Habitat Spotlight: Meet Grady

Grady Hastings (center)—a Senior Project Engineer at JE Dunn Construction—was born and raised in Ralston. He first heard about Habitat for Humanity of Omaha as a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“Our student group participated in community service activities, and this was a top choice of ours as it was an opportunity for us to not only help others, but learn about tools, safety, and general construction operations.”

During the Home Builders Blitz, Grady can be found assisting Jason Nihsen, superintendent at JE Dunn Construction and Co-Chairman of the Builders Blitz, with planning and coordination efforts to organize trade partners for the house they’re building.

“We prefer to get the commitments early in the year. I like to think that the preplanning and leg work early on, several months in advance, brings peace of mind as the Blitz nears. Along with the preplanning, I try to get out to the house during the week of the Blitz for some action in onsite management and labor.”

During his free time, Grady enjoys woodworking. He’s always looking to salvage wood and seeks small projects out of the blue. Grady also spends time landscaping and gardening.

“Another fun fact is that I brew my own beer, so I truly appreciate and respect a good quality craft beer. From the sounds of it, with the combination of my ‘talents’ and ‘hobbies’, my small family could run a successful winery/brewery/bed and breakfast joint.”

Grady listens to anything Mumford and Sons. Coffee gets him through his day, eight cups of joe is his average.

Homeownership provides a sense of pride, Grady believes. There is a level of responsibility to maintain the value of the property in the eyes of the owner, he says. Homeownership allows people to invest in something for themselves and take pride in owning their own home.

“It’s less painful when writing a monthly check to pay mortgage rather than rent…The money we spent on leasing small apartments was equal to, if not more than, what we could have been putting towards a house.”

Grady is proud to volunteer at Habitat Omaha because of the positive impact he can make in another person’s life. The stories they have to tell are a big motivator for him.

“When the community comes together, we realize that we are much bigger than ourselves, and the teamwork and comradery is an exciting aspect that keeps people coming back for more.”