Need Drives Innovation: to Feed, Fuel and House the World
Individuals working in the grain industry are appropriately celebrated for helping to feed and fuel the world. The many products that come from wheat, corn, rice, soy and other grains are critical in keeping ourselves and our animals fed, our vehicles moving and our spirits bright with a frosty beer on a hot summer day. Our friends at Sukup surely are part of the group effort to feed and fuel the world. They also deserve kudos for helping house the world.
Nearly 15 years ago, in response to the catastrophic hurricane in Haiti, Sukup developed Safe T Home. ®
“We wanted to help,” said Steve Sukup, Sukup’s president and CEO. He represents the second generation of the family business. “Six hundred thousand people were injured or homeless in Haiti following the hurricane in 2010. Sukup’s safety director at the time approached me about a way to help. The idea was for a bin home — a sturdy and secure structure to call home. I said yes; it was a simple decision. We spent the next year and a half developing a safe solution for those in need.”
The folks at Sukup say the same engineering principles used to protect crops are also utilized to protect people while developing the homes.
One of Sukup’s customers, an Iowa farmer named Ken DeYoung, is a founder of GoServ Global, a nondenominational faith-based organization working to provide humanitarian aid to those most in need. With a mutual desire to use their time and talents to provide shelter for those who desperately needed it, they worked together to bring these homes to fruition.
The homes, which resemble small grain bins, are 18 feet in diameter and made of 95 percent recycled galvanized steel. They resist termites and moisture and can withstand the forces of a hurricane. With the addition of an upper loft area, each home has 381 square feet of usable interior space. The double roof system displaces heat with heat shields on the roof sheets. There is a vented cupola at the peak and vented roof sheet connection at the eave. There are two lockable windows, a full-size lockable door and a water collection system. Designed to last up to 75 years, the homes are assembled with simple tools included with the shipment.The homes are shipped as one unit and assembled on-site. All sidewall and roof sheets have pre-punched and aligned bolt holes. They are assembled in just one day by volunteers with GoServ Global. In addition to homes, these structures have been used as schools, dental clinics and even birthing centers.
Answering the Call
We’re all used to seeing Sukup bins while we’re driving down country roads. It might come as a surprise the bins many of us use for grains are meeting vital needs for housing around the globe.
It makes perfect sense for the family business to take on such a project, said Emily Schmitt.
She’s the CAO and General Counsel for Sukup. She’s also a third generation Sukup family member.
“We are called to do more on this earth with our God-given talents and keeping in that expertise is important. It’s why we value GoServ’s portion of it. Their expertise is serving the world and we are good with anything metal!” she said. “The company was started to provide solutions to farmers, it has built upon that to leverage our solutions to a higher calling at the same time. Innovation and giving are ingrained at Sukup.”
The first Safe T Homes® passed the test of time. When Hurricane Matthew brought its reckoning to Haiti in 2016, winds exceeded 145 miles per hour. The 200 Safe T Homes® previously installed truly did provide shelter from the storm. They escaped with minimal damage while other homes in the area were leveled.
While the homes are meant to house about 10 people, Haitians opened their doors with each Safe T Home® sheltering up to 60 people.
Global Impact
Safe T Home® isn’t just making a difference in Haiti. They have been built in Peru, Kenya, Uganda, Liberia and the Ivory Coast. The majority of Safe T Home® dwellings are purchased for Haiti where the needs remain the highest.
You’ll also see some in the United States, but more for recreational uses.
“There are Safe T Homes in the United States, but many have been used at campgrounds and personal properties where people don’t want to build a house, places where people aren’t visiting a lot but want to have something on the property when they do,” said Brad Poppen, Sukup bin engineer and one of the people who developed the Safe T Home. He added the structures are fire, termite and bear resistant, which adds to the appeal.
One of the ‘Coolest Things in Iowa’
Safe-T-Home® was recently celebrated in the “Coolest Thing in Iowa” contest. They made it to the top four and the whole team had fun with it along the way encouraging voting and celebrating their success with a series of internal emails.
There’s always a little twist with how #TeamSukup operates,” Schmitt explained. “Visitors see it in the smiles, dealers feel it by our dedication to their business and teams rally around each other. Safe T Homes are the physical embodiment of our culture; the emails were replicative of team members’ personalities.”
Learn More
For more information, or if you are interested in helping to fund a Safe T Home® or serving as a volunteer, please visit GoServ Global’s website.
By Jessica Waltzer
Contact:
Jessica Waltzer
Communications Manager
Jessica@geaps.com
763-999-4306
