Habitat for Humanity East Bay

The 2010 Executive Build

Hosted by:
Chris Johns, President, Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Jim Blackwell, President Asia Pacific Exploration and Production, Chevron Corporation
Emily Shanks, Market President, Bank of America
Aaron Carmack, Regional Vice-President, The Home Depot

More than 50 Bay Area executives picked up hammers, power tools, and raised walls during the 2010 Executive Build at Kinsell Commons development in Oakland. Participants left their business suits at home and put on their hard hats to show their support, and learn more about how Habitat East Bay is serving East Bay low-income families.

Kinsell Commons is a 22-home development that is part of a larger development at Tassafraronga Village. The entire Tassafrardonga project is registered in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Neighborhood Development Pilot Project and the LEED for HOMES program. Through the efforts of building to LEED for Homes standards, our East Bay affiliate is also a role model for other Habitat affiliates interested in building to higher green standards. The benefits of green building allow for long-term savings on electrical bills for our partner families, lower house maintenance costs, and overall sustainable home construction which allows us to care for the environment as well as for our homeowners.

Executives were able to hear directly from Marie Henderson, a Habitat East Bay homeowner, not only about her dream coming true in terms of homeownership but also describing how she discovered a family with Habitat after moving from Belgium with her 14 year old son Christopher. Marie emphasized that for hard-working families whose earnings place them in the low to very-low income classification, finding a decent, affordable place to live in the San Francisco Bay Area is an extremely difficult, if not impossible task.

Habitat East Bay would like to thank the executives from Behr Paints, Build It Green, Coldwell Banker, Crossmark and Stanley/Black and Decker, Eberhard Management, Ernst & Young, JR Structural’s, KQED, LCA Architects, Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, The PMI Foundation, Simpson Strong-Tie, East Bay Sotheby's International Realty, Struthers Dias Architects, Summit Financial Group LLC, Sybase, Taylor Engineering, Tiburon Inc., Timken Johnson Hwang LLP, Trimble Navigation and University of California Irvine/Prosperitas for attending the event.

Press Release/Background

Building on the success of previous corporate Executive Build's, Habitat for Humanity East Bay will welcome senior Bay Area executives to its development at the Kinsell Commons development located at E Street and 84th Avenue in Oakland, for a special work day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 16th, 2010. As requested by many of the participants last year we are offering an optional full-day build for those who would like to finish the day building. Corporate leaders will use hammers, power tools, and cooperative effort to raise walls and support Habitat East Bays mission to provide successful homeownership opportunities for families with limited incomes.

"It's a chance to get out of our everyday business suits and have a hands-on experience with our corporate peers, forging new bonds, and experiencing the thrill of seeing the immediate results of ones labor. It is immensely gratifying to work together to build homes," said Janice Jensen, Habitat for Humanity East Bays President and CEO. "Last year's team of executives had a lot of fun and helped make the dream of home ownership a reality for hard working families. Each Habitat family devotes hundreds of hours of sweat equity as the down payment on their homes. Our community leaders, volunteers and donors also make a difference by helping to make an enormous and positive change in the lives of these deserving families," Jensen explained.

Habitat for Humanity East Bays Executive Build has become a signature event in the Bay Area and is hosted by Chris Johns, President, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Jim Blackwell, President Asia Pacific region, Chevron Corporation, Emily Shanks, Market President, Bank of America and Aaron Carmack, Regional Vice-Present, The Home Depot.

This year, Habitat for Humanity East Bay will welcome CEOs and top executives from Pacific Gas and Electric Company , Chevron Corporation, Bank of America, The Home Depot, Dow Chemical Company, ENVIRON, LCA Architects, Lennar Homes, The PMI Foundation, Simpson Strong-Tie, Sponsor Strategies, Timpken Johnson Hwang, and others.