Committed to community, AMEC Paragon improves Houston-area homes and lives
Founded in 1980 as Paragon Engineering Services, Houston-based AMEC Paragon serves as the Americas oil and gas hub for AMEC, the international project management and services company.
For over a decade, AMEC Paragon has served as something more to homeowners in its community. For 12 years the company has been extensively involved in Rebuilding Together Houston (RTH). RTH, formerly PSI HomeSavers, is an initiative that provides home repair services for low-income elderly and disabled homeowners located in Houston.
Established in 1985, RTH delivers exterior restoration of homes by volunteer crews, rebuilding pride in ownership, a cornerstone of a sound neighborhood. RTH is the only non-profit, volunteer-based effort in the Houston area that provides a significant volume of exterior home restorations to low-income, elderly or disabled homeowners.
Last year 24 AMEC Paragon employees donated two Saturdays to help repair and improve the home of an elderly woman in northeast Houston. The effort marked AMEC Paragon's 24th project completed through the program.
The AMEC volunteer crew diligently worked to improve the home of Georgia Mims, a 77-year-old retired nurse's aide. They replaced siding; repaired house boards and flooring; changed broken light fixtures; replaced broken glass and window trim; and installed a wheelchair ramp to allow Mims to enter and exit the home more easily.
Mims was grateful for the help. "It is truly a blessing to have people like that in this world who are so willing to help."
Mike Pierce, AMEC Paragon's expediting and logistics manager and RTH crew chief, said that he and his fellow volunteers look forward to the company's two annual RTH projects.
"When the project is complete, you can always tell how incredibly thankful the homeowners are just by the looks on their faces. That's why AMEC Paragon continues to be involved in the RTH program year after year."
Because of the overwhelmingly positive response to the volunteer program, AMEC Paragon is considering expanding the program to two crews of 16-20 employees for upcoming spring projects to repair two houses at once rather than just one.
A few years back, AMEC Paragon was involved in a RTH milestone. In 2007, the company helped with the 5,000th home to benefit from RTH's volunteer program.
"Community volunteerism is a cause that AMEC Paragon employees have embraced throughout our 27-year history," said Terrance Ivers, AMEC Paragon's president. "This program does an excellent job of bringing together corporate sponsored repair crews for the worthy cause of repairing and improving the homes of people in need."
The recipient of the organization's 5,000th home repair was Dorothy Goffney, a 73-year old disabled resident of Houston's historic Fifth Ward. Pierce led the team of 30 AMEC Paragon and nine Boeing volunteers who painted, replaced siding and installed new front and side decks, a front door, a 20-foot wheel chair ramp and window screens for Goffney's home over the course of three Saturdays in October that year.
"The volunteers did a beautiful job, and they went about their work so faithfully and intensively—as though they were doing it for their own home," said Goffney.
That same year Pierce was awarded RTH's Golden Hammer Award for his exceptional commitment to the program and guidance as crew leader on home repair assignments completed by AMEC Paragon volunteers over the course of several years.
Robert Conklin, RTH executive director, said, "It's because of the great work contributed by companies like AMEC Paragon that citizens like Ms. Goffney can continue to live independently and gain a new sense of hope."
"We always look forward to working on this community project because it is very fulfilling, and we are proud to lend our engineering and project management expertise where it will help improve someone's quality of life," said Pierce.
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