After more than three decades building homes, Joe Ziler has shifted his focus from building a successful company to creating something he hopes will last far beyond his career.

Joe spent 32 years in the homebuilding industry, eventually building a successful company that he sold in 2023. As part of that sale, he established a $1.25 million charitable annuity to permanently fund the Mental Illness and Kindness Endowment, known as MIKE, which was created in memory of his brother Mike.

Today, ensuring those funds continue helping people in the community has become one of his greatest passions.

“I believe the most successful people are those who give back, not for recognition, but because good will always come back to you,” Joe says.

Through the MIKE Endowment, Joe says funds have helped provide counseling, support local nonprofits and assist individuals and families facing difficult circumstances. His community involvement has also included support for schools, veterans and mental health initiatives.

Although building and selling a successful business marked a major professional achievement, Joe measures the value of that success differently.

“While I’m proud of building a successful company, I’m even more proud of what that success has allowed me to do for others,” he says. “To me, success isn’t measured by what you accumulate, but by how much you give back and the lives you positively impact.”

That philosophy was shaped in part by mentors who believed in him early in his career. Joe credits them with showing him that leadership is rooted not simply in professional achievement, but in integrity, fairness and respect for others.

“They taught me that integrity, fairness, and treating people with respect matter most, and that true success comes from lifting others up,” he says.

It is a lesson he now hopes future professionals and community leaders will carry forward.

“Work hard, stay humble, and never lose sight of what really matters,” Joe says. “If you have the ability to make a difference, you have the responsibility to do so.”

For Joe, that responsibility has become the next chapter of a career built on success — making sure that success continues working for others.