You might say Barbara Hudock has a hard time separating business from community service.

And that’s a good thing.

As the founding partner of Hudock Capital Group, Williamsport, she believes in serving her clients as well as the community. It means balancing work with other interests, but it’s also about passion and realizing there’s more to life than one’s self.

“Because we live in the community,” she said, when asked why it’s important to be involved. “It is a give and take. I don’t believe you can ever take from something without giving more than you are receiving.”

Hudock loves her professional life and that simply feeds into her activities outside the office.

“If you love what you do from nine to five, it’s not a drain,” she said.

And she’s quick to give credit to her staff at Hudock Capital. She calls them “an amazing team.”

“There is no way I could do it without them,” she said.

Her very competent staff, she said, allows her more time for all the activities. But it goes beyond that as many of her employees give to their community as well. In fact, it’s encouraged.

“I didn’t want it to just be me involved in community activities,” she said.

The list of Hudock’s civic outreach is extensive. She serves on the boards of WVIA Public TV and Radio and Susquehanna Health. She is a former member of the Bloomsburg University Foundation Board.

Charitable organizations are also part of her community service.

“Barbara Hudock is such an inspiration to so many,” said Erik Evans, vice president of advancement at Bloomburg University.,

Hudock, he noted, is a Bloomsburg graduate and was selected to give the commencement speech to the school’s seniors in 2013.

He said Hudock has always been supportive of the school, providing her time and talents.

“She is humble and humility is such a big part of her,” he said.

Evans noted a significant gift Hudock made to Bloomsburg’s business school. The Benner-Hudock Center for Financial Analysis provides students with real world learning opportunities in the world of financial investments. It was named in honor of her parents, Frank J. and Margaret B. Benner. An important component to Hudock’s overall success, Evans said, is her willingness to outwork everyone.

Hudock might be referred to as a late bloomer.

Many years go, her husband, Mike, who taught and coached at Williamsport Area School District, had encouraged her to pursue a college degree, she said. A non-traditional college student, she graduated from Bloomsburg in 1975 as an older student. She didn’t immediately enter the business world, however.

“I really wanted to go into psychology,” she said. “But there were no jobs in that.”

She also contemplated being a business teacher.

Eventually, she landed a job at Merrill Lynch as a secretary but ended up working her way up in the company.

How?

“I have always loved making people happy, serving others,” she explained. “That’s why I was able to evolve at Merrill Lynch. When I got into the client servicing part of business, it was all about taking care of the client.”

Eventually, she helped launch her own financial investment firm.

“We changed the name a couple of times starting in 2001. In 2010, we became Hudock Capital Group,” she said.

To date, total dollars and support to local non-profit organizations from Hudock and the firm amount to nearly $2.5 million. Hudock noted that she has clear goals both with her business and philanthropic activities.

“We set financial goals. We don’t set time goals,” she explained. “I think everyone is committed. Sometimes I get over-committed, but for the most part we are able to do it. Our clients come first. Our passion is to make a profound difference in the lives of our clients.”

And yet, the giving back to the community is important. She said the local area is a great collection of people who volunteer and help out. But there’s also plenty of talented people too, she said.

And that helps feed into one of her true loves – the arts. She thinks that passion may have started when she saw “My Fair Lady” as a little girl back in North Carolina.

“I was mesmerized. I was transported to a world I had never known about before,” she recalled.

As a young musician, she played the viola in school but by her own admission was never talented.

“But it gave me an exposure to something that I would not have known before,” she added.

The arts have always been high on her list of organizations.

The Community Arts Center, Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, Community Theater League, Woodcock Foundation for the Appreciation of the Arts, and Uptown Music Collective are among organizations she supports.

“The arts are a passion,” she said. “Music and art allow us to connect on a non-physical, non-verbal level.”