Investment in Culture

SRU alumni Joe and Pam Finney, ’86, fund scholarships and the Investment Club

oe and Pam Finney are deeply invested in Slippery Rock University. Not in a transactional or business sense where they are expecting a return. To them, they are fulfilling a personal commitment. They are ensuring what they received through their SRU education is shared with others through their time, knowledge, funding of scholarships and understanding of how The Rock culture equips students for the future.

“Yes, there’s a financial investment, but it’s all about giving back to support something very special to us,” Joe Finney said. “I’ve been fortunate to go on and do some amazing things. I’ve worked overseas. I’ve run big businesses. At one point I had responsibility for the success of 14,000 people. And when I went to Slippery Rock, I never envisioned the education I was receiving was laying the foundation to do anything like that.”

Both 1986 SRU graduates with degrees in business administration, Joe and Pam Finney met when Pam pledged the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity and requested to have Joe as her “big brother,” which was common for existing members to mentor new participants. They have been together ever since.

Joe was already sharing his knowledge and experience with classmates like Pam then, but it wasn’t until after he started his career and the couple was married before the Finneys realized how important college is for emerging professionals. Joe accumulated more than 35 years of experience as a business executive, growing service-oriented companies by building exceptional
work cultures.

He is currently the CEO of T3 Services Group, a home services company that owns and operates numerous residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical brands throughout the United States. Joe’s mission is to scale this innovative home services platform through strategic mergers, acquisitions and organic growth. The vision Joe has established for his team is to become the nation’s example of how to transform the home services industry, while building a vibrant and high-performing culture.

Joe and Pam Finney in their graduation cap and gown

Joe and Pam Finney during their graduation day at SRU in 1986, return to campus for alumni events including Homecoming in 2022 (below).

“I just took it one step at a time,” Joe said. “There are so many college students who don’t realize what they are capable of doing; they just need the right type of coaching and financial support. By giving back, it’s about being able to impact people and share experiences at a time when they really need to hear it. For me, things really accelerated when I connected the strengths of the strong culture I enjoyed at Slippery Rock with the need to create a best-in-class work cultures in business.”

Joe is connected to the SRU community in many ways. He’s on the board of directors for the SRU Foundation, Inc., he participates in SRU alumni gatherings both on campus and near his home in Florida, he received SRU’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015 and he was the commencement speaker for the College of Business ceremony in 2023.

Joe started his career at ServiceMaster, and in 16 years, he advanced from being a Terminix branch manager to the managing director of Terminix Europe and senior vice president of operations at American Residential Services. Joe then spent 10 years in the automotive sector as the CEO of Tire Centers distribution for Michelin North America and president of the Sears Automotive. And during the last decade, Joe has been an executive and CEO of Environmental Pest Service, and as president of Mainstreet at The Baldwin Insurance Group, where he helped position the company for a successful initial public offering.

“We’ve moved 12 times, and I’ve had to travel a lot,” Joe said. “There have been challenges with having two kids and raising a family, but we’ve been an inseparable team through everything that we’ve done. Pam has been my best support partner, and through all the challenges, opportunities and moves, we have always found a way to grow closer and succeed together.”

Recognizing the challenges of dual careers with their transient lifestyle, Pam focused on their household. She is now active as a volunteer administrator for Community Bible Study in Tampa, Florida, where they’ve settled for the last 10 years, now that they don’t have to relocate as often. The couple’s children, Jennifer and David, are grown and starting their own families and careers.

Joe and Pam Finney in Slippery Rock University gear

By giving back, it’s about being able to impact people and share experiences at a time when they really need to hear it.

Despite all the changes in their lives, the Finneys’ affinity for SRU has remained a constant. Joe and Pam decided to invest in their alma mater in two ways, both with one thoughtful approach.

By donating appreciated stocks that they owned to the SRU Foundation, the Finneys received tax benefits. The Foundation then sold the stocks, and the proceeds were used to establish a significant scholarship endowment to aid SRU students. In addition, a portion of their gift is also designated to support the Investment Club at SRU.

The Investment Club is a student-run organization of more than 100 members within the College of Business where SRU students gain hands-on experience managing investments.

students in a classroom working on computers

A meeting of the Investment Club at SRU fills a classroom of students who are interested managing financial portfolios with real funds.

“This is a great experiential learning opportunity for our students,” said Lawrence Shao, dean of the College of Business. “We’re excited to have our students manage a portfolio with actual funds and have them apply the knowledge that they learned in the classroom. We are grateful for the support of Joe and Pam Finney to make experiences like this possible. We couldn’t have done it without their help and we’re looking forward to seeing the results.”

The Joseph D. and Pamela M. Finney ’86 Endowed Scholarship will support SRU students with a preference for first-generation students, those who demonstrate financial need and participants in clubs and activities.

“That’s one of the great things about these endowments,” Pam said. “You can build them how you want and SRU was very helpful guiding us.”

In addition to being Alpha Kappa Psi members, Joe was on the varsity judo team at SRU and Pam was a rifle twirler in the marching band. Joe being the first in his immediate family to graduate from college also made one of their preferences meaningful.

“I thought I was going to join the Air Force and fly jets and realized you have to be an officer with a college degree,” said Joe, who grew up in Crawford County, northwest Pennsylvania. “That led me down this whole new path and it stretched me to do things that I wouldn’t have done otherwise. So, it ended up working out better for us in the long run.”

Now, the Finneys are investing in SRU so that it will work out for others.

“I’ve learned a lot more about the University once we got more involved and looked into the programs and funding scholarships,” Joe said. “It has revalidated that this is right for us. Our decision to invest primarily in an endowment is one of those things that continues to give back over time.”

To learn more about endowing a scholarship, supporting the Investment Club at SRU, or donated to the University, contact University Advancement at 724.738.2004 or email advancement@sru.edu.

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