A couple years ago, Brenda Standke was asked to speak to an executive assistant forum on her unique career path at Prologis. In reality, she never thought of it as unique—she simply was following her passions. But when she won the community champion award at the Denver Admin Awards, she realized how fortunate she was to have a career she loves, be able to combine it with her passion for volunteering, and be recognized by the company and her peers.
Brenda has been an executive assistant with Prologis for nearly 20 years. She said she’s supported a lot of amazing people along the way in various leadership roles. For the last 11 years, she has supported Prologis chief operating officer Gary Anderson, whose previous role as CEO of Europe and Asia gave her an opportunity to build relationships and learn other cultures with people she never would have thought possible.
“I grew up in a small community in Iowa,” Brenda says. “Everyone knew everyone and there was always someone there to lend a helping hand when someone needed it. That's just what you do. I've been volunteering for different things all my life and was thrilled when the opportunity to coordinate IMPACT Day came my way, as I see Prologis as that same community in Iowa.”
IMPACT stands for Integrity, Mentorship, Passion, Accountability, Courage and Teamwork. On IMPACT Day, some 1,600 people around the world leave their offices to spend a day helping to make others’ lives better. That's more than 8,000 hours every year devoted to feeding the homeless, building homes for families, spending time with children who don't have stability in their lives or may be sick in the hospital, delivering meals to the homebound, doing activities with the disabled, spending time with the elderly who are lonely, and even donating blood. It's also about caring for our environment. Every weed pulled, trail dug and tree planted leaves behind something better for someone else to enjoy another day. Brenda believes that the power of IMPACT Day is profound.
“Imagine if more companies did that, and everyone picked a day,” she said. “I wake up every IMPACT Day morning like a little kid and check my phone for #PLDIMPACT posts. It puts a smile on my face and joy in my heart that I'm a part of something bigger than any of us. It's more than corporate responsibility when you see the impact it has made in lives.”
In honor of her hard work on IMPACT Day, Brenda was awarded with a Habitat for Humanity Global Village experience, where she had the pleasure of traveling to China and learning about a new culture while helping to build a home for a family.
“We didn't speak the same language and it didn't matter,” she said. “The smiles and hugs said it all. I've also had the honor of handing the keys of a new home that Prologis helped build to a family in need. It may have been one day of hard work for us but it provided a gift for a lifetime.”
Brenda believes that it doesn't matter how big the company gets, where employees live, or what their religion, ethnicity or background is. Everyone has the same spirit to come together and give back. That comes from our leadership and every employee who walks through the door.
“I'm proud of our leadership and of my global colleagues. We share the same hearts. To me, we are that small town in Iowa,” she says. “We are Prologis.”
