The Legacy Lives On
| Did you know that the company
was started back in 1974 by George Heywood? The story begins like this....
Mr. Heywood partnered with Mr. Johnson, and lets just say, Mr. Johnson wasn’t the kindest of men. One year after this partnership began, Mr. Johnson decided to be greedy and keep Mr. Heywood from any ownership or involvement in the company by “firing” him. A battle began over the company that would endure for about one year. The fight for the company came with many sacrifices for the Heywood family. One day upon leaving the courthouse, Mr. Heywood told his wife (Mrs. Heywood) that he wasn’t feeling well and asked her to take him to the emergency room. Mr. Heywood was placed in intensive care. Later that week, things looked promising and the doctors moved Mr. Heywood out of intensive care. On Thursday it looked as if he would be coming home on Saturday. On Friday, his wife came to the hospital and joyfully reported to Mr. Heywood that they had won 50% ownership of Hennepin Home! On Friday evening, Mrs. Heywood left the hospital with feelings of relief and hope for a restful night. At approximately 2:00 am, she received a call from the hospital. “Mrs. Heywood?”, the caller asked, “We just found your husband dead in bed”. With utter disbelief, she asked the caller to repeat themselves. She felt as though she were in a nightmare. Mr. Heywood, 53, had died suddenly of an aneurysm to the heart, leaving Mrs. Heywood alone with 5 small children, the youngest being myself at age 3.Taking one year off to be with her children after her husband’s death, Mrs. Heywood had to make a decision, stand up and fight or give-up. Knowing she couldn’t give up on her husband’s dream, Mrs. Heywood decided to go in and run her husband’s half of the company. In a short amount of time Mr. Heywood’s partner also died, leaving his wife and my mother to run the company. Eventually, my mother bought her out, leaving her sole owner. Many years of dedication, hard work and persistence led her to a successful business. She spent many days working in the office, going out into the field and then coming home to put a full meal on the table.I’m now following in my parent’s footsteps. From my father to my mother to me, the philosophy has stayed the same: treat people with respect, take care of your employees and let them know that they matter. Through this, clients will be well cared for. Caring about people and not looking only at the bottom line has enriched the lives of clients, employees and added to the legacy of the company. After 28 years of history, that philosophy says it all. I have had the honor of working with my mother for the past 9 years. She has been admired and respected in the industry, by her colleagues, her employees, her clients and her business associates. My hope is to continue my parent’s legacy by influencing and impacting lives in a positive way. Amelia Mata, President
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