in-kind donation from WORKPRO Tools builds homes, communities, and hope

October 28, 2022

By Laurynn Harkins

If you have visited any of our six ReStores throughout the Charlotte region recently, you may have seen WORKPRO Tools lining the shelves. As one of our newest gift-in-kind partners, WORKPRO Tools has donated over 100 pallets of tools over the past few months. These generously donated tools support our mission in a variety of ways. They are being utilized on our construction sites, are available for purchase at our ReStores, and are also being gifted to our partner families. Recently, we had the chance to sit down with Sue Ronis and Jessie Lu, both Media and Marketing Specialists at WORKPRO Tools, to learn more about the company and our exciting new partnership.

About WORKPRO Tools

WORKPRO Tools is a brand of hand and power tools established over 25 years ago. WORKPRO operates under the parent company Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial Co., Ltd., based in Hangzhou, China, which also owns several other recognizable brands such as Everbrite Lighting, DuraTech Tools, Arrow Fastener, Pony Jorgensen, Goldblatt and Shop•Vac. You can find WORKPRO tools on their online store, as well as on Amazon, eBay, Walmart.com and more.

While the WORKPRO brand is recognized globally, the Charlotte region is home to both a U.S. headquarters and Amazon return warehouse facility located in Huntersville, NC. This local connection made the partnership with Habitat Charlotte Region more purposeful and as Ronis put it, “a match made in heaven.”

WORKPRO and Habitat Charlotte Region

So, how exactly did hundreds of tools make their way to Habitat? When WORKPRO products are returned with ripped or torn packaging, they can no longer be sold even if they are in good working condition. Instead of throwing these items away, WORKPRO Tools donates them. “We don’t want to dispose of these products in a landfill when they can benefit so many people,” Ronis said.

That mindset ties directly into WORKPRO’s decision to donate to Habitat Charlotte Region. “It’s our passion for people to be able to complete projects by themselves so they have that self-satisfaction,” Ronis and Lu shared.

Through their partnership with Habitat, WORKPRO Tools is able to carry out this mission in a whole new way. This donation not only gives returned tools a second life, but also introduces the products to a new audience, empowers Charlotte region homeowners to complete more DIY projects, and even helps keep Habitat’s construction costs down by providing volunteers with the necessary tools to build new affordable homes.

WORKPRO’s Commitment to Community

The passion and commitment WORKPRO has towards philanthropy and community is further demonstrated through their “Pink Tools for Hope” campaign. In October of 2020, WORKPRO forged a partnership with National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® (NBCF) and created a line of over 30 different pink tools. With every purchase of a pink tool, a portion of the sale goes directly to fund the NBCF’s mission.

Ronis explained how this partnership blossomed out of a desire to “not just be a tool for building and projects, but to go farther, to help people. Make them stronger as workers, and stronger as women.” Here at Habitat Charlotte Region, we had the opportunity to contribute to the goal of empowering women by putting donated pink WORKPRO tools to work during the construction of our 2022 Women Build home.

We can’t thank WORKPRO Tools enough for their generosity and thoughtful partnership. This donation has and will continue to have an impact here at Habitat Charlotte Region and throughout the local community. We are honored to help carry out WORKPRO’s hope that their product “goes farther than the tool itself.”

October 28, 2022