Santa Clarita, California home to two amazing places, The Carousel Ranch, an equestrian center dedicated to improving the lives of children and young adults with special needs. And Neotech Products LLC, a business who for the last 32 years has been developing products to improve the chance for normal life for the smallest and weakest babies in the world.
A Giving Heart of a Company
Neotech won't tell you, but they have a long tradition of giving to the community. They donate products to the needy, from families to countries, hire and train staff with special needs and give to charitable foundations on a regular basis. But the true heart of the company in my opinion is President, Craig McCrary - mentored by Owner Dr. Arnold Heyman for 30 years. When Craig is not running a multi-million dollar corporation, he is running the paseos of Santa Clarita with his Special Olympics 'family' members. It is the way he treats all those he comes in contact with, always with compassion that extends to his staff and the 50 some employees of Neotech.
As a long standing vendor of Neotech for 13 years, I naturally have become close to the staff and especially Craig and his better half, Judy, who together run the company's top level business operations and marketing on a daily basis. But nothing could have prepared me for the love and compassion they showed my family when a half dozen of the development and management team showed up to pay respects at my father's funeral in October of last year.
Sadly, just three months later on Christmas day my sister passed away. Buried at the same site as my father and before his headstone even had time to arrive. Yet again, upon learning that my family was going to miss the funeral due to a tropical storm in Houston, Neotech, having previously known my sister's love for horses, decided to make a donation to The Carousel House in her honor.
Craig's motto has always been "nice guys don't have to finish last." As a business owner myself, that can be a difficult image to maintain when trying to make decisions where a positive impact in one business direction usually means a negative impact in another. It is especially pronounced when dealing with people, business decisions often affect everyone differently. I'll admit, many times I have been critical (or envious) of Craig's patience and revere towards the process. But everyday, he continues to reach more people, help more babies, and instill a culture in love, compassion and kindness just like their friends at the Carousel House.
Businesses and business executives in our modern world are torn down in everyday conversations about them - by those who don't understand the roles they play. But, here are a couple of businesses that are impervious to criticism and changing the world one heart at a time.