How does a friendly golf tournament wager turn into a viral fundraiser? Ronco Construction managed it easily with humble sportsmanship and a little inspiration from a recent box office smash.
“We have a lot of fun within the Ronco culture,” said Zak Olsen, president of Ronco Construction. “People are constantly challenging each other in different ways, both on the job and off the job, and golf is a common hobby amongst a lot of the folks here.”
Golf tournaments among the employees became an internal contest, the loser having to stand on the corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in a hot dog costume with a sign that declared, “I suck at golf!” Olsen took this penance, along with COO, Mike Langford.
This year, the Ronco team decided to take a jovial stab at masculinity.
“I was watching TV with my daughter, who at the time was 7 years old, and a preview for the ‘Barbie’ movie came up,” Olsen recalled. “A light bulb went off. I thought, ‘What if we get an old car, fix it up, and wrap it like the Barbie car, and the loser has to drive that for a period of time?’ Everybody who was in the text loop immediately jumped on that and said, ‘Yep! That’s the winner; let’s go with that.’”
The company purchased a used Honda Odyssey and had it painted and primed for the unfortunate soul who had to drive the bright pink vehicle. Sadly for Langford, his golfing skill did not exceed that of his fellow employees.
Langford drove the car to a company holiday party in December 2023, and all the buzz and photo ops spurred an idea: use the car to raise funds and awareness for a cause. Ronco’s philanthropic committee, Ronco Gives, eventually settled on partnering with Chariots4Hope, a “faith-based, non-profit organization that supports low-income families and individuals to maintain self-sufficiency through reliable transportation and RIDE programs.” “The Pink Chariot,” as it is affectionately known, emerged as the perfect symbol to raise awareness for the organization.
After Langford served his 23-day penance, Ronco created a “See, Snap, Share” campaign: see the car around town, snap a photo, and share it on social media. “For every tag or post that happens throughout the year of 2024, the Ronco Gives organization will make a financial contribution to Chariots4Hope,” Olsen explained. “We want the car to be out on the road as much as possible, whether it’s just driving around for lunch, going to job sites, picking kids up from school—the entire organization is really helping out by taking their turns and getting the car out on the road so that it can be seen.”
Langford’s humiliating punishment therefore turned to positive change. “Initially it was humiliation, but it was a lot of fun when we turned it from penance to philanthropic,” Langford said. “I really enjoyed the pointing, laughing, drive-by, the photos. Watching people take photos at 70 miles an hour is risky, but we appreciate the buzz and excitement.”
The Pink Chariot will be retired at the end of 2024, as Ronco plans to donate it to Chariots4Hope. “Our philanthropic arm, Ronco Gives, will continue in perpetuity,” Olsen said. “We’ll find a new fun idea and organization for next year. In the end, we’re just a catalyst of a couple guys making a stupid golf bet that turned into something brilliant.”
To learn more, visit ronco-construction.com and chariots4hope.org.
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2024 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
