Meet Aaron Groff | Executive Director, Mayor of Fulshear & Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Groff and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, how does your business help the community or world?
In my day job I serve as the Executive Director of Abigail’s Place.  Abigail’s Place mission is to provide hope through housing, by providing transitional housing for Single Mothers and their Children who are facing episodic homelessness. Our typical family stays in a 3 bedroom unit for 3-4 months while they better their situation and position themselves for a long term solution. Most of our clients get resources, while in the unit, that increase their earning potential. In other cases the time in the house allows them the opportunity to save income that they can leverage to secure long-term housing. In addition to serving as the Executive Director of Abigail’s Place, I have the honor of serving as the Mayor of Fulshear.   As Mayor I serve as an advocate for our residents and work closely with strategic partners to ensure that the City can manage the growth while maintaining its charm.  Finally, as owner of Groff Consulting I work with churches and nonprofits to create strategic plans and build healthy teams.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I bring 25 years of Ministry experience to my current roles. I think this often gives me a unique perspective as I seek to serve our community well. In May of 2018 I was elected Mayor of Fulshear and started my second term in May of 2020. In July of 2019 I became the Executive Director of Abigail’s Place, a nonprofit that provides transitional housing for single moms in fort Bend County. I am extremely excited about what’s happening with Abigail’s Place. As an organization that’s just over 4 years old and we have served nearly 450 families. While not every mom who reaches out to Abigail’s Place gets placed in a shelter unit, we don’t have enough units for all in need, we do work to resource them all. Currently, we serve about 12 families annually through our 3 shelter units. However, coming out of the Pandemic our call volumes have greatly increased and we could easily serve upwards of 20 families at any given moment. Therefore, we are working with a number of strategic partners to immediately begin building 6-8 more units. In addition to providing shelter in one of our units, we also provide short term hotels stays for mothers while they work towards other transitional solutions, provide rental and utility assistance when possible and connect over 25 families a month to other needed resources. As we come out of the Pandemic it is essential that we find ways to give people a hand up and Abigail’s Place is committed to expanding its capacity to provide affordable transitional housing for single moms in Fort Bend County.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a great question, I would have to definitely start right here in Fulshear Texas. Fulshear is the fastest growing city in the state but even in the midst of that growth we are seeking to maintain a natural environment full of small town charm. I’d take them for a walk on one of our many trails that bisect the creeks in and around our city, point out some of the wildlife that includes alligators, dozens of species of birds, and if they’re lucky they might even catch a glimpse of a beaver, coyote or owl on a walk at dusk. On top of that the City has a number of great places to eat. I’ll get in trouble if I try to list them all out but I will mention two of our newest that just opened, Local Table and Molina’s. I’d also probably take them for a ride in the area to let them experience some our history, catch a glimpse of the Brazos River, and see our beautiful country side. After taking in the sights and sounds of Fulshear I might take them to historic Katy, a visit to La Centera, or catch a Skeeters game in Sugarland. Since we have a week I’d definitely try to catch a professional game downtown, visit some of the regions parks, and catch some live music. There is so much to do and see throughout the Houston region.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife Melanie and daughters Kealy and Ashley, Residents of Fulshear, and proud supporters of Abigail’s Place.

Website: https://www.abigailsplace.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigails_place/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-groff-02bb675/
Twitter: @GroffAaron
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbigailsPlace
Other: http://www.fulsheartexas.gov https://www.facebook.com/CityofFulshear https://www.facebook.com/Aaron-Groff-Mayor-of-Fulshear-194357077871390

Image Credits
Abigail’s Place City of Fulshear Self