🔒KBE builds company, community morale through corporate giving

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It started out in 2009, as a celebration of the company's 50th anniversary.

KBE Building Corp. had just been bought, and its three new owners wanted to find a unique way to involve both the staff and the community in marking the milestone. The result was a program called “Fifty Ways to Make a Difference,” and the goal was to support community organizations throughout the year.

“Our company has a long philanthropic tradition. When my partners and I acquired the business, it was only fitting to continue,” says Mike Kolakowski, KBE's president, CEO, and principal owner. “Fifty Ways to Make a Difference really caught on. That first year was so successful, we decided to keep it going as a way of giving back.”

Kolakowski, along with his partners, Senior Vice President of Operations Eric Brown and Senior Vice President of Procurement Simon Etzel, formalized the program into the company culture. The program is still going strong, as is the Farmington-based company, which is a $300 million commercial construction firm specializing in preconstruction, design/build, construction management, and general contracting.

“We have a Fifty Ways committee that meets every October to decide what the theme will be for the next year. They look at what sort of work we have in the pipeline to see if we can blend causes with our projects, talk about new areas to explore, and then present the theme to senior management,” says Kolakowski. “From there, we help to implement and provide support for the program.”

From 2009 to 2012, the focus of the company's Fifty Ways campaign was supporting children's organizations and nonprofits that aid senior citizens. In 2012 alone, the company supported 36 programs and agencies through corporate donations of funds, as well as construction management and labor. In 2013, the focus shifted to military personnel, supporting veterans and deployed soldiers, as well as their families.

“In 2014, based on the fact that we had built or renovated six new technical high schools throughout the state over the last number of years, our theme was education,” says Kolakowski. “We created scholarships for all 17 technical high schools in Connecticut and gave scholarships to one graduating male and one graduating female in each high school who were continuing their education after graduation.”

This year, KBE is directing efforts toward the medical community.

“We went to hospitals and hospice centers to find out what their needs are, what could help them,” says Kolakowski. “Later this year, we will award grants to multiple facilities.”

In addition to the Fifty Ways campaign, KBE also holds annual events to help the community and engage the staff. One such effort is Gift of Gobble, the company's largest community undertaking that requires all hands on deck.

“We assemble baskets of food here at the office, box them up, load them into vehicles, and deliver them to local organizations the Saturday before Thanksgiving,” says Kolakowski. “We do every step. It's a great gathering of employees and their families.”

Kolakowski adds that staffers who participate in Fifty Ways throughout the year get as much out of it as those they help.

“Our employees consistently mention that they feel proud,” he says. “They really feel like they are giving back.”

To further promote community involvement, KBE supports employees who donate their time to organizations, allowing them a set number of office hours each year to allocate toward volunteer work.

“We found that everyone is busy,” says Kolakowski. “In order to help our employees participate in community organizations, they needed an opportunity to take work hours to do it.”

Through events, the Fifty Ways campaign, and their own personal contributions, KBE employees benefit from knowing they have given back to the community on many levels. According to Kolakowski, the true reward comes from the gratitude of those they've helped.

“We receive personal notes — people thanking us for their Gift of Gobble meal or a for our Christmas stocking stuffer program — and we post them on our intranet so our employees can see that feedback,” he says. “Whether it's meals or scholarships, it brings us such pride to see what a difference it's made in someone's life. It's brought tears to our eyes — tears of joy.”

KBE's community commitment will continue into the future, Kolakowski says.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to do these things,” he says. “It's the right thing to do to be a good corporate citizen.”

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