Mortenson volunteers stretch before their day of service at Bar None just like they do on every jobsite each morning.	The Mortenson-Bar None work team.

Mortenson: Construction Company With A Big Heart

7:30 AM: Morning Stretch. The day begins with a morning stretch – a good way to start a workout. And work out, they did. And the people stretching? They are 30 Mortenson Construction employees taking a day off work to give back to the community. On Friday, September 5th, Mortenson Construction donated building materials, skilled labor, and their time and hard work to lend a hand to the young men at Volunteers of America-Minnesota’s Bar None Residential Treatment Services. 

As Mort Mortenson explained, his company has been giving to the United Way and its member agencies since 1960, each year with increasing involvement. This year, Bar None was one of the fortunate beneficiaries of Mortenson’s United Way campaign. Mortenson takes its dedication to giving back to the community very seriously. They conduct numerous events to encourage employees to contribute to the campaign, whether through financial donations or sweat equity. Mortenson has become one of the top corporate donors to the United Way, with employee and company gifts steadily increasing over the years to a cumulative gift of $300,000 last year. And all the while, they have a lot of fun. Mortenson employees have hoola-hooped, run a 5K, and have celebrated their company-wide spirit of giving. 

As Tom Gunkel, CEO and President, will tell you, Mortenson strives to complete large-scale service projects each year that directly impact people. Selecting Bar None as their United Way agency partner was an easy decision for him. Barely breaking for lunch, Mortenson volunteers insulated a large shop building and installed heating, which will allow our young men the opportunity to learn work-readiness skills year-round.

One of our main goals at Bar None is to provide young men with tangible skills that will help them be successful when they leave us. Now, Bar None will be able to reach more boys and provide more advanced work readiness training than ever before. And, Mortenson’s contributions will greatly aid us in our work. In addition, Mortenson made two of the boys’ living units feel more like home by applying fresh paint throughout, replacing old carpeting, and updating the kitchens. Our young men can be with us for 9–12 months and Mortenson’s efforts will make their stay with us a little more comfortable. 

Throughout their day of service, Mortenson volunteers worked alongside three of our young men and took great care to provide instruction and encouragement as they worked together. As Glen Van Heel, a Superintendent for Mortenson, explained, “These kids have had it rough growing up and they need somebody to teach, love and take care for them.” He, like all of the Mortenson volunteers that day, understands the purpose of Bar None and importance of working in-partnership to help change the lives of at-risk youth.

Within the span of a workday, Mortenson volunteers made a tremendous, visible difference to the Bar None campus. This was work that would normally have taken our staff weeks, or months, and tens of thousands of dollars to complete. And when you express astonishment at their efforts, they will tell you, “This is what we do.” On behalf of Volunteers of America–Minnesota, our board of directors, and the staff and young men at Bar None Residential Treatment Services, thanks for what you do and what you did for us, Mortenson Construction.

In November 2008, Mortenson was awarded the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Jefferson Award for Corporate Philanthropy for their work with Bar None and overall commitment to contributing to the community.

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