Habitat Home Dedication Celebrated with Cashman Equipment

Tuesday, February 05, 2008(Las Vegas, Nevada) Cashman Equipment announced today they will dedicate a new Habitat for Humanity home in North Las Vegas on February 12, 2008. In 2006, the company chose to sponsor a Habitat home in celebration of their 75 years of helping build Nevada. Cashman employees assisted the Habitat homeowner in framing a 1,247 square foot, three-bedroom home at 1941 Gregory Street.

The year 2006 was a momentous one for Cashman Equipment Company. The construction and mining industries were booming and Cashman was celebrating 75 years of success. Every event in 2006 made some sort of reference to the anniversary, whether it was through a specialized logo or eye-catching advertisements. The culmination of all the Cashman’s 75 years would naturally be an extravagant party worthy of honoring their years supporting the Nevada community. The entire company was full of thoughts for a celebration, but the best idea was to scrap the big blowout party and sponsor a Habitat for Humanity home.

With a generous donation to Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, that’s precisely what Cashman did. The company became one of seven home sponsors for the Gregory Road development. At an official groundbreaking ceremony on Nevada Day (October 31, 2006), MaryKaye Cashman (Chairman and CEO, Cashman Equipment), Guy Amato (President, Habitat for Humanity), and several other Habitat board members began the process of building a home for Angela Southern and her four teenage sons.

Over the next nine months, Habitat for Humanity worked with contractors, city officials, and numerous volunteers to prepare the land for development. Due to the earth composition of most of Las Vegas, soil remediation was an essential first step. The removal and addition of various types of dirt was would allow the area to support the concrete slab and foundations. At the same time, underground utilities such as water and sewer lines were being connected to the city’s system.

At last, the first major volunteer day arrived in the intense summer heat. July 21st found more than 60 Cashman employees standing in the early morning breeze, intently listening to the Habitat employees’ directives. The “Red Shirts” of Habitat, volunteers that work every day on the home construction sites, are typically retired community members with an aptitude for building. With the Red Shirts leading the way, Cashman folks hammered in nails, ripped out crooked ones, secured entire frame walls, and generally sweated their way to the eleven o’clock hour. However, by that time, the heavy equipment employees had done something unheard of in Las Vegas Habitat history – the entire framework of the house was standing.

Volunteer days for roofing and sheathing, insulation, landscaping, and numerous other projects occurred between the framing day and the final dedication day. However, that last day finally arrived on February 12, 2008. Attendees included the Southern family and their guests, the staff and board members of Habitat for Humanity, Guy Amato, MaryKaye Cashman, and various Cashman employees. Habitat presented Cashman with a beautiful plaque, while the Southern family gave Cashman and Amato thank you gifts, including framed, handmade collages. The yellow and black ribbons adorning the entrance to the new house soon fluttered to the ground, and Angela Southern proudly invited guests into her home.

“The goals of Cashman Equipment and Habitat are very similar – to enhance the community of Nevada. I am extremely pleased to be part of giving the Southern family a hand up and believe this was the most rewarding way to commemorate the company’s 75th anniversary,” Cashman stated.