Tech Citizenship

Cognex Corp. made big headlines a few years ago when its founder and chief executive officer, Robert J. Shillman, decided to reduce his salary to zero. And since 2004 he has asked to have his bonus donated to charity.

Five years later Shillman stands behind his decision and said he’s glad he made it.

“Money was never a motivation for me,” said Shillman. “I have enough money for me and my family, and any more money would be a headache.”

He created the company, which supplies machine vision sensors and systems, and made money when it became public. He says he still works as hard as he did when he was receiving a salary.

Philanthropy is very important for me personally; even more as I am getting older,” said the CEO, who serves on the boards of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Northeastern University.

Shillman has what you might say is a unique view about philanthropy: He thinks taxes are a kind of an enforced philanthropy, he believes everyone has an obligation to make the world better, and he thinks people are better off donating money than time.

It is with these particular views that Shillman has approached philanthropy within his company.

Natick-based Cognex doesn’t encourage volunteer time from employees but gives them the opportunity to decide where to invest the funds the company gives to philanthropy.

Each office has an independent budget for philanthropy, and the employees decide which charitable organization they are going to help.

Last year, the company gave $497,069 to charitable activities related to education, health and fun.

Another characteristic of Shillman’s philanthropic philosophy is that he believes in local activities, so all of the grants contribute to the communities in which the company has offices.

“That is were we are, where we live and work,” said Shillman.

All of the activities the company gets involved with are aligned toward the company”s philosophy of “work hard, play hard, stay healthy.” So the programs can be educational (usually science programs in local schools), health programs (anti-smoking efforts and programs for the blind, for instance) or recreational programs (skateboard park in Natick, Fourth of July parades, and Halloween parade, for example.)

“Every year we look and decide which one is more beneficial,” said Shillman.

Another philanthropic activity the company recently launched is its Perseverance Awards.

When an employee celebrates 25 years with the company, that employee receives $25,000 to spend on a philanthropic activity or organization of his or her choice.

Citizenship Facts

Cognex Corp.

Total cash contributions in New England in 2005: $497,069

Number of volunteer hours in New England in 2005: N/A

In-kind contributions of equipment and services in New England: $14,568

Principal recipients of charitable activities in 2005: Massachusetts Association for the Blind; the American Cancer Society; Natick Education Foundation

Interesting philanthropic activities: CEO Robert Shillman no longer accepts a salary or bonus from Cognex; instead, he asks the company to donate his bonus amount to charity.

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