Col. Joseph House, chairman of the advisory board for BECK, will receive
the Tampa Bay Ethics Award at a breakfast and ceremony on Friday, Sept.
25, from 7:30-9 a.m. in the Vaughn Center Crescent Club on The
University of Tampa campus. The Award is presented by UT’s Center for
Ethics.
The person who nominated House wrote, “Joe has exhibited
a commitment to ethics since his early years in the military. His
philosophy was to always take care of the troops, and this was not just a
saying to him. He provided the right tools to have an atmosphere and
environment that was healthy and team oriented.”
As general
manager for the USAA Southeast Regional office in Tampa, House sponsored
Friday night barbecues and volleyball in the company parking lot. When
Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992, House ensured that the USAA support
team was in Homestead, Fla., within 24 hours. He had remote offices set
up with insurance agents ready to help homeowners by providing immediate
housing checks. When House heard people were running out of supplies,
he directed his team to purchase and shuttle food rations, water and
diapers from the Tampa area to Homestead.
After nearly 13 years,
House retired from USAA to become chairman of the advisory board for
BECK, an internationally known construction, architecture and
development firm that has built several of UT’s new residence halls. In
this capacity, House advises on strategic planning, marketing,
proposals, presentations and community relations.
House was
chair of the Board of Trustees at The University of Tampa from
1993-1995. He has supported Metropolitan Ministries and the Alpha House
for Battered Women and Children and has served on the board of the
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.
“He is a passionate and
consummate professional, which is evident by the number of community
activities he is involved in,” says Kim Scheeler, former president and
CEO of the chamber. “Because of his principled concern on issues, his
counsel is still sought by Chamber staff and leadership more than 13
years after his term as chair of the board has ended.”
This is
the nineteenth annual Business Ethics Breakfast put on by the Center for
Ethics at The University of Tampa. The Center for Ethics conducts many
programs throughout the year that combine education and business
services, and is supported by an advisory board of business and
community leaders. Faculty and staff associated with the center conduct
research that aids in ethics curriculum development and usable
information for the professional community.
Former winners of
the ethics award include Gov. Bob Martinez, Freddie Solomon and
Frederick B. Karl. Nominees for the award must live and work in the
Tampa Bay area, and must demonstrate high ethical character in the
course of their everyday lives. They must also promote and encourage
ethics and integrity in the workplace or other organizations, and they
must exhibit respect, trustworthiness and fairness.
The price to
attend the Tampa Bay Ethics Awards is $25 per person or $150 per table
of eight. For information or reservations, contact Angie Ballard at
(813) 258-7415 or ethics@ut.edu.