ROB MIHALIC, SNAP

Community giving is very close to home for Rob Mihalic. The franchisee of the Snap print, design and website franchise in Homebush, in Sydney’s west, is a big supporter of the Transplant Australia Football Club, a group of people who have had life-saving transplants and want to continue playing football.

They play games to raise awareness for organ donations, and Mihalic contributes money to the club and sponsorship for its shirts.

He is a private person and doesn’t enjoy the spotlight when it comes to his charitable work. Mihalic was born with the primary sclerosing cholangitis condition and ended up needing a transplant himself. He found out about the condition when he was 21 and managed the illness for a while, but it became increasingly worse and turned into an emergency situation. He was 35 when he had the transplant.

Already a franchisee at the time, he says the franchisor was incredibly supportive and always ready to help if the team needed anything. “The franchisor is very supportive about community work. The company tells us it is a good idea to become involved in the community, and we run things by them to get advice,” he says.

“They also give us freedom to support the causes we feel strongly aligned with.”

Mihalic also gives to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Transplant Institute and supports local communities with free printing and movie nights. He also supports Newington Soccer Club with free printing and artwork. “It is great to be involved in the community and show we are happy to support the locals,” he says.

His community involvement has boosted brand awareness; people recognise the brand and understand what Snap Homebush stands for, he says.

Having been ill and received support from the community himself, Mihalic feels strongly about giving back to those who helped him when times were tough.

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It is great to be involved in the community and show that we are happy to support the locals.