Jeff Volpe, the president of ViewSonic Americas in Brea, says “a great deal of our charity efforts revolve around education.”
“We’ve been very active in schools or districts that have had challenges with meeting their budget requirements to acquire technology like what ViewSonic sells,” Volpe told the Business Journal on Dec. 7.
ViewSonic, with nearly 100 employees at its local base, is a provider of desktop monitors, interactive displays and non-touch commercial displays, software and value-add accessories for customers.
Their products are increasingly in demand at school districts that oftentimes don’t have the resources to buy the newest technologies.
To help, the company has supported multiple schools, after-school programs, STEM, STEAM, robotics, and coding clubs with a variety of products.
The ViewSonic Professional Development team has been providing teachers with on-demand, online support on topics that included the basics of distance learning, interactive tools, curriculum development and execution.
It’s provided scholarship funds, as well as funds for food—ViewSonic is a supporter of Chef Bruno Serato’s Caterina’s Club, the Anaheim charity that feeds nearly 5,000 kids a day.
The company’s charities and efforts fall under the Empowering Future Generations initiative that began two years ago, when the company pledged $500,000 in technology to financially pressed “Title 1” schools, including after-school and related programs.
“It’s important that our children get an opportunity to see what technologies are out there and what technology they’re going to be using to learn, but in turn what kind of technologies they’re going to be leveraging when they’re in the workspace,” Volpe said.
Next Up
ViewSonic will kick off its “United by Play” initiative with a “battle for charity” tournament at the giant CES tech show in early January with a tournament at the HyperX arena in Las Vegas with various partners.
The event will raise money for gaming-focused charity LANFest, the Starlight Foundation, 1,000 Wishes, Stack up, Boys and Girls Club and Paws Your Game.
The charity and outreach programs represent a “chance to give back where people don’t have that opportunity” while at the same time students can become “more technically astute,” the exec said.
“Familiarity with our brand while someone is in education doesn’t hurt us. But that’s not our primary motive, for certain,” Volpe said.
“I do see charity and community work as something that inspires employees to do the right thing.”
Employee Satisfaction
The community work has resonated well with ViewSonic’s employee base.
ViewSonic ranked No. 22 on the Business Journal’s latest list of Best Places to Work in Orange County, in the midsize company category. Company perks range from a lunch at Thanksgiving time to giving all employees red envelopes with some cash inside to celebrate Lunar New Year and a comprehensive healthcare plan.
Volpe said the company is “doing very well” and sees value in a “hybrid workplace” where employees split time between working at home and in the office.
