Kenneth J. Meinert to manage nonprofit's hurricane-rebuilding program
AMERICUS, Ga., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity International
today named Kenneth J. Meinert, chair of the national Habitat board of Canada,
as senior vice president responsible for Operation Home Delivery, the global
homebuilding ministry's rebuilding efforts in hurricanes Katrina- and Rita-
impacted areas along the Gulf Coast.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050501/NYSU020LOGO )
In directing Operation Home Delivery, Meinert and his team will engage
more than 1,700 Habitat affiliates and various strategic partner organizations
across North America to plan and execute this important initiative. He will
work alongside William Collins, who Habitat last week named as senior vice
president, collaborative alliances. Collins is building strategic partnerships
to support Operation Home Delivery.
Accomplished in the construction industry, Meinert has more than 25 years
of operations, marketing and general management experience for large
multinationals in Canada, the United States and Europe. He owns production and
construction companies, and recently served as president and chief operating
officer of KML Engineered Homes Inc., a private design, manufacturing and
construction company.
Meinert's first task upon joining the ministry, said Jonathan Reckford,
Habitat's chief executive officer, will be to help rebuild infrastructure for
Habitat affiliates hit hard by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and, using
Habitat's time-tested homeownership program, to support their ongoing work
with families in need. Meinert and his team will also reach out to other
builders, NGOs and partner organizations to utilize innovative approaches to
building within this troubled region.
These approaches will include Habitat's "house in a box" program, which
will leverage the skills of Habitat's huge corps of volunteers across North
America who are already working to eradicate substandard housing in their own
communities. Pre-built housing components - walls, etc. - will be built in a
number of communities around the country and shipped to areas impacted by
Katrina or Rita to be rebuilt.
"Habitat is so fortunate and I am so grateful that such senior executives
as Kenneth and Bill are willing to drop everything to come and lead our
recovery efforts so that Habitat and its affiliates can respond to Katrina and
Rita without harming our existing efforts to serve families in need around the
world," said Reckford. "Kenneth has demonstrated the passionate leadership and
ability to deliver innovative solutions that is required for Operation Home
Delivery to succeed."
An eight-year member of the national board for Habitat for Humanity
Canada, Meinert recently was named chair, a role he will continue to serve in
even as he provides leadership in the rebuilding. He began his association
with Habitat in 1997 when he volunteered with and donated building materials
for a blitz home build in St. John's, Newfoundland. Meinert has also served
as president and CEO of CGC Inc, a leading manufacturer of ceiling and gypsum
construction materials, and vice president of marketing of U.S. Gypsum Co. in
Chicago.
Meinert is overseeing an assessment team that is working in the impacted
region and assembling a project management office that will direct
implementation of the home delivery program. The work will parallel the
existing Habitat infrastructure.
For more information about Habitat for Humanity and Operation Home
Delivery, visit http://www.habitat.org
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Ga., is an
ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated
to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since 1976, Habitat has built
more than 200,000 houses in nearly 100 countries, providing simple, decent and
affordable shelter for more than one million people. For more information,
visit http://www.habitat.org.
SOURCE Habitat for Humanity
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Related links:
http://www.habitat.org
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AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
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CONTACT:
Joedy Isert, +1-229-924-6935, ext. 2330, or
jisert@habitat.org, or Duane Bates, +1-229-924-6935, ext. 2541,
or dbates@habitat.org
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