ALTAMONTE SPRINGS – In an unprecedented collaborative effort, 24 of Central Florida’s top CEOs and business leaders came together for Habitat for Humanity’s CEO Build 2024 in partnership with Seminole County, Florida. On Monday, November 4, 2024, the executives teamed up to build a home for two local families and raise awareness of the affordable housing crisis in Central Florida.
Participating CEO Build organizations and leadership included:
ABC of Central Florida: Michele Daugherty – CEO
AdventHealth Altamonte: Jeffrey Villanueva – CEO
AdventHealth Altamonte: Aimee Keller – COO
Comprehensive Energy Services: Mike Morgan – Director of Operations
D.A Levesque Corp: Daniel Levesque, CGC, CCC, SCC – CEO
Equinox Development: Ryan Phelps – Vice President of Development
HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital: John Gerhold – CEO
Hudson’s Furniture: Joshua Hudson – CEO
Hudson’s Furniture: Adam Hudson – President
Infrastructure Site Development: Timothy Ciurzynski – CEO
Morton Construction Company: Josh Morton – President
Orlando Credit Union: Suzanne Weinstein – CEO
Orlando Health: Shawn C. Molsberger – SVP, Northeast Region and President, South Seminole Hospital
Orlando Health: Philip Koovakada – SVP, Southcentral Region, and President, Health Central Hospital
Orlando Orthopedic Center: Kevin Joyce – CEO
Phaxis: Gemma Filliben – VP, Client Success
Rhodes+Brito Architects: Ruffin Rhodes – Principal
Rhodes+Brito Architects: Maximiano Brito – Principal
Seminole County Property Appraiser’s Office: David Johnson
Seminole County Tax Collector: J.R. Kroll
Tangible Developments: Nicolette Stockwell – Managing Partner
TECO Peoples Gas: Luke Buzard – VP of Regulatory & External Affairs
Total Solutions Group: Tom Margio – CFO
WorkForce Partners: Celinette Jimenez – Managing Partner
The CEO Build executives spent the morning painting the new homes, caulking windows and doors and planting new landscaping.
“We are so grateful to these dedicated leaders who have committed to addressing the affordable housing crisis in Central Florida,” said Penny Seater, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka. “For our two hard-working families, that means they are one-step closer to realizing the American dream of homeownership.”
Torrie, a single mother of a 15-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son who resides in a sub-par apartment complex in a high-crime area and Wilnise, a single mother of a six-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter who live in a two-bedroom apartment are each future homebuyers of the CEO Built homes in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Torrie works two jobs to provide for her family, as a legal assistant for the past 12 years and as a part-time drug screener at the Orlando International Airport. A graduate of culinary school, Wilnise is lead cook at a Central Florida senior living facility.
Habitat homeowner families must be actively engaged in building their own home and/or other homeowners’ homes by investing up to 400 “sweat equity” hours, which also includes their participation in classes that encourage their financial stability. Those families then become eligible to purchase their home at a much-reduced cost.
