First Employee to First Construction Lead: A Q&A with Nick Kulick

We’ve expanded our facilities. We’ve expanded our programs. Now, we’re expanding our team. 

Nick Kulick, our first full-time employee ever, has transitioned to the new position of Construction Lead, allowing him more time doing what he loves, getting his hands dirty and working with homeowners and volunteers.

The newly envisioned Program Director position will champion strategic partnerships and oversee the programs team. The application is now available.

Nick has championed our program for eleven years, taking on challenges such as implementing our first contract grants, outfitting trailers, and serving on-site with countless volunteers. To honor the work that has enabled us to get this spot, Nick answered some questions about his time with Rebuild Upstate.

 

How has your role—and the organization—evolved since you joined?

Wow…When I started, I was the only full-time employee. Three part-time employees were working the equivalent of a single FTE. I was responsible for everything related to doing the mission. Find volunteers. Find homeowners. Plan the projects. Be on site. Ask for money. Manage grants. As the organization has grown, pieces of that have come off my plate and have been given to someone else. It made sense for me to keep elevating since I knew about all the things. At this stage, I am primarily managing the grants and supervising a team that gets to do all the things. We are up to 14 grants now, with 2 of those being directly managed by another employee. I spend a lot of time making sure we spend the funding.

 

Is there a particular project, initiative, or partnership that has been especially meaningful to you?

I got my start in home repair with Salkehatchie Summer Service, and I continue to participate to this day. In 2007, when I went to my first camp, I didn’t know anything about construction, really. I helped make a bathroom usable again. I helped set fence posts. I helped reroof a house. It was a lot of hard work, but it was very meaningful to me to see how we changed that man’s life. It sparked a passion for helping people in this way. I went to Salkehatchie every year since then, minus 3. One year, we had just moved into our home, and it needed its own work. And then 2 years of COVID shutting the camp down. In 2014, I got done with camp, and that’s all I wanted to do anymore. I was ready to be done with what I was doing and move into this new and exciting field. I continued to partner with Salkehatchie in my new role with Rebuild Upstate. It has been a wonderful partnership. Last year at Salkehatchie, we reframed and reroofed a 35-square roof in 6 days. It was one of the largest undertakings this camp had ever done, and it is so amazing to see what God can make happen. 

 

Looking back, what stands out as one of your proudest moments or accomplishments since joining the team?

The growth this organization has had over my 11 years with it has been phenomenal. Being a part of something with so many other people who are so passionate about helping people in need in this way has continued to inspire me. While it can be tough at times to continue to see people in some of their darkest times, it has been sheer joy to share this journey with such great folks and to see how we have made a lasting impact on people’s lives.

 

What are you most looking forward to in the new role?

Getting my hands dirty more often. In my current role, I have not been able to do as much on-site work as I would like to. I got into this because of how I can physically help people change their lives. Helping the homeowners with the needed repairs. Helping volunteers learn how to do something new. I want to be in that again.

 

What is something you want homeowners or volunteers to know?

With God, anything is possible. Don’t ever think that you cannot do something. God can help you do anything if you put your mind to it. I have seen it. I have seen groups of teenagers re-roof massive houses. I have seen elderly men have absolute joy in getting in the muck and fixing a bathroom that is so disgusting that most people wouldn’t even go in there. I have seen a small organization become one of the most well-known home repair non-profits out there. God can do anything!

 

Nick, thank you for work making our programs what they are today. You will always be the foundation for what we build and grow.