Kelley sponsors second campus Habitat build

Get out your hammer and nails.

For the second year in a row, the Kelley School of Business, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County and Whirlpool Corporation have teamed up to build an off-site house. This year, it’s for Tora and Clarence Knapp, a local Bloomington family.

Construction outside the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center starts today and will be complete Oct. 8. The house will be moved to it’s permanent location Oct. 9.

Meagan Niese, development director for Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, said Whirlpool and the business school were both enthusiastic about constructing a house on campus for the second time. In 2010, the project took place in the parking lot of Memorial Stadium.

“It is unusual for us to build off-site, but it’s really fun,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to be in a visible location. Sometimes if we’re working in a neighborhood, it’s not on a busy road where anyone can see it happening. But here, everyone walking to the football games or going to class can stop by, talk and ask questions about the build.”

Niese said even the challenge of moving the house to its permanent location can be fun.

“It’s certainly different for us to move the house, but the amazing thing is we partner with a moving company that helps,” she said. “We finish the house to completion and they move it to its permanent spot. It’s interesting to watch.”

The project will be primarily run and completed by students, Niese said, and particularly students from Kelley and students involved in the Kelley School’s Institute for Social Impact.

“A build like this takes about 500 people,” she said. “We have some community volunteers — they are usually crew leaders but have some construction expertise.”

The Knapps have two children, and the family will be on-site throughout the week to help construct the home. Niese said Habitat currently has three other homes being built throughout Bloomington.

Deb O’Connor, director of global corporate reputation and community relations for Whirlpool, said the corporation has been a contributor to Habitat since 1997. Whirlpool donates both a stove and refrigerator to every Habitat build in the United States, a move that has affected 70,000 families.

“Whirlpool and Habitat have an alignment of mutual values with our values of teamwork and diversity and inclusion,” O’Connor said. “That’s the same with Habitat for what they do.”

But beyond Whirlpool’s contribution to Habitat, their connections to IU come from a more personal level. Indiana native and Kelley graduate Jeff Fettig became Whirlpool Corporation’s CEO in 2004, and CFO Roy Templin also graduated with a degree from Kelley. Both will be on-site during the build — Templin today and Friday, and Fettig on Oct 8.

Whirlpool, O’Connor said, also works with Kelley to recruit new employees.

“We do year-round activities working to recruit employees,” she said. “We have quality employees from them.”

To get involved in the Habitat build on campus, contact Molly Barwick at the Kelley School’s Institute for Social Impact by emailing KISI@indiana.edu.