Ray Lattimore & Dennis Braasch receive Philanthropic Spirit Award

TWO OF A KIND

by Rick Spruill

Ray Lattimore and Dennis Braasch are recognized for their service to the Phillis Wheatley Community Center

 

Ray Lattimore and Dennis Braasch both have enjoyed successful careers. Lattimore founded and is president of Marketplace Professional Staffing in Greenville. Braasch has built a long and illustrious career in the construction industry.

But their passion is serving others.

Lattimore grew up in the Nicholtown community, and though he’s lived in Florida and New York City, there’s no better place than Greenville to him.

“My grandparents raised me, and I worked at the Nicholtown Community Center, so I’ve seen how community can make a difference in a life, including my own,” he says.

Braasch, too, loves Greenville. It’s been his home for almost 40 years after joining Fluor Daniel in the late ’80s. “Greenville is where I live,” Braasch says. “It’s where I can help make a difference. And it’s an honor to be part of it.”

The drive to serve, Braasch says, is rooted in his childhood. “My family was a giving family, so I had a great example in terms of caring for others,” he says.

For Lattimore, serving is an extension of his past, too. “I grew up with folks giving back, and I enjoy giving back and meeting new people.”

This year, the men will share the Philanthropic Spirit Award for their long and faithful service to Phillis Wheatley Community Center, where both hold board positions.

In many ways, the center has embodied the spirit of community service in Greenville for a century. It is a nexus of giving, learning, growth, and advancement that has reached Lattimore and Braasch for decades.

Lattimore, in particular, is an alumnus. “I would not be here today were it not for others giving back to me,” he says of his experience with community centers like the Phillis Wheatley Community Center.

Both men say they are humbled to receive the Philanthropic Spirit Award.

“It’s one of the highest honors I could have received,” Lattimore says. “I’ve seen this award given to so many distinguished individuals in the past. It’s humbling. The work we do is not for awards, but it’s always nice to be recognized.”

“This award really, is a way to highlight the need for engagement in philanthropy,” Braasch says. “It’s not so much a personal award. It’s an award that allows us to focus on the needs that are still in the community and inspire others to get engaged in helping when they can.”

 

Dennis Braasch

Owner, Industrial Project Innovation

Guiding principle: “Have a high level of integrity—do what you say you’re going to do, and then some.”

Ray Lattimore

Chairman/CEO, Marketplace Professional Staffing

Guiding principle: “I believe in being fair and consistent, and giving back to the community.”

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