People Buy from People
By Joe Hodes
A Heartfelt Partnership Between Hodes Company and Challenge air
At Hodes Company, one of our guiding principles is simple: “People buy from people.” With over 80 years of experience working with plumbing contractors and being a five-generation, family-owned business, this belief forms the backbone of how we operate. By investing in relationships, we’ve not only grown our business but also built partnerships that uplift the wider community. One such collaboration is our ongoing support of the nonprofit organization, Challenge Air.
Our relationship with Challenge Air emerged through a series of what our president, Joe Hodes, calls “God moments.” For years, Joe, along with two loyal HodesCo customers, Tom Mahoney and Rick Shelton, would gather for a day of golf before the annual PHCC Quality Service Contractors (QSC) meeting. Seeking to expand their golfing circle and give back, Joe approached then-QSC Executive Director Charlie Wallace with the idea of organizing a charity event.
At the time, Wallace had just heard from Sonny Friedman, a QSC member and former owner of Atlas Plumbing, who proposed the group support Challenge Air. This nonprofit, founded in 1993 by Rick Amber, aims to improve the lives of children and families with special needs.
Story of Inspiration After Tragedy
Rick Amber’s story is one of inspiration. A Navy veteran, he became a quadriplegic in 1971 following a jet crash during a landing attempt on an aircraft carrier. Despite this life-changing event, Amber triumphed by winning the U.S. Open National Wheelchair Tennis Championship. Fueled by his experiences, he decided to help children overcome their own challenges through what he loved most: flying.
Moved by Amber’s mission, Hodes, Mahoney and Shelton began hosting golf tournaments to raise funds for Challenge Air. Their connection deepened when Challenge Air hosted Fly Days in Kansas City, Missouri, where HodesCo is based. During these events, over 100 children with physical and intellectual disabilities experience the thrill of flight, taking to the skies in small planes piloted by a team of volunteer aviators.
After Rick Amber’s passing from cancer in 1997, Challenge Air has continued to thrive under the dedicated leadership of President and CEO April Culver. Each Fly Day involves extensive fundraising, volunteer coordination and meticulous logistical planning. Despite these challenges, Culver often reflects on how rewarding it is to witness the profound impact these events have on the children and their families.
Meaningful Experience for Children
As Culver says, “From seeing the kids’ anticipation before boarding the aircraft — how nervous and scared they are — to seeing how excited they are coming off that aircraft, when they’re high-fiving the volunteers, you can just see the transformation on their face. I really believe in our motto. We say, ‘Hey, you just flew an airplane! If you can fly an airplane, you can do anything!’ So it makes me feel like I can do anything, too.”
While HodesCo is honored to support Challenge Air, the impact on our team has been just as profound. Hodes, who has attended Fly Days with his six children — one of whom was inspired to attain his pilot’s license — now looks forward each year to attending alongside his grandchildren. What started as a conversation on a golf course two decades ago has flourished into a multi-generational partnership that has touched hundreds of lives.
To learn more about Challenge Air, visit www.challengeair.com.
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