Thank you to our amazing team members for embracing the GIVE Five Payroll Giving Program! Check out our incredible results: New Payroll Givers - 26 Increasing Payroll Givers - 32
Givers - 25
- 83!
Want to give in other ways?
- Follow First Story on social media.
- Share, like and comment on posts.
- Nominate a nonprofit for a First Story grant in your region (contact Regional Marketing to learn more)!
- Get involved in the First Story grant program in your region (contact Regional Marketing to learn more)!
July 2O25 Scoreboard
Surveys Received January - June 2025
Q2 VTO Drawing Winner:
Michael Leeland!
Michael volunteered with the Ford Family Foundation, serving on the application review committee for their scholarship program.
Remember to Track Your Volunteer Time! Don’t forget to log your volunteer hours through ADP to ensure your amazing efforts are recognized. If you have any questions or need help, feel free to reach out to Employee Experience!
Support Center
Support Center team members enjoyed some WEIRD drinks last week from our friends at Drink Weird, an awesome company that donates 100% of their water sales profits to charity!
South Idaho
Give As
Simplicity
Watson and Jenn
attended Oregon City Management Association’s Summer Conference in Bend, where Greg represented Simplicity on a panel highlighting our partnership with the City of Sutherlin to bring workforce housing to Douglas County. His insights sparked broader discussion on how cities can support middle-income housing. Great job, Greg!
In June our South Idaho team celebrated the groundbreaking of our new Boise Community, Seville! They were joined by the Boise Chamber of Commerce, community members and With Honey Coffee Co. while they broke ground on this beautiful new community.
Inland Northwest
Our Inland Northwest team lunch at their local Union Gospel Mission men’s shelter and the facility to learn about incredible work this organization does for the community!
Greg
Kovitz
You Go!
attended the Association’s Greg City housing sparked a can
South Washington
Support Center
Support Center team members Sean, Courtney, Kat and Amy volunteered their time and energy at the Shepherd’s House in Redmond, where they prepped food for dinner. That’s a lot of zucchini!
served Gospel toured about the organization community!
Our South Washington team volunteered at Safe Harbor Center, helping build bunk beds and organize pantries. The center supports local children with essentials and trauma intervention through parent education. Amazing work, team!
Oregon
Our Oregon team sponsored a golf cart at the WOBA golf tournament last month. Our team members golfed in the Happy Gilmore themed tournament and volunteered at hole 17 with a “Price is Right” game. One of our golf teams even took first place and won the golden hard hat trophy!
New Support Center
This fresh, functional space is a huge way we’ve been able to LEVEL UP how we support our field teams and boost collaboration across our Hayden and Simplicity brand family. Whether you’re stopping by for a visit or need a productive space to work, we now have comfortable, dedicated spots just for you. We can’t wait to host you and work side-by-side in our upgraded space!
Tom’s Best Day Ever - AKA Grand Opening
Hayden Homes Amphitheater Wall
GAYG Wall & Work Stations
Simplicity Design Center
Cafe
Training Room, Huddle Rooms & More!
Reception
First Story Giving In Action!
Check out some of our most recent First Story Grant check deliveries! Thank you to our team member for getting involved and nominating these nonprofits!
Because Kids Grieve
Better Together
Better Together is a regional partnership that mobilizes educators, nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, and families to help every child and youth in Central Oregon—from prenatal stages through career—reach their full potential. By aligning more than 300 local stakeholders, they streamline resources, close opportunity gaps, and foster collaboration that strengthens systems across the cradle-to-career continuum.
Nominated by Bria Harnden!
Friends Of The Children
This organization pairs children facing significant adversity with paid, professional mentors—called “Friends”—who commit to guiding them from kindergarten through high school graduation (12+ years). These mentors spend 3–4 hours weekly with each child, offering consistent emotional support, skill-building, and resilience through individualized relationships and enriching community experiences.
Nominated by Rebecca Maloney!
organization for children, teens, and their families who grieve the loss of someone they love.
Nominated by James Williams!
Women’s and Children’s Alliance
The Women’s and Children’s Alliance provides services to anyone who has experienced domestic abuse and/or sexual assault through comprehensive and secure emergency and transitional shelter programs, in confidential locations with round-the-clock staff assistance.
Nominated by Jaclyn Roberts!
Girls On The Run
research-based programs and trained volunteer coaches to facilitate lessons that blend physical activity with life skill development, including managing emotions, fostering friendships, and expressing empathy.
Nominated by Sienna Groshong!
What began in July 2005 with zero homebuilding experience turned into a 20-year journey built on trust, growth, and family. From day one, Hayden’s leadership showed up—literally—offering support, guidance, and a promise to invest in his success. Since then, Rich has embraced every opportunity to learn, lead, and live out the values that define our culture. Through changing markets and milestones, one thing has remained constant: his belief in the power of people and the heart of this company. After two decades of giving his all, he’s still paying it forward by encouraging new team members to lean in, speak up, and trust the process. Thank you, Rich, for 20 years and living what it means to be part of the Hayden family.
When Kristi made the move from Maui to Bend, she knew she wanted to be part of a great homebuilding company— and we’re lucky she found Hayden Homes. She’s been leading our HOA efforts with heart and precision ever since. What she values most? The people, the collaboration, and the trust from leadership to do what’s best. Kristi brings a quiet strength and thoughtful presence to her role, and we’re so grateful she’s part of our team.
Thank you, Kristi, for 10 amazing years!
Jakob began his career in the field, where hands-on experience gave him a strong foundation. After moving into the plans department, he built on that knowledge with new CAD skills he gained by going back to school. Driven by a desire to help others, Jakob stays motivated by the daily conversations, problem-solving, and teamwork that move projects forward. His advice to new team members? Stay curious, keep learning, and never hesitate to chase new opportunities—“Sky’s the limit here.” Thank you, Jakob the energy you bring to our team!
Clayton’s 10 years with Hayden Homes highlight his dedication, kindness, and steady support. Known for his IT expertise and patience, he’s become a trusted and valued teammate. Winning the Support Center Fred Award this quarter shows he’s better than ever—keeping things running smoothly with warmth and humor. Thank you, Clayton, for a decade of going above and beyond and making everyone around you feel supported and capable!
Glowing Reviews
We’ve received some incredible feedback from our customers recently and we want to highlight a few team members and their efforts from the past month. WAY TO GO!
Hollstein Family
Canyon Ridge - CO
“Great experience. Two problems-conduit clogged with construction debris--promptly remedied. Problem with stove; Joann Kotzamichalis in customer service was wonderful coordinating warranty service with GE. Very pleased with everyone’s care and service.”
Cavin Horten
Shadow Glen - SID
“Kenna Hanses has been an absolute joy to work with. She is extremely knowledgeable regarding Hayden Homes, any upgrades and the process of selling us the home. Kenna is a very upbeat and professional representative for Hayden Homes. She has made the process very simple and exciting for us. We are extremely happy with Kenna and her professionalism towards us. Thank you Kenna”
Gayle Brown
Hayden North - INW
“Kelsey Myers, Brian Orr, Sam Panabaker, and Jeff Larabee have all made our experience wonderful. The home is beautiful, we are so grateful for the incentives, and we love our new home. My old neighbors are jealous and want to move into a new Hayden Home, too. Thank you for your care, service, and quick friendly attention to fix details that were not quite perfect.”
Jared Wolf
Simplicity - SWA
“Ryan Hughes gave our students a great tour of their project in Hood River! He was welcoming and prepared, and his team seems to be doing great work. Thanks Ryan!”
Building Connections in Kalispell Montana
Our team hosted a Meet and Greet Happy Hour at Sacred Waters Brewing in Kalispell, MT, welcoming over 80 community members eager to learn more about Hayden Homes. The event was a great opportunity to connect, share stories, and enjoy meaningful conversations. We appreciated the warm reception from the Kalispell Chamber, the Flathead Building Association, and the entire community. We’re excited to grow our presence in this remarkable region!
Housing Innovation in Oregon
Simplicity
Simplicity was proud to sponsor and participate in the Let’s Build Oregon event, hosted by The Missing Middle Housing Fund at Autodesk. The event brought together 19 housing innovation companies and a room full of passionate leaders, all focused on creating more attainable housing across Oregon.
It was an energizing day of collaboration, ideasharing, and partnership-building—the kind of forward motion needed to take on the state’s housing challenges. The momentum here shows what’s possible when innovators, leaders, and communities come together with a shared purpose.
Welcome Home!
We were excited to welcome 167 new Hayden Homes and Simplicity homeowners into their homes in June!
First Story Team Build!
In June, our team came together in Walla Walla for an incredible day of purpose and progress at their regional First Story team build. Side by side with First Story, our team rolled up their sleeves, raised walls, and helped lay the foundation for a brighter future.
Walla Walla
August 2O25
Adam Bracy
George Bernard Siena Groshong
Mike Barrett
Ben McGerty 11
Jorge Lemus 1
McKenna Harvey 1
Brett Cherry
Brett Larimer
George Bernard 5
Greg Okerman 5
Jamin Hogue
Tom Hughes 12
Keenan Roberts 6
Maria Paxson 1
Ayden Busselman
Joshua Hooley
Kristi Ringis
Wayne Collins
Morgan Lipscomb 5
Amanda Olliver
Kelsey Myers
Kim Collins
Kristen Skinner
Matt Van Coutren 16
Michele Richardson
Stacey Bansch 16
Jeremy Nelson 5
Josh Morgan
Michael Leeland
Mario Valencia Kailyn Schueller 6
Amber Wilson
Brock
Heather Dewolf
Justin Maiko Mercado
Tom Bennett
Alejandra Madrinan
BIRTHDAY
ANNIVERSARY
BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY
13
Ken Johnson
Michael Andreassen
Shawn McBride
Arlo Corwin 2
Siena Groshong 2
Trenton Hice 2
Kimberly Guthrie 31
Brian Thoreson 12
David Garcia 2
McKenna Harvey
Patti Murphy
Steven Young
Aaron Hoskinson
Nathen McClintock
Barbara Hudson 3
Caitlin Merkley 3
Matthew Hansen 3
Alberto Flores
Jarid Sox
Robin Antonson
Braeden Nalle
Brent Matsui 4
Patrick Feng 1
David Robertson
Matthew Hansen
7
Kory Janin 8
Bria Harnden 2
Alfredo Melara
Madeline DeLess
Hannah Franklin Zavier Glover
Sadie Perrizo
Lindsay Newman
Tiffany Llanos
Greg Watson
Britney Swearingen 2
Fun Facts
•Caleb is a sports fanatic. He plays tennis multiple times a week and watches EVERY Portland Trail Blazers game.
•Barbara is growing Orchids and trying to get one to bloom.
•Char is into hydroponics and grows lettuce in her kitchen.
•Katie dresses her dog Mushy in Pajamas.
Caleb Neff, Char Luttrull, Barbara Hudson, Katie Gleffe
