Sustainability Hits Home
On May 16, 2025, an EF-3 tornado tore through St. Louis, Missouri.
It tracked over 20 miles through urban neighborhoods, claiming lives, and damaging thousands of buildings. FEMA called it the largest-scale residential destruction from a natural disaster since 2011, with damages reaching an estimated $1.6 billion.
St. Louis isn't just another place where MiTek operates; it’s been our global headquarters for over 70 years. This wasn't a news story happening somewhere else – it was our people, our neighborhoods, our homes.
Seeing the real-world impacts of extreme weather in the backyard of our global headquarters reinforced our responsibility to be part of the solution — not just by responding in the moment, but by building long-term resilience into our business and the communities where we live, work, and play.
Showing Up, Without Hesitation
In the immediate aftermath, local MiTek leaders responded quickly to assess the impact to team members and the broader community to see where the company’s support was most needed. MiTek donated $40,000 to disaster relief organizations, including Convoy of Hope, the American Red Cross, and local emergency feeding organizations. We sent 10 bunks of lumber to the Salvation Army to help patch up roofs on damaged homes and churches. Nearly 50 team members also mobilized to volunteer at sites across North St. Louis with plans to continue with recovery until 2026 or efforts are completed.
"It wasn't a question of if MiTek and our team members were going to provide disaster support; it was when can we start? Where do we go?" said Douglas Krauss, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain and Manufacturing. "Through our building methodology, we transform communities every day across the globe, and when you see one destroyed in your backyard, you want to do everything you can to help these neighbors and families."
MiTek volunteers partnered with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis to help distribute food and essential supplies to displaced families, helping to support 2,500 to 3,000 families every weekend for two months. Another group connected with a grassroots relief effort in the hard-hit Academy neighborhood. Weeks after the storm, cleanup in this community had largely been untouched.
More Than Just Physical Labor
Our team didn't just haul away branches and debris; they sat and listened to the people living there. While sifting through the wreckage of various homes, volunteers managed to recover irreplaceable items that could easily have been lost forever: a property deed, a marriage license, and a wedding band belonging to a resident's late father.
"A remarkable group of your MiTek employees showed up ready to roll up their sleeves," wrote Carroll Lehnhoff-Bell, a volunteer with the Academy Neighborhood Association. "Your employees didn't just show up, they showed up with their whole hearts."
For our own team, it was a heavy reality check. "It really put into perspective how easily we take everyday essentials for granted — a roof over your head, a safe and healthy home, food in your fridge," shared Lauren Zecher, Manager, MiTek Technical Support Helpdesk.
More Than Metrics
We often talk about corporate sustainability in terms of targets, timelines, and metrics. This disaster stripped away the jargon and brought sustainability into sharp, immediate focus for us at MiTek. The increasing severity of extreme weather isn't a future scenario to plan for — it’s happening right now, in our own backyards.
This experience reinforced that our work in sustainable construction has to be about building real, long-term resilience into the communities where we live. It’s about unity and stewardship through caring for each other when things fall apart, and sharing our knowledge and resources to rebuild. Our broader commitments — whether through packing disaster relief kits, tracking our carbon footprint, or seeking out affordable housing solutions — all stem from this basic, human need for safe, reliable shelter.
The recovery in St. Louis will take time, but seeing our team quickly mobilize by working alongside local organizers, handing out supplies, and pulling drywall out of strangers' living rooms, showed the real heart of our culture. It's not just about writing a check or setting a target. It's about showing up when it counts.
As Ken Jurgensmeyer, Senior Manager, MiTek Plant Management, put it, "I am proud of working for a company that cares not only verbally and in writing a check but puts people on the ground to rebuild."
We humbly agree. That is what sustainability means to us. On May 16, it hit home, and we're committed to being part of the rebuild, every step of the way.