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Generous Builders Honored at IBS for Community Service
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Mark Tipton, vice chair of the National Housing Endowment and 1991 NAHB president, left; Earl Armiger, of Orchard Development Corporation; and Bob Mitchell, endowment trustee and 2000 NAHB president. |
Eight home builders were recognized at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando earlier this month for the exceptional philanthropic endeavors they performed last year.
The builders received National Housing Endowment Builder Achievement Awards for Outstanding Community Service during ceremonies on Feb. 13 for charitable work ranging from building homes for injured Iraq War veterans to helping homeless families.
“These may be tough times for home builders, but tough times haven’t dampened the charitable spirit of this industry,” said Mark Tipton, vice chair of the endowment and 1991 NAHB president. “The winners represent the best of what the housing industry has to offer.”
Orchard Development Corporation of Ellicott City, Md. was awarded the 2007 gold award; John Willis Homes of Duluth, Ga. was given the silver award; and Derrick Custom Homes of New Richmond, Wis. received the bronze award. In addition, five home builders received honorable mention honors.
A Piece of the Action
Top philanthropic honors went to Orchard Development owner Earl Armiger and his wife, Mary, for donating $2 million through a limited partnership to the Columbia Foundation, a community foundation based in Howard County, Md. that provides community grants that support more than 50 human services, arts, education and community affairs nonprofit organizations in the county.
The donation ― the largest gift in history of the Columbia Foundation — will generate between $25,000 and $50,000 annually for the foundation.
“These guys are out there every day, helping people in need, face to face,” Armiger said, acknowledging the contributions of his fellow nominees. “They are what it is all about.”
Armiger made the donation through a limited partnership 196-unit mixed-income community he helped develop that features 25% low-income housing and 25% moderate-income housing. Armiger has also served on two area affordable housing task forces and has built more than 700 affordable housing units.
In honor of Orchard Development, a $10,000 donation was made to the charity selected by the company, the Columbia Foundation.
Aid for Transitional Housing
Silver award winner John Willis Homes has been helping HomeAid Atlanta since 2002, when owner John Willis joined the charity’s board of directors as a founding member. The organization provides transitional housing for temporarily homeless families, giving them the opportunity to move their lives in a positive direction.
In 2007, John Willis Homes and its trade partners donated 100% of the material and construction management to renovate the HomeStretch house in Roswell, Ga., which gives struggling families with young children nine to 12 months of housing and educational programs.
HomeAid Atlanta will receive a $5,000 donation in the name of John Willis Homes.
Helping Veterans
Ron Derrick of Derrick Custom Homes received the bronze award for marshaling his employees and building industry peers to build a handicapped-accessible home at cost for Sgt. John Kriesel, a Minnesota National Guardsman who lost both legs in a roadside bomb attack outside of Fallujah in Iraq. Two of Kriesel’s best friends were killed in the same attack.
The home was appraised at about $575,000, but the Kriesel family pays a mortgage for only about 25% of that amount.
“After the hardships he has endured, Sgt. Kriesel had just one small request of us,” Derrick said. “He asked us to add another spotlight on the front yard flag, to honor his two fallen friends. That really brought home what our troops are going through.”
Derrick Custom Homes designated the Salvation Army Grace Place/Faith House homeless shelters. as the recipient of their $2,500 award donation.
Honorable Mentions
Five other home builders received honorable mentions for their charitable work:
- Lawrence F. Fiano Builders-Developers of Bolton, Conn.
The company built a home for Marine Sgt. Jared Luce, who was severely injured in Iraq. A $1,000 donation will be made to the Bolton Scholarship Fund.
- Dan Rawls Company of Piedmont, S.C.
The company renovated The Ronald McDonald House of Greenville, S.C. A $1,000 donation will be made to the home.
- Pardee Homes Las Vegas.
The company renovated the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder, City, Nev. A $1,000 donation will be made to the ranch.
- Emmer Development Corporation of Gainesville, Fla.
The company was honored for its “Building Hope” program that encourages employee philanthropy, and for its “Project 2007” initiative that distributed environmentally friendly shopping bags to residents in Gainesville and Alachua County. A $1,000 donation will be made to the Barbara and Phil Emmer Family Foundation to further advance this project.
- Lennar Homes of Roseville, Calif.
The company built The Ron and Darin Mittelstaedt Cottage at the River Oak Center for Children, a home for emotionally and behaviorally challenged children. A $1,000 donation will be made to the endowment of the Mustard Seed School.
The awards were established through a grant to the endowment by Isaac Heimbinder, chairman of Potomac, Md.-based BuildTopia, a provider of Web-based construction management software for home builders, and his wife Sheila.
For more information about the awards, e-mail Gwyn Donohue at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8447.
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