The Operations team at the home office of the nation’s largest privately owned dental distributor added an extra dollop of friendly competition (yes, that’s a whipped cream reference) to fundraising efforts for United Way of Wyoming Valley’s Christmas in July: a Pie-the-Manager contest.

SWEET RESULTS for United Way of Wyoming Valley: $1095 raised in three days by Benco’s Operations Team!

WINNERS (if you consider pie in the face a prize) were Tony Smigelski, Inventory Control Manager and Lisa Fuller, Contact Center Director at Benco Dental, who rallied the most donations.

Where it all began…

Benco Community Boosters launched a contest July 11 at the home office in Northeast Pennsylvania to collect the most pounds of food and highest amount of monetary donations per each departmental team.

The worthy cause: Food is donated to the CEO Weinberg Food Bank and cash donations support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which provides free books to children in the Wyoming Valley.

Two Benco staff members stand at a table full of glass donation jars for the Pie Your Manager contest.

Who upped the ante?

To win the company-wide contest, the Operations team sweetened the incentive.

Operations VP Tom Hart (shown above) says, “I think it was Lisa Fuller’s (shown above) idea to motivate people to give as much money as possible for people in need.”

Next, 12 managers volunteered (Tom Hart, Beth Hastie, Lisa Fuller, Rob Foote, Ann Marie Lawson, Denise Nagle, Tony Smigelski, Bob Hunt, Linda Viti, Christine Lapinski, Kathy Mislitski, and Heather Conrad) and associates purchased raffles for pie-throwing rights.

Sweet results: Associates donated spare change in mason jars to vote, and the managers with the highest and heaviest amounts in their jars earned a pie to the face!

A close-up image of the glass donation jars full of change and dollar bills.

Just desserts: Michelle Lees and Erika Yedinak won pie-throwing rights after purchasing raffles.

A Benco staff member (right) preparing to throw a pie at her manager (left).A Benco staff member (right) preparing to throw a pie at her manager (left).

Secret strategies?

“My strategy is to surprise Lisa with real pies,” joked Tony Smigelski. The Mountain Top resident who noted banana cream as his favorite pie, referred to the fact that the two had agreed on pie tins filled with whipped cream for the contest.

As the festivities got underway this afternoon and Lisa Fuller awaited her whipped cream pie in the face, Smigelski walked to his truck parked nearby and returned with  freshly-baked banana cream and coconut pies.

Though surprised by the switch up, Fuller, a veteran volunteer, was ready for anything.

“I’ve been in a dunk tank before. Dunking is definitely worse,” said the Shavertown resident.

After the pie smashing, she added, “I would have to say coconut cream is my favorite.”

They two received yet another surprise: their teams presented them each with a pie for the road.

UP NEXT: Watch these videos for company-wide contest results and donation totals:

To view more images of the day, visit Benco’s Facebook page.