Zero Mountain Inc. *

The Internal Revenue Service places a 10 percent cap on corporations receiving consideration for donating pretax earnings to charities. Zero Mountain Inc. of Fort Smith doesn’t let that tax benefit ceiling limit its giving.

“We always exceed that 10 percent threshold,” said Debbie Andrews Kraus, developing projects coordinator for Zero Mountain.

The $50 million operation has more than 30 million cubic feet of refrigerated space in Fort Smith, Johnson, Lowell and Russellville and is active in all four of those communities.

On top of financial support, the company provides incentives for its 250 employees to participate in nonprofit projects. Zero Mountain is flexible in allowing workers time away from the job to volunteer for charity, and the time away from work often is treated as work hours when payday rolls around.

The 48-year-old venture doesn’t have a formal matching policy for charitable gifts by employees. However, Zero Mountain historically has given more than a dollar-for-dollar match to the United Way. Special needs by a Zero Mountain employee also fall under the banner of corporate philanthropy and personal giving by staffers.

President and CEO Mark Rumsey believes that businesses and individuals alike have a responsibility to contribute to the communities they call home. Zero Mountain has teamed up with police and fire officials in Johnson to provide Thanksgiving meals for distressed families, become a Partner in Philanthropy at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith and participated in the Heart Walk in Russellville.

Working with Tilles Elementary School in Fort Smith in the Partners in Education program has been especially gratifying. In addition to supplemental reading, mentoring and volunteering for school events, Zero Mountain employees implemented a rewards program that has grown from 60 students with improved attendance and test scores five years ago to more than 300 today.