CEO Matthew Lutz: Builds a Path of Success and Service for Austin and Community

CEO Matthew Lutz: Builds a Path of Success and Service for Austin and Community

By Melissa Orsak

Matthew Lutz never intended to get involved, but through “meeting good people and seeing where there was a need,” Lutz was compelled to action. With his attitude of gratitude, Lutz co-founded Sabre Commercial, a company that focuses on physically building the community and expressing gratitude by paying forward. The company uses profits and time to encourage philanthropic efforts. Lutz is Saber Commercial’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, specializing in commercial construction, with a diverse portfolio including universities, schools, chapels, healthcare facilities, corporate headquarters, and industrial buildings. Like Lutz’s company, he is known for his exceptional craftsmanship and customer service. Lutz strongly encourages his employees to reach out and leave their mark on the community, and he sets an example of doing just that through his numerous service endeavors. He believes that while creating extraordinary buildings is worthwhile, improving the lives of those who inhabit them is more important. Lutz’s passion includes participating in, donating to, and sometimes organizing charitable events across central Texas.

Lutz’s experiences with the Flatwater Foundation are refreshing and exhilarating. Vigorously paddling across pitch-black water in the Broughton Archipelago off Vancouver Island in Canada, one can see mammoth humpback whales cresting the ocean horizon and sea lions playing in frothy waves. Lutz recounts being tested to the limits when wind gusts took him a mile off course. Mustering physical and mental strength beyond his norm, he desperately paddled through every ache and pain. He did not want to be left behind in these dangerous waters. Exploring this foreign terrain was thrilling as there were hundreds of densely vegetated islands and rocky outcrops with adventure around every corner. Nothing could compare to this breathtaking experience, Lutz says, as he and 12 other daring paddlers and three helpful guides raced a daunting 5-day, 55-mile course. Organized by Chelsea Hardee with Flatwater, these adventurers raised over

$100,000 for Flatwater Foundation’s Dam that Cancer in their Vancouver expedition. Paddlers in these epic paddling events have traversed waters in Utah, Vermont, Canada, and Texas. Flatwater Foundation is a non-profit organization offering free mental health therapy to cancer patients, providing healing and hope to patients facing a new and scary diagnosis.

Flatwater Foundation selects talented paddlers, including Olympic medalists, prominent business owners, and cancer survivors, to paddle Flatwater’s Dam that Cancer races.

Over the past five years, Lutz has raised funds and participated in these races. Not only are the monetary contributions sizable, but each participant also leaves with lifelong friends and unforgettable experiences. This year, Lutz helped the Flatwater Foundation raise $1.4 million in Texas on Lake Austin. The Austin race had 230 select paddlers who paddled 21 miles across picturesque Austin. Among the 230 paddlers were Texas Oncology Physicians. These enthusiastic participants desire to bless cancer patients with a “ray of hope.”

Lutz helps alleviate the financial and time-consuming demands on multiple charities that come with charitable construction. This allows charities to have more time to serve their community. Lutz believes that there are countless ways in which we can get involved and make a difference. He emphasizes that it is not enough just to attend charitable events or make donations. We should strive to get to these charitable organizations and the people behind them and understand what they stand for. Educate others on the needs in your area and “Make the Ask.”

As another example, Lutz is all in regarding serving alongside Communities In Schools’ All In for Kids Campaign. Communities In Schools is a nonprofit organization that encourages children to stay in school and succeed in their education. The All In for Kids Campaign teams up with Communities In School’s volunteers with local school districts to work directly with those who need help in and out of school. Through Sabre Commercial, Lutz provides free or discounted preconstruction services and contributes time and funds to help subcontractors build local schooling projects. His construction expertise and donations are invaluable to Communities In Schools as he provided specific subject matter expertise to the organization.

Lutz danced the night away in 2021 when he hit the dance floor, raising funds in Dancing with the Stars Austin. This event raised money to donate to the Center for Child Protection. As a committee member, Lutz was passionate about supporting the non-profit organization’s mission to educate the community about child abuse and provide children in these situations with needed help and support. He trained for months with his dance partner, nationally renowned dancer Susan Kirklin, to prepare for their performance at the starlit gala. The event was a success, and the money raised went toward helping many needy children at the Center for Child Protection.

For those who are the first in their family to pursue higher education, the journey can be fraught with difficulties and stress. Lack of knowledge and financial resources can make achieving this goal seem impossible. However, they don’t have to do it alone! The Crossroads Scholars Program provides advocacy, annual scholarships, mentoring, and support to students in this situation, helping them to achieve their academic aspirations. Lutz, the Director of Development for the Crossroads Scholars Program, mentors students, facilitates the scholarship nomination process, and helps implement Crossroads’ mission. Additionally, Lutz plays a considerable role in the annual gala, where Crossroads raises substantial funds to support their cause. The board’s involvement is inspiring and essential to the program’s success.

Racing down the track as fast as a racehorse, Lutz wouldn’t miss out on this exhilarating event. The Center of Child Protection hosts an annual fundraising event in Austin, Texas, called the Kentucky Derby 149, Derby Day Fundraiser. Derby Day is a thoroughbred horse race that helps raise funds for the Center, which provides services to families and children in the community. As a member of the Derby Party Committee, Lutz aims to raise awareness about the Center’s services and connect the community with needs in their area.

Art has the power to transform. Creative Action is a non-profit organization serving 20K children. It aims to cultivate creativity among children, empowering them to break away from the norm and bring about positive change in the world through the arts. The organization teaches them vital skills such as leadership, critical thinking, courageous allying, and creative artistry. Sabre Commercial, led by Lutz and his team, has contributed to this cause by aiding in the construction of two projects for Creative Action and is currently working on another. Their first project involved helping build an administrative headquarters and teaching studio for the Center of Creative Action. Despite facing a complex construction project, Sabre managed to earn a ThreeStar Austin Energy Green Building rating. Their second project was a new home for the Center of Creative Action. This building is bright and airy and uses unique and colorful finishes to captivate the Center’s mission to instill creativity in the lives of children. The current project is another groundup building providing more space for Creative Action’s expanding organization.

The Arc of Texas is a non-profit organization that aims to create an umbrella where those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are united under the same arc. They aim to help Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities integrate into society by providing proper education, employment, community services, support, and accessibility to civil rights, and justice. Currently serving over half a million Texans, this organization is determined to advocate for the rights of those in need. Lutz works alongside them to support human rights for Texans with disabilities and to help with their construction needs. Lutz believes that by providing a comfortable home for the Arc of Texas to run their organization, Sabre is participating in a way that helps the community at large.

Everyone needs a place to call home. HomeAid Austin, an affiliate of HomeAid, does just that! HomeAid Austin helps those who are homeless build new lives by finding a home and becoming part of a community that focuses on education, engagement, integration, and perseverance. Lutz and crew have blessed this community through their hard work and generosity. Lutz’s company, Sabre Commercial, is spearheading the construction of a 3500-square-foot shelter for the Peace Lutheran Family Housing Ministry. This home will provide a safe place for families to stay together when homeless. Lynne Williams, the Executive Director at Homeaid Austin, said Lutz and his crew “have committed to leading the charge to build our service provider a place where our unhoused families can land in a dignified setting to heal and plan a path forward. They are working alongside HomeAid to provide value engineering through deeply discounted materials and donated labor to reduce the cost of this project by 30-50%. It takes a special kind of company to step into that role, and Sabre is one of them.”

Matthew Lutz has discovered his true calling in life- building buildings, communities, and people. Lutz encourages everyone to step forward and embark on a journey of service-led adventure, using their unique skill sets and passions. Lutz shows that business owners can build more than just a business and urges others to get more involved with their own or other’s charitable organizations. He challenges us to contribute a part of our world to those in need.