Cruise for a Cause Founder Dan Neve Continues Fundraising Efforts After Retirement

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courtesy of ProSticker.com

Neve Retires from Staab Construction

Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) After retiring from a 35-year career at Staab Construction, Cruise for a Cause founder Dan Neve will be putting even more effort into raising funds for cancer research.

Since 2010, Neve has raised close to half a million dollars through his nonprofit. In December, he presented his largest-ever donation of $92,000 to the Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation to benefit breast and prostate cancer research, plus mobile mammography.

2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt

He will continue fundraising for the cause by traveling to Ford events around the country, currently in a 2019 Mustang Bullitt sponsored by the company.

“When I was fully employed working, I would always have to rush to and from the event to get back to work,” Neve said. “Now I can take more time and not rush, and hopefully do things better instead of taking shortcuts.”

With more time, he hopes to continue growing his annual Fall Ford Fest event in Wisconsin Dells as a kickoff for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

While Cruise for a Cause started out with a goal of beating breast cancer, later adding prostate cancer, ultimately the dollars raised through the nonprofit end up benefiting research for other cancers as well.

“A lot of people talk to me about all these other cancers that we can support. Understanding research and how it works, every dollar that goes to any specific cancer research program is actually impacting all cancer research,” he said. “They may be looking for something in breast cancer, but find out it impacts colon cancer.”

Neve will attend a Ford event in Florida for the first time this February and hopes to surpass the $100,000 fundraising mark in 2020. Most of the funds are raised through repeat supporters who seek out his booth to buy the new t-shirt and purchase raffle tickets.

“I’m one of those guys who always wants to improve on what I had previously done,” he said.

Long before starting a nonprofit, Neve was devoting his energy to running his own building and remodeling business before being hired as an apprentice carpenter by Staab Construction in Nov. 1984, just a few months after the company’s founding.

He supervised his first project in 1985 and continued running projects until 2007, when he became operations manager. In the months before his retirement this November, Neve tried to pass on as much of his expertise as possible.

One of just a handful of employees at the company’s beginnings, Neve has witnessed Staab Constrution’s substantial growth over the decades which led to a brand new office in Marshfield’s east industrial park in 1992 followed by major addition in 2016.

A personal milestone in Neve’s career was becoming a part-owner of the company, which is today owned completely by its over 100 employees as part of its ESOP.

To promote the construction industry, Neve spearheaded Staab Construction’s annual Career Day in 2015 to allow students from area schools to learn more about career opportunities. The company later hired a few of those students who may never had walked through the door without seeing the opportunities firsthand.

After concluding his own career, Neve “absolutely” recommends a career in the construction field.

“If anybody enjoys creating things, working with their hands, then construction is one of those careers where you get to see results,” he said.

Some projects he’s helped with include the Marshfield water treatment facility, Necedah dam, and the Wisconsin Dells wastewater plant. He enjoys being able to drive by years later and see the results of his hard work.

While he looks forward to retirement, Neve said it’s still “bittersweet” due to the many contacts he’s made in the industry who he will no longer see on a regular basis. However, he plans to keep a foot in the door by becoming a part-time trainer for construction associations.

For more information on Cruise for a Cause, visit www.cruise4acause.org.

News Desk
Author: News Desk

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