Jim Estill, second from right, talking with some of the Syrian families he sponsored in Danby's Guelph outlet store in May, 2017.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Jim Estill, owner, president and CEO of Danby Appliances in Guelph, Ont., isn’t wild about being what he calls the “poster child for refugees.” The entrepreneur – who previously founded and sold tech companies, plus served on the Research in Motion board – doesn’t crave attention for giving back.
His efforts get noticed anyway: he was just awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal and he previously received the Order of Ontario and Order of Canada. His philanthropic work, both personally and through Danby, includes sponsoring dozens of refugee families, offering newcomers both temporary and long-term jobs, launching numerous giving-back initiatives and donating financially.
In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. Mr. Estill says working to help others, while only nominally paying himself, keeps him going. He recently shared how his approach evolved over the years:
How did you come to prioritize giving?
I have always been marginally generous. I’d go to a walk-a-thon or raise money for cancer research or a humane society. I gave what I could afford in relatively small amounts for a long time.
In the 1990s, I joined an Imagine Canada program, which involved committing to donating one per cent of profits to charity. After I sold my first company, I dramatically increased my giving. I retired early, but I didn’t find that fulfilling. I tried sitting on boards for Junior Achievement and the United Way, but I didn’t find that very fulfilling, either. I realized there are different ways to serve. What I realized was I am good at running a business, and I could give that way.
Around this time, I changed my philosophy around wealth. My view is you need a certain amount for security and for the future. I have a house and a car and I do have stuff – [but] beyond that, I give everything away. I don’t have a second house and I don’t need a private jet.
Many of your philanthropic projects go through Danby – how does that work?
I like things that have multiple bottom lines. When people come to Canada, they have no household appliances, no furniture. Through Danby, I started the Circle Home Furniture Bank, which accepts donations and gives people furniture, appliances and housewares. I buy a lot at estate auctions and we buy new mattresses and pillows. It helps people who are refugees or are coming out of homelessness, but it also keeps things out of landfill.
The Danby refugee program works this way too. Running a business, one of the ways I help people is giving them jobs. I like to think I give people more than an equal shot, especially if they don’t have Canadian work experience and their English isn’t perfect.
What keeps you motivated to do all this?
One of my personality traits is I tend to feel things strongly. When I see tragedy, I want to solve it. The state of the world weighs heavy when I read the news, see the news. It does make me realize how lucky I am. When I have a problem, it’s a minor problem. Helping others helps with gratitude.
I’ve also learned from my refugee work that helping others helps with depression. If you’re depressed and you help other people, you don’t have time to be depressed, you don’t have time to wallow. You realize you’ve got it pretty good.
How do you deal with the time commitment of all your projects?
Successful people juggle. Sometimes I feel over-committed, time-wise.
Everyone gives me credit, but I have about 800 volunteers. I don’t do most of the work. I don’t think I’ve ever carried a couch. I do the high-level vision and others execute the vision. I approach my business and my volunteer stuff as a servant leader. So, the woman who runs the furniture bank, who is a volunteer, she just needs to tell me what she needs, and my job is to get what she needs.
What do you think of getting the King Charles III Coronation Medal?
I actually love it, but not for the reason you think. I love it because I’ve changed my goal. My goal is now to inspire as many people as I can to do more of what I do, because the amount of what needs doing in the world is so much. When I get an award, it always gets press. That recognition and that press helps me get more partners and allows me to get more things done.