|
Thomas Gipson Homes Work for Builders' Blitz Honored
 |
|
NAHB member Tom Gipson, with the sign alongside 2006 NAHB President David Pressly, and several of the NAHB volunteers in North Carolina who particitpated in the first-ever national Home Builders Blitz last year. |
Thomas Gipson Homes, of Raleigh, N.C., was honored by the National Housing Endowment — the philanthropic arm of NAHB — for working with Habitat for Humanity International and organizing the first national Home Builders Blitz last year. Through Tom Gipson’s involvement and leadership, more than 1,000 building industry professionals joinrd forces to build more than 400 houses in 130 communities across the country.
For its efforts Thomas Gipson Homes was awarded the 2006 Silver National Housing Endowment Builder Achievement Award for Outstanding Community Service — which includes a $5,000 donation to the charity of its choice — during the 2007 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla. earlier this year.
|
|
 |
|
|
Tom Gipson | Thomas Gipson Homes is giving the donation to Habitat for Humanity International.
“Tom is one of the most generous people I have ever met,” said Tim Minton, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County. “And when it comes to the Builders Blitz, he’s a bulldog.”
Gipson first got involved with Habitat for Humanity of Wake County in 2002 when he created a local builders’ blitz. He recruited 11 home builders from his association to join his efforts, and together, they built 12 Habitat houses in one week ― at no charge to Habitat. Gipson figured that a week would be a reasonable length of time for his fellow builders to take a “Habitat vacation” from their regular work.
A year and another blitz later produced 24 homes in five days.
With these two successful Wake County blitzes under his belt, Gipson decided it was time to go national and approached Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Ga., about making the organization’s local blitzes a national program. Habitat agreed. To make it work, Gipson traveled to more than 40 cities promoting the blitz concept and recruited fellow Raleigh home builders to travel to another 25 cities. The results were staggering.
The 2006 national blitz became the largest one-week blitz build in Habitat’s 30-year history ― with 459 houses constructed. The blitz build, completed entirely by home builders, accounted for 8% of all Habitat homes built last year. The homes are valued in excess of $25 million.
“Bringing professional home builders into Habitat’s work is a natural project for a housing ministry,” said Kevin Campbell, director of the Home Builders Blitz. “The builders augment the excellent work done every day by Habitat volunteers around the world, which will help Habitat serve even more families in need.”
Of the more than 1,000 builders who participated in the blitz, 48% were first-time volunteers with Habitat. In post-build survey results, 80.4% said that they would “definitely” or “likely” participate in another Habitat blitz in the future, and 93.5% said they would recommend volunteering with Habitat to a colleague in the industry.
“Thomas Gipson Homes, under the leadership of Tom Gipson, is a true illustration of how one devoted company can make incredible impacts,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 2002 NAHB president. “The tremendous success of the 2006 Home Builders Blitz is a direct result of Tom Gipson’s vision.”
“He and his company are the perfect example of why this award was created — to shine a positive light on a builder changing, not just his community, but his country and, by example, opening the eyes of thousands of other home builders by introducing them to this incredibly important work,” Garczynski added.
 Twelve Others Honored With Builder Achievement Awards at IBS
Twelve other builders were honored with gold, bronze and honorable mention Builder Achievement awards during the presentation at the builders’ show.
For the complete list of the winners and a description of their projects, click here.
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.
|
