Minnesota CEOs volunteer to build with Twin Cities Habitat

Minnesota business leaders have a long tradition of giving back to the community. That commitment was on display during the 11th Annual CEO Build Day in Woodbury on Monday, October 8. Dozens of corporate executives, their spouses and civic leaders took part and built alongside Habitat homebuyers putting in sweat equity hours.

Mary Brainerd, President and CEO of HealthPartners and Co-Chair of CEO Build talked about why her company has sponsored workcamp volunteer weeks with Habitat each of the last three years. "I think it helps people see the connection between healthy thriving and families and health care overall."

The CEO Build volunteers were working on townhomes in the Garden Gate Development. Twin Cities Habitat has completed 15 homes in this development, nine are under construction now and ten more will be built over the next two years. More than 50 families have purchased Twin Cities Habitat homes in Woodbury over the years.

"We do have a long relationship with Habitat," said Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens who spoke during lunch. "Outside of Minneapolis and St. Paul we have the most Habitat homes of any community in the Twin Cities."

“These executives are wonderful and inspiring leaders,” says Susan Haigh, President and CEO of Twin Cities Habitat. “They know success in business is linked to success in the community, and they understand stable housing is the key to that.”

David Mortenson, Executive Vice President of Mortenson Construction, served as Co-Chair of CEO Build along with Mary Brainerd. Mortenson Construction donated all the safety gear used by the executives while they volunteered and the company helped pour the concrete foundation for the townhomes at Garden Gate. He said, "When our people participate in something like this they really get that sense of engagement with their community." 

The companies and groups that participated in the 2012 CEO Build included:

Andersen Corporation
Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC)
Cargill
CenturyLink
City of Woodbury
Faegre and Benson LLP
Greater MSP
The Hartfiel Company
HealthEast
HealthPartners 
McKinsey & Company
Marquette Financial Companies
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 
Mortenson Construction
Northwestern Mutual
The Opus Group
Prime Therapeutics
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Star Tribune
Wells Fargo
Western National Insurance
Xcel Energy