For the third year, ACE was a national sponsor of Community Build Day, a nationwide event organized by The Financial Services Roundtable to help build and repair homes for low-income families across the country.  ACE employees in Atlanta and Philadelphia supported this sponsorship by participating in builds in their hometowns.

Atlanta Employees Start Construction on a Single-Family Home

On Saturday, August 4, 2007, ACE USA Southeast Regional Executive Officer Rob Huber joined local officials and executives from the four other Atlanta-area Community Build Day companies to participate in a “first nail” ceremony for a single-family home that Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County is building in Lithonia, Ga.  Also participating in the ceremony were Yolanda Fuller Martin and her four children, who will live in the home after it is completed later this year. The event was covered by two local newspapers – The Champion and On Common Ground News – and featured in the Decatur Business Association’s newsletter.

Two weeks later, 20 ACE USA and ACE Westchester employees participated in the first of two ACE build days at the site. Led by team captain Jim Shevlin, the volunteers erected the first floor exterior walls and also put down the sub-flooring for the second floor, despite the soaring 100+ degree summer temperatures. The ACE crew returned to the site in November to paint the house.

Philadelphia Employees Help Build Seven “Green” Homes

In Philadelphia, about 50 ACE employees, friends and family members from the Philadelphia, Cherry Hill, N.J., and Wilmington, Del., offices helped construct seven homes in West Philadelphia on Saturday, August 4, 2007.  The homes will become Philadelphia’s first low-income housing units that exemplify principles of “green” building.  Green homes use non-toxic building materials and energy-efficient systems to minimize environmental impact.

The ACE volunteers completed the first floor decking on all of the homes and also cleaned up the worksite and surrounding sidewalks.  Several of the future homeowners worked alongside the ACE volunteers, and representatives from each of the families were recognized at a lunchtime ceremony and press conference.  Also speaking at the ceremony were ACE USA Global Property’s Kurt Husar and several government officials.  The event was covered by every major Philadelphia television station and an article with photos ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Additional coverage was provided by the Philadelphia Business Journal.