Since its founding in 1966, Guaranty has always been closely connected with the community. As a family owned and operated business, everyone at Guaranty is a member of the community that we serve. We are passionate about how the Boy Scouts of America enriches our youth, particularly in rural communities like the one we’re a part of in Junction City, Oregon. Our slogan “Eggs are cheaper in the country and so are cars, trucks, motorhomes and trailers” hearkens back to a time when Junction City was the place to go for affordable, fresh produce and food products. We at Guaranty are proud to be a part of this vibrant, rural community and love to get involved where and when we can. With several employees who’ve been involved with the Boy Scouts of America– including Guaranty Founder and Eagle Scout Herb Nill– an appreciation for the Scouts is a common thread that runs through the fabric of our company.
“All businesses, especially in small towns, should have a high priority for helping Scouts,” says Shannon Nill, the head of the automotive division at Guaranty and the son of Herb Nill. Shannon believes that the skills and lessons Boy Scouts learn, match up perfectly with Guaranty’s values and are exactly the kinds of things kids need to learn in order to contribute and improve society. “Rural kids need those tools,” Shannon says. Living in the country comes with it’s own set of challenges, and being a Boy Scout gives rural kids an opportunity to learn valuable hands-on skills that they will use in the future. It also gives kids something to work hard at and a place to belong.
We enjoy helping scouts in a variety of ways, whether it’s donating funds and materials to individual Scouts working toward achieving their Eagle, or contributing to initiatives, fundraisers, and facilities for our local Boy Scouts. In 2007, Herb Nill spearheaded the effort to raise money for a new facility for the Oregon Trail Council in Eugene, the home of the Boy Scouts in the area. We were humbled when the Oregon Trail Council decided to name the facility “Herb Nill Family and Guaranty Scout Center” and are honored to have the Guaranty name associated with such a vital organization.
Several of our employees, including scouting families of father-son teams, have strong connections with the Boy Scouts of America. Last year, the son of Dino Dechiara, one of our employees here at Guaranty, achieved his Eagle. Luke Dechiara focused his project on his community by building 12 separate sets of raised garden beds for a community garden in Junction City. Recently, another of our employees, Adam Robertson, who is an Eagle Scout, was deployed as a national guardsman to Afghanistan. Due to his achievement as an Eagle Scout, he was automatically bumped up one rank. To Shannon, that reinforced his and Guaranty’s commitment to the Boy Scouts. “If the military puts that much value on Scouting, we should too,” says Shannon. If you’ve made it all the way through Eagle scout, “you have the right stuff.”
Guaranty is regularly involved in helping individual Scouts in achieving their Eagle. Recently, Creswell High School outgrew their old trophy case and were going to have to start moving some of the trophies into storage. Spencer Bowles, a student there, was disappointed that these hard-earned trophies that commemorated important achievements weren’t going to be displayed. He decided to focus his Eagle project on building a new, high-quality trophy case for the school. Together with I-5 glass in Springfield, Guaranty helped Spencer purchase the materials he needed to complete the project. To recognize his achievement, we also had a brass plaque designed for the front of the case, to commend Spencer for his community service.
Spencer, Adam, and Luke’s stories are just a few examples of how we enjoy helping Scouts. As Friends of Scouts, we attend events like the Friends of Scouts Breakfast where it’s incredible to see that support for the Boy Scouts of America comes from all walks of life. We also work to support the Boy Scouts golf tournament fundraiser and engage in Friends of Scouting campaigns in Junction City. One of the most important reasons why Guaranty is so committed to community service, Shannon says, is that “we like to set an example for other businesses.”
Please click here to find out how to get involved with our local Boy Scouts. Contact us for more information about Guaranty products and services.
