Giving is the Firm's Business

When Charlie Marcotte and Suzanne Hawley were kids, their single mother sometimes walked to work in the winter because the car was broken. That memory inspired Marcotte, who owns three auto repair shops in Virginia, to start Family Service Day, a for-profit business that helps companies hold events where they offer free services to families in need. Started in 2009 by Marcotte, it was incorporated as a business this past January in New Boston and led by Hawley, Marcotte’s sister.

The company has held events at 13 different automotive repair shops in seven states since January and 36 events since its founding, serving more than 698 families. The presenting sponsor, CARQUEST Auto Parts, a chain of auto parts stores, offers the Family Service Day blueprint through Tech Net, a professional organization it runs for 5,300 auto repair shops, providing them with technical and marketing assistance. That blueprint describes how companies can identify a local nonprofit that can connect with families in need and suggests other companies to contact to request donated food and entertainment for families to enjoy while they are receiving services. Tech Net members receive the blueprint as part of their membership.

Family Service Day focuses on single parents and families with a deployed spouse. Most participating automotive shops provide free oil changes and checkups, and other services generally worth about $155. “What we really focused on is helping businesses become more successful through doing good,” Hawley says.

Two years ago, Concord Motorsport, an auto sales and service center in Concord, held a Family Service Day, working with Veterans Count, an Easter Seals NH program, and Families in Transition, both based in Manchester, to identify families and individuals in need. Alex Ray, owner and founder of The Common Man Family of Restaurants in Ashland, provided food, flipping the burgers himself.

Hawley says the company purposely organized in January as a B corporation (benefit corporation) and will give a percentage of its profits to charity. It chose to organize as a B corp and not a nonprofit because it wanted to support many nonprofits. The company has four employees, including Hawley and Marcotte. While the company now works exclusively with the auto repair industry, it hopes to expand to other industries, including the beauty industry, in the future. For more information visit familyserviceday.org.