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“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
Giving back to our community and helping those in need is at the core of Wedgewood’s values. So how does an empty home with abandoned household items fit into those values? For our company that means repurposing everything that can be salvaged and putting those gently used goods into the hands of people who need them the most.
Often when we assume ownership of a foreclosed home, the prior owners leave behind items they no longer want or need. Rather than throwing out everything left in a vacated home, our team makes an effort to salvage anything that may be useful to someone else.
In California we work with Weekend Warrior who coordinates donations to such non-profits as the Victory Outreach and Upland Men’s Home.
Our Nevada team regularly donates items to Safe Nest, a family services agency that provides shelter, counseling, and advocacy to victims of domestic violence. A typical family seeking help from Safe Nest is a single mother with children who has left everything behind to escape domestic violence at home. Items like the ones we donate help give them a fresh start in a safe place, where they can build a new foundation for a new life.
This past March, our Nevada team donated more than $7,000 in goods to Safe Nest including toys, headboards, dressers, lamps, washers and dryers, heaters, refrigerators, dining tables, and more. These are just the kinds of basic items that can help struggling families get back on their feet.
Even animal shelters have been the beneficiaries of abandoned items. Jim Colston, another Wedgewood property manager in Florida said, “A couple weeks ago, a deputy sheriff and I bagged up at least six large bags of left-behind towels and tattered blankets and took them to the pet rescue shelter. Needless to say, they needed and loved it.”
Our team coordinates pickups and deliveries with local shelters and philanthropies including Safe Nest, Victory Outreach, Wounded Warrior Project, Camaraderie Foundation, Orange County Animal Services, Weekend Warrior and Angel View.
This kind of effort reduces waste and helps families in need. As a real estate investment company that traditionally purchases foreclosures at auction and eventually rehabilitates and resells these homes, we found that there is no greater value than giving back to the communities in which we do business.
Greg Geiser, CEO, Wedgewood – As Founder, President & CEO, Greg has laid the foundation of Wedgewood’s corporate vision. He founded Wedgewood in 1985 after starting his career at Murdock Development Company as Assistant to the President of Murdock Hotels Corporation. Earlier in his career, he worked as a financial analyst at Crocker Bank in San Francisco. Greg earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1980, and his M.B.A. from UCLA’s Graduate School of Management in 1982.