Thanks to the Eight Eleven Family of Companies and its annual Home Build, over the last decade 15 total houses have been built from the ground up for those in need. As the final step of the Eight Eleven University Silver program, all graduates participate in the organization’s annual homebuilding trip to Mexico where they spend a long weekend building houses for deserving families. This philanthropic initiative is possible thanks to our longtime partnership with Homes of Hope!

Eight Eleven University (EEU)

In December of 2023, two members of the Eight Eleven Group executive team led 40 of our employees on the group’s latest trip to Mexico. Julia Lindenschmidt, the Director of Professional Development at Eight Eleven Group, shares that “Professional development is a journey, and so we not only want to encourage our employees to grow but also provide the framework for them to do so.” It’s this intention that spawned some of the more untraditional professional development tasks associated with the program.

Launched in 2013, Eight Eleven University (EEU) is a professional development program centered around Eight Eleven’s six core values of Family, Opportunity, Innovation, Service, Passion, and Grit. If an employee wishes to complete the program, they must accomplish 36 total benchmarks that blend job-relevant training with soft skills development and culture enrichment activities. Each core value has six tasks that share their respective core value as a common theme. Instead of focusing on just the business side of one’s professional development, the EEU program incorporates a wide range of tasks that encourage employees to branch out of their core roles and become more involved with the many opportunities the Eight Eleven Family of Companies has to offer.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is a crucial part of completing the EEU program. Stephen Hess, Lead Procurement Analyst for Eight Eleven Group, explains that the EEU is “designed in a way that some objectives will play to your inherent strengths and will be easy to check off while others are difficult because they address weaknesses and that can be uncomfortable. If your desire is to continue to grow both personally and professionally, don’t shy away from discomfort!” And nothing embodies stepping out of one’s comfort zone quite like traveling to a foreign country to aid those in need. Especially when you consider that most of our employees have little to no experience in construction or home building.

How It All Began

The Home Build 2023 attendees proudly pose for a picture in front of their first completed home.

Ryan Hasbrook, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Eight Eleven Group was one of the executives who led this year’s trip. As well as the person responsible for creating the first trip and introducing Homes for Hope to Eight Eleven after he took his own family on a similar home-building mission trip back in 2012. With service being such an important part of Eight Eleven’s mission, Hasbrook was inspired to begin taking employees every year since. There’s a lot to be said about how much one’s perspective, gratitude, and appreciation for the life they live can be impacted by this trip. “The experiences are a core memory each and every build. I still remember each of the families I have built a house for.” shares Hasbrook. Since 2013, roughly over 200 Eight Eleven members have been fortunate enough to participate in this life-changing experience.

2023 Home Build

Throughout the last decade, the organization has been able to send more and more employees each year and even increase the number of homes it builds each trip. In this most recent trip, Jonathan Eldridge and Ryan Hasbrook, along with 40 members of the Eight Eleven Family of Companies traveled to Tijuana to build two separate homes. Coming from various departments and positions, these EEU graduates see the trip as an opportunity to strengthen relationships within the company while forming new bonds. They build these houses from the ground up, and for many trip participants, this is their first time learning carpentry, using a saw, or installing drywall. It may even be their first time out of the country! One aspect that never ceases to touch Hasbrook year after year is just how eye-opening the level of poverty is for some of our employees. But the members get right to work, putting forth their best effort, and this year, our team was even able to install an outdoor shower – a first for the organization. In addition to giving these families a lovely home, they also went shopping for necessities like food and children’s clothes to give them a great start in their new life.

Raj Patel, Brooksource Senior Account Executive, recalls that for him, the most impactful part of the trip was “the overall gratitude the family had for us. It was inspiring. While they are scraping to get by, they took time and money to make lunch for us both days of the build.” It’s moments kuje these that truly change the perspectives of each employee who attends the trip. Erica Rego, a Delivery Manager for Brooksource, shares that a highlight for her came on the first day when the group was able to meet the family receiving the new house. Even though they spoke different languages, Erica immediately formed a bond with the three children. Erica recounts that at one point the little girl “said something to me I couldn’t quite hear so I bent down to hear her better and asked her to repeat what she said. Instead, she gave me the biggest hug. It was the sweetest, most unexpected moment.” Then when the house was complete and the family received the keys to walk into their new home for the first time, the young girl ran to Erica and grabbed her hand wanting to walk inside with her. Erica described it as “such a touching moment. I’ll never forget.”

Erica Rego receives one last heart-filled embrace from her new friend, the sponsor family’s youngest daughter, on the last day of the build.

A Trip that Stays with You…

As of 2023, Hasbrook has now completed his fifth Home Build and is already excited for his next opportunity to lead another. When asked what keeps him coming back for more, Hasbrook explains that it’s “the power of the small group build, the camaraderie, and seeing each other give their best at manual labor is a thing of beauty.”

Ryan Hasbrook, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Eight Eleven Group giving celebratory fist bumps to children of the family, after completing the home build.

Eight Eleven Group is dedicated to the business of caring for others and the houses that are built “give these families that are in dire need a source of stability, protection, and momentum towards a better future,” says Stephen Hess. That is why Eight Eleven Family of Companies returns year after year to give our time and resources. It is truly moving to see the impact our efforts have, and we are so thankful to have employees who display such a willingness to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give back.

As best explained by Erica Rego, “I am incredibly proud to work for a company that prioritizes service that goes beyond helping others, but rather completely and positively changing the lives of many who are less fortunate year after year. It was a beautiful experience giving exceptionally deserving people a more beautiful life.”

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About Eight Eleven Group

As a parent company, Eight Eleven provides the vision and foundation for the growth of the Eight Eleven family of companies. Each company has been built with our customers' evolving needs in mind. From Brooksource, our IT and Engineering-focused professional services provider, to Medasource, a consulting and professional services firm catering to the unique industry of healthcare, and Calculated Hire, who helps a wide variety of sectors with those typical business support roles of Marketing, Operations, Accounting, and Compliance, we are dedicated to delivering great experiences for our clients, consultants, and the 30+ markets we serve nationwide!