Why We Support the Girl Scouts (and Hire Them, Too)

It’s loosen-your-belt time here at APEX Surface Care—otherwise known as Girl Scout Cookie season.

APEX is a staunch supporter of both the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Boy Scouts of America. We believe these two organizations are instrumental in helping young people develop important leadership, community-building and life skills that set them up for future success. In fact, we believe in the values and mission of both organizations so much that we offer a $5,000 bonus to new employees who received the Girl Scout Gold Star Award or earned the rank of Eagle Scout. We are that confident they will become invaluable members of our team.

(Wondering how impressive these two achievements really are? Only 5.4% of Girl Scouts earn the Gold Star Award each year, and just 4% of Boy Scouts have become Eagle Scouts since the ranking’s inception in 1911.)

But we don’t just reward past achievements. We support current Girl Scouts as well. As a company, we purchase 500 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies each year during cookie season to share with clients and colleagues, and we divide the order equally among all Girl Scouts whose family members are members of our team. It’s our way of supporting their entrepreneurial spirit and helping them meet their individual goals (and sure, we don’t mind enjoying a Thin Mint or three ourselves).

In fact, the Cookie Program is world-renowned as a training platform for budding entrepreneurs. By running their own cookie business, Girl Scouts develop the following five skills:

1. Goal Setting: Girls set individual and troop sales goals. 
2. Decision Making: Girls decide where, when and how to sell and market their cookies.
3. Money Management: Girls learn how to set a budget and handle money.
4. People Skills: Girls learn how to talk and listen to their customers.
5. Business Ethics: Girls learn how to conduct business honestly and responsibly.

It’s easy to see how these five skills come in handy here at APEX. First, all our team members, whether they’re on our sales team, our maintenance team or our administrative team, set individual performance goals and work as a team to meet company goals. 

Second, everyone makes important decisions every day in the course of their job, from determining which product to use on which surface to identifying new solutions that help our clients maintain a clean, healthy and attractive facility. 

Third, each team member needs to understand the financial impact of their job and how their work contributes to the financial stability of the company. 

Fourth, people skills are vital in a service-oriented industry such as commercial surface care. 

And finally, as a Certified B Corporation, we are fully committed to transparency, accountability and social responsibility, and we expect our employees to uphold our values.

But the benefits of being a Girl Scout go far beyond participating in the Cookie program. More broadly, the official Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. This aligns with our own social mission, especially one particular component: advancing and fostering external initiatives or organizations providing professional development assistance to women in the facilities and property management industry. As a founding sponsor of Women in Facilities Management (WIFM), we are dedicated to helping women in the industry advance their careers. For example, last year, through WIFM, we sponsored two scholarships for women facility managers that assisted with education and testing costs for professional credentialing. 

APEX Surface Care is committed to ensuring women have the tools, resources and training they need to succeed, just like Girl Scouts helps young girls build their curiosity, kindness, and can-do spirit. To learn more about our social mission and community service projects, visit our website or give us a call at (844) 462-7391.