Making a Difference: Elder Construction, Building Colorado Communities in More Ways Than One

What they say is true: “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

Throughout our lives, from childhood to adulthood, the community is an essential part of our everyday existence. Sometimes we don’t see or fully understand its impact and sometimes we may think it is irrelevant. So often we take our community for granted but it is vital in ways we can’t imagine. No matter where you grew up, it is almost certain that, in some way, the community of friends and family around you contributed positively to your formative years.

Actions truly do speak louder than words, and one successful example of this can be seen in a locally-owned community development contracting company, Elder Construction, who recently celebrated 25 years in business with its “25 Days of Giving” initiative. 

The company focused on its core value of building the community by donating “Time & Talents” of employees to more than 25 area organizations. The result? A resounding 1,000+ volunteer hours contributed to surrounding communities across its locations in Northern and Southern Colorado in 2019.

When taking a closer look into the company’s motivation behind this milestone effort, it became clear with a single sentence from the company president, Chris Elder: “We believe great companies reveal their true character by the way they treat their people and their community.” 

For Elder, this mentality has taken shape since the company was established in 1994, by founder, Tom Elder, and father to Chris and Patrick, twin brothers who have since taken the helm of the company built by their father. Tom leveraged more than 20 years of industry experience to grow the company one project at a time, building a culture that continues to foster exceptional relationships with people, clients, consultants, and subcontractors. Since those humble beginnings, Elder has displayed a long history of actively supporting the local community, focusing on efforts that will have a lasting impact on the communities in which its team members live and work. Expanding its impact in 2009, Elder Construction opened a second office in Northern Colorado to better serve the communities of Colorado’s Front Range. 

“Elder has been incredibly fortunate to have the support of our communities who have helped to build us into the company that we are today,” said Tom Elder, Founder of Elder Construction. “It’s truly humbling to be able to give back to the real foundation of our business: our connections, our communities, our people. It’s an unbelievable honor and privilege to serve the Centennial State and we look forward to the next 25 years together.” 

During the anniversary-driven “25 Days of Giving” initiative, the area programs and organizations in which Elder employees implemented their time and talents were specially selected by staff members. Efforts ranged from building projects and group workdays to the widespread mobilization of volunteer efforts supporting hunger-relief, programs focused on children, youth, and families, acts of social and civic service, and much more.

“As we wrap up our 25th year in business, we want to take this opportunity to give thanks to our community and highlight some of the many organizations that have given so much to make this an incredible place in which to live and work,” said Patrick Elder. “It is our hope that by exercising our ‘giving muscles’ as the Elder Tribe, we will inspire others to give as well, creating a ripple effect among our team and others who are watching.”

Beneficiaries of Elder’s “Time & Talents” included organizations, community vitality programs such as neighborhood clean-up and service area events at Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado and the Food Bank for Larimer County, as well as humanitarian efforts with the Salvation Army and Fort Collins Rescue Mission, alongside many more.

25 Days of Giving: The ‘Why’ Behind it All

The Elder Tribe, as they call it, is bound by a vision of ‘Building Purpose Into People’ so that together they are inspired to leave this world better than they found it. 

“It is our hope that this giving movement brings real life to those simple but powerful words,” said Chris Elder. “We believe that true meaning never comes from what you get, it comes from what you give. The importance of giving to others can’t be overstated because the secret to living, is giving. If you really think about it, what is life all about? Creating meaning. How do you create meaning in your life? It’s not about what you do for yourself. It is about how you’re able to better the lives of the people around you – your loved ones, the people in your community, or the people somewhere else in the world. This is why Elder believes it is so important to give back to those around us, even in small ways.” 

“Grow and be an important part of our community. It’s what we expect of our employees because it’s what we feel our community should expect of us.”

View a recap video of the anniversary initiative at http://bit.ly/2GjQwv7. 

To learn more about Elder’s “25 Days of Giving Campaign” and other charitable efforts, visit www.elderconstructioninc.com/about-us/elder-construction-25-days-of-giving/.