Executive Serve: Ryan Companies

Ryan Companies, the national construction and development company, has been an integral partner with St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix for nearly three decades. From serving meals in the nonprofit's once small building off Jefferson Street to constructing transformative housing facilities like Ozanam and De Paul manors, the company has found a natural home supporting SVdP's mission in Arizona.

So when some of the company’s leadership recently visited SVdP’s Food Reclamation Center to pack food boxes for families in need, SVdP jumped at the opportunity to sit down with two Ryan team members — Southwest Region Executive Vice President Molly Carson, who has been with Ryan's Southwest office for 16 years, and Southwest Region President Chuck Carefoot, a 29-year veteran of the company — to discuss why this partnership has endured and what makes SVdP such a special place to invest their time and talents.

What drew Ryan Companies to partner with St. Vincent de Paul in the first place?

Chuck Carefoot: Ryan opened our Arizona office in 1994, and I bet the first time I was at SVdP was that first year or the following year, and we were already volunteering and serving lunch at a small standalone building. It was grassroots, somebody at Ryan found an interest in SVdP, became passionate, and then the rest of the organization rallied around to help and participate together.

Molly Carson: One of the privileges of working at Ryan is if we're going to be part of a community, we better be part of making that community better. So we try and seek out the best of the best of people who know how to do that. It's really a no-brainer with St. Vincent’s mission.

Why is it important to Ryan Companies to be involved in the community through SVdP?

Molly: The reason we thrive is not just because we're exceptional at what we do — if we don't have a strong foundation in the community to build on, there's nothing to build. You can't do anything without that strong community foundation. So it really is selfish, almost — the stronger the community, the stronger we are. High tides raise all ships.

Chuck: I think if there’s an organization in this community that wants to see the tide rise for everyone and make the community a better place, then SVdP is a great organization to partner with. That's certainly one of the reasons we're here and supporting SVdP as long as we've been here in Arizona, which is now over 30 years. It's a great opportunity to get to know the people in the community that are making a difference, and it's a great opportunity for our team members to impact the community at boots-on-the-ground level. It's really, “Get on the ground and make a difference here this afternoon.” SVdP has been consistently one of those organizations where our people can make a real difference.

Which projects have you been most proud to work on with SVdP?

Chuck: Obviously, the work we've done on this campus — Ozanam and De Paul manors. This campus now has over 200 beds that give people opportunity to transition into permanent housing. To hear that 95% of the folks who come through these shelters get their own housing and are in a good spot a year later, that's pretty impressive. The ribbon cuttings were really significant events for us on a personal level.

Molly: We build buildings, we don’t save lives, right? So to have that opportunity to work on the shelters, to hear that someone is now working and helping other people get off the street, literally makes our team cry because they're so proud of being a part of it. You don't get many opportunities like that in your life to really feel like you're making a difference.

Why has this partnership lasted so long?

Molly: The way SVdP invites and includes everyone — I've been here with my son, with individual volunteers, with our family, certainly with the company. Everyone has a place here. That's unusual and beautiful. When you're serving the whole person, the whole community, providing that wraparound care — it's not just providing food or dental care. When you can come and help a person where they're at with almost everything they need, and with compassion, that's how you can change lives.

Chuck: The message about trying to create a mechanism where you can give somebody a hand up really resonates with us. We're an entrepreneurial organization that builds the infrastructure of a community, so to play a role in helping build somebody up from a difficult place to a better place in their own life and community — that's tangible. We can see the buildings we build and the communities we're part of changing for the better. We can also witness that when you help others take a step toward hopefully improving their situation.

How has this partnership changed Ryan Companies as an organization?

Chuck:  We get to experience being a part of helping others to take a step towards improving their situation. I think many of our team members feel rewarded and passionate about what we get to do.

Molly: This partnership and spending time volunteering here helps our team become stronger, creates stronger bonds. You can't manufacture this. You can't take a bowling outing and get this feeling. When we all get to give together, that's a whole new level. We've had people who couldn't come to volunteer events because we had too many volunteers wanting to participate.
And if Ryan is seen doing this, maybe we can inspire one other company to do more. That would be great. The partnership has shown us that you get more than you give when you're truly invested in your community.