God’s UPS Drivers

In a recent post, entitled American Heroes and Idols, I lamented our culture idolizing self-serving public figures like Alex Rodriguez, instead of heralding other-oriented public servants. I ended that post by saying, “I plan to detail examples of these (more wholesome role models) in one or more future posts.” I’m beginning this by using today’s article to tell you about one of these true heroes in the community where I live. My intent is for this to be the inaugural post for a separate page on Here I Raise My Ebenezer, to catalog the stories of these, often, unsung heroes. My hope is that you, our Readers, will send us recommendations for articles like this about such heroes that you become aware of in your life. It doesn’t matter if the impact of their efforts is local or national or international. They may be people effecting great community service who just don’t seek the limelight. Or, they could be public figures who, outside of what they’re best known for, are quietly using their blessings to bless others. Regardless, please send us your recommendations so that we can share them, as examples of true heroes who selflessly build up our community rather than selfishly adding to its decline.

The man behind the following video, entitled US Digital Reaches Out, is the subject of our first article in this series.

David Madore is the man behind US Digital and its Outreach. One thing that David and I have somewhat in common is that we both chose to move from Orange County, CA to make our homes in Vancouver, WA. I say “somewhat” because he made his move 15 years earlier than I did, he moved his entire extended family with him, his business success has been exponentially greater than mine and with that, he’s been able to have a far greater positive impact on our community. When I think of what I’d like to say about David and the things he’s done, aimed at building up our community, the list seems nearly endless. I’ll just say that, in all that he does, he seems to strive to be what the inaugural post of Here I Raise My Ebenezer refers to as a Starfish Thrower  – i.e. one who doesn’t expect to effect an immediate 180 degree turn in the devolution of our society but issue-by-issue, hopes to bring healing to ills weakening our community’s foundation.

With that said, let me recap a bit about what David is doing for our community through US Digital and its Outreach. US Digital was started out of David’s home in Los Alamitos, CA, in 1980. Ten years later, when he moved the company and his family to Vancouver, WA, he set up shop in his home for another two years. Since then, to accommodate rapid growth, US Digital has relocated twice, most recently in June of 2006 to a state-of-the-art 118,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility. With that rapid growth over its 33 year history, US Digital has become a premier company, designing and manufacturing precision sensors for motion control applications. According to David, “US Digital now provides great jobs for 119 local families. And, through careful, thoughtful management, it is debt free.”

In 2006, David purchased the former Nautilus Headquarters and renovated it to become the new home of US Digital. During the first year in that location, a 17,000 square foot section of the new facility sat empty and unused. Especially considering that David had operated the company out of his home for its first 12 years, it would have seemed natural for him to be planning how he could use that asset for his own gain. Most likely, that’s what I would have done. However, David was led differently with this and here’s how he describes that:

“We were inspired by a simple question in the Bible, ‘What is that in your hand?’ (Exodus 4:2). The simple staff in Moses’ hand became the instrument that God used to part the Red Sea. What was in our hand? We had extra office space and a heart for God to use it as a blessing. That inspiration, coupled with God’s providence and hard work created a blessing that we trust reflects God’s heart for this community.

The idea was simple: Develop that space and provide the infrastructure for a variety of small Christ centered ministries that complement each other. We provide their home (presently, 33 ministries) and allow them the freedom to operate independently to fulfill their purposes. The common location of multiple ministries under one roof promotes synergy, cooperation, and networking that multiply their opportunities and effectiveness.”

When I’ve talked to David about the earthly wealth God has blessed him with and how he’s shared that to benefit others, he’s described himself as “one of God’s UPS Drivers.” He says, “God puts stuff on my truck and as long as I keep delivering it the way He wants me to, He keeps putting more stuff on.” I see this as a great fit for what I described earlier as an example of a true hero, selflessly building up our community rather than selfishly adding to its decline. And, with that, I’ll only add the inspiration for us all, as stated by David Madore:

“God prospers and blesses our business as we seek to honor Him and follow our owner’s manual, the Bible. We hope that the good ship US Digital will inspire other businesses to partner with Christ and be His providence to their communities.

This is our story. What is in your hand?”