The job responsibilities seem to fit him perfectly. He is a little bit of a salesman, a little bit of a contractor and, probably, the most important characteristic is he isn’t afraid to ask for money.

“I have a long history in construction as my father was a general contractor. I have built several homes myself and I have been in sales all my life,” said Dyer, who replaced the retired Jim Crawley.

 “I was getting tired of traveling all the time. When this opportunity came, I decided it was time for me to take a job I could do close to home.

 “This is supposed to be a part time job, but it is about 60 hours a week. I am learning a lot about this job as I go along. The thing I have learned most is what we do that is so important because we don’t give houses away.

“We build houses and help people afford to make the payments. We’re trying to help people get on their feet. We call it a hand up, not a hand out.”

Dyer said there is a lot of work ahead of him and Habitat officials as they prepare for 2010.

He said he wants to keep the momentum Habitat experienced in 2009, going through this year. He doesn’t want to stop the wheels of progress now.

“There are a lot of things I would like to see us do this year. We want to focus on building one house per quarter and finish the rehabs on two other houses,” Dyer said.

“Funds are being cut now, as far as donations and grants go. So, we have to find local money this year that we can get people to donate to cover some of the items we need.”

He said he also wants to get churches involved in the local builds in 2010.

He said the churches are also a great source for names of possible homeowners.

And Dyer has had great success so far spreading the word about Habitat in the local community.

 “I have already been around asking the local banks to help us build a home, and we haven’t been turned down,” Dyer explained.

“They’ve all told me to call them when we need them. That’s just the way our community is. The thing is we can’t keep going to the same people for money. That’s why we need to expand Habitat for Humanity to Portland, Westmoreland, even White House.”

Dyer said Habitat is currently in good shape as far land donations go.

Several individuals have donated land for builds or have sold Habitat the property for well under cost.

Now that land is available, Dyer said the next project will be to find the families.

To be eligible for a Habitat for Humanity home, families must meet certain financial requirements, as well as regulations concerning work history, credit report and level of need.

A typical Habitat build is a three-bedroom, two-bath house, including new appliances.

Dyer said the homes are “nothing elaborate, but exactly what a family in need can use.”

Dyer doesn’t take the success Habitat is experiencing for granted. He said a lot of people work very hard to make each build possible.

 “I think it starts with our board of directors. They are all people of the community, well established and have been for many years,” Dyer said.

“We’re also very good stewards of our grant money and our donations. Our goal is to do the very best with what we have. You can’t run in the red when you run a Habitat for Humanity.”

He also said Habitat’s tradition in the county is a solid asset. The organization began in 1995 and has already built 27 homes.

Dyer said he has plans for Habitat and is excited about the future. He said he is in the initial stages of starting a campus chapter at Volunteer State Community College.

Dyer also wants to start a Club 50 Program, which would include donors giving Habitat $50 every time a house is built.

By the end of the year, Dyer explains, the club would have raised enough money to pay for the building of another home.

Dyer said the work never ends. Besides working to raise money, he is also working to gather volunteers.

He said Habitat is in need of people eager to get involved and help the organization.

 “We need help and that can include writing a check, becoming a board member or even coming to a home site to help work,” Dyer said.

“We could also use help with donations of items. Things that you would put out in a yard sale could be put into a home we’re building.

 “If you saw some of the circumstances these people are forced to live in, it just gives you a good feeling helping someone get back on their feet. These people aren’t bad people. They’re just people who need some help. These folks are very appreciative and the feeling of knowing you can help someone makes everything we do worthwhile.”