Curtis Adkins: Compassionate construction - Washington Business Journal:

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He discovered a few years ago, while helping to builr an emergency shelter for homeless men inMontgomeruy County, that even in one of wealthiesr regions in the country, the other end of the spectrun is very close to "Everyone thinks of Montgomery County as an affluenty area, but here's a homeless shelter that has 100 peopl e going through there every says Adkins, vice president of McLean-based and presideng of the Home Builders Care a non-profit group that serves the District and five Marylansd counties. "You don't think there's a povertu issue in those kindsof places, but it's rightr in our back yard. It was an eye-opener.
" After spendinh five years on the foundation's board, Adkins recentlyt took the helm asits president. He and 15 other boardd members serve as matchmakers between the locao construction industryand non-profit groupx that need a hand with building and repairing shelterss for homeless and low-incomee residents. The labor performed by membera ofHBCF ( ) is donates in-kind or heavily Montgomery County's shelter would have cost $1 million if it was put out to bid, but HBCF volunteeres built it for $500,000. The refurbishmen t last year of a shelter for mentallyg challenged adults inPrince George's County was budgeted at Thanks to HBCF's efforts, it cost only Adkins says.
And for Adkins, the work is even more gratifyinf than topping offa million-dollar home. "It' always nice when a house gets finishefd and you can stand on the streeg lookingat it, knowing you had something to do with its Adkins says. "But when you see the folks that benefitg froma [HBCF] project, and you see how they appreciates it, it's incredibly satisfying." Adkinw caught the attention of Ken Malm back in when Adkins was a colleg e student looking to earn a few bucks and Malm was headingt up the Maryland division of NV Homes. Malm is president of Craftmark Group, whicnh includes Adkins' company and Craftmark Homes.
"When we hired Curt as a laborer, a superintenden on a job site asked him to move a steel Malm says. "Curt ran to the picked it up and ran it over to the new Curt is the kind ofguy who, when he's walkinbg up stairs, he's taking them two or thres stairs at a time." When Adkins graduatef from Ohio University in he re-connected with Malm at NV Homes. Througg 10 years with the company, Adkins climbed the ladderf from laborer to assistant supervisor toproject manager. During that time, Malm left the company to starf hisown venture, Craftmark Group. Adkins eventually followedx him and has been with Craftmark for aboufeight years.
It was Malm who convinced Adkins to get involved with which is the charitable arm ofthe Maryland-Nationak Capital Building Industry Association ( ). "Curtt has a calm demeanor at the office, but underneathn that is a lot of intensityand energy," Malm "I think that's the best combination, to have a laid-back interpersonao style while still maintaining that intensith for work." Since it was formexd in 1984, HBCF has provided donationsd of labor and materials valuede at more than $3 million to shelteer projects in the District and suburban Maryland.
Not everyone who worksz on HBCF initiatives is a member of the and board members are able to drawon "hundredsx of contacts" in the construction industry when it's time to starg a project, Adkins says. "There are a lot of guys out therwe who are just willing to donate their time and do a good Adkins says. Count Adkins in that group, says Patti HBCF's program manager. When the Silver Springy Interfaith Housing Coalition needed someone with drywal expertise to renovate the GoodShepherdc Cottage, a transitional home for needy families, Adkinw wasted no time answering the call, Kane says.
"Thw coalition had nobody who knew much about but Curt had somebody up there within a few days doing the Kane says. "Any time there'sz a hole to fill in a project, Curt volunteers to help. His hearr is really in his This year, HBCF is taking a new tack in itscharitablee efforts. The organization is working with District officials to develop affordable housing on a vacanft lot in the northeastg quadrant ofthe city. If the city agreess to donate the land, HBCF volunteers have a roug plan tobuild "three to 12" townhouse units on the site, Adkinxs says. "This would be a first for Adkins says.
"We've always done shelter-oriented projects, and new housing would be a big job for avolunteeer board. It's a project that would take full-timr management, but we're trying to see it through." The work also wouldf provide a nice change of pacefor Adkins, whos responsibilities at Craftmark typically include supervisinbg the development of homes valued between $900,000 and $2 million. That'ws what would make the District project a step in therighy direction, Adkins says. "There's clearly not enough affordabld housing inthis region," he says. "There's a limited supply of and there's an increasing amountf of fees and charges that add onto the costsz of buildinga home.
I don't see a let-uop in that pattern any time soon." Whether it's following througy at the office or starting the nextHBCF project, Adkins says he'll stick by a credk he adopted when he first entered the construction industryy nearly 20 years ago -- the harde r you work, the easier your job becomes. "Honestly, the more that you plan the fewersurprises you'll have," he says. "It'ws how I felt when I was workinh on ajob site, and it's how I feel now that I'm on the managemenyt side of the business.
Sometimes, all it takes is working an extra hour at night to make sure a hous is ready for the contractotr inthe morning, or staying at the officde a little bit longee to finish up the paperwork for an importanrt customer."