Our team at RBV is fiercely proud of Detroit and feels lucky to be able to call this great city “home.” From hiring local talent and working on city projects that help fuel the “Comeback City” mentality, to volunteering our company’s time and resources for worthy causes, our team is dedicated to giving back to the community that has given so much to us.
This past spring, our team was involved in a very rewarding volunteer project where we supplied RBV equipment and labor. Plans for the conversion of a former 900-square-foot residence in Southwest Detroit into the “Latino Women Empowerment Center” had been in place since March 2017, however, legal and permitting issues and labor shortages slowed the renovation process.
On May 26, 2018, our team was part of a huge push in the renovation effort at the former house, where 20-plus volunteers from local building trades unions hauled in more than 150 sheets of drywall for the house. The presence of overhead electrical lines prevented a boom truck from expediting the process, but the volunteers were up for a challenge and were ready to get to work.
Two of our team members, Jorge Esparza and Fernando Esparza, were on-site on May 26 with a piece of RBV equipment to help load drywall and carry it into the home. RBV’s Vice President, Jim Foucher, and Operations Manager, Arnie Ridner, visited the site ahead of Saturday in order to make sure that the equipment they were bringing would be useful.
Fernando Esparza has been with the RBV team since day one and his son, Jorge, is also now a valued member of our team. The father and son team live in the Southwest Detroit neighborhood, near the Latino Women Empowerment Center project, and were more than willing to give up a Saturday morning to help their local community.
We are excited to see the Latino Women Empowerment Center continue to take shape and are extremely proud of Fernando and Jorge for representing RBV within the local community.
Our company would not be where it is today without our dedicated and passionate team members. We will continue to seek out similar volunteer opportunities, because “We Dig Detroit” and we understand the value in giving back.
