"The journey of Grant Eaton Phelps has taken a roundabout trail to bring him to his calling as executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Lexington. From his early dreams of becoming a rancher in Colorado to his years in horse farm management, and finally to his local leadership of one of the most active Habitat for Humanity chapters in the nation, Phelps has spent his life leading with the same thing he follows — his heart.
"Leading by example is important to me," Phelps said. "I want to be someone who's open-minded and who sees the heart and passion in others."
As a youngster born and raised in Denver, Colo., Phelps grew up intent on being a rancher. He worked with his uncle, helping him manage ranches and farms in Montana and Wyoming — cleaning stalls, grooming the horses, building sheds and fences, and doing whatever was required. As he got older, he worked in construction, on ski slopes and other ranches before enrolling at Colorado State (Fort Collins) to major in farm and ranch management. After graduation, he went to work for Dan Lassiter in Ocala, Fla., then to The Jockey Club, and, finally, to Payson Stables on Long Island, where he worked for Virginia Kraft Payson for several years, helping to move the operation to Kentucky in 1991.
Moving into uncharted territory is nothing new in the Phelps family tree. The Habitat chief comes from a long line of leaders: his family on both sides helped settle Colorado, with his mother's father riding horseback over the mountains above Boulder in the early part of the 20th century to claim and homestead land. His great, great grandfather on his father's side, Benjamin Harrison Eaton, left Ohio in the mid-19th century during the Colorado gold rush and helped build the economy of the region by creating modern irrigation systems linking the Rockies to the Plains. He also served as the state's fourth governor from 1885 to 1887.
But although leadership abilities run deep in his bloodlines, Phelps himself is modest about his role in one of the country's most prolific chapters of the global Habitat organization. Lexington Habitat for Humanity is currently ranked 12th in the United States out of 1,600 affiliates in terms of the number of houses produced or families served.
"This community has been incredibly supportive of these efforts," Phelps said. "It's enabled Habitat for Humanity to build, on average, 20 homes each year, with sponsorship and volunteers from faith-based organizations, Lexmark, Keeneland, the Thoroughbred Community Build started by Jonabel and Darley, as well as many other sponsors over the years."
According to Leslie Fannin, president of the Lexington Habitat for Humanity Board and a Kentucky Habitat for Humanity board member, one of Phelps' greatest strengths is his ability to connect with people.
"Grant is quite a good leader in that he has developed strong relationships with the business community, the housing industry, city officials and the families themselves," Fannin said. "He communicates with people on all levels and has been especially good with the families who are trying to understand what's involved in home ownership: developing budgets, upkeep and repair of their homes, building a sense of neighborliness."
Phelps' hard work, along with his management and people skills, have enabled him to do what he loves most: gathering and motivating teams to build homes for and with the poor; creating supportive communities, where families learn to become good neighbors; and educating families about what it takes to be a homeowner. In light of the great need, however, at times it seems like it's never enough.
"There's so much more that needs to be done," Phelps said. "We're always needing more sponsors and volunteers."
According to the 2000 Census and other federal data, approximately 33,000 families in the Lexington area qualify as part of Habitat's demographics — families earning 30 percent to 60 percent of the area's median income.
Approximately 30 percent of the financial support for the home-building program comes from the organizational sponsors. Another 14 percent comes from the home mortgages; 20 percent from low-interest loans and grants; approximately 20 percent from Habitat's ReStore sales; and the remainder from cash gifts and general donations.
Phelps himself is most proud of the educational program that supports Habitat's home ownership. The 250 hours of sweat equity required of a [single] head-of-household includes participating in counseling on life skills, budgeting, financial management, and the training to learn how to build their house, landscape and care for it. He reports that 85 percent of Habitat's clientele are single, African-American women; another five percent are Hispanic, and the remaining 10 percent are Caucasian.
Phelps gives a strong dose of praise to his mentors, including Nate Gillman, who hired him in Ocala at The Jockey Club and taught him to apply his business and people skills in managing the four associations that included luxury townhomes, a farm owners' association, the horse training association, and the recreation/clubhouse. He describes his father, Horace, his first mentor, as a Renaissance man: intelligent, well-read, and a successful financial planner and insurance broker. Phelps also gives high praise to his former Habitat Board chair and his great friend, Pat Smith, who was among those that perished in the crash of Comair flight 5191.
"He taught me that anything is possible and to never, ever say no," Phelps said. "He could do more in a day, in his own quiet way, than most of us can do in a week. I miss him."
In addition to his work in bringing the benefits of homeownership to new families, Phelps likes to stay in touch with those who have completed the Habitat program.
"Mr. Phelps is a wonderful man; I've learned so much from him," said Kay Turpin, the owner of a Habitat home built in 2004 on Lexington's West Side. "He still comes by and hollers at us, asking if there's anything we need."
Grant is known for riding his bike on Saturdays to visit the Habitat communities in Lexington, staying in touch with the families and checking on how people are doing.
"We intentionally build porch communities," he said, "so that people will sit outside and get to know each other. Each community has an informal mayor who helps keep the community together. Once, when a bike was stolen from a Lexmark volunteer working onsite, I went to see the 'mayor,' asking her if she could help find it. Within days, the bike was returned. Our clients are good citizens."
When he's not working, Phelps enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife, Mindy Shannon Phelps, and step-daughters Tricia and Lizzie, as well as going fly-fishing in Montana and Colorado with his brothers and old college buddies.
Asked about his own leadership philosophy, he said: "I think you just have to give more than 100 percent. I try to make sure I treat others the way I'd like to be treated, that I don't waste time and that I'm having fun in what I do.
"There's nothing like seeing the joy on the faces of those who have a home for the first time," Phelps continued. "I truly believe if you lead with your heart, you can't go wrong."
Janet Steele Holloway is co-founder/executive director of Women Leading Kentucky, a non-profit foundation committed to creating opportunities for women to lead and learn. She is also the Success Columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine, and her articles are featured on www.womenentrepreneur.com.
She can be reached at jhollow@alltel.net.