Babson Graduates Unite in Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts
By the time Hurricane Sandy weakened, it had left a path of destruction and devastation so vast that the idea of rebuilding was almost unfathomable. But as immense as the notion was, the sky eventually cleared, the sun emerged, and communities along the Eastern Seaboard banded together to rebuild.
In New York, Hurricane Sandy recovery plans began early. At the height of the storm, a Babson alumnus, Jesse Levin ’08, was busy applying his entrepreneurial mindset to recovery efforts by recognizing synergy and opportunity where others might have only seen disparity. He was able to successfully connect a disaster recovery team, Team Rubicon, in need of an operational base with a Babson alumni founded rock climbing gym, Brooklyn Boulders, knowing that collaboratively the recovery team and the gym could make a significant partnership.
Throughout the storm, Brooklyn Boulders defiantly remained open night and day to provide the local community with warmth and safety. When Brooklyn Boulders learned that Team
Rubicon was in need of a location for their base, they quickly welcomed the team to setup operations in their gym. With Brooklyn Boulders as their base, Team Rubicon was able to take their entrepreneurial approach to disaster recovery by deploying hundreds of military veterans and medical professionals to help residents of Brooklyn, The Rockaways, and New Jersey.
Jesse, Team Rubicon, and the Brooklyn Boulders founders – Jeremy Balboni ’05, Steve Spaeth ’05 and Lance Pinn ’05 – were able to positively impact the lives of thousands of people with unconventional thought, swift action, and a passion for making a difference.