Thanks to the prompting of one of their own employees, the Danos family came to the realization in 2017 that they needed to be more intentional about their giving.
Until then, their Gray-based oilfield service company, which is being honored with the Community Impact Award at the Louisiana Energy Awards presented by 10/12 Industry Report, had taken a more reactive than proactive approach in their charitable endeavors.
They’d always been a missions-minded family—particularly Mark, the youngest of the three co-owner brothers and the current leader of the Danos Foundation. Prior to joining the company, he spent a year as a missionary in Kenya with a nomadic tribe of shepherds.
“I’ve had lots of opportunities to engage in the community, go on mission trips and things of that nature,” Danos says. “That’s part of my DNA. I have a heart for that.”
The Foundation’s employee-centered origins are its true strength. “One of our teammates— Renee Piper—challenged us to do better and that started the journey,” he says. “We then began a process of determining how we could give in a way that’s meaningful to the community and aligns with our values and mission.”
They developed a theme—“care for others”—and found a Bible verse that would drive everything they do. “We put some parameters in place and then said, ‘Here you go, team. Go figure out how to translate this into action.’”
Read the full story. Read about Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Roland Toups. And get the stories of finalists for all of the other Louisiana Energy Awards.
