This month, we’re thrilled to shine our spotlight not just on one of our members, Leigh Edison, but also her husband, Coit Edison, President of MH Equipment Company, a valued sponsor of Impact 100.
Who are you? Leigh Edison and Coit Edison, my very supportive husband.
What excites you about being an Impact 100 Member? Even after more than 10 years of being a member, I still love being able to collaborate with other gifted women who are as wise as they are hard-working. Through my experiences with Impact, I have had the opportunity to learn about the enormous needs in and around Cincinnati. The fact that literally every penny goes to helping the nonprofits through our grants is exciting & impressive. That is huge!
Could you provide a brief description of your favorite Impact 100 moment, if you have one?
Leigh – For me, it was the first annual awards celebration I attended. Listening to the speakers, seeing everyone vote, viewing the presentation of grants to the recipients… it’s truly my most memorable time. That’s when I decided to become a part of this incredible organization.
Coit – Attending an event with Leigh and my oldest daughter Haley. As I watched Haley during the meeting, I saw how profoundly she was being inspired by the stories she was hearing. A nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, she’s always had a heart for wanting to make a difference. The meeting simply opened her eyes to more opportunities.
What advice would you give to a new member? Leigh: Get involved as much as your time allows. I love that you can choose to be highly involved or simply contribute financially. Being involved, however, really allows you to see the heart of the organizations and how we are able to be a part of their vision. If you can, join a committee as a new member. You don’t have to give a large amount of time to be impactful. Spread the word about events or invite friends to attend the annual awards event with you.
Do you think your company’s passion for helping the community was a catalyst for you joining?
Coit: MH got involved because Leigh was involved so many years. Over time, I came to learn more and more as she came back from different events. And because Leigh is so relationship-oriented, she kept encouraging her friends, neighbors, and colleagues to get involved. She shared with me about the different ministries, communities and organizations Impact has touched. I was impressed that the impact hasn’t been limited to financial contributions, but also mentoring, helping the nonprofits to be organized and providing a variety of resources. What stands out is that not just the grant award recipients benefit, but all of the organizations do and everyone involved learns and grows. That being said, it can be difficult to see the organizations who aren’t awarded a grant, as each nonprofit finalist is always worthy.
Any last thoughts?
Leigh: I’m proud to be a member of Impact 100! Seeing women come together and share their gifts, talents, and resources has been a joy, and has enlightened me to what can be accomplished when we band together for good. Impact 100 leaders and members have inspired me, my family, and my friends.
Coit: When Leigh shared her passion with me, it was clear that Impact 100 matched MH Equipment’s own values. We’re a culture-driven company. We tithe as a company committing 10% of budgeted net income or actual, whichever is greater to our foundation, His First Foundation. Employees are encouraged to get involved in something in the communities, and we come alongside their passions with financial contributions from His First Foundation. His First Foundation supports in three different areas: non-denominational faith-based organizations, good works organizations, and random acts of kindness. This is why MH Equipment chose to be a sponsor for Impact 100: it’s a great fit for our values and we want to be as impactful as we can in the communities where we live and work. We’re happy to be a small part of what Impact 100 does and to be very much in the background.