The Power of Golf
Fort Myers golf executive recognized for charitable works
Before settling in Fort Myers, Jim Sievers had launched his career in pharmaceutical sales and established himself as an avid amateur golf advocate who saw the sport as a way to raise money for charities. This past April, Sievers, a graduate of the class of 1963 at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia, and member of the Piedmont College Board of Trustees, was presented the college’s Distinguished Alumni Award during an awards luncheon that highlighted Piedmont’s Alumni Weekend.
Sievers, who grew up in Atlanta, was recruited to Piedmont to play baseball but was also a member of the golf and basketball teams. After graduating, he moved to Chattanooga to begin a long career in pharmaceutical sales. To become connected with the community, Sievers began volunteering with a junior golf program. The work sparked a lifelong passion for amateur golf and charity work. He was later elected president of the Chattanooga District Golf and appointed to the United States Golf Association. He also served on the executive committees of the U.S. Amateur and the Curtis Cup teams.
“Golf has raised more money for charity than all of the other sports combined,” Sievers said, during his brief acceptance speech. “I am so proud of my involvement in that.”
Sievers, who retired from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Nuclear Medicine-Diagnostics Division, also spoke of his days as a Piedmont student and his current work as a college trustee. “I am working through my fourth term as a Piedmont Trustee and it’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “Looking at it from the inside, I can tell everyone here that Piedmont is on the rise.”