The Hartford has a deep and authentic commitment to supporting local small businesses. To learn more about the company’s efforts, MetroHarford Alliance Content Manager Nan Price spoke with Steve Jones, Chief Marketing Officer, Small Commercial at The Hartford.
NAN PRICE: How does The Hartford support the small business community?
STEVE JONES: One of the most interesting ways The Hartford supports small businesses in the community is through HartMobs, which is a way of raising awareness about and rallying to support local small businesses. The initiative started about 11 years ago. It was the brainchild of a few employees; it didn’t come from corporate.
The Hartford is the kind of place where people really want to give. Some of our employees decided in their free time to go local businesses and support them with their time and their money. They organized big groups to frequent a small business and make purchases.
HartMobs was born out of that spirit of giving and supporting. When The Hartford decided to put some oomph behind it, we didn’t want to drain its soul. We didn’t want to make it feel like it was a corporate mandate. We wanted it to feel authentic—and our employees have lived up to that.
So, while we provide some structure, organization, and ability to find and connect with small business owners, our employees are still the ones who drive HartMobs. That happens all the time in Hartford, in towns throughout Connecticut, and across the country.
Sometimes HartMobs are big events, sometimes it’s an online blitz where we’ll feature one of our customers and encourage our employees to make purchases online.
Another way that we support small businesses is through Small Biz Ahead, our weekly online newsletter and blog. We provide small business advice from experts and feature one of our small business owners. It’s a way for the more than one million people who receive that newsletter to see, learn, and hopefully support these small businesses.
Also, if The Hartford hosts a big town hall meeting, we’ll purchase products from some of our small business owners and use them as giveaways for our employees. And our support isn’t limited to just The Hartford customers when we’re doing these things. It’s easier for us to connect with some of the businesses who are our customers, but it’s not the only way.
NAN: What do you enjoy most about being involved with the small business community?
STEVE: When you’re an employee in a company the size of The Hartford, you’re looking for meaning in what you do. The efforts we make are authentic; they come from a real place of our employees wanting to support small businesses. And it’s not just in Small Commercial, which is the division that supports small businesses. It’s in our personal lives, it’s in our group benefits, it’s in our middle market groups. Everyone here wants our local small businesses community to succeed.
I’ve been at The Hartford for 23 years and I think you stay at a company for a lot of reasons. Among them is if the company authentically shows its commitment to its community. I think that’s becoming more and more important. The Hartford has been that kind of company for me for 23 years and many other employees here feel that impact too.
Read the entire interview at the MetroHarford Alliance