"This is a story that I get to share now with new employees when we meet with them to talk about our culture and the generosity of our company," said Meghan Johnson, Betenbough Companies Permian Basin connections manager. "The Lord chose to knit Betenbough Companies into our story. He could have provided any way that He had so chosen, but He chose to use Betenbough Companies because we really are a family and they helped build ours."
Meghan and Kyle Johnson's story was first shared in the Impact Report in 2019 when the couple miraculously raised more than the necessary funds needed to start their family as a result of Betenbough Companies' double matching initiative on Giving Tuesday. Their story was shared for a second time in 2020 when the couple adopted their first son, Houston.
But God wasn't done just yet.
In 2021, less than a year from their first adoption, Meghan and Kyle received a call about an opportunity for private adoption. After years of praying for their own children, God blessed them with a double portion. Their second son, Jack, was born into their family, Houston gained a brother, and their greater Betenbough family had grown by not just one, but two.
"When my womb was empty and so were the rooms of my house, they were there."
While this was cause for celebration for everyone involved, the logistics of what maternity leave would look like for another baby after Meghan had just returned from an eight-week paid maternity leave with Houston was something the company hadn't quite faced before. The circumstance was so unique that the Betenbough Companies Board met to discuss what they should do. “One huge question mark we had was if I would be allowed to take another maternity leave or not,” Meghan explained. “With the baby being an infant, I knew I’d have to stay home for at least 6-8 weeks before he’d be allowed in any sort of daycare.” Like most companies, the maternity policy didn’t allow someone to take multiple maternity leaves within a single year, but the circumstance was so unique that the Betenbough Companies Board met to discuss what they should do.
"We were blessed to be a part of what God was doing in Meghan and Kyle's lives," said Cal Zant, president of Betenbough Homes and Betenbough Companies board member. He didn't want the Board to take all the credit though.
"Of course we wanted to give Meghan the time off," Cal explained. "But we also knew that would leave a gap in the team for another few weeks that others would be asked to fill. We're always trying to think through what is the best thing not just for one person, but everyone involved. So we invited her leader, David Morgan, into that conversation. Both David and some of our Midland team would be the ones who would need to fill in for Meghan if she was gone for another extended period, so ultimately we wanted to understand how they felt about it before we made a decision."
"You know, we didn't have a policy in place for this circumstance," said David Morgan, Betenbough Companies Permian area connections manager. "I felt honored that the Board and other leaders came to me to ask my perspective on what I believed would be the best thing to do."
When sharing his perspective with company leaders, David thought about the time that Meghan had to bond with Houston and thought back to when his girls were born. "I remember feeling like I didn't for one moment want my girls to be without our presence for their first moments in the world," he said. David wanted that for Meghan and Kyle, and while he was ready to, he didn't have to fight for it.
"This just proved to me that our leadership is who they say they are, and that our values aren't just a poster," said David. "Our leaders stepped in where the law didn't."
Meghan explains that while the Board did not have to give her a second maternity leave, they understood how important it was for her to have that time to bond with Jack just as she had with Houston. "So many companies say they believe in family and being 'family first,' but Betenbough truly lives that out."
"Our community at Betenbough has a special investment in the boys' story. So many of them have walked alongside us, even prior to Giving Tuesday 2019," said Meghan. "My kids reach for people at Betenbough when we bring them for a Friday lunch or regional event because they really know them. Our babysitters work for Betenbough."
Purpose beyond profit applies outside of the Betenbough Companies walls but most importantly, within them. It applies to the people working within those walls and that includes their families too. Meghan and Kyle and their two boys were no different.
"The support that we really needed to have both emotionally and spiritually, God provided that through Betenbough. When my womb was empty and so were the rooms of my house, they were there. Now the rooms of my house are full, and they still surround me and I'm just so thankful."
To hear their full story from the beginning, watch the video below.
Kyle, Jack and Meghan Johnson
Houston and Jack