“Climbing the Corporate Ladder” Takes On New Meaning… During Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County’s 2017 CEO Build

FROM LEFT: Paul Adkins, Chairman, Florida Peninsula Insurance Company that is the CEO Build Presenting Home Sponsor; Patricia Maczko, Regional Manager and Florida Market President Comerica Bank; Jerry Fedele, Honorary CEO Build Chair and President and CEO, Boca Raton Regional Hospital; Randy Nobles, President and CEO, Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County; Kari Oeltjen, Chief Development Officer, Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County; Rick Howard, President, Sklar Furnishings. and Board Chair, Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County.

Recruiting 70 Top Executives To Raise $150,000 And The Walls Of The First “Home That CEOs Built” in South Palm Beach County

Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County (HFHSPBC) invites Palm Beach County C-Suite and senior executives to climb a “corporate ladder of a different kind” during its 2017 CEO Build on Friday and Saturday, November 3 and 4. This time rather than building companies, business leaders, owners and entrepreneurs will join together to build a new Habitat home, creating tremendous impact on the community and breaking the poverty cycle for a hard-working family.

The nonprofit is seeking 70 empowered. high-ranking senior business leaders to join together to raise “funds and walls” to build a safe, decent and affordable home for a local, hard-working, low income family that the 70 will actually help build through both financial sponsorship and hands-on building. Collectively creating the “House that CEOs Built” in South Palm Beach County, the event both celebrates and harnesses the unstoppable power of corporate leaders to come together to help transform their community with an inspiring “hand-up, not a hand-out”.

Spanning various industries, those participating will be installing and finishing drywall, painting the interior and exterior and putting other carpentry finishing touches on a new Habitat home. No building experience is necessary; volunteer C-Suite executive builders and business owners will work under the guidance of Habitat construction professionals alongside the future Habitat homeowner, the Gevala Antoine Family.

“For all of us who have enjoyed dining at Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach, you have probably enjoyed a meal cooked by Mrs. Antoine without even knowing it, ” shared HFHSPBC Chief Development Officer Kari Oeltjen. To Mrs. Antoine, “Food is love” and she has been cooking meals with love at Boston’s for more than10 years. When Mrs. Antoine was widowed, she still persevered to give her four academically talented children a better life by applying for Habitat’s rigorous home ownership program culminating in earning a zero interest mortgage on a Habitat home that she is physically helping to build.

CEO Build Helps To Break Challenging Economic Cycles

One hundred percent from monies raised from the HFHSPBC CEO Build event underwrite the construction materials for the home they are building. These monies are critical to the Habitat “Fund for Humanity” program which helps hard-working, low income families in the South Palm Beach County community who have been unable to get ahead by qualifying for traditional bank mortgages. Habitat homeowners earn their homes through sweat equity programs and qualify for interest-free mortgages – changing the trajectory of entire families for generations because they are the first in their family line to achieve homeownership.

Proceeds from HFHSPBC’s three ReStores support increased financial literacy curriculum classes, new homeowner education and home care maintenance programming plus education scholarships for children of homeowners to restore hope by breaking challenging economic cycles. Habitat homeowners become taxpayers and engaged citizens who strengthen community. “Sustainable community growth begins with a stable home foundation for families and children,” notes HFHSPBC President and CEO Randy Nobles who will be leading the onsite CEO Builder roster. “We are fortunate to have a business community in South Palm Beach County that understands the need to build communities from the ground up, just as they build their companies.”

Honorary Chair and Growing C-Suite Builder Roster Spans Industries

Honorary CEO Build Chair is Jerry Fedele, President and CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. To date, CEO Builders include:

“Lead by Example” HFHSPBC Leadership
- Randy Nobles, HFHSPBC President & CEO
- Kari Oeltjen, HFHSPBC Chief Development Officer
- Rick Howard, CEO, Sklar Furnishings and HFHSPBC Board Chair
- Scott Sullivan, First Vice President, Merrill Lynch and HFHSPBC Board Member
- Eric Bucher, CEO, Quantified IT and HFHSPBC Board Member
- Leon Silverstein, CEO, Aldora Aluminum and HFHSPBC Board Member
- Doug Mosley, Executive Director, Boca Raton Bowl and HFHSPBC Board Member
- Cheryl Budd, President, Budd Solutions and HFHSPBC Board Member
- Jason Katz, CEO, Host.net and HFHSPBC Board Member
Paul Adkins, Chairman, Florida Peninsula, the CEO Build Presenting Home Sponsor
Mitch Feldman, CEO, Boca West Medical Center
Doug Fash, Founder and CEO, Sunflower Landscaping and Maintenance
Troy McLellan, CEO & President, Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce
Patricia Maczko, Regional Manager and Florida Market President, Comerica Bank
Charles Deyo, CEO & President, Cendyn
Jason Hagensick, President & CEO, YMCA of South Palm Beach County
Ken Lebersfeld, CEO, Capitol Lighting
Gary Press, CEO, South Florida Business & Wealth and Lifestyle Media Group
Jon Kaye, COO & Chief Marketing Officer, Kaye Communications Marketing & PR
Jesse Flowers, Community President, CenterState Bank
Bonnie Kaye, Founder & President, Kaye Communications Marketing & PR
Tim Snow, President, George Snow Scholarship Fund
Tim Devlin, Partner, Tax Services Leader, Daszkal Bolton
Sal Saldana, General Manager, Town Center at Boca Raton
Joe Martin, Vice President, Allegiance Home Health & Rehab

“It’s a great opportunity to step out of one’s office comfort zone, don a hard hat and learn new home improvement skills or simply add a few to one’s tool belt,” adds Rick Howard, CEO of Sklar Furnishings and HFHSPBC Board Chair. “This is going to be rewarding experience for all involved as together we improve the community that each shares.”

Registration And Fundraising Is Simple

To participate, each “CEO Builder” must commit to fundraise or donate $2,500 via the designated HFHSPBC CEO Build campaign website. Once registered as a CEO Builder by hitting the CEO Build tab at the top of the home page of www.habitatsouthpalmbeach.org, participants can create their own fundraising page. If someone cannot commit to being a CEO Builder, they can easily support a CEO Builder featured on the dedicated fund site.

CEO Builders to Gather at Special Kick-Off Event & Orientation on Tuesday, October 3 Hosted by PNC Bank and Broken Sound Club

A “CEO Build” kick-off and orientation reception will be hosted by PNC Bank and Broken Sound Club on Tuesday, October 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at The Old Course at Broken Sound Club, 1401 NW 51st St, Boca Raton, FL 33431. In addition to networking with colleagues and enjoying light bites, wine and live music, those who have committed to raising or giving $2,500 and other prospective “CEO Builders” will learn how they can be one of the 70 C-Suite executives who create the “House that CEOs Built” in South Palm Beach County.

HFHSPBC, headquartered at 181 S.E. Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that brings people together to build homes, community and hope in the cities of Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, Florida. The nonprofit depends upon volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of money, materials, services and property to fulfill its mission.

To learn more about the HFHSPBC CEO Build, register as a builder and/or team leader
and/or recruit volunteers to help fundraise and build, sponsorship opportunities and the kick-off event, contact Kari Oeltjen, HFHSPBC Chief Development Officer at koeltjen@hfhboca.org or (561) 819-6070. To learn more about HFHSPBC, its home dedications, its events and activities, home build sponsorship and year round volunteer opportunities as well as donating to or shopping its home Improvement center thrift shop ReStores in East and West Boca Raton and Delray Beach, visit www.habitatsouthpalmbeach.org.