A tale of compassionate reconstruction from VVL neighbor Amanda Hobbs...

While neighbors may be complaining about roads being closed and little inconveniences from

the road improvement projects that recently began, Haydon Building Corporation is the talk of

the Val Vista Lakes neighborhood of La Jolla Village for a different reason.

Periodic closures of each neighborhood road to complete sidewalk and road reconstruction

have led to residents needing to park on neighboring roads so they still have access to their

vehicles to get around. While this is mostly just a minor inconvenience, on one particular day, an emergency occurred, and without a second thought, Haydon Field Engineers Mike Seivert and Ben Makinen jumped into action.

Tina Miller’s 12-year-old, English Crème Golden Retriever was in distress. She couldn’t use her

back legs and was having some sort of neurological event. In other words, she was in dire need

of an emergency trip to the vet. Shari Hess, Miller’s neighbor, asked the Haydon team if Miller

could keep her vehicle at her house for a bit longer so she could get 90-pound Elin into the SUV and to the vet ASAP. The Haydon team declined and told Hess that Miller had to move her

vehicle if she wanted access to it, but that they would take care of the dog, and in no time, they

came to the rescue.

Construction work came to a stand-still. Seivert and Makinen hopped into Seivert’s truck and

arrived at Miller’s driveway within minutes. Makinen called out, “Are you ready?” and with

Miller’s permission, the two entered her house. They greeted Elin and worked as a team,

deciding it was best to move her while she was in her bed and, “make her a taco.” Seivert and

Makinen cradled Elin like a giant taco in her dog bed and placed her on the tailgate of the truck.

Miller, so grateful for their help, joked, “I bet this is the first dog procession you’ve ever done.”

The two field engineers laughed and replied, “yes, it is!” Seivert hopped back in the driver’s seat and Makinen rode in the back, safely securing Elin, on the way to Miller’s SUV around the

corner. Miller was at the vet getting Elin checked out in no time and construction recommenced.

When asked what his first instinct was, Makinen replied, “... to assist in any way I could. When

someone is going through something like that, the last thing they need is hesitation or excuses – they need help... When we work in a residential area, we feel like we are a part of the

community... just one of the neighbors, and this was a neighbor in need, so we wanted to help.”

Miller returned that afternoon with Elin, knocking on the window of a piece of heavy machinery

to get the attention of a Haydon team member, asking, “can she get a ride back?” Three or four

other members of the Haydon team volunteered to carry Elin back home, but Seivert and

Makinen wasted no time coming to the rescue again. “We were just happy to help out and it was great to see her dog back home with her that afternoon!” Seivert said, “hopefully that mentality of helping one another will start to be more prevalent in our world; I think we all could use it.”

Elin improved drastically in the next couple of days with her new prescription for vertigo, and

Seivert and Makinen have since been by to check on Elin’s progress. Miller called their act of

service “unbelievable, and a couple days later, she provided donuts and Gatorade as a show of

gratitude for the entire Haydon Team.

“I think as a company, the Haydon team takes pride in building good relationships with the

people in the communities we work in and believe any member of this project team would’ve

jumped in to help Tina,” Seivert shared, “We understand that our work impacts the day-to-day

lives of these residents and we will continue to look for ways we can bring positivity to the

community while we are here.”

The consideration for residents shown by the Haydon team fostered a sense of connection in

this small chunk of Gilbert – reminding everyone that neighbors and workers alike are all just

real people with real stories who care about the communities they are in. “I think it may *feel*

like a rare thing nowadays,” Makinen commented, but having met so many great people in this

neighborhood proves to me that the potential for compassion of neighbors is still in abundance;

it’s just up to us to all share it with one another.”