More Than a Ride: How ZoomAround Is Giving Back to the Outer Banks
ZoomAround provides LSVs to vacationing families throughout the northern Outer Banks. Photo courtesy of ZoomAround.
For Austin Hoyt, a successful family vacation isn’t just about getting to the beach. It’s about the memories families make together, and the role his company, ZoomAround, can play in making those memories last a lifetime.
“We really just provide lifetime memories to families,” said Hoyt, ZoomAround’s Vice President of Operations. “That’s what we do.”
It’s a philosophy that has helped turn a small Outer Banks startup into a growing business, while creating a remarkable partnership with the Outer Banks Community Foundation.
ZoomAround is a low-speed vehicle (LSV) rental company that was founded in 2020 by CEO Jason Williams, with Hoyt helping build the business from the ground up. The two have known each other practically their entire lives. Growing up in central North Carolina, Williams played soccer with Hoyt’s older brother, and the families became close.
One experience helped confirm that opportunity. While driving through Duck, they noticed a woman struggling to make her way to the beach. Fifteen minutes later, she was still trying to get there. They stopped and asked whether having a vehicle to make the trip easier would be worth paying for.
Her answer was an enthusiastic yes.
ZoomAround delivery on the Outer Banks. Photo courtesy of ZoomAround.
For Hoyt, the idea also brought back childhood memories of family vacations when his parents rented a small vehicle to get around the beach. The experience stayed with him for years.
Today, ZoomAround provides LSVs to vacationing families throughout the northern Outer Banks. Unlike conventional golf carts, LSVs are registered, insured, street-legal vehicles equipped with seatbelts, headlights, turn signals, and other safety features. They can operate on roads with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less, subject to local regulations.
Whether heading out for dinner, taking the kids for ice cream, or getting everyone and everything to the beach, ZoomAround gives families a convenient way to spend time together.
Safety is central to the company’s operations. ZoomAround works with local law enforcement to promote safe driving and conducts inspections of more than 70 points between rentals.
But ZoomAround’s commitment to the Outer Banks extends well beyond its customers.
Austin Hoyt of ZoomAround (left) and team members visit the Community Foundation office. Photo courtesy of ZoomAround.
Since establishing its relationship with the Outer Banks Community Foundation, the company has made 44 charitable gifts totaling more than $41,000. Remarkably, those donations have come without restrictions on how the money must be used.
Instead, ZoomAround trusts the Community Foundation’s board and grants committee to identify where charitable dollars can make the greatest difference.
“Our expertise is helping families create lasting memories,” Hoyt explained. “The Community Foundation knows this community and understands where the needs are greatest. We trust them to put our contributions to work where they can make the biggest difference.”
For Community Foundation board member Ray Meiggs, that trust is what makes the relationship so special.
“ZoomAround serves generations of families who come here to make memories, and now they’re helping generations of Outer Banks residents, too,” said Meiggs. “What makes their generosity so special is that they’ve given us the flexibility to respond to new challenges and opportunities as they arise. And by supporting our community’s charitable endowment, they’re making sure their generosity will continue to benefit the Outer Banks for generations to come.”
ZoomAround’s gifts have helped support a broad range of Community Foundation grants, including a $250,000 commitment to the Carol S. and Edward D. Cowell, Jr. Cancer Center, a $40,000 grant supporting Interfaith Community Outreach’s Sound Minds behavioral health program, and funding to help establish the Community Care Clinic of Dare’s dental program.
These are just a few examples of the dozens of grants made possible, in part, through the company’s continuing generosity.
For Hoyt, the connection between helping families enjoy their vacations and helping the community is simple.
“Life is not just about me or Jason or the individuals at ZoomAround,” he said. “It’s about how you impact everyone else around you. That’s why we work with [the Community Foundation], to make sure that our impact is spreading as far as it can.”
It has never been easier for you to make a real impact in our community. At the Outer Banks Community Foundation, there are countless ways to get involved in philanthropy. Start your journey today and make a lasting difference in the lives of those around us.
For more information, please visit OBCF.org.
About the Outer Banks Community Foundation: The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to fostering philanthropy and supporting local causes. Through its charitable funds and grant programs, the Foundation strives to enrich the quality of life for residents of the Outer Banks.
