Acuity Insurance is donating $35,000 to help provide grants and training to employees of hotel and beauty industries, two sectors impacted significantly by COVID-19.
“A key part of Acuity’s mission is ‘Rebuilding Shattered Lives,’” said Ben Salzmann, Acuity President and CEO. “In a time when people’s lives and jobs have been disrupted by the pandemic, Acuity is committed to finding ways to help.”
Acuity is donating $10,000 to the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund and $25,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging (AHLA) Foundation’s COVID Relief Fund. The PBA Foundation donation will provide 20 grants to industry professionals impacted by the pandemic. The AHLA Foundation donation will help provide 100 hotel employees with access to free training, professional development, and continuing education scholarships.
The donation was spearheaded by Acuity’s Services Customer Team, which focuses on creating innovative products and resources for service businesses and building strong partnerships with Acuity’s customers in the sector. During a time in which many in-person activities have been curtailed, this team has worked to identify new ways to support the service industry, such as through support of the PBA Foundation and the AHLA Foundation.
“Two areas of the service sector that have been greatly impacted by nationwide shutdowns, travel bans, and other restrictions are salons and hotels,” said Dana Bear, Product Analyst and Services Customer Team Lead. “Our team looked for ways to give back to these industries, which are also a significant part of Acuity’s services industry customer base.”
“Acuity’s generosity will make a difference for hotel employees as the industry still struggles to recover,” said Rosanna Maietta, president of AHLA Foundation. “We are excited to have Acuity join the growing list of partners who are working tirelessly to invest in our industry’s greatest resource – our employees – to help them get one step ahead in their careers when travel resumes in full.”
“We’re so appreciative of organizations like Acuity who are helping financially support stylists and beauty professionals. The more we raise together, the more we can help the industry through this unprecedented time,” said Steve Sleeper, Executive Director of PBA.
Acuity Insurance, headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, insures over 100,000 businesses, including 300,000 commercial vehicles, and nearly a half million homes and private passenger autos across 28 states. Rated A+ by A.M. Best and S&P, Acuity employs over 1,400 people.