A Community Designed for Generosity: A Conversation with Dimensional Innovations
“I think it’s the responsibility of all of us to give back. You get almost more in return because of the connections that your team forms with each other doing something outside of just their daily work; that strength and that bond are what create a stronger and better team, a stronger and better culture, and they’re going to do better work together and they’re going to be better collaborators. And that’s true in any business. The benefits far outweigh whatever might feel like a sacrifice to get it going.” – Tucker Trotter, CEO of Dimensional Innovations
Tucker Trotter, CEO and Mary Wooldridge, Community Engagement Director at Dimensional Innovations, recently joined LaVon Colhour, the Community Foundation’s Director of Corporate Services, to share about the firm’s mission to “liberate people from mediocre experiences” in their work and philanthropic endeavors.
Below you’ll find the conversation.
Interview Highlights
The following exchange has been edited for length and clarity.
LaVon Colhour:
I’m very excited for a conversation with my good friends Tucker Trotter and Mary Wooldridge from Dimensional Innovations, also known as DI. Dimensional Innovations is an experienced design and building technology firm that exists to liberate people from mediocre experiences. DI’s award-winning portfolio of work spans from professional and collegiate sports, cultural centers, museums, children’s hospitals, corporate facilities, amusement parks, retail spaces, entertainment venues and many other industries.
Tucker is the CEO of DI and launched his first company as an industrial design student at the University of Kansas. Tucker joined DI in 1996 as a design intern. Over 25 years later, he continues to strive for a world-class company culture, ensuring that the work DI introduces to the world has a meaningful and memorable impact on all who experience it. Tucker is also passionate about developing and cultivating community, having recently helped launch the Parade of Hearts, a citywide public art exhibition designed to support the people most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parade of Hearts not only rallied an entire community around a common cause, but it also helped raise awareness for numerous organizations and charitable institutions in Kansas City.
Mary is a connector of people and ideas, a relationship builder, and a firm believer that most people have the innate desire to contribute and give back. As the community engagement director at Dimensional Innovation, Mary works with the company’s executive team and the DI Foundation committee to create and implement a community engagement strategy to establish and enforce the vision of their employee-funded and managed foundation. A calculated risk-taker and cultural leader with deep knowledge of the nonprofit industry, Mary has championed nonprofits to increase funding and create greater awareness of their organizations and missions. As a community leader, she has been recognized as a proven relationship builder and helped establish and develop foundations across the nation.
To start, why don’t you tell us a little bit about the work that DI does?
Tucker Trotter:
I’ll take it first, and then Mary can fill in what I leave out. So yeah, we’re kind of a hard business to describe. I think you did a great job describing it. But we say we’re an experienced design, build and technology company. And so, we have about 250 incredibly, amazingly talented people who are really obsessed with this idea of creating the world’s greatest experiences. You touched on many of the ones we work on. We work in pediatric healthcare, which is something we’re all passionate about and excited about. The idea of being able to distract kids from pain and the fear of treatment just by the use of technology. So, it’s kind of tech for good versus bad. We also do a lot of great work in the museum space, sports stadiums, and entertainment, and we’re excited about the work we do in the corporate space, specifically helping companies tell their story, which in turn helps them recruit and retain people.
But you touched on our purpose statement, the reason why we get up in the morning and come to work, and it really is this idea of liberating people from mediocre experiences. And lucky for us, the world’s full of mediocre experiences, so we’ve got lots of work to do. But I think that’s how we met LaVon, because when COVID hit, and all the events of 2020 and 2021 happened. And so, that was really the idea of Parade of Hearts, which I know we will get into.
Mary Wooldridge:
We also all work really hard here at DI, but we play hard too. So, we also like to have a lot of fun, and as much as the work we do for our clients, we do just as much work in the community, which is really awesome to see.
Tucker Trotter:
Yes, we just had a holiday luncheon, so much of the celebration was about all the work we’ve done in the community. I think our team really gets excited about that, and they put a lot of work, effort and passion behind it.
Mary Wooldridge:
Yeah, as Tucker said, you’ve got so many creative people here. And so, when we are asked to help with community events, whether by creating an experience on stage, bringing something to life or one that engages the audience more, it is incredible.
LaVon Colhour:
That’s great that you mentioned that, because that really takes us into the next question about the company’s history of giving back and how you engage employees. And I know you’ve all done some really exciting things. So, can you talk a little bit about the history of the DI Foundation and some of the great projects that you’ve done in the community?
Tucker Trotter:
Yeah, the way it all started really was we’d been working with someone else who was kind of doing the payroll deduction, and they would come in and speak to us once a year. And a lot of our team felt like they didn’t really know where the money was going and whether they were really making a big difference. And so, our team asked what more we could do to ensure that we know what we’re doing really makes a difference and has an impact. Additionally, they often became the most excited and engaged when they could do something that truly showcased their talents and skill set. So, part of the reason for starting the foundation was for us to get really closer to those that we intended to benefit and help.
That’s when we reached out to the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation to help us put some structure behind it, while still giving our team the opportunity to make payroll deductions or contribute in any other way they wanted, and then have a way to manage that. And you’ve all been incredible in helping us do that. And then Mary came on to really run the foundation, and what’s been really cool about it is we’ve had so much success with it that a lot of my peers and friends have asked, like, okay, we see what you’re doing, and some of these companies are much larger in scale. And so, we’ve essentially given them the playbook, which is one of the things that excites us, as others have created similar foundations and utilized our model. And so, it’s beyond just us. It’s much bigger than us, which is great.
Mary Wooldridge:
Additionally, one of the other really great things about our foundation is that it’s employee-funded and managed. And so, we have, of course, DI matches the employee’s giving, which is also really helpful. But we use all of these talents that we have. That’s really our mission is to give back through building and creating stuff rather than just making a financial grant to someone. We offer eight hours of pay for community service, so employees can go wherever they want. We also have community leadership opportunities. We have a committee to which all these requests are submitted, and we try to get an employee from each department represented on the committee who’s passionate about helping others and giving back. And it’s really awesome when we all get together and meet and review all of these requests that we get, and everybody has their own viewpoint.
It’s really interesting to hear how each department and leader on that team is. They all have their own opinions, so it’s fun to make those decisions together. And then, of course, we also have opportunities for people to do payroll deduction. And so, currently, we have, as of last week, about 36% of the company giving financially. This foundation has only been going really since 2015. So, that’s a big number. Yes, I know we attended a meeting at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, and at that point, we were just a little over 20%. Everybody was like, how did you do that? So, we’re really proud of that. And we don’t take that lightly either; we reward them for being part of giving back. And so, when we have Royals tickets or tickets to a special community event, we offer them to our members, and we want to give them benefits for being part of it. And so, they get to submit requests ahead of just random requests that come in. And so, they’re really involved in the whole process.
LaVon Colhour:
That’s great. I love that there are other companies that come to you and want to know what your model looks like. How do you do it? How are you getting employees engaged? I mean, I think that’s probably one of the questions we get quite often. And when we get those questions, we typically refer back to Dimensional Innovations, or we’ll refer back to some of our clients who are doing an amazing job. And I know some people might think 36% is not that high. It really is very high. I mean, just the studies we’ve done on trends with matching gifts and employee matching gift programs show that 9% is usually the national average. And I think what you’re doing to get employees engaged and share that story is really what people want to hear. They want to hear how other companies are doing it. We love sharing stories about how our donors successfully engage employees, because, after all, your most important asset is your employees.
Tucker Trotter:
I think one of the events that Mary does a great job with is the committee putting on this omelet breakfast, which I think happens twice a year. They make omelets for people. And there’s always a line, and it is a huge success. People love it, and I think they love it because the committee is there showing how dedicated they are. And there’s lots of great discussion that happens around that, and I’m sure there’s a decent amount of money raised, but it’s also just fun, fun for our team.
LaVon Colhour:
Food is always a good way to tug at those heartstrings. And speaking of heartstrings, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Let’s talk about Parade of Hearts, and let’s talk about how that all got started. Tucker, just that, I mean, it started out as just an idea, and that idea turned into $2.6 million. So, tell us a little bit about that.
Tucker Trotter:
I think it’s a funny story because it was really Chase and me having coffee together. It was maybe the first time we’d met, maybe not quite the first time, but close. And he, like many times, this is how DI gets a phone call. He had this crazy idea of putting a giant KC heart on the roof of his building, and I said, Yeah, that’s cool, but only so many people will see that. And we were just kicking it around, and that’s when I sketched up this idea. And because I said, “Do you remember the cow parade?” And he said, “Sure.” And so, I said, “What if we did a heart parade?” I mean, that’s really how it started, and I think it was left to chase and me to do something with it. So, it’s kind of sputtered and didn’t go too far.
But then people started hearing about it, and the University of Kansas Health System, some of the original people who organized the cow parade, took us to breakfast and said, ‘We want to do this.’ And that’s when it really started picking up momentum. And then, when COVID hit, I think we all knew this was bigger than just one thing. This was bigger than just this heart parade idea. I mean, this could be a way to take a time that we were all going through, where people were very divided and create an opportunity to bring people together. And that’s what art can do. It’s like sports; it can bring people together. And it did, I mean, in a really big way. And so, I think that’s the part that is so exciting, is how the community embraced it in such a huge way. And I think all of us are, of course, really proud of that, and you both did so much to make this happen. So, anyone can come up with an idea, but it takes so much more to make it come into reality.
Mary Wooldridge:
The funny thing about the Parade of Hearts is that when we started, none of us had any idea what was really going to happen. And I mean it was, if not daily, weekly for sure, that something really incredible, either a story, a sponsor, a group of people within our community, one of these communities that we were placing hearts in. All of these people just knew that we needed it so bad, and everybody just came together to make it what it was.
Tucker Trotter:
And I think going back to the very beginning, it was Mary you’re right, because it was those little moments and they would happen once or twice a week. We ran into numerous obstacles and challenges. But it was those positive things that helped us keep going. And when we went in the very beginning, when Jen and I went out and started having conversations with business leaders and asking them to write really big checks to help support this, and we needed that just to get it going and in order to win hearts and everything else. What I think is so incredible about Kansas City is the leaders who knew this was an idea, it was just an idea. And I think there were so many questions that still needed to be answered, but they would still, sometimes within the first few minutes, say “We’re in.”
And they were in with a really big number because they knew the community needed to be united, and they knew that this had the potential to do that, and that it would also be a really big benefit to their teams to be involved in something like this and be able to go and help. Because if you think back to where all of us were during that time, everyone kind of felt like, What can I do to help? And so, this helped answer that question for many large companies and their leaders in this town who stepped up to help and support this effort. It’s inspiring, and it’s incredible, and it speaks to the power of the Heartland and what we have in this city.
LaVon Colhour:
Could you elaborate on the support that your employees provided for Parade of Hearts? Just talk a little bit about that from picking up the heart, repairs, those types of things.
Mary Wooldridge:
The Parade of Hearts, in my opinion, affected our whole culture here because we had artists picking up hearts here. We had hearts being dropped off here. We were coding hearts, repairing hearts, and making plaques for hearts. Artists were coming, we had media events, we had all this stuff going on. Everyone was wondering what was going on. The more we talked about it, the more that was done, and the more people that got involved, everybody was like, I want to be part of that. How can I help?
I mean, all the time, people would come up to me asking how they could help. It was incredible. And they still talk about it, and now that Parade of Hearts 2.0 has started, they’re right back in it. Everybody is so happy. Yesterday, we had 13 Hearts show up on the back of a trailer to be given out to artists. It was very exciting. People were coming out just to see them drive in the parking lot. I’m telling you, when a company gives back and involves its employees, your culture immediately changes. It’s incredible.
Tucker Trotter:
I think that’s so true, Mary. I mean, I just remember anytime an artist would drop a heart off, or when several would show up, it would make its way around the company really quickly. It generates great conversations, and it gives people who may not always talk to each other an opportunity to have something to discuss. That’s why it’s so powerful. And just seeing that form of human expression and seeing that someone put that much work into something to tell a story, whatever the story is, what makes it so magical. And again, I think it’s why it was so good for our culture, but also for the city or the region’s culture.
Because the same thing happened when you ran into people out on the streets, and that we’re looking at a heart. You would start a conversation with a stranger. And those were sometimes the best conversations because it was an opportunity for someone who may have been isolated or going through this division to unite and meet new people throughout the city. And there were many inspiring stories that we uncovered, far exceeding our original expectations of what this project would achieve.
LaVon Colhour:
Yeah, that’s pretty cool. I mean, I would look at the Parade of Hearts, especially at your involvement and that of your employees. I mean, that’s what you guys do. You guys create interesting things that are not mediocre; it’s an experience, and that’s what Parade of Hearts is. So, I feel like that really bleeds over to what Dimensional Innovations does, what you’re all about, what that means to you. So, that’s great. Is there anything that you want to share about Parade of Hearts 2.0?
Mary Wooldridge:
Well, this has been a big week for the Parade of Hearts, actually. So, yesterday we had the first hearts being delivered. 40 artists have been announced. Everybody’s super excited about it. We had one of our very own employees selected and had a great story that we highlighted today. Yes, it’s an incredible story. And the media is already picking up things; they’re getting behind us, the city is getting behind us again. And so, I think Parade of Hearts 2.0 is going to be a little bit smaller this year, but we’ve got the draft going on this year. So, that’s kind of the focus of Kansas City, I think. But this is going to be an incredible year. And then next year we’ll be back up to many, many more hearts. But it’s been a big week for the Parade to Hearts 2.0. So, I’ll let Tucker talk about our employee, though. It’s a great story.
Tucker Trotter:
Yeah, Scott Seetin, so DI had a couple of our own kind of hearts that we created, and Scott did all the work behind that and on the first version of Parade of Hearts. And so, on this round, he entered in, and Mary, I think, helped get the story on the news. So, they interviewed him on the news and then told him on the news story that he won, which was really cool. But he’s such a talented artist and designer, and so, in the idea behind his work, he’s a transplant recipient.
So, it’s to tell that story and the power behind it. And that’s again, that’s so amazing about this is that everyone can tell their story through art in a different way. And there was nothing in the first Parade of Hearts that was about transplants. But it’s great that he can use this canvas to help tell his story. His interview was so inspiring, and the message he wants to convey is equally inspiring. Being able to do it through this medium is truly great. So yeah, it was today we showed his interview on the news to the whole company, and he got a really big ovation for it.
LaVon Colhour:
That is such a cool story, especially considering there were over 500 artists and only 40 were picked. And we have to put that disclaimer out there, just because we’re on the board, we found out like everybody else, because of our independent selection committee. But that is such a great story. I didn’t even know that story. That’s awesome.
One other question that I have is, what advice would you give other businesses of your size that want to make an impact in our community but might feel limited by their size or resources?
Mary Wooldridge:
I would just tell them to do it. It changes you as a person, it changes those you help, and it’ll definitely change your culture and your business; you’ll succeed by giving back. And in so many ways. And you know what else it does, it connects you with like-minded people who want to do better and do give back. And people will notice, and they’ll start learning about you and your business and the great relationships, and those like-minded people connections, really, you’ll form these connections, and just like we’ve done with Parade of Hearts, together you all come together to do something really incredible.
Tucker Trotter:
Yeah, I think you’re right. I mean, really, regardless of your size, I mean, I think it’s really the responsibility of all of us to give back. And I think what you really get almost more in return is the connections that your team forms with each other, doing something outside of just their daily work, which is that strength and that bond is what really creates a stronger and better team, a stronger and better culture. And then they’re going to do better work together, and they’re going to be better collaborators with each other. I don’t think the size of the business or the enterprise should really matter either, because it’s our responsibility, and the benefits far outweigh whatever might feel like a sacrifice to get it going.
LaVon Colhour:
That’s great. I love the culture you have, with engaging employees and your team giving back.