Champion Jim Knerr Goes Above and Beyond to Live The Baptist Culture
Jim Knerr, a graphic designer with the marketing team, lives the Baptist Values both in and outside of the office. He is known for living The Baptist Way and embodies our Values of Ownership, Integrity, Compassion, Excellence and Service. He’s always willing to help.
During the last four years as we’ve prepared for the monumental task of announcing, constructing, and moving Baptist Hospital to Brent Lane, Jim went above and beyond to ensure that every special moment along the way was captured with beautiful photography. Jim lit up with excitement at this opportunity of a lifetime—he took somewhere between 15,000 and 18,000 total photos over the course of four years. It quickly became his passion.
As the marketing team searched for historical photos of the original Baptist Hospital, we realized that the number of photos available from the original location and construction was very small. Jim was determined not to let that happen with the building of the new hospital. He scheduled time to be present at the construction site for every occasion to take photos that captured the magnificence of the build. Jim worked late into the night processing and editing photos, awoke before dawn to capture the perfect sunrise photos and then continued with his everyday graphic design responsibilities during the day. Jim was greeted by nearly every construction worker who passed him at the site. All noticed his friendly countenance, and he often struck up conversations with anyone passing by—from the elevator operator to the crane operator.
Few people know the Christlike example that Jim displays beyond the campus. Jim is extraordinary even when not working.
On October 12, Jim and his wife, Jill, went hiking in Milton. As they finished their hike, they saw a distraught mother searching for one of her missing children. Jim sprang into action to help. He suggested that he and Jill split up paths to help locate the missing boy. Jim traveled north and Jill traveled south. Jill soon found the boy frightened and alone. She took him back to his mother. Jim quickly gave Jill the credit for the child rescue, but Jill assured us that Jim was adamant about not leaving the location until the boy was found. He even commented that he felt God called him and Jill to be there that day, in that spot, to help and reunite the boy with his family.
Another example of Jim’s compassion is how every Sunday at church he sits with an elderly lady who is a stroke survivor and a fall risk. His church has two services on Sunday. He attends the first service in the audience. During the second service, Jim looks after the elderly woman whose daughter plays in the orchestra along with Jill. This gives the daughter peace of mind and availability to play music for God while Jim looks after her mom.
Jim also helps keep his neighborhood clean and litter-free. He and Jill regularly pick up litter along the streets where they live. He never says, “That’s not my job” and instead takes ownership and pride in his community and his job at Baptist. Jill also shared how Jim was a true rock to her after her mom passed away this summer. He spent countless hours putting together photos of their family for the funeral, all while compiling the intensive new campus tour book, being on campus to take photographs and completing other projects.
Jim would never expect this praise, because the examples above are just who he is. We are so impressed by his passion for what he does and his attention to detail in every project he is involved in. No stone goes unturned, and he always approaches something with the “big picture” in mind. These are just several examples where Jim shines and acts like a true hero, living the Baptist culture. He puts others first. Thank you, and congratulations, Jim!
We encourage our team members to recognize and nominate fellow co-workers when they share or witness stories like this. At Baptist we recognize individuals and teams who go above and beyond, outside the scope of their job responsibilities and work environment to meet the needs of a customer, patient, community member, or team member.
This is The Baptist Way and what makes our culture unique. Often our Champions become Legends.
Want to be part of our Baptist team and culture? View our current job openings and apply to join our team.
