Each week on “Making a Difference,” our hosts interview people making a meaningful impact in their community. Today, James Fenimore and Greg Chapman had the pleasure of speaking with Greg Huntington of WM.
Greg Huntington
Senior Accountant Executive at WM
Website Address: www.WM.com
Short company description:
WM is the largest sustainability company in North America
What is a tip for success that you would provide someone in your same industry?
There is no substitute for hard work
What volunteer experience has impacted you the most?
Serving on behalf of The Foster Closet
What’s one cause you’re passionate about?
Veteran Suicide
How do you encourage your team to make a difference?
Respect others
Transcript:
James:
Welcome back to Making a Difference. I’m James Fenimore. Here on Making a Difference, we highlight people who are making a true impact. Joining me, as always, is Greg Chapman. Greg, how are you?
Greg C.:
I’m well, James. Thanks for having me. It’s my pleasure to introduce you guys today to a friend of mine. He’s been around Jacksonville for some time now, and we’ll let him share some of that experience. Greg Huntington, tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do?
Greg H.:
Well, I tell everybody I talk trash every day because I work for WM, aka Waste Management. I’m on the municipal side of the business, so I deal with elected officials and public works departments and solid waste. But I joke, yes, I get to talk trash all day long, and that’s great.
Greg C.:
Trash is not what brought you here. Tell us about how you landed in Jacksonville.
Greg H.:
Yeah. So I was one of the original ten Jaguars signed in franchise history. It was called the original ten. Carolina signed ten street free agents, and so could Jacksonville. I signed my contract December 15, 1994. Then they had the expansion draft and the rookie draft, which included Tony Boselli, and that made up our first year in 1995. I was here in 95, 96, and halfway through 97, I got released, which is a kind word in the NFL for being fired. I got picked up immediately by the Bears, but I proposed to move back here in 2008 because I just so much loved the city.
Greg C.:
That’s great. And something within FCA that we try to help coaches understand is that coaching is what you do, it’s not who you are. With the length of time you’ve played football, you’ve had to play for a few coaches. If someone were to dig deep enough, they’d know you played at Penn State. Tell us about an impactful coach in your life. How did they impact you?
Greg H.:
Obviously, you mentioned Penn State, and that was one of my dreams growing up. My dad had gone there, my grandfather had gone there, so I was raised on Penn State football, which was Coach Paterno from the time I was born in 1970. I always had a dream to go there. I was fortunate to play at Penn State from 1988 to 1992 under Coach Paterno.
Coach Paterno had a really profound effect. He had what was called the grand experiment, where he wanted to produce good citizens in society, good students, and then good football players. But those first two—if you weren’t doing those—you would never see the field at Penn State. He really emphasized being a good citizen first, a good student second, and then a good football player. That always stuck with me because you can’t play football forever. It’s the other things that carry you through life.
Greg C.:
Knowing some of your family and that your kids are athletic and doing their thing, how have you seen the influence of a coach impact your girls?
Greg H.:
Coaches are invaluable. The coaching style I grew up under has changed a bit. One of my daughters was complaining that her coach was yelling at her, and I said, when the coach stops yelling, that’s when you have to worry because they don’t care about you anymore. She didn’t want to hear that.
Coaches at all levels have had to change their methodology. I came up under the old-school mentality, which was negative reinforcement. There was no positive reinforcement because when you did something right, that’s what you were supposed to do. But when you did something wrong, they called you out. Now coaches have to find a balance in how they relate to athletes in a way that’s productive.
Greg C.:
Knowing you’re a Christian and surrendered to Jesus, how do you think things would look if whoever is impacting our kids is living for Jesus?
Greg H.:
I think it makes a big difference because it sets the character in which they operate and how they’re going to relate to your kids. The gospel isn’t a sure thing for wins and losses, but it ensures that those who are living for Jesus will give their best. The Bible says whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
Athletes impacted by the gospel should be the best players on your team because they’re not in it for themselves—they’re in it for the team. That was true when I played with the Jaguars. A lot of us got saved while we were here, and those players ended up being some of the most valuable players on the team. They were trying to glorify God with their play, not just focus on wins and losses.
Greg C.:
The individualistic approach to a team game is hard, especially for two old linemen who depend on four other guys to be successful. That contradicts the gospel because we can’t do it by ourselves. Just like a team game, you can’t do it alone. Jesus fills that gap for us. Thanks for coming on.
Greg H.:
I appreciate you having me.
James:
It’s been a real treat. I love what you said about glorifying God through your play, and the same applies to your work. It reminds me of Joseph. Before he ruled in Egypt, he went through a lot of bad work situations. But every time, he glorified God and gave 100%. On the playing field, no matter what, you glorify God and give 100%. Thank you for sharing that.
Greg, your information will be below the show so anyone who wants to reach out can find you there.
Greg H.:
Excellent. Thank you so much.
James:
Thank you so much. This has been Making a Difference. I’m James Fenimore. This is Greg Chapman. Thank you for joining us today. We’ll see you next time.
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