Live from Buildertrend University: Building Homes for Heroes

Tom Houghton:

You’re listening to “The Building Code.” I’m Tom Houghton.

Paul Wurth:

I’m Paul Wurth.

Tom Houghton:

And today we have a very special episode. We’re live from Buildertrend University. We’re also streaming live on Facebook. We have Jim Rogers from Building Homes for Heroes joining us today.

Jim Rogers:

Hello everyone.

Tom Houghton:

Jim, where are you guys based out of?

Jim Rogers:

We are based out of Valley Stream, New York, which is right near JFK airport.

Tom Houghton:

Okay. Let’s get right into it. What is Building Homes for Heroes?

Jim Rogers:

Building Homes for Heroes is a national non-profit and what we do is we build custom homes from the ground up, or we renovate existing homes to meet the needs of wounded veterans who were injured during the times, post-9/11, typically Iraq and Afghanistan. But they could have been injured in any other circumstance, but we definitely target that group of veterans.

Tom Houghton:

And did you start around 9/11? Was that the impetus for this business?

Jim Rogers:

That was the impetus. Now our founder, Mr. Andy Pujol, a local businessman right there near New York City, and he responded as a volunteer to ground zero for a couple of weeks and he was greatly moved by his experience there. And he had never been involved in the military or in the housing industry at all, but he wanted to do something significant to serve his country. He made a vow to himself that he would serve his country. And as the military members were coming back from overseas, severely injured and observing the difficult times that they were facing, he decided that he wanted to do something hard, and that was to give away mortgage-free homes with no knowledge of how to do that or had no involvement in the building industry, no contacts, no supporters, no nothing.

Tom Houghton:

So, Building Homes for Heroes by the numbers. Can you tell me a little bit about, I mean, I’m sure you have some stats about how many veterans you’ve helped over the years, how many employees are involved?

Jim Rogers:

Sure.

Tom Houghton:

What are some of the …

Jim Rogers:

Well, we officially became a non-profit in 2006, which I think is the same year that Buildertrend was formed. I think.

Paul Wurth:

Correct.

Tom Houghton:

That’s great.

Jim Rogers:

So, since then, we’ve gifted over 160 homes across the country. A majority of them, what we call our renovations remodels, a major partner for us is Chase Bank. They donate homes to us, mortgage free with the understanding that we’re going to donate them mortgage-free to wounded veterans across the country. And we’ve done probably close to 20 new construction, fully modified home automation homes for the most severely wounded veterans. We currently have, I’m going to guess about a dozen employees and most of them are stationed in New York and the main office. But we have three employees in Florida, mostly our project management team. But we are in 32 states for our projects and so we travel across the country, set up projects, gift homes. I’m going to Portland next week, to Oregon to get the home out there. So, it’s all across the country.

Tom Houghton:

That’s amazing. So, when you travel outside of your comfort zone, New York, Florida, how do you dig into the subs and vendors? Is that stuff gifted to you as well? The supplies and the labor, or is that something you try to get done? What does that look like?

Jim Rogers:

Typically, we go to a new community such as Portland, Oregon. We’ve started with Angie’s list to find contractors in the past. Then we just started working with our current partners that we have. Chase is a big partner, Advance Auto Parts, Truck Hero. We have a Kwikset donate supplies to us. We have had Mansfield Plumbing, we’ve got York who donates air conditioning systems and so, these contacts we tend to make other contacts, particularly in the local areas. They help get us projects going along.

Tom Houghton:

That makes sense. So, Jim, tell us a little bit about your background, how you joined Building Homes for Heroes.

Jim Rogers:

That’s a question that no one’s ever asked me about, Tom, so let you know what that.

Paul Wurth:

Tommy with the early win.

Jim Rogers:

Tom with the early win. I got to know one of our board members. He’s a business owner in Orlando area, and I met her through business networking in the Orlando area, and they were looking for somebody to get started. And in Florida, we were getting the Chase program was getting started. We were starting to get homes donated to us, but we didn’t have project management. The majority of the homes that we received and that we give away are in the state of Florida, actually. Probably over a hundred homes we’ve gifted there. And so, they were looking for somebody to get involved in that. I’m retired from the Air Force and have done project management of various sorts over the years, and it just seemed like a good fit and so that’s how I got started.

Tom Houghton:

Well, thank you for your service, first of all.

Jim Rogers:

Oh, thank you, sir.

Tom Houghton:

And thank you for what you’re doing even now. This is an incredible program that you guys have.

Jim Rogers:

Oh, it is. And it’s truly life changing for these families. When you meet them, they’re in their recovery process, and you can just see the weight of the burden on their shoulders of the families. Families get uprooted for years. They leave their homes, spouses, leave their jobs, take their kids out of schools, and they’ll go live by these major hospitals while the service member recovers. So, they’re living out of suitcases. Some, temporary housing, ended up living with family and then once they’re able to leave the hospital and get out into the world, they’re trying to manage in a home, whether it’s a home, whether it’s an apartment or living with family, with their injuries, and you can just see the burden. And then when you meet them and you get to go show them a house, you can see the glimmer of hope coming, and then you get to tell them that it’s their house and they’re relieved, but there’s still time yet.

They’re still like, got to get the home ready. We got to get everything ready to get it together. And then when you gift them the home, that’s just like, the eyes are wide. They’re standing taller. The families are so excited, so thrilled to be able to see them. But the thing we’re noticing now, which is really important is the transformation to what it’s been described as their new normal, okay. Their new normal for their future and this is what they all seek. But what we’re seeing now is people becoming … There’s some of these veterans who were severely injured, becoming business owners. We have some that work for congressmen. We have some that … We have one right now who is climbing Mount Everest with one leg, Kirstie Ennis. She is on Mount Everest right now, as we speak.

And we have folks that create their businesses, go back to school. We’ve had a veteran become a deputy sheriff. So, it’s these transformational stories that is truly the win because the family is settled in their home, the kids are secure in a place that’s not going to change. They’re able to make friends, do well at school. Family members get to make friends, do their own thing and not have to be watching the veteran. And so, it’s just this transformational part that we’re getting to see now, which is truly remarkable.

It’s amazing. Why isn’t there a TV show?

Paul Wurth:

Actually.

Tom Houghton:

Honestly.

Jim Rogers:

Actually, very recently, and you can see this now on Fox Nation, the streaming service, that’s five episodes of Building Homes For Heroes on their streaming service now, if you wanted to go check that out.

Paul Wurth:

That makes total sense.

Tom Houghton:

And we’ll put a link to that in the shownotes, so they can take a look at that.

Jim Rogers:

Yeah. So, there’s five significant stories there on the Fox Nation, which is the streaming service.

Tom Houghton:

So, tell me, are there any additional services that Building Homes for Heroes offers veterans?

Jim Rogers:

Yes. Tom, another great question. Another winner for Tom. Absolutely. We do.

Paul Wurth:

I’m getting uncomfortable.

Jim Rogers:

Well, you have to step up your game, buddy. All right. So, what we do is for our veterans who may or may not have been homeowners in the past, we provide them services through financial advisors to make them successful in their homes. And so, they end up typically when they’re wounded, they’re end up with fixed income whether it’s through the VA or military retirement, things like that. And so, they have to be able to financially be successful in their homes. Another program that we have, it’s called the Veteran Team Building Program. It was particularly based in Florida, where we bring the veteran families together and through a common experience of spirited, fun activities, games, competition, they get to meet each other. They all have the common core of experience. Some of them knew each other in the military, and they create these bonds that lasts a lifetime.

We’ve noticed some families who’ve got so close that summer breaks or winter breaks for school, they’re trading kids back and forth across the state. They’re spending holidays together. They look forward to it every year. So, we’re in the middle of planning that for this year and that’s in Orlando, Florida in June. They’re doing a bike program for adaptive bikes for veterans that are being gifted out. Now, that’s another program that’s going on. We do emergency funding for folks. We do home modifications for veterans who already own their homes. So, there’s a variety of other programs that are associated with Building Homes for Heroes.

Tom Houghton:

Let’s talk about the home modification. That’s one of the things I’ve seen from the work that you guys have done. The accessibility features that you’re putting into these houses really make a difference for these individuals.

Jim Rogers:

Absolutely.

Tom Houghton:

Maybe you could speak a little bit about that.

Jim Rogers:

Absolutely. So, even the simple things that we all take for granted that sometimes we have to modify the home, widening doorways, level access, bathrooms and kitchens are kind of a big deal, particularly folks who are confined to a wheelchair majority of their time at home. So, we end up with pull-down racks. I know you can’t see me, put my hand in the air, but we’ve got to make sure we have the five foot turning radius in the bathrooms, nice open showers, benches, any kinds of … well, sometimes there’s ceiling lifts to bring veterans from their bed, to the shower, to the bathroom, that kind of thing, then place them in their chair for the day. So, it’s a wide variety of modifications specific to the veteran’s needs and the modification is really specific to the constraints of the home, I guess. So, when we do new construction home, we can build all those kinds of modifications right into the whole process.

Paul Wurth:

That’s great. So, we’re live at BTU. So, where does Buildertrend fit into this story?

Jim Rogers:

Well, now you asked a great question, Paul. A win for Paul.

Tom Houghton:

Well done, Paul.

Jim Rogers:

Well done, Paul. So, back in 2012, when I started, one of the first things I did was attend The Builder Show in Orlando, Florida. And we were just getting started with our Chase program. We were gaining homes, on a pretty rapid pace, and we needed to manage these projects to get them ready for veterans. And so, we were up in a restaurant above the exhibition floor. We’re looking out there at going, “There’s got to be somebody out there that does project management online that maybe they could donate to us.” So, after lunch we went down to the floor, and I went to three or four of the vendors that I found and they were like, “No, that’s not really good for you. What you need to do is you need to go talk to Dan. Buildertrend.” And I had no idea who Dan was, nor did I know where Buildertrend was at the time. And so, I found Buildertrend booth and in 2012, it was hard to find. It isn’t anymore.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, not anymore.

Jim Rogers:

Not anymore. But I walked up to this young guy over there, and I told them our story, who we were and what we’re trying to do. He says, “Well, come here, let me show you how to use it.” Just like you guys do. He pulled it up in the computer, showed me how to use it. “Will that be helpful to you?” I said, “Yeah, how much is it going to cost? Because we’re a charity and we’re still growing. And we’re only six years into it.” And he said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just donate it to you.” Well, I had went right up and talk to Dan Houghton, one of the founders, and he got us right set up. So, that’s how we got started with Buildertrend. Buildertrend, it’s really saved us because we accelerated our rate. We use it to track our process of what we need to do next, not so much the same way like a regular contractor does, but we’ve expanded that to how we manage our travels and our events that we have throughout the year.

And even now, today, I went to the cost bidding class, and I’m working on a bid process for our photo video support that we utilize for our home events and our galas and things like that, and how to get that tightened up, our costs and our budgets. So, it’s a remarkably helpful and very adaptable to the variety of needs that we’ve had.

Tom Houghton:

So, do you leverage the homeowner portal for the potential homeowner? Do they get to see the progress?

Jim Rogers:

Yes. The first time we used that was for Master Sergeant Joe Delorea’s home in Destin, Florida, and I was still learning how to use it then. So, I introduced him to it and he was able to see the house being built because we post pictures. He could do a check it out and he could look on the schedule. Know when work was going to be happening. And he would drive out there because he lived nearby. And Joe is a former U.S. Air Force, retired Master Sergeant of the Air Force, EOD technician. He’s a triple amputee in electric wheelchair, and he would be out there because he knew the schedule. He would just show up and be out there when they’re pouring concrete, framing, hanging trusses. He was there throughout the whole process.

So, that really made that a positive experience for him. And it was very important for captain Nathan Nelson, also in the panhandle of Florida, where he was able to track the same thing, see the progress and become part of it. And it’s very meaningful for the veterans for that. So, that portal has been an excellent tool that we’ve been able to utilize.

Paul Wurth:

Fantastic.

Tom Houghton:

Amazing.

Paul Wurth:

Dan, Steven, Jeff, the co-founders of this company have always been … It’s been very dear to their hearts to give service. We do a lot of things locally like upcoming episode, we’ll have Habitat for Humanity, which is a big charity here. So, they’re very happy to do that for you guys. And it’s a great story.

Jim Rogers:

Oh, it is. I tell Dan, whenever I see him, Buildertrend saved my life. Was getting so much work, didn’t know how to manage it. Really helped us out.

Paul Wurth:

That’s the second person at Buildertrend University that said that.

Tom Houghton:

It’s a reoccurring theme.

Jim Rogers:

Reoccurring theme.

Paul Wurth:

I love it. That’s a pretty …

Jim Rogers:

I’m a big fan. I’m a big fan.

Tom Houghton:

So, two more quick questions for you. First off, how can veterans apply to be a part of the program?

Jim Rogers:

Well, that’s an excellent question, Tom. Veterans can go right to the website. And again, we focus on veterans from post and serve post 9/11, but they can just go in and apply. And then any kind of questions or constraints or eliminating factors would be right in that process. So, we’ve always encourage those folks to apply and then just start the process, by all means.

Tom Houghton:

And we’ll make sure that the link to that is in the show notes as well.

Paul Wurth:

On the flip side, let’s get more vendors, more partners. So, how can the clients of ours that listen to this podcast or any listener, talk to a vendor out there that they may have contact with? How can they get in touch with you?

Jim Rogers:

Very simple. There’s a contact form on our website, buildinghomesforheroes.org. You can do an info request to contact. I see them all as well as several of us in the office and anyone looking to provide support to Building Homes for Heroes … for us, we’re across the country, we do majority of remodels, but we also do new construction, ground up, so we need in kind donations for a variety of products. We need volunteer vendors and suppliers, installers to maybe donate their time to actually do their craft for our home under the supervision of our general contractor.

We need those kinds of things, for sure. We need communities to be involved and kind of raise funds and raise support, and welcome the family into the community and be part of that. So, that’s any kind of military veteran groups, Chambers of Commerce, building industry association, folks in the area. By all means we encourage communities to wrap their arms around the veteran, the family. Make them feel welcome, make them feel part of the community. It really helps with their transition to what I talked about before their new normal.

Paul Wurth:

Absolutely. All listeners to this podcast let’s get together. Let’s support …

Tom Houghton:

Yeah. And we talked a little bit before he came on, too, that sometimes you do these volunteer days that just the average listener might be able to participate in for a landscaping event or something.

Jim Rogers:

Certainly. We coordinate those with our project team and with our general contractor. So, it’s part of the construction process and when they have a, depending on the project, depending on where it’s located, we may have a day where folks might be able to come join us for that. And best thing to do is reach out, see if we’re able to do that on a particular location.

Paul Wurth:

Let’s get you out there, Tom. Wouldn’t that be great?

Tom Houghton:

So, I can totally do it.

Jim Rogers:

I’ve invited Tom for years. So, we’re waiting for Tom to be there.

Tom Houghton:

Jim, thank you so much for your time, coming on the podcast, sharing about Building Homes for Heroes. We really love what you’re doing out there. Such a great mission, such a great benefit to the community, to the nation, to the people who’ve served and given their time. And again, thank you for also doing that. We appreciate that.

Jim Rogers:

Well, thank you to both Paul and Tom, thank you so much for having me on the podcast. We really do appreciate everything that Buildertrend has done to support us. It’s really made a difference in the way we do our construction process. It has made us more efficient and effective in that, and has helped us to serve more veterans in the course of each year. So, really, thank you to Buildertrend. Thank you for everything you’ve done. We really, really appreciate it.

Paul Wurth:

It’s amazing. We appreciate you.

Tom Houghton:

Thanks so much for listening to “The Building Code.” Make sure you check out our show notes page. Also, don’t forget to subscribe and rate our podcast. Thanks so much for listening, and we’ll see you next time on “The Building Code.”

Paul Wurth:

Appreciate you.