CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY

Giving Hope to the Hopeless


Shortly after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, we partnered with the Salvation Army’s World Service Office to lead critical disaster relief efforts. Amid cultural and language barriers, we helped build a 400-person team, providing opportunities to men and women who had not held a job in years. Many were hired directly from tent camps, where their lives had been uprooted by the earthquake. For these individuals and their families, the opportunity to work represented a chance to break generational cycles of poverty and create lasting change.

We trained the team in job skills, work ethic, and accountability, empowering them to take ownership of their work. In just six weeks, this team constructed over 600 shelters—more than 10% of the total shelters built in Haiti at that time—at a speed and scale far surpassing what other aid organizations thought possible.

Our role extended to overseeing the warehouse, assembling materials into “build kits,” and ensuring the efficient distribution of supplies to job sites. Beyond providing homes to families, the most profound transformation occurred within the men and women we hired. As they served their fellow Haitians, we witnessed their evolution from individuals overwhelmed by despair to confident hope-givers who inspired their communities.

But the impact didn’t end there. When the project concluded, we left the business with the Haitian team, and portions of that organization continue to operate more than a decade later. These enduring operations have become a testament to the resilience, resourcefulness, and potential of the people we empowered—a legacy of hope and opportunity that thrives to this day.

Results:

  1. Business to the Fullest - In addition to building a business, we coached and mentored the employees, prepared them to lead, and left the relief work in their hands. The mission of this business was about serving people in need, being good stewards of the resources, and equipping/enabling the employees. Mission accomplished!

  2. Operational Excellence - Over the course of our six weeks, we achieved a 5x increase in home build speed. With the vast need for shelter, any time shaved from building was important. A 5x increase in build time allowed us to serve people in need much more rapidly!

  3. Product & Service Innovation - At the time of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, disaster relief was delivered by bringing thousands of foreigners into the devastated area. Our team took a different approach, bringing just 13 leaders who focused on building the relief team using the local people. At the time, this was an untested approach. Today, it has become the preferred approach for delivering aid.

Expertise

›Business to the Fullest

›Executive Leadership

›Operational Excellence

›Product & Service Innovation

Indianapolis

+1 630-781-3546

+1 317-864-0298