According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report, construction spending during May was at an estimated $874.9 billion annual rate, June housing start-ups were up 10% from a year ago, and the construction industry is once again showing signs of steady growth. Likewise, more and more U.S. companies using the unique strategic advantage of Marketplace Chaplains have found utilizing this service is an added benefit to their growing business.

Currently, Marketplace Chaplains, the country’s largest and original workplace chaplaincy organization works with more than 40 construction companies in the U.S., helping thousands of employees and their family members in the often stressful and sometimes dangerous profession.

“Marketplace Chaplains continue to make a positive impact in the lives of our employees and their families and we are blessed to have them as part of J.T. Turner Construction,” said J.T, Turner, Jr., CEO of the Savannah, Georgia, based client company. So much so, that when they were chosen as the lead construction company to build a home for a segment of the hit television reality show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Savannah, Turner asked Marketplace Chaplains to join them on the site.

“We are so pleased to be able to serve in this unique way,” said Southeast Region Vice President Shane Satterfield.  “Our dedicated chaplain team serves thousands of employees and their family members every day. To be able to work alongside client company J.T. Turner Construction, and others in this nationally televised work is a special privilege and responsibility,” added Satterfield.

We consistently receive feedback from our team regarding how grateful they are for the chaplains, and we continue to look for opportunities to further involve Marketplace Chaplains within our work environment,” Turner continued.

Memphis, Tennessee, based Barnhart Crane & Rigging Company said they constantly get feedback from their employees on the unique service.

“We receive thank-you notes all the time because a chaplain has ministered to them (employees) when they were in need,” said Joye Allen, Executive Assistant to the company’s Owner, Alan Barnhart. “We are thankful we found out about them. They’re a big part of our company.”

Houston-based David Weekley Homes is one of the largest home builders in the Southwest, and Chairman David Weekley has more than a decade of experience using Marketplace Chaplains for his 900+ employees.

“Our company has been recognized as one of FORTUNE magazines ‘100 Best Companies to Work For,’ seven times,” Weekley said. “The chaplain program is a low-cost employee benefit that has garnered us more loyalty than our other ‘standard’ benefits and resulted in lower turnover, improved morale and a general sense of ‘caring’ on the company’s part about our employees’ well-being.”

With the strategic workplace initiative in place, construction companies have chaplains on worksites during a home build and in the company’s offices.  In addition, they are available at any time of the day or night for employees and their family members, and they also make regularly scheduled weekly visits.

The construction companies served range in size from thousands of employees to just a couple of dozen. However, no matter what size the company or the number of employees, each have the similar hurts and issues, and need help from time-to-time in the often dusty and busy workplace. Marketplace Chaplains step in to perform more than two dozen services for these client company employees, from confidential discussions on personal topics to planning and officiating funerals.

“These forward-thinking CEOs have proven that it doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in a neat, air conditioned office, or a dusty, dirty, open construction site, the needs are still the same for us all and Marketplace Chaplains are always there to help,” said Marketplace Chaplains’ President and COO Richard S. De Witt.