Bender making his mark by helping New Orleans rebuild from Hurricane Katrina

By Conrad Brunner| Aug. 26, 2008

Five months before he was forced into premature retirement by balky knees in 2006, Jonathan Bender took the initiative to put together a relief effort that delivered two tractor-trailers filled with donated goods to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans area, including his hometown of Picayune, Miss.

He still hasn't stopped helping.

That initial act of kindness has blossomed into a full-fledged entrepreneurial venture for the former Pacers forward. He owns an investment company that seeks community re-investment opportunities; a construction company that restores flood-ravaged housing; a property management company that leases those properties, targeting displaced residents looking to return to the New Orleans area; and a realty company to help facilitate the sale of those properties to qualified families.

You've heard of a one-man wrecking crew? Bender has become a one-man rebuilding team.

"It wasn't charity, it was a real crisis," Bender said, reflecting on those tense days in the aftermath of Katrina. "I hadn't spoken to my grandmother in weeks and when I finally talked to her they were stuck. I finally went to my house and it was just crazy. It was tough to get the normal stuff everybody else has like water or gas. When I went to Indiana and did it I wasn't thinking of anything other than trying to help as much as I could.

"When I got everything down there and saw how everybody really appreciated it, it really made me think how far we were behind in that area. Since I was there anyway, I kind of put my foot out there and started doing the kinds of things I'm doing now. I'm a social entrepreneur. I'm able to make a living and help the people around me at the same time, so that's great."

Bender has taken a holistic approach. His construction company restores the properties to better condition than pre-Katrina, using premium materials and fixtures. His management company works with the families that move in, including a 12-month program that educates them about things like how to qualify for a home loan and the best ways to maintain the property.

In his final season with the Pacers, Bender organized a drive to deliver supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images) He described his philosophy simply but eloquently: "Each one teach one."

"For me, it’s not just about putting someone in a house," he said. "It’s about showing someone how to fish so they can eat for a lifetime, as the old proverb says. It's about treating others the way you want to be treated. Educating people on many levels -- how to establish their credit, maintain their credit, how to get a home, keep a home, financial planning, opening a business, wealth-building and management and so much more."

In a region still recovering from the devastation of the hurricane, Bender has achieved stardom, albeit in a different arena.

''Jonathan has done more than the government so far as providing quality housing for low- and moderate-income families," Barbara Major, a board member of New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, told Gannett News Service. ''He's not just throwing something together ... He does quality work. He really cares about the people who are going to live there."

"Jonathan won't use cheap carpet or Linoleum,'' Joe Esnard III, a builder who has done much of Bender's construction work, told GNS. "He wants granite countertops, oak cabinets, quality flooring, nice light fixtures. I tell him he's going overboard for rental property, but he says he wants it to look like something he'd live in himself.''

He's not just an entrepreneur. He also is a philanthropist. Bender's foundation adopted an elementary school in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. For Christmas, he gave a present to each of the 432 students. For Easter, he provided baskets for each and hid the eggs for the hunt. He also provides activities that promote teamwork, self-esteem and responsibility, including monthly neighborhood basketball and mentoring camps.

Drafted out of high school at No. 5 overall by Toronto, then traded to the Pacers for Antonio Davis, Bender's playing career was haunted by knee problems. He spent parts of seven seasons with the Pacers, totaling just nine games in the final two before his retirement.

Since leaving basketball behind, Bender has poured himself into these new ventures.

"I've been playing ball my whole life and that's pretty much all I knew at the time – basketball, basketball, basketball," he said. "But I always knew I had something else burning inside me that I wanted to do. Being from Picayune, Miss., you learn the essentials but you don't learn a lot like the northern folk about entrepeneurship and stuff like that. We didn't have classes like that. I didn't know what an entrepreneur was until my early 20s, to tell you the truth.

"What I'm doing right now is basically trying to be the champion at what I'm doing."

Though his NBA career was mark primarily by frustration, Bender said he learned some difficult lessons that have helped him move into his new life.

"I’m not in the habit of looking back but if I must, the injuries took me through a tremendous mental test that taught me incredible patience," he said. "It taught me how to cope with adversity, how to create my own world. I developed razor-sharp focus that helped to block out the harsh criticism and negativity that was being said and written. It helped me to be stronger, to think deeper, knowing that everything happens for a reason.

"The impact you can have with an NBA career can be somewhat restricted, in the overall big picture. But an NBA basketball player-turned-entrepreneur? Well, that has no limits. Entrepreneurship has become a way of life for me. Basketball was great to me. I am so grateful for the awesome blessing that God bestowed upon me that has made it possible for me to be on the ride I’m on now."

Bender has chronicled that ride in a book, "Confessions of a Courtside CEO," which he said will hit bookstores early next year. He hopes it will help others looking for guidance.

"I consider this book to be important in my desire to become a mentor to other young entrepreneurs," he said. "I have a million people ready to teach me how to dribble but I couldn’t get one person to give me a minute to teach me about entrepreneurship and business. It was discouraging for me at first. But, in the end, it simply ignited my competitive spirit in a whole new and exciting way."

Because he had so much promise as a player, Bender was often a target for criticism during his days with the Pacers because he was unable to fulfill his immense potential. He has proved in the time since his true potential extended well beyond the boundaries of a basketball court.

"I gave basketball everything I had, 100 percent," he said. "I knew deep down inside I was a champion. Now that I have moved into another phase of my life, I will show just how much of a champion I am. Being a champion is more than just winning an athletic championship. It’s winning in life and making others winners with you along the way."