by John Imperiale
Joy.
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That is not a word or emotion that one might associate with the cold hard business world of corporate sponsorships. When thinking about what makes a corporation support an event, advertise with a publication, or associate itself with people or a cause, words that come to mind might be: image, outreach, marketing, reputation, branding, investment, relationships, and, of course, profit.
Those and other similar financially driven terms are the driving force behind any decision to spend corporate dollars to be a part of something happening in the community.
But, joy?
That’s a rare bonus.
In the more than a decade that I spent working with the Carib News, on initiatives such as advertising, being a contributing writer, and sponsoring the West-Indian Day Carnival and Parade, I was able to achieve all of the business goals that justified my decision to be a major sponsor. It was as they say, money well spent.
But the joy I got out of it is what has always been most meaningful and personally rewarding to me.
Working with Karl and Faye Rodney and the staff of Crab News was an honor.
It started way back in the 1990s when a goal of the major bank that I was working for was to increase our outreach and image to the Caribbean community, and, with that, the broader community at large. And, of course, to increase our sales, especially for mortgages.
I quickly learned that if you want to do well with any community, you need to know that community, completely. The quickest path to knowing a community is to know and work with community leaders. When those community leaders share the same ultimate goal as you: helping everyone improve their lives, the process becomes easy. I worked with Mr. and Mrs. Rodney to develop and implement specific plans on how to best utilize sponsorship time and money. Hard work. They made it easy.
They made it joyful.
Karl Rodney first proposed that I sponsor a breakfast for dignitaries the morning of the Labor Day West-Indian Day Carnival and Parade. I did. It was so successful that I continued that sponsorship year after year. Mr. Rodney made sure the program was structured around our mutual goals and Mrs. Rodney made sure that I met every political and civic leader and that they all knew of my, and my organization’s, commitment to the community.
To get to that point, though, required many meetings and lunches to work out the logistics. Throughout those days, I learned our lucky I was to be working with the Rodneys and to be associated with the Carib News.
We never did seem to get around to talking business until we first talked family, faith, and friendship. The Rodneys even provided me with great tips on my Caribbean vacations. They then went even further, arranging for a nice reception for me from elected officials and significant business owners no matter what island I went to.
Our friendship was real and strong and has lasted, even after I retired. Years may go by now without us speaking, but when we do speak, it is as if we never stopped our every week or so lunch. Oh, and when I say I retired, I really mean “almost retired.” I am the Mayor of my town in New Jersey, a position I achieved by following the lessons that I learned from Karl and Faye Rodney: care about people first and success will follow.
