift Day," a day of giving back. On August 3, 250 Swift employees in 22 offices around the world were given the day off with one stipulation – they had to work as teams doing something positive for their local communities. By all accounts, the program was a huge success.
"We at Swift are so grateful for the growth and prosperity of our company that it would not be right if we didn't give back," said Swift CEO Tobias Read, who joined a team that provided gardening services to an elderly and disabled London homeowner who hadn't seen her lawn for more than 20 years. "Swift Day not only brings each team together for a great cause, but it also connected each office throughout the world. We enjoyed seeing all of the work the other offices did for their own communities. It was truly a humbling and rewarding experience."
Swift has focused exclusively on the global oil and gas sector for over 25 years. Today, the USA is one of Swift's largest and most successful regions, with operations in different oil and gas market sectors including offshore Gulf of Mexico, onshore production facilities in west Texas, arctic exploration and production in Alaska, and refinery expansion projects in Indiana, Illinois, and Mississippi.
In 2001, Swift set up its US operation in Houston to work alongside Houston-based client project management teams and central procurement groups. The Houston office proudly participated in Swift first annual Swift Day, as well.
Two of the Houston office's teams, the BP Upstream team, focused on Swift client BP's upstream segment, and the Business Development Team, partnered to focus on Houston's hunger problem.
For Swift Day 2011, the two teams ventured to the Houston Food Bank where they chopped, minced, and sliced enough vegetables to help in the preparation of 4,000 meals to be eaten that week. One hundred and fifty pounds of carrots, 100 pounds of celery, 200 pounds of onions, and 120 pounds of bell pepper were prepared, along with the opening and pouring of up to 1,101 pounds of canned fruits and vegetables. In total, Swift was responsible for preparing 2,159 pounds of food.
"Swift works all over the world and it's a focus for us that we become 'a local company' wherever our business takes us. We operate in a multitude of different cultures and societies; Swift day is one of the ways we can give back and in doing so bring these local communities into the wider Swift family," said Houston-based Sam Cross, director of global sales and marketing for Swift Worldwide Resources.
Elsewhere around the globe, Swift teams volunteered in various capacities benefiting numerous organizations and causes. In addition to the yard clearance in London, another team spent the day painting a large playground wall for a local junior high school, while yet another Swift group canvassed the city and persuaded 85 businesses to display collection boxes for Noah's Ark Children's Hospice.
A group from Baku, Azerbaijan made a large donation of much-needed clothing, food, and toiletries to a local orphanage and spent time with the children.
The Calgary office spent the day sorting, packing, and delivering food for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank.
A group in the Alaska office helped save the trees surrounding a local lake by wrapping them in chicken wire to protect them from a family of beavers that had recently moved in.
In China, Swift employees donated learning materials to a school for autistic children and spent the day interacting and playing with the kids.
Swift Brazil chose the Maternal House Mello de Mattos – a shelter for homeless children and abuse victims – for their outreach, donating several items and spending the day doing activities such as hairstyling and hide-and-seek with the children.
The Singapore Swift office spent the day with the elderly at an area retirement community, joining the residents in their morning exercise routine and preparing their lunch.
Along with taking great pride in its ability to recruit, train and develop its national teams of workers, Swift is committed to investing in the local community and plans to make Swift Day an annual event.
About the Author
Mikaila Adams
Managing Editor, Content Strategist
Mikaila Adams has 20 years of experience as an editor, most of which has been centered on the oil and gas industry. She enjoyed 12 years focused on the business/finance side of the industry as an editor for Oil & Gas Journal's sister publication, Oil & Gas Financial Journal (OGFJ). After OGFJ ceased publication in 2017, she joined Oil & Gas Journal and was later named Managing Editor - News. Her role has expanded into content strategy. She holds a degree from Texas Tech University.