Jim Lloyd runs a successful, growing insurance agency in Georgia. But Lloyd’s true passion is to help others and give back to the community.
Professional success is one thing, but as Lloyd has got on in his career he realized just how important it is to try and make a difference in others’ lives. Working out of his InsuranceHub agency in his Lawrenceville community, outside metro-Atlanta, he invests a lot of his spare time into the Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, a charity that offers a safe environment for homeless children and their mothers
“I’m blessed that I’ve been reasonably successful in life with regard to business,” Lloyd says. “But that pales in comparison to [giving back]. When you go to bed at night, you know, it’s not that we made X amount of profit, or we did this or did that, it’s like, ‘I did good today, outside of work.’
“You just know that you’ve done good, that some people’s lives were changed as a result of your small contribution.”
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Lloyd was recently recognized by Nationwide for his charitable work, and was granted Nationwide Insurance’s Regional Community Service Award.
“You wish you could do more,” he explains. “I get kind of emotional about this. Maybe there are other things we need to be doing that could help those that are in need. I think that’s what God put us on the earth to do, to give back. There’s more to it than just get up, go to work, go do whatever you do, and then go to bed.”
Although Lloyd had always done community work, with charities or his church, in recent years he has really stepped up that activity – notably working on the board at the children’s shelter and with his agency InsuranceHub taking on the title sponsorship of the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival, the proceeds of which go to the same charity.
Lloyd, a competition barbecue cook, was happy to combine his company, his hobby, and his passion into one event – which this year raised $50,000 for the shelter.
“We all have different passions in our lives and different hobbies, and if you’re ever fortunate enough to be able to co-ordinate your hobby with whatever that charity or ‘give back’ thing is, then that’s just a double blessing,” he says.
“You’ve got to put yourself out there. I tell you, it comes back to you in so many different ways. Certainly, our agency gets recognized, but that’s not the reason [for volunteering], that’s just a byproduct of it. With any type of business, I think your customers and clients, they like to know that you’re a part of the community.”
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