A Calling

Several years ago Piedmont upgraded their phone system to a VOIP system to improve to streamline communication as the company was expanding.

The existing system that we had in Greenville was only a few years old at that time. The old Samsung system was boxed up and placed in our storage room after the new installation where it sat and began collecting dust.

 

Late this past year during some much needed spring cleaning, Mark Swinson came to me and asked, "H.B. , what do you want to do with this phone system?" I pondered his question for about twenty seconds when I got a little nudge to call Walter Strathy, Executive Director of the 3rd Street Community Center. The center is based in the old 3rd Street School which was built in 1929. The Pitt County School System had put the beautiful old Florentine style building on the market a few years back. It was finally purchased by a local plastic surgeon, Dr. Richard Rizutti (PSG Customer) and his wife Meredith. The building was in a beautiful neighborhood when it was built, but now it is in one of Greenville's most distressed areas. The Rizuttis had a vision to revive the old place and help the children in the community. It has been two years since Third Street Community Center opened and there have been between 800 and 1000 volunteers working on the site, including the folks in the neighborhood.

 

As you can imagine, they are in constant need of funding to keep the place up and to launch new programs.

 

 Now, back to Mark Swinson's question and my nudge to call Walter. That very morning, Walter had been having an extended devotional time. He said that at the end of his prayer time he began to write a list of capital needs for the center. At the top of the page was a phone system. Within an hour I called and said, "Hey Walter, would you be interested in a like-new Samsung phone system for the center?" His staff later told me that he was jumping up and down and shouting for joy after we ended our conversation.

 

Today, Scott Johnson and I were invited to a monthly lunch that they host for local businesses. The system has been installed and works as well as it ever did. They said that the building is much safer for the kids and programs run smoother because of it. Walter and his great staff send a big thanks to Piedmont Service Group.

H.B. Moore

VP & GM

 

Walter Strathy, Cindy Nicholson, Darlynn Sakowski, Laura Horn trying out Third Street Community Center's new phone system