Transervice Logistics, a transportation solutions company based in Lake Success, has been giving gifts to its employees’ children for nearly half a century— including this year, where at least 1,200 toys were given out across more than 120 locations to them and children in need.
“This program generates so much excitement throughout the company,” said Sean Schnipper, Transervice’s marketing and social media manager. “For weeks our conference room is overflowing with excited volunteers who sort and wrap each of the gifts for special delivery.”
CEO Dennis Schneider, who has been with the company since 1972, said the tradition has gone on as long as he can remember and has always been one of the ways of giving back to its staff.
“The one thing that’s changed is that we’ve grown significantly as a company and we have 1,200 employees today,” Schneider said, noting that the company began with a handful of people in 1969. “20 years ago, we may have had 600 employees.”
Because many people have stayed with the company for decades, grandchildren are also factored into the giving, he added.
In addition to giving back to the staff members, Schneider said, they usually buy more than necessary from a wholesale toy warehouse so they can donate extra items to children in need through charities like the Salvation Army.
“We intentionally buy more than we need,” Schneider said.
Jon Brizzolara, the company’s warranty director who has worked with Jeanne Spellman to coordinate the toy donations, said they typically give toys to children between infancy and 13 years old.
What goes into getting these gifts out is surveying all the employees to gauge how many kids there are, their genders, as well as their age, so they can get the right amount of toys. They’ve also had parties in the past, he said, with frequent visits from Santa Claus.
“It’s a process,” Brizzolara, a nearly 30-year employee of the company, said. “Talk about making a list and checking it twice — it’s more than that.”
But while it can be quite a bit of work, Brizzolara said it’s definitely worthwhile.
“I think [it’s] just the idea of knowing you’re giving,” Brizzolara said. “Toys aren’t just randomly distributed back to children who may already have more than they need.”
