Our Community
Brooks Construction Company, Inc. and its employees are pleased to be involved in numerous community activities each year. Although we have attempted to list some of these activities here, this is by no means exhaustive.
- Boys and Girls Clubs
- Fort Wayne Ballet
- Junior Achievement
- YMCA Camp Potawatami
- Fort Wayne Grand Prix
- Middlebury Summer Festival
- Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
- Turnstone
- Elmhurst Little League
- Elkhart County Fair
- Greater FW Chamber
- Muddy River Run
- S.C.A.N.
- Family and Children Services
2nd Annual Angola Ballons Aloft
Pilot: Chris Smart
Hometown: Huntington, IN
Balloon: Dream Racer
First time participant Chris Smart arrives in Angola with his brand new balloon "Dream Racer" designed with thoughts of his children in mind. Chris started crewing in 1989 and began his balloon instruction with the pilot he was crewing for soon after. In return, Chris flew all his instructor’s passengers for the next two years to pay off his flight training expenses.
Chris obtained his commercial license in 1992 and flew his instructor’s balloons for the next four years before purchasing his own balloon. For the last 15 years, Chris has run a balloon ride business in Northeast Indiana and he entered top level competitions three years ago.
He is the 2009 and 2010 Indiana State Champion and ranked #11 in the nation in 2010. The new balloon “Dream Racer” follows two Dream Catcher balloons he has used for his ride business. Chris’s four children have been helping Dad crew since they were old enough to walk and hot air ballooning is definitely a family affair for the Smarts. And now he has added their spouses and grandchildren to the sport! Chris says it has been a family hobby for 22 years. Sponsoring Chris and his “Dream Racer” balloon is Brooks 1st Construction Company.
Mastadons on Parade
In the summer of 2005, Brooks Construction Company, Inc. participated in the IPFW and United Way Event entitled Mastadons on Parade.
According to John Brooks -
"Our Mastodon is called Paths-odon: Crossroads of America to represent all the different transportation paths that have crossed through and continue to develop in our area. It begins with an Indian trail on the trunk and face and includes images of canals, railroads and early road transportation on the body. The legs comprise maps of our area and it ends on the Mastodon's back with a modern highway interchange and a high-tech aircraft landing on a runway. The artist did a marvelous job of representing the development of transportation on our behalf.
At the opening event "Meet the Herd" held in March over 1,600 people voted for their favorite Mastodon and out of 102 Mastodons, ours finished 8th overall and was the only Mastodon in the top 10 that wasn't significantly modified in some way. Thus, we are very proud of the artwork on our Paths-odon. This honor allowed our Mastodon to be part of IPFW's representation in the Three Rivers Festival Parade in July.
Ultimately the Mastodons on Parade project sponsored by IPFW will benefit the United Way at a Auction Gala where all Mastodons will be sold off to the highest bidder. This project has been an imaginative and fun way to support an important community organization. We hope our employees are proud to be a part of it."
Habitat for Humanity
In early 2003, Brooks Construction and its employees undertook a wintery and ambitious goal of constructing a Habitat for Humanity House as part of the B.L.A.S.T. (Brooks Leadership and Supervisory Training) Program. In just a few short days, Brooks Construction employees completed what may have been the most rewarding work ever. Below are just a few pictures of the event.
The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is one of the top Zoo's in America of it's kind. Annually, Brooks Construction is pleased to support this great community asset.
Jim Anderson, Executive Director of the Zoo, says this about Brooks Construction's involvement:
"Brooks Construction has always been of great assistance to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. They are happy to tackle very big or very small projects -- from a parking lot for 600 cars to small patching jobs on zoo paths. Their work is flawless, professional, and prompt. I wish all contractors approached their work the way Brooks does. Andy Brooks has served as President of the Fort Wayne Zoological Society for the past two years, and he brought great business sense and great energy to the role. Andy is easy to work with, but he is persistent when he sees an opportunity for improvement. We like Brooks!"
Brooks Construction Company hopes you and your family will take advantage of The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo!
"Racing for Education"
Each summer Brooks Construction employees tear up the streets of downtown Fort Wayne in a different way! Joining forces with numerous area businesses, Brooks Construction enters a mini-grand prix style race near Freimann Square to raise funds and awareness for Junior Achievement, a nonprofit association whose purpose is to educate today's youth about how business works and give them the skills they need to keep America strong.