Episode Transcript
What does it take to build more than homes—to build hope? In this inspiring conversation, Jeff Rutt, founder of Keystone Custom Homes and HOPE International, shares how a dairy farmer-turned-homebuilder became a global advocate for breaking the cycle of poverty. From lessons learned on the farm to empowering 3.3 million families worldwide, Jeff’s story is a masterclass in servant leadership, faith in action, and building a legacy that lasts.
Nicholas Paulukow
All right, today’s guest built a kingdom of homes and then turned his eyes to a kingdom without walls. On this episode of Servant Leader’s Library, we’re thrilled to welcome a man who knows a thing or two about building—not just foundations of concrete, but foundations of hope.
He’s the founder, president, and CEO of Keystone Custom Homes and a three-time winner of the America’s Best Builder Award. That’s over 9,000 homes built across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina—more doors than your average Monopoly board. But Jeff wasn’t content with just helping people find the American dream. He wanted to help people around the world dream—period.
As the founder and chairman of HOPE International, Jeff leads a nonprofit that serves in 24 countries, breaking the cycle of poverty through small loans, savings programs, and biblically based business training. Basically, he’s helping people go from “I have a dream” to “I have a business plan.”
Jeff proves that you can wear a hard hat and a servant’s heart at the same time. Today, he’s joining me, Nicholas Paulukow, CEO of ONE 2 ONE, to talk about servant leadership, faith in action, and why true impact often starts with simply showing up. So grab your coffee—or your blueprint—and settle in. This one’s going to build you up.
So welcome, Jeff. We appreciate you coming today and are excited to have you here. We’d love to learn more about yourself and your journey—how you got started.
We help leadership teams build more resilient IT foundations. Curious what that looks like?
Jeff Rutt
Thank you, Nick. It’s good to be here.
Nicholas Paulukow
Absolutely. What got you into the journey you’re on—building homes and also building people’s ability to have a home? That’s quite a dream.
Jeff Rutt
It started much earlier. I grew up on a dairy farm in southern Lancaster County. My dad taught me the value of hard work and discipline—getting up at 4 a.m. to milk cows when I was 10. I appreciated that years later… not so much at the time.
When I was 20, I literally bought the farm—200 acres for $550,000. My wife and I milked 150 cows and raised about 150 young stock for 10 years. Turns out, 300 bovines are very needy. So we started looking for something with fewer hours and lower risk. Home building and real estate seemed like a good choice.
Nicholas Paulukow
(Laughing) That doesn’t have its ups and downs at all.
Jeff Rutt
Right? I sold real estate for a few years, then worked with small homebuilders. I eventually realized I was doing everything—marketing, purchasing land, selections, customer service—except the actual physical building. So I hired a great construction manager and started small.
We had basically no cash. A bank gave me a break on a loan, and we built 12 homes that first year. The average sale price was about $69,900, lot included. God blessed us. We worked hard and survived a lot of ups and downs, especially during the Great Recession from 2007 to 2012. But we were fortunate enough to win the America’s Best Builder Award three times during that time.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s incredible. Your background—milking cows—is not an easy way to make a living. Probably not many vacation days, either?
Jeff Rutt
No vacations. But I learned a lot. I wouldn’t trade it for anything—though I wouldn’t go back either.
The dairy farm taught me lessons about business—knowing what you can control, having the wisdom, patience, and humility to accept what you can’t, and working hard to change the things you can. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been on vacation every day since leaving the dairy farm.
Nicholas Paulukow
(Laughing) That’s some vacation! One thing you said really resonates—you didn’t start with a pile of money. You had a vision and sacrificed a lot. People often see success as the tip of the iceberg, but don’t see what’s below it. And your wife—she must be an incredible partner to have been part of that journey.
Jeff Rutt
She is. We’re getting ready to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. She’s amazing. She’s also a two-time cancer survivor. In 2016, she was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer and given a 4% chance of surviving two years. Praise God, she’s cancer-free today—nine years later.
Both of us grew up on dairy farms in Lancaster County. We thought we’d always be farmers. But life had other plans.
In 1997, about five years after starting Keystone Custom Homes, I was asked to lead a church trip to Ukraine. We had been sending containers of food and medical supplies to a sister church in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine—yes, right where the fighting is today.
But Pastor Petrenko said something that completely changed me: “Your helping is hurting.”
Jeff Rutt
That one comment completely shifted our approach. We realized we were creating dependency—what Robert Lupton talks about in his book Toxic Charity. In the West, we think we can solve everything by just giving people more stuff.
Lupton explains the downward spiral: the first gift brings appreciation, the second gift creates anticipation, then expectation, entitlement, and finally dependency.
We wanted to do better. We wanted to help families use their own gifts, talents, and abilities to become pillars in their own communities—to restore dignity. And we wanted to do it in a way that also shared the gospel and discipled families holistically—spiritually, financially, personally, and socially.
We had no idea what we were doing. We didn’t even know how to spell “microfinance.” The first person I convinced to join me was a chiropractor! Not exactly the dream team. But he and his wife wanted to combine faith and finance.
Honestly, if you’re going to start a Christ-centered microfinance program, don’t combine a dairy farmer-turned-builder with a chiropractor. That’s not the ideal recipe. But somehow, God blessed it. We learned a lot through failure, just taking one faithful step after another.
One of our first clients was Natasha, in Zaporizhzhia. She got a small loan to sell clothing at a farmer’s market—similar to Central Market here in Lancaster. She thrived, then saw another need: a man selling Portland cement in the middle of the market. People had to haul heavy bags to their trucks. So she leased a kiosk near the curb to sell cement.
Eighteen months later, Natasha came in to make her last loan payment and said, “I won’t be needing any more loans—I’m not poor anymore.” That was powerful.
We’ve seen so many similar stories. Two Muslim women in Kigali, Rwanda, both got loans for sneaker businesses. HOPE International serves everyone—race, religion—it doesn’t matter. If you qualify, you’re welcome.
Those two women attended our regular loan meetings, which include what we call the “Five W’s”—Welcome, Worship, Word, Work, and Wrap-up. Over nine months, they were loved and supported by their group. By the end of that cycle, both women had come to Christ.
Another favorite story is Anastasia in Burundi, the third-poorest country in the world. She couldn’t afford to send her two daughters to school. She asked her loan officer for $20 to buy 20 plastic lawn chairs to rent out for weddings.
Honestly, I thought, “That’s not a great idea.” But her loan officer—who knew the local culture—said it was perfect. Weddings there last for days, and people need chairs.
Fast-forward to today: Anastasia owns 200 chairs, 200 place settings, 200 baskets, and three wedding dresses. Her dream now? Sending her two girls to university in Bujumbura.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s unbelievable. Those are amazing stories.
Jeff Rutt
Yes, and it’s grown beyond anything we imagined. In 2004, we brought on Peter Greer as president and CEO. He’s been with us 21 years now, written 21 books (Mission Drift, Rooting for Rivals, Lead with Prayer), and has led brilliantly.
When we started, we had no business doing this. Now, HOPE partners with 16,000 churches in 30 countries. We’ve provided $1.8 billion in loans as small as $20 and have served over 3.3 million families.
We’re just getting started.
Nicholas Paulukow
The impact is incredible. I know someone doing something similar, but he faced major resistance from local powers—drug lords burned down his factory because he was creating opportunity. But he won’t quit. It reminds me of what you’re doing—teaching people to help themselves and then teaching them to help others.
Jeff Rutt
Exactly. A lot of people know the saying, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach him to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” We say, “Give him a loan for the fishing rod.”
And we teach them to pray, to save, to learn from each other. It’s all locally led.
Fast forward 27–28 years, and we’re still amazed at what God is doing.
Nicholas Paulukow
The Holy Spirit is guiding that, no doubt. It’s inspiring to hear how you’ve built something with eternal impact.
Jeff Rutt
Honestly, we’ve learned as much from the families we serve as they’ve learned from us. It’s been a blessing for our own family, too.
When our kids were teens, we took them on trips. It completely changed their perspective. If there were a “contentment meter,” it was higher in those communities than it is here in the West.
We focus so much on comfort in the West, which leads to complexity and then complacency. Meanwhile, people with very little live with great joy.
Recently, Peter Greer met a 93-year-old woman in Rwanda named Marguerite. She always wanted to give to others, even though she had almost nothing. She joined a savings group, borrowed $40, and bought a goat. The goat had twins, and she gave one away.
That’s dignity. That’s joy.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s faith in action. Like the widow who gave her last coins at the temple—she gave everything she had.
Jeff Rutt
Exactly. We should compare ourselves to the other 90% of the world, not just the wealthiest 2%.
There’s a great book, Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch. It’s a challenge for parents, but also for ourselves. Gratitude takes practice, especially when we live in affluence.
Nicholas Paulukow
I went through something similar personally. Growing up in a faithful family, we were taught to give all the time. But later, as a business owner, I wrestled with creating wealth. I asked my pastor about it, and he said, “God gave you the talent to create wealth. The question is, what are you doing with it? Are you using it to serve or to elevate yourself?”
That shifted my thinking. It’s not wrong to create wealth—it’s wrong to cling to it for the wrong reasons.
Jeff Rutt
Exactly. That’s a great perspective.
Back to Keystone—six years ago, we made a big change. We’ve always felt like stewards, not owners, of the company. But the IRS kept sending us tax bills like we were owners! (laughs)
My oldest daughter sent me a video of a man named Alan Barnhart, who gave 100% of his $250 million crane company to the National Christian Foundation (NCF). He still runs it, and the company continues to grow.
We connected with him, prayed about it, and in 2019, we transferred 89% of Keystone Custom Homes—and all of its land affiliates—to NCF.
We still run it. We still make decisions. But now it’s profit for purpose. Proceeds can either be reinvested to grow the business or given to charity. We can’t take it out personally.
It hasn’t changed how we operate day to day, but it’s strengthened our why.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s incredible. It’s letting go of control and trusting God. Did it change your company culture at all?
Jeff Rutt
Not really. We’ve always been open about our faith—we pray at meetings, care for our team holistically, and work hard.
When I announced it to our leadership team, one operations leader said, “So you’re going to be one of us now?” I thought that was funny. I’ve always felt like one of them, but now it’s even more true.
There’s a story I like: a business owner drives up in a brand-new Mercedes. An employee says, “Nice car, boss.” The owner replies, “If you work hard, come in early, stay late, and give it your all… next year, I’ll be pulling in with an even nicer car.”
That’s not what we’re about. We want a higher purpose than just profit.
Nicholas Paulukow
We’ve had similar experiences. Some people don’t like that we talk about faith openly, but if the worst thing people say is, “They talk about God there,” I can live with that.
Jeff Rutt
Same here. Someone once told me, “You’re going to get sued someday for praying at company meetings.” But we’re not forcing anything. We love and serve everyone, regardless of beliefs.
We also lead with humility. Patrick Lencioni’s book The Ideal Team Player highlights the importance of being hungry, humble, and smart. Humility is the most important of the three.
Another favorite book is Ego Is the Enemy. If I could give one piece of advice to young leaders, it would be: Don’t take yourself too seriously. Take your work seriously, but not yourself.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s great advice. I also love The Go-Giver. It’s all about shifting focus from getting to giving.
What’s next for Keystone and HOPE International?
Jeff Rutt
For Keystone, we’re focused on building a dream team—hungry, humble, smart leaders who build dream homes and invest in the dreams of families we serve.
The building industry is cyclical, so we’re preparing for the future. Land is always a challenge, and we benchmark with other builders to learn best practices.
For HOPE International, there’s still so much to do. We can’t give our way out of poverty. There aren’t enough resources in the world to subsidize everyone. But we can unlock the God-given talents and abilities of families.
As Brian Fikkert says in When Helping Hurts, “The kindest way to hurt someone is to do for them what they can do for themselves.”
It’s messier to come alongside people instead of just giving handouts, but it’s worth it.
Nicholas Paulukow
What’s one leadership lesson you learned through hardship—something that shaped who you are today?
Jeff Rutt
One big one: Never waste a crisis.
When you’re in a valley—facing failure or hardship—ask, What can I learn from this?
The Great Recession from 2007 to 2014 was brutal. Half of the builders in the U.S. went out of business. We learned lessons during those “seven years of famine” that we still use today.
The same goes for HOPE International. In the early years, we were creating toxic charity without realizing it. If we hadn’t failed, we’d still be doing the same thing.
Also, when you’re succeeding, don’t just coast. Ask, What can we learn from this success to prepare for the future?
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s great advice. For those listening who want to grow as leaders, what’s your biggest piece of advice?
Jeff Rutt
Be a constant learner. Read. Listen. I listen to two books a month on Audible—classics like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The Four Disciplines of Execution, but also newer ones like Do Hard Things and Good Energy.
Always stay curious, humble, and focused on serving others.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s fantastic. Jeff, thank you for sharing your journey.
Nicholas Paulukow
So that’s a wrap. My friends, this is how you build more than houses—you build hope. From pouring concrete in Pennsylvania to planting seeds of transformation across 30 countries, Jeff has shown us that servant leadership isn’t just a philosophy—it’s a blueprint.
Whether you’re handing someone the keys to their dream home or empowering them with a $20 loan, lead with heart. True impact isn’t measured in square feet—it’s measured in changed lives.
Go build something. It might not be 9,000 homes, but maybe it’s 9,000 moments of compassion, integrity, or courage. Start where you are. Serve with humility.
This is Nicholas Paulukow, signing off for Servant Leader’s Library. Stay humble. Stay hungry. And maybe hand out a few loans of grace this week. Until next time.
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