Local Family Steps Up With Generous Donation

 

Steve, Dayle & Kevin Heft

Heft & Sons, a local Greensburg business with a long history in Kiowa County, made a significant year-end contribution to GreenTown's Silo Eco-Home project. Their donation is pivotal in helping us get the house completed; soon we will be open to receive overnight guests.

Dayle Heft went to work for his father-in-law over 50 years ago, when the business was called Seacat & Heft. Under his management, what started out as a gravel plant has expanded over the years into ready-mix concrete and asphalt for highway projects and farm and ranch needs. The Hefts currently employ 45 people, and Dayle's sons Steve and Kevin, and nephew Jim carry on the family tradition, and they are joined in the office by several other members of the family. Heft is involved in projects throughout the state of Kansas.

The family was impacted by the tornado in a major way, as was everyone else in the area. But given the tremendous amount of concrete work and road building that was called for in the wake of the storm's damage, the business stepped up immediately to meet local needs and provide essential services. They have recycled 30,000 tons of concrete since the storm, crushing it for re-use and keeping it out of the landfill. They have switched to warm-mix asphalt in their Greensburg street paving project, which is cited as a strategy to greatly reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions compared to the traditional hot-mix technique. They are also recycling asphalt (used as a base for road construction), which is mixed in with new asphalt.

The Heft family continues to explore ways to make their business even more sustainable. They built their office and shop back after the tornado incorporating a variety of resource-saving technologies, including floors heated by hot water, soy-based insulation, and a parking lot containing fly-ash (a by-product of the coal industry).

The gift from Heft & Sons represents sponsorship of the lovely second-story deck at the Silo Eco-Home, with one of the best views in town. A plaque bearing their name which will be on display at the home, as will be the case with our other generous benefactors. Says Dayle of their gift: "We're all for progress. We wanted to sponsor GreenTown, as we have with Kiowa County United, the Arts Center, and the school. We're hometown people and want to see Greensburg thrive and come back."

We are grateful to all of our magnanimous donors. It is particularly special when support comes from the local community.