A Legacy In Action
10th Annual Doug Mayo Golf Outing continues to build on Mayo’s legacy.
Long before the Build My Future events began, even before Mike Rowe was praising the men and women who got their hands dirty and kept the nation running through their skilled labor, Doug Mayo recognized the dwindling number of young people entering the skilled trades in Iowa.
“He’d read a few stories about the issue in trade publications,” says Leslie Mayo, Doug’s widow. “But he’d noticed for himself the lower number of younger generation folks entering the trades.”
Already active in his local and state Home Builders Associations (HBA), Doug wasn’t one to sit around and bemoan the problem. He took action.
“He came up with the idea of offering scholarships through the HBA to young people who wanted to attend trade schools or apprenticeship programs,” Leslie says. “By the time he got sick, that scholarship program had already been in place for 12 years.”
Mayo was diagnosed with prostate cancer in May of 2013, and the disease progressed quickly. He passed away in October of that same year.
Greater Des Moines HBA Executive Director, Dan Knoup, had known Mayo for years. “We judged a Parade of Homes together. I bought cabinets from him. We served on state and local boards together,” says Knoup. “We used to golf together at the outings we held in conjunction with the HBA board meetings. He was such a great guy and always willing to get in there and do what needed to be done.”
Jay Iverson, Executive Officer of the Home Builders Association of Iowa, agrees.“I got to know Doug working with him early in my role at the HBA. Bringing young people into the industry was always a passion for him. So was golf.”
On the evening of Mayo’s Visitation service, those two topics came up over and over.
“Doug loved to golf,” says Leslie. “So the evening of Doug’s visitation, people kept saying, ‘We should do a golf outing as a tribute to Doug.’ I had no idea how to put that together, but I was willing to plan, and everyone else was on board from the very beginning.”
The outing sold out that first year and has sold out every year since. Leslie continues to take the lead on organizing the outing, which is officially an HBA of Iowa Educational Corporation event.
“She’s phenomenal,” says Iverson. “The outing wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for Leslie.”
“This event is the perfect merging of things Doug loved—golf and educating young people in the trades. He had such an impact on everyone who met him, and that’s evident in the success of this event,” Knoup says.
Not only does the office close the day of the event so staff can volunteer, but Knoup says the Greater Des Moines HBA has put together a four-member team every year. Different local leaders participate each time.
“The Doug Mayo Golf Outing has been so effective at raising scholarship funds and building relationships among members in central Iowa that we’re working on expanding that to other parts of the state,” Iverson says.
The Tari Dailey Memorial Golf Outing is in its third year in eastern Iowa, honoring another industry professional who was passionate about encouraging the next generation of builders and tradespeople.
“Both of these events got started as a way to honor members who influenced the construction industry in Iowa,” Iverson says. “But it’s also about supporting a cause that mattered to them—making it possible for the next generation to get the training they need so we can sustain a healthy industry.”
The Mayo event, which has been held at Copper Creek Golf Course each year, sells out quickly and always has a waiting list. Leslie says that’s a tribute to Doug.
One way she honors Doug is to manage the event to suit the golfers. “We purposely don’t include entertainment along the course so the golfers can maintain the speed of play,” she says. “And we make sure teams are placed strategically so they can enjoy the day with friends and business partners.”
Additional activities, like the live auction and raffle and the dinner, take place at the end of the day. The event wraps up by early evening.
“Scholarship recipients are announced ahead of time. We always have several of the year’s winners who participate,” says Leslie. “It’s so rewarding to see Doug’s friends and fellow professionals supporting the event and to keep his legacy going through this scholarship fund.”
Because of Doug’s legacy of action, 22 young people received scholarship funds in 2023. In the decade since the outing began, more than $240,000 has been distributed through 262 scholarships. Recipients often return to the golf outing throughout their programs, making careers possible for numerous men and women now employed in the skilled trades who might not otherwise have had that opportunity.
Perhaps that’s Doug Mayo’s greatest legacy—the hope he had in the future and the steps he took to ensure it.
Making Dreams Possible
The Home Builders Association of Iowa (HBAI) annually distributes thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to students “pursuing a career in the home building industry and related trades.” Those recipients all have a dream they are pursuing and their own journey along the way.
Ulrich Wolfe has been able to chase his dreams, thanks to Hunziker Companies and the HBAI.
“I’ve received HBAI scholarships every year since 2020,” Ulrich says. “They made it possible for me to have more time to study, to be more flexible with my time, and to pursue things that will help my career.”
When he was 16, Ulrich’s mother passed away. During the settling of the estate, he developed an interest in real estate development.
“I grew up in Nevada, so I was familiar with the Hunziker Companies from seeing their signs around,” he says. “I knew they did all aspects of real estate development and management, so it seemed like a good place to learn more.”
As a senior in high school, Ulrich reached out to Hunziker, hoping for an internship or part-time job.
“We’d never had an intern for the development company,” says Hunziker’s Justin Dodge. “But Ulrich was persistent. I showed him around a bit and thought that would be the end of it, but he just kept coming back. We decided someone with that much drive was someone worth finding a place for.”
Ulrich has been working part-time at Hunziker ever since, learning all aspects of the business. A senior this fall at Iowa State University, he is studying finance and hopes to continue working in real estate development somewhere in central Iowa after graduation.
“As a family business, Hunziker has become like a family to me,” Ulrich says. “Giving back to the community is something the company has always emphasized. I hope someday to be able to support someone else’s dream the way Hunziker has supported mine.”