What have you gained by doing business?

The Core Four – sitting on a bench given in honor of their mother at Reflection Riding.

One time when Jesus was in Jericho, he told a story about engaging in business. The story begins with a nobleman going into a “far country.” The far country is a place known to many. It was where the prodigal son fled to find fun but instead found utter emptiness– it is anywhere we go that is not our true Home. In this story, it is the nobleman who steps into the far country. The nobleman doesn’t go for fun, he goes to rescue the people living in the far country – the ones who haven’t heard there is somewhere called “Home” and also the ones who have heard of Home – but are just too weak to run there, unlike their prodigal friend. 

The nobleman’s strategy to spread the news about Home is remarkable. He equips His servants (aka, the ones who are His and therefore are Home – even though they physically reside in the Far Country) with money (ten minas to be exact) and instructs them to “engage in business until I come back.” When the nobleman returns, he calls his servants to himself and desires to know “what they had gained by doing business?”

Servants in Chattanooga, TN have gained glory for God by providing for their community, strengthening their families, and providing examples in generous living in how they have done business in our beloved city, a suburb of the Far Country. 

I recently had the privilege of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Carter Paden Jr.’s children: Dee, Tom, Rob and Carter III (aka – The Core Four). I was struck and delighted by the sheer joy that radiated and emanated from each one. I had to know more. Tom Paden generously shared some of his family’s story with me. In hearing the story, I couldn’t help but think of how very much good has been gained by this family’s industry.

Carter N. Paden Jr., the family’s patriarch, born in 1927, was an innovator – a genius in the world of metal working and business. Carter joined his father’s business, Moccasin Bushing, after graduating from Georgia Tech. He went on to pioneer the use of computers in bearing design work and purchase and vertically integrate several metal working businesses – all of these businesses ultimately became MetalTek International. 

A chief priority for Carter was to “Glorify God’s Name.” Carter and his dear wife, Janet, desired to be generous with the material resources with which they had been blessed. With counsel and encouragement from Hugh O Maclellan, Carter and Janet created The Grandview Foundation. The Foundation involved Carter, Janet and “the Core Four” from the very beginning. The focus of the Foundation, which remains to this day – is to make an impact and keep the family together.

The family is committed to stewarding the Foundation well. They have attended conferences to learn best practices for operating the Foundation and they are attentive to community needs and the opportunity to address those needs through the Foundation. This good work yields benefits not only for the operation of the Foundation, its grant recipients, and the community at large but also for the family itself. 

The Foundation serves as a place for the memory of Carter, Jr. and Janet to stay alive. After talking with Tom, I feel like I know Carter and Janet. Their hearts were devoted to their family and their God. Carter was a man of few words, great vision, and work ethic. Janet, a lovely woman, who simply would not let ingratitude infiltrate her family. I think it was this spark and Janet’s commitment to protect joy from ingratitude that I witnessed radiating from her children. Today, when the Foundation considers where grants are needed the most, the family filters the request through the lens of the wisdom and vision passed down from Carter and Janet.

My path intersected with the Padens’ because of the working relationship The Generosity Trust has with The Grandview Foundation. The Foundation has a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) held at TGT. In addition to stewarding and investing the DAF funds, TGT also serves as a place of community connection. 

Just as The Grandview Foundation has served as a structure to unite family giving – even into future generations, a DAF can operate in a similar fashion. Please reach out and let us know if you would like to talk about how a DAF might help your family achieve the goals of “making an impact” and “keeping the family together.”

Let’s encourage one another as we all attend to the business with which we are entrusted (whatever business that may be), and be prepared to give a good report when we are asked what have we gained here in the far country for the nobleman with the resources of time, energy, creativity, material possessions and love that He has generously given to each of us. 

By: Stephany Pedigo
Director of Family and Business Philanthropy