With the recent launch of the A.R. Johnson Legacy Society, Knoxville native A.R. “Rick” Johnson embarks on the second chapter in his 20+ year history with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee.
A business management and planning consultant with a corporate executive background, Rick’s first chapter began in 2003 as a Second Harvest volunteer-board member. Later, as board chair, he led the capital campaign for the current 92,000-square-foot Maryville facility that features massive cooler-freezer capacity and innovations, including a refrigerated cargo dock that allows trucks to unload perishable items directly onto the dock for swift sorting and storage. Last year, Second Harvest distributed a landmark 27.3 million pounds of food to East Tennesseans in 18 counties through 780+ community partners.
Second Harvest recently partnered with PYA Waltman Capital, a Knoxville-based financial planning and investment management firm, to create the A.R. Johnson Legacy Society, recognizing Rick’s tireless advocacy for the food bank. West Knoxville Lifestyle sat with Rick and PYA Waltman President, Bill Waltman, to discuss their shared passion for developing legacy giving to ensure Second Harvest’s funding stability for generations.
Tell us about your relationship with Second Harvest.
RICK
I originally served on its large volunteer-supporter board alongside a group of great people who all pitched in to keep things running. When Second Harvest got big enough to need a governance board, made up of people who had experience raising significant funding, who had sat on other boards, who had led organizations, the large board became an advisory board, and I chaired the smaller governance board.
To fulfill our mission, we needed a bigger, more modern facility with greater capacity, so we launched a capital campaign to raise the funds. Second Harvest moved to the new Maryville facility in 2011, and shortly after, in 2012, Governor Bill Haslam recruited me to lead a statewide initiative in Nashville, which resulted in the creation of the nonprofit Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness. Stepping away from the private sector, I served for nine months as the governor’s special assistant, and then as the foundation’s CEO for six years. That work led to the creation of another nonprofit, the Coalition for Better Health, which I led for six more years. When my wife, Mary, and I moved to Nashville to be closer to my work, I stepped down from Second Harvest’s board and other Knoxville boards I served on, because I believe in being an active, working board member.
After we moved back to Knoxville in 2022, I began helping Second Harvest again with some planning counseling. Last year, Elaine [Second Harvest CEO Elaine Streno] and I started discussing a legacy society. Mary and I already had Second Harvest in our wills, but this would be a new formal focus to look toward sustainable funding over the long term. In my role, I would work to build awareness, contact potential benefactors, and speak to groups about how legacy giving supports the long-term stability of Second Harvest.
What makes the legacy society appealing to potential donors?
RICK
I encourage people to seize the opportunity to look to the future and make a commitment that offers tax advantages, such as charitable giving, but to do it in a studied and planned way for the long term. Donors have the unique opportunity to thoughtfully build this into their overall estate financial planning. There’s a practical side with tax advantages, while also helping to assure the financial support Second Harvest needs in years to come. However, there’s also the gratifying aspect of giving back and caring for neighbors who need our help.
People may think, “If I’m not a multi-millionaire with assets I’m able to give away, this doesn’t pertain to me.” First of all, any amount matters. It may be the perfect time to acknowledge, “I’m not in a position now. I’ve got kids, college and mortgage obligations, so I’m not able to do this. But if I look to the future and consider what those demands will be then, and think about what I am likely to have created in terms of assets and value over the rest of my lifetime, then that’s a different picture. And I will be able to do more.”
Tell us about PYA Waltman’s relationship with Second Harvest.
BILL
One of the earliest points of connection was when we chose Second Harvest for our annual Thanksgiving contribution to a community organization, helping provide meals to struggling families. We sent out Thanksgiving cards with a note to our clients saying we made this contribution to recognize them [Second Harvest], and the feedback was tremendous. They’re so thankful we established this relationship with Second Harvest. Our staff believes in this at a personal level, and we provide them with paid time off quarterly for volunteering with nonprofits, because the personal impact that anyone can have with the gift of time is also substantial.
What is PYA Waltman’s role in the legacy society?
BILL
We are blessed to have this partnership opportunity. We counsel families to ensure their financial situations are in order and their families are taken care of, while also counseling them on efficient ways to give charitably. In meetings with Rachael [COO Rachael Ellis], we discussed a collaboration where we could bring our intellectual expertise on planned giving, provide collateral material and have our staff actively involved in presenting to groups on tax-efficient ways to give. We want to make it as easy as possible for potential donors to support Second Harvest now and in the long term through a legacy society.
How do donors benefit?
BILL
One of the main benefits is giving pre-tax dollars versus post-tax dollars. Both are appreciated, but from a client’s perspective, we can structure the giving in such a way that the impact can be greater because it’s pre-tax dollars. The charity benefits because the donors can offer greater sustained support. The donor benefits from giving efficiently and seeing that reflected on their tax returns.
It’s not just an opportunity for the wealthy. It’s also for those who may have more modest means. Anyone who has a stock portfolio, even if it’s small, and in a position that has gone up in value, can gift those shares or a portion of those shares to benefit Second Harvest.
How does planned giving help nonprofits?
BILL
If they have a sustained program of planned giving and are building up that endowment over time, the budget is funded from the returns on the endowment plus ongoing planned giving. A consistent program each year helps Second Harvest plan how many people they can serve, creating stability and growing their ability to serve the community into the future.
What does it mean to have a benefactor like Rick Johnson associated with the program?
BILL
I have such respect for his leadership position with Second Harvest. Having someone like Rick, who is so respected in our community, step up and say, “This is important to our community. I’m going to give my time, talent and treasure to this mission and encourage others to do the same,” is pivotal. It galvanizes others to step forward and support the organization.
How do giving back and gratitude go hand in hand?
BILL
One of our company’s core values is gratefulness. We’re grateful to work with talented colleagues, serving great clients to help impart financial peace, which in turn strengthens their families. This enables them to give back to great organizations like Second Harvest, which in turn strengthens our community. It’s a calling we take very seriously.
RICK
I firmly believe that we have a calling and an obligation to care for one another, and nothing is more fundamental than feeding families who are hungry and food-insecure. When people go through hard times, not knowing where their next meal will come from, we are called to help. Kids can’t learn and grow up to work and support themselves if they are often without food. If the only meals they get are at school, but go home to a weekend of hunger, they have a hard time becoming successful and productive members of society. Parents have a hard time looking for jobs when they’re desperately spending time trying to provide food for their family. There are lots of reasons to give that appeal to the heart and head.
Second Harvest does so much to serve our East Tennessee communities. Not everyone is in a position to be boots on the ground, but we can give back to make it possible for others to serve those in need. You just have to do it to experience the satisfaction of caring and giving. If you have any doubt about that, just try it and you’ll see.
SecondHarvestETN.org. | PYAWaltman.com.
PYA Waltman Capital, LLC, “PYA Waltman,” is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about PYA Waltman’s investment advisory services can be found in its Form ADV Part 2 and/or Form CRS, which is available upon request. PYA-25-52
"Legacy giving supports Second Harvest’s long-term financial stability"
— Rick Johnson