Corporate Member Spotlight – PRemployer

WMA is supported by the regional business community, and welcomed PRemployer, Inc., a division of PR Companies, to its corporate member program this past spring. We spoke with Mary Beth Maddox, Senior Executive Vice President of Personnel Resources, about the company’s values and vision. PRemployer, Inc. generously gives at the Supporter level.

WMA: Tell us a little about the 20-year history of PRemployer in the Wiregrass, and what values are important to the company today.

Mary Beth: PRemployer, Inc. is a family-owned company started by Ben Harrison, Richard Guest, and Becky Carter. The company currently employs over 30 staff members in the Dothan area, and we help privately-owned businesses and organizations with their HR, payroll, benefits, and risk management solutions. We place great value on community service, and are long-standing members of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, while supporting a dozen or so area nonprofits. 

WMA: The museum appreciates the annual support your company gives to help the museum fulfill its mission. What guides your corporate philanthropy?

Mary Beth: We tend to lean toward philanthropic opportunities that have a local impact. Our company’s owners and staff live in this community, and so we have a vested interest to be good corporate citizens and do our part to improve the quality of life. One way that we give back is by encouraging staff to participate in events and activities with nonprofits who we support, so that we have a part in the hands-on, good work that happens.

WMA: Is there an experience you’ve had at the museum that you’d like to share with our members?

Mary Beth: There was an exhibition earlier this year, where the museum worked with The Harbor, which is also one of the local nonprofits that we at The PR Companies support. Our staff is very involved with their work, and we have as a team participated in 4 or 5 of their Saturday programs for the homeless and housing insecure. Although I have worked with them before, I was awestruck by the perspective of the children whose artwork was a part of that exhibition, and not just by their talent level. It really made me appreciate the value of art as an outlet for everyone to be seen and understood. When I think about those who are homeless or housing-insecure, I think of this idea of not being settled, of needing a place, and of needing encouragement. Art can be a way for people from all walks of life, not just those at The Harbor, but anyone who needs encouragement, to be seen and understood. 

(Mary Beth references Home: Where I Live, an exhibition from January 2019 in collaboration with The Harbor.)

Photographer Bridget Glenn poses with her photograph from ‘Home: Where I Live,’ which was on display at WMA in early 2019

WMA: You’re actively involved in major leadership positions across the regional community. What do you want to see for the future of the Wiregrass? 

Mary Beth: That’s a good question. I would like for us as a community to continue the dialogue about expanding opportunities for the arts here in the Wiregrass. The arts make every aspect of our life more enjoyable. I really want to see what we can do to unify around the idea that when we expand the arts, we can accomplish more in economic development and maximize our community resources. I think the idea of the arts being central to and necessary for our community is really exciting!