Choate Featured on ABC National’s Community Spotlight

Choate Construction is featured on the Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc.'s national website's Community Spotlight page. Thanks ABC!

Making Great Strides
By Donna Puglisi

In the 1950s, children diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) were not expected to live past elementary school. Today, with the help of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, many people with the disease live well into their 30s. Driven by the ultimate goal of finding a cure, Choate Construction has been committed to supporting the foundation’s research and outreach efforts for the past 24 years.

With offices in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, one way Choate Construction employees get involved is through Great Strides, a national organized walk and fundraiser. Leading up to the walk, the company creates an internal competition by dividing employees into teams to see who can raise the most money. Each week, facts and other information about CF and the foundation are distributed to employees to increase awareness.

This year, Choate Construction raised nearly $94,000 through the Great Strides event.

“This company is built around the community, so strengthening the community in return strengthens the company,” says Emily Bridges, marketing director for Choate Construction. “If you make community outreach fun and interesting, it becomes more than just raising money; it becomes part of your culture.”

Another major event hosted by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the Xtreme Hike, a fundraising opportunity in which participants trek 30.1 miles in just one day.

Seven Choate Construction employees participated in the hike along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, spending three months prior to the event training and fundraising. Friends, family, coworkers and other companies within the construction industry supported the hikers with donations, and teams were stationed every 10 miles on the trail to restock the hikers’ backpacks with food and drinks.

Read more on ABC's website. This article was also published in Construction Executive.