KEN KUESTER MADE US ALL BETTER BY HIS EXAMPLE
When we first began publishing Florida Homebuyer Jacksonville a decade ago, I quickly found out that there were a handful of people in our industry who had earned universal respect, and about whom no ill was ever spoken.
Ken Kuester, who died much too soon at the age of 62, was at the top of that list. If there was ever an individual who exemplified the spirit of generosity and giving to which we all aspire, it was Ken.
So, although I was shocked and saddened to hear of his passing, I thought it was appropriate in this column to focus more on the way Ken lived his life, operated his businesses and supported the industry that he loved.
Ken moved to Jacksonville from South Carolina in 1980 and was in the building supply business. He bought Fernandina Lumber Company in Fernandina Beach and started Lumber Unlimited and Truss Unlimited in Jacksonville.
He knew that truly being successful required giving back, both to the industry and the community. He became an active member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) and was the founding chairperson of Builders Care, the association’s nonprofit arm that repairs homes for the elderly and disabled.
Builders Care was formed in 2000 after the association partnered with HabiJax, the local affiliate for Habitat for Humanity, on the “101 Home Build” in Fairway Oaks, an abandoned public housing project.
Ten thousand volunteers—including former President Jimmy Carter—built 101 homes in 17 days, turning what had been a classic example of urban blight into a vibrant neighborhood filled with first-time homeowners and their families.
Arnold Tritt, then NEFBA’s executive director, personally recruited Ken to coordinate the association’s participation. “I needed a big man for a big job,” Tritt recalled in a 2004 interview. “And Ken has a skill for identifying people who are willing to help and motivating them to follow up. He got the builders to say ‘I will.’”
Not all of Ken’s good works were so high-profile. In fact, one of the first feature stories we published in this magazine, written by group publisher Randy Noles, was about Ken. And I remember Randy telling me how difficult it was to get Ken to talk about himself, beyond his fierce loyalty to the Florida State Seminoles.
But Randy didn’t have any trouble getting others to open up. Many people Ken had quietly helped were eager to praise him as an ethical, caring man who was as generous with his time as he was with his money.
In 2010, Ken was presented the Arnold Tritt Achievement Award for a lifetime of contributions to the building industry. Of course, no one knew how timely the award would prove to be. Ken’s wife, Terri, died in 2012 and Ken suffered from health problems as well. Still, most of us assumed he would be with us for a good many more years, quietly making us better by his example.
He’s gone now. But as long as the Northeast Florida building industry remains an industry that focuses on making life better for everyone, his spirit will live on.
Penelope Geismar
Publisher
penelopeg@thefloridahomebuyer.com