Putting their heart into it: executives who go above and beyond in their philanthropy efforts.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Focus

Just as Bryson Garbett was helping launch the Pioneer Park Coalition, a grassroots consortium dedicated to "healing the Pioneer Park and Rio Grande communities," he realized he needed a better understanding of homelessness. So he left his license, credit cards and phone at home and showed up on the doorsteps of The Road Home shelter, asking if he could stay the night. The staffer pointed to a long line where disheveled hopefuls were waiting for space to open up. He joined them, standing three-and-a-half hours before he received a mat, pillow, blanket and a spot on the floor. For three days and four nights he lived as if he were homeless, emerging from the experience with a first-hand perspective that has shaped his efforts with the Coalition.

What makes the CEO of Garbett Homes, one of Utah's premier homebuilders, devote this much energy to a local cause? What about Robert Garff, chairman of Garff Enterprises, Inc., and his company's educational outreach programs, or Hanko Kiessner, CEO of Packsize International, and his clean air initiative?

For these executives, it's not just about donating money to a cause--it's about personally investing time and effort in issues they care about. And as these executives lend their personal passion, they're helping effect critical social and environmental change for the state.

PIONEERING CHANGE

For Garbett, his personal stake in mitigating the crime surrounding Salt Lake's escalating homeless crisis began when Garbett Homes started construction on apartments across from Pioneer Park. "We started to see that in the park, a lot of criminal activity was happening," he says. "We went to Mayor Becker, but he didn't seem to feel like he could do anything--he'd tried before. The Pioneer Park Coalition came out of that meeting. We decided to get together, to at least bring attention to what was happening."

It was then that Garbett committed to his stint in the shelter. He slept, showered, ate and loitered alongside others from the shelter for a few days, witnessing heroin and cocaine deals just 20 feet from the park's playground, and prostitution and abuse just outside the doors of the shelter.

"It shocked me--driving by you don't really get a sense of what is going on there. The real victims are the homeless who need a place to stay, particularly the children," Garbett says.

The Coalition has grown from a few downtown businesses and residents in 2015 to more than 600 members today. Garbett is currently serving...