February/March, 2025

Please consider donating to this BBB Foundation Restoring Trust project here: Help Kevin and Noelle Rebuild Their Home

I keep thinking of the adage: “Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better”. When it comes to repairing Kevin and Noelle’s house after Schwalb Builders had their hands on it, this sentiment seems to ring true.

After Scott with AJ Kirkegaard Contractors met with the city to conduct a building inspection on the house, he told us they determined the best move forward is to demo (yes, demolish) the interior so we can be sure all work is up to code. To The T Plumbing and Heating had a similar result from their mechanical, plumbing and electrical inspections: most everything in the home needs to be re-done. Essentially, the work already performed was so poor that it is safer and makes more sense to start from a clean slate than to try and work with what’s there. Although this wasn’t the news anybody wanted, Scott framed it in a realistic yet uplifting way when explaining it to Kevin and Noelle: this is a blessing in disguise because this allows us to obtain a true scope of the conditions present and create an end product that is not only beautiful and functional, but safe and reliable for years to come. And Kevin and Noelle certainly deserve this.

Donations of supplies and labor continue to roll in, thanks to our Accredited Business partners: AJ Kirkegaard Contractors, To the T Plumbing and Heating, and Professional Power. AJ Kirkegaard has secured donations for new cabinetry, countertops, appliances, and hardwood flooring, with more rolling in. Scott and his business partner, Jon, even offered to install the hardwood floor themselves to absorb that labor cost. Now that’s walking the talk (literally, on a new hardwood floor). To The T has secured donations for high-efficiency HVAC equipment and is working to provide a tankless hot water heater and gas hood in-kind from suppliers as well. They and Professional Power are also donating part of their labor for the mechanical, plumbing and electrical work to be done. Ultimately, the team mentality and relentless pursuit of our common goal of sending Kevin and Noelle home continues to provide upward momentum.

But here’s the deal: although these Accredited Businesses have secured an impressive amount of donated materials and labor (what’s looking to be over $100,000 worth), they are not able to absorb all the costs themselves because of the large scope of the project. Kevin and Noelle are still left with a sizable cost that they’re working to finance. Our immediate objective is to decrease this finance amount as much as possible and that’s where we need you: would you be willing to consider a contribution toward this project? No donation is too small and anything we raise will help bridge the gap to ensure this family moves back into a safe, complete, beautiful home. Your donation isn’t just going toward building materials and skilled labor costs – it’s also going toward restoring trust and restoring hope for a family who has lived in a nightmare for the past year and a half.

You can donate to this project here: Help Kevin and Noelle Rebuild Their Home

Thank you, thank you, thank you in advance. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or ideas; we all have to get creative to make this work! bbbfoundation@thebbb.org

Yours in trust,

Meghan Conradt, Director of Foundation

January, 2025

BBB Foundation, AJ Kirkegaard Contractors, and To The T Plumbing & Heating continued working on Kevin and Noelle’s project throughout the holidays at the end of 2024. It wasn’t easy obtaining permits and scheduling the needed inspections during this time, but it was amazing to see the business’ dedication to keeping the project moving forward, even at a time that many organizations are understandably not as dialed in.

While we scheduled inspections and waited for those results to help us better determine the full scope of work, we received an exciting and humbling update from AJ Kirkegaard’s cabinetry supplier, Plato Woodwork. Scott from AJ Kirkegaard told us that after speaking with Plato Woodwork’s owner and sharing Kevin and Noelle’s story with him, he offered to donate all the cabinetry for their kitchen re-build. This was something we were hopeful that suppliers might be compelled to help with, but certainly wasn’t expected. This comes on the heels of To The T revealing that their supplier, Lennox, offered to provide HVAC equipment free of charge to help get the heat up and running again. It is so incredible to see the generosity of businesses and their owners in action and watch the ripple effects continue to make impact!

There was also a development on the legal side of the story on Monday, January 6 after the owners of Schwalb Builders, the contractors who left Kevin and Noelle in this situation, were arrested after a grand jury indictment. They were ultimately charged with more than 30 felonies for defrauding customers and taking in more than $1.1 million from those customers, which was not spent on the projects they promised to fulfill. Kevin and Noelle represented just one of many lawsuits against this company and I know it was relief for them and everyone involved to see these contractors held accountable for their actions.

In the meantime, while the legal system works to help restore what was lost from a financial perspective, we’re committed to restoring what was lost not just from a housing perspective, but an emotional one. Like I’ve mentioned before, Kevin and Noelle understandably lost a lot of trust in contractors and home services businesses after what they went through. But they’ve also expressed their immense gratitude for these partnered Accredited Businesses and their commitment to making things right, which has started to help them slowly regain that trust they lost. It goes to show we decided on an apt name for this program: Restoring Trust.

What kinds of ripple effects have you witnessed between businesses? At the end of the day, these companies don’t just have suppliers and subcontractors – they have relationships and partnerships. I’d love to hear other examples of how businesses work together to foster goodwill in our community, because this is proof it’s happening all the time.

Yours in trust,

Meghan Conradt, Director of BBB Foundation  

December, 2024

One of the aspects of the Restoring Trust program that continues to amaze and energize me is witnessing the expansion of people and organizations that want to get involved in a goodwill project once they hear more about it.

My contacts at Denver7 reached out to me several times over the last couple of months asking about the progress on Kevin and Noelle’s house. They originally broke the story in early 2024 and were eager to do a follow up since there’s been movement on both the legal side of the story and now the home restoration side, through Restoring Trust. They told me there were developments with Jason Krueger, a construction law attorney who’s been working on Kevin and Noelle’s case pro bono to try and recoup even a fraction of the money they lost to Schwalb Builders. We thought this would be a good opportunity to pair the legal update with an update on the incredible work To The T Plumbing & Heating and AJ Kirkegaard Contractors are doing to determine the scope of work on the home and develop a plan to rebuild it.

Nate, Megan and Kam from To The T, Jon from AJ Kirkegaard, Jaclyn Allen and Joe Vaccarrelli from Denver7, and I met Kevin and Noelle at their house to shoot the story. It was pretty cold on this particular morning and the chill was especially noticeable when we were inside the house – it’s been sitting without heat for months now and I know it’s hard for Kevin and Noelle to be there any time while it’s in an unlivable state, but I think it’s even worse during these winter months that magnify its derelict atmosphere.

Jaclyn began by interviewing me and asking why I, and BBB Foundation as a whole, felt compelled to help Kevin and Noelle and make their house our first Restoring Trust project. This was easy to answer – the more I connect with them and get to know them as people, the more I’ve come to know kind, humble, and hard-working individuals who are continuing to deal with unimaginable trauma from being displaced from their home. Jaclyn also asked me why I think the Accredited Businesses wanted to get involved and that was easy to answer too: they told me they believe it’s not only the right thing to do, but that giving back is part of their company’s core values, which are based on family and taking care of one another. Also, this is an opportunity to reclaim the trustworthy reputation of their industries, which often gets marred by dishonest contractors that can give other businesses in those fields a bad name. To The T and AJ Kirkegaard are anxious to show Kevin and Noelle, and the greater Denver community, how honest and ethical contractors do business.

During their interview, Nate and Megan with To The T revealed that they secured an in-kind donation of HVAC equipment from their supplier, Lennox, to install in Kevin and Noelle’s house. Additionally, Jon and Scott with AJ Kirkegaard shared that they do not plan to charge Kevin and Noelle anything for their services as they coordinate the kitchen re-build project and also work with their suppliers to gather donated materials, such as cabinets and countertops. Kevin and Noelle were both emotional upon learning of these plans and described feeling very overwhelmed, along with a mixture of lots of other emotions. I know they’re incredibly grateful for these amazing kindnesses and think the world of everyone involved. I also know they’re very hard-working and independent and want to contribute to this project wherever they can. Kevin told Kam at To The T that he wants to help with installation of the equipment and Kam joked that he’s committed now and to get ready for a fun team project. 😉

Check out this Denver7 story and put the faces to all these names here: Contractors offer help to Denver family after unpermitted, unsafe remodel

This was exactly the connection we needed right before the holidays and in preparation to kick-off more movement on this project in 2025. AJ Kirkegaard is working now to get the building permit approved so they and To The T can initiate the inspections needed from the city to confirm what is up to code and develop a full scope of work.

I can’t wait to share more with you as we continue to dig (literally) and determine exactly what we’re dealing with in terms of repair needs. Although I know the challenges may get worse before they can get better, I know we also have incredible support from multiple entities in the community that are here to ensure the support grows faster and bigger than any challenge that may present itself.

Are you supporting people with massive challenges during this holiday season? What kinds of charitable endeavors spark your energy? I’d love to hear from you and always enjoy “talking shop” when it comes to community support, no matter the initiative. Please always feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts: bbbfoundation@thebbb.org

See you in 2025!

Yours in trust,

Meghan Conradt, Director of BBB Foundation  

October/November, 2024

To get the red tag removed by the city and go home, Kevin and Noelle need working heat, a functioning kitchen, and a door and closet in their bedroom. So, I began to look through our past Torch and Spark Awards participants in the HVAC and building industries. 

After reaching out to a few businesses, To The T Plumbing and Heating and AJ Kirkegaard Contractors both immediately got back to me with a simple sentiment: "We want to help! What can we do?" Both of these companies are past Torch Awards finalists, which means they rose above many applications as one of a handful of businesses seriously considered for the Torch Award. This is no small feat, as the application process rigorously measures the company's commitment to leadership character, workplace culture, customer relationships, and community support. The community support pillar is the lynchpin that ties our awards programs to the Restoring Trust program. Lots of businesses excel in outstanding customer service and creating healthy workplace cultures for their team members, but not every one makes an effort to give time and money back to their communities. To be named a Torch Awards finalist, a business' ability to demonstrate efforts around donations, volunteering, and in-kind work for the community is key. Ultimately, these are the businesses BBB Foundation wants to call our partners and work many hours with to help consumers that come to us for assistance. 

Nate Trail is the owner and operator of To The T Plumbing and Heating and Kam Vohs serves as the General Manager. Scott Kirkegaard is the third generation business owner of AJ Kirkegaard Contractors and shares the company with co-owner Jon Crabtree. Nate, Kam, Scott, Jon and I met Kevin and Noelle at their home to connect in person and conduct a site evaluation to see exactly what needs to be done. This was a great opportunity for everyone involved in the project to not only see the site firsthand, but also get to know each other since we are all on the same team with the same big goal: get Kevin, Noelle and their family home. When we all saw the home that day and its unlivable state, we didn't just see a house in need of repairs - we saw a family that needed some hope. Scott even expressed his anger that day, saying he couldn't believe someone called themselves a contractor and a legitimate business, only to leave the house destroyed and steal Kevin and Noelle's hard-earned money. Needless to say, we all became even more fired up to get to work. 

The next steps on this project involve pulling permits and conducting more evaluations to determine the full scope of work needed to complete these immediate needs. We're working on this as we speak and I'm excited to share our next update with you once we have our plans in place!

Until then, I'd like to pose this question: what does trust mean to you? For myself, I used to think of trust as a big, abstract concept. But through the work of Restoring Trust, I see how trust is built little by little based on human interactions. Even though we talk a lot about the businesses that are stepping up to help families in need like this, there are always people behind the business. And their reliability, kindness, and willingness to go the extra mile is what fosters the journey of restoring trust in not only contractors, but other people in general. 

BBB Foundation can always use help with funding for programs like Restoring Trust and the projects we're working on. If you're interested in supporting us, please visit the link here. 

Yours in trust,

Meghan Conradt, Director of BBB Foundation

July-September, 2024

My name is Meghan Compton and I'm the Director of Foundation for Better Business Bureau. I couldn't be more excited to share this journey with you as I've worked over the past couple years to rejuvenate and reinvent our BBB Foundation, the charitable entity of Better Business Bureau. When our Board and Executive Team decided to revive our charitable arm and asked me to lead the charge, I came to the table with a background in Marketing, six years of BBB experience, and unbridled enthusiasm for the chance to effect change in our community. 

Through this role as a nonprofit leader, I've been privileged to sit at the helm of developing a new program that allows us to provide tangible help to consumers who come to us for assistance. Here's how it started: because I've also lead the BBB Torch and Spark Awards programs for years, I knew there's a wealth of Accredited Businesses in our community that are dedicated to giving back and helping people around them. On the other hand, I also knew BBB receives lots of reports from consumers who are targeted by scams or have poor experiences with businesses - sometimes resulting in money loss or even worse (keep reading). I had a lightbulb moment one day: what if we could find a way to connect these two groups and work to solve some of the issues we're seeing with fraud in our community? Why not help consumers who need to recover find resources and solutions in our Accredited Businesses who are already engaging in outreach work? Thus, the BBB Foundation Restoring Trust program was born with a purpose to help people recover from fraud by connecting with BBB's network of outstanding Accredited Businesses that want to help.

One of our partners I "kicked the tires" with while building Restoring Trust was none other than Denver7, our local media group who we often collaborate with for stories on consumer tips and best practices. They shared Kevin & Noelle's story with me and told me why they think this family would be a great candidate for our "maiden voyage" project. Boy, were they right. 

In 2023, Kevin and Noelle hired Schwalb Builders to renovate their 1951 bungalow, hoping to create a legacy home for their kids. But after paying Schwalb their life's savings, the contractor took off with their money and left them with an unfinished remodel that was red-tagged by the city. Kevin, Noelle, and two of their kids had to leave their home and start paying rent and mortgage every month. 

Although the Restoring Trust program was new and still in the building phase, I knew that Kevin and Noelle were representative of many stories we at BBB often hear from consumers. Contractor fraud is a multi-million dollar issue in the United States every year and home improvement scams were named the fourth riskiest type of scam in the 2023 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, with a susceptability rate of 75% and a median dollar loss of $2,073 per consumer. These are the people that I and BBB Foundation want to help most and not only restore their homes, but also restore their faith in trustworthy businesses. 

I spoke with Kevin and Noelle several times on the phone to hear their story firsthand and listen to understand what they need to move forward. These conversations were emotional, to say the least, and the more we connected, the more impassioned I became about helping them get on track to go home. One of the things we talked about at length was their loss of trust in people, especially contractors. After not only losing a huge sum of money, but also the home they've loved for 18 years to a dishonest business, they described their feeling of having "contractor PTSD". But, they also knew that the only way to restore their home is to let someone inside and correct what was done, which will require trusting someone again. This is where I felt that BBB Foundation could really make a difference: by recruiting businesses that not only do good work, but go above and beyond the call of duty to help people in the community and will treat fraud survivors with the sensitivity and compassion they deserve.

So, it was time to identify the businesses that I believe could answer this call. It couldn't be just any business in our database, but had to be someone we know for certain has an exceptional track record and an affinity for charitable endeavors. That's why we decided to start with our local network of Torch and Spark Awards winners and finalists: BBB's best of the best! So, I got to work sending emails and making phone calls. 

Please take a moment to watch the Denver7 story on Kevin and Noelle here. That's when you'll be able to truly feel the gravity of what this family has gone through. And let us know your ideas: do you know of businesses in your community who would be good for Restoring Trust projects? Do you know suppliers who might be willing to donate materials? Are you looking for volunteer opportunities for yourself and/or family? This effort takes a village and we can't wait to see how our village grows. 

Yours in trust,

Meghan Conradt, Director of BBB Foundation