Mike Bigelow
“Owning your own home is the great American dream,” says Mike Bigelow. As a construction crew volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, Bigelow has helped make that dream a reality for dozens of first-time homebuyers.
Bigelow devotes 3-4 days a week to working on Habitat houses, wearing a hard hat and tackling tasks ranging from framing to installing siding and windows. “It’s a ball,” he says, praising the Habitat crew as “great guys to work with.”
The volunteer work offers a welcome change from the corporate job that dominated Bigelow’s life for more than 20 years. As a vice president of information and technology, he oversaw the work of 45-50 employees at locations around the U.S. and in Canada—a role that involved “insane hours and travel,” including 70-80 hour work weeks.
The job and the rising value of stock in the employee-owned company enabled Bigelow, now 51, to retire in 2008. “I was lucky enough to retire early, and I want to stay busy,” he says.
And stay busy he does. In addition to construction work for Habitat, Bigelow has volunteered in the agency’s ReStore and developed a project management plan for Habitat—drawing on years of experience as a certified project manager and teacher of project management courses. He’s also a volunteer counselor and webmaster for the Senior Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and serves on the board of directors of Alternative Pathways, which helps people with disabilities live independently.
But the bulk of Bigelow’s time and effort is spent at Habitat work sites. He likes the hands-on work, and appreciates how effectively Habitat brings together materials and workforce, expertly coordinating the engagement of constantly-changing volunteer crew members. Mostly, he’s drawn to the Habitat way of doing business.
“I like the idea that the client owns the house and learns how to maintain it, as well as financial planning and budgeting,” he says. Working alongside Habitat homebuyers putting in their “sweat equity,” he has found the agency’s clients friendly, helpful and grateful. “You know they’ll take good care of the house,” Bigelow says.
