Operations

Operations

• Recession Has Been the Mother of Innovation for Home Builders

  From tough times sprang new ideas whose action plans have made companies better operators and more competitive.

   

• Innovation Abounds in Every Area of Home Building

  To pull their way out of the recession, builders, designers, and inventors are pushing the creative envelope with new designs, construction solutions, and management systems.

   

• Colorado's Saint Aubyn Homes Enjoys "Hectic" Growth

  The startup expects to close around 200 homes in 2010.

   

• Private Equity Firm Buys Excel Homes

  New owner, H.I.G. Capital, plans aggressive growth for the modular-home manufacturer.

   

• Sweeping shifts in power transform Florida banks

  Mar. 15--Looking across a glistening Biscayne Bay on a recent chilly morning, Wells Fargo & Co. Chairman and Chief Executive John Stumpf pointed east and asked, "What's that, over there?"

   

• A Louisville Builder Shares Tips On The Art of Negotiation

  Joe Pusateri of Elite Homes has built a second career on telling builders how to get what they want from banks, contractors and customers.

   

• Kevork Hovnanian Found Joy in Helping People

  The late chairman of Hovnanian Enterprises gave back to his native and adopted countries.

   

• Fulton Homes' Ira Fulton Sees Philanthropy as a Collaboration

  He makes sure that the millions he's donated are getting put to proper use.

   

• Structure Homes Turns to Academia to Transform Itself for Longevity

  Over 18 months, the Los Angeles area custom builder organized its departments and employees to give each more authority.

   

• Time for the International Builders' Show 2010

  The show will be held in Las Vegas from Jan. 19–22.

   

• Wasted Trips to the Jobsite Equals Wasted Money

  Why is no one measuring the biggest robbers of profit?

   

• Former Meritage Chief has Ambitious Plans for New Company

  John Landon says energy efficiency and affordability distinguish houses produced by his year-old Landon Homes.

   

• Wade Jurney Homes Survives and Grows

  A combination of circumstances and skills helps the North Carolina builder take advantage of the downturn.

   

• Home Depot Tries To Reassert Its ‘Power’

  Giant home-improvement retailer envisions its long-range growth coming from improvements such as centralizing product distribution and making its U.S. stores more productive.

   

• 6 Lessons For Builders From the Housing Bust

  A brutal housing recession raises questions about standard operating procedures in the home building business.

   

• Builder 100: A Horrid 2008 Behind Them, Few Builders Are Making Dramatic Changes

  The hard times that began in 2006 for the housing industry dragged on through 2008. That was especially true for those companies that compose our Builder 100, whose market share of total closings fell last year to 38.7 percent from 41.2 percent in 2007.

   

• T.H. Properties Abruptly Suspends Operations

  Pennsylvania firm closed 385 homes in 2008 for $125 million in revenue, according to BUILDER 100 data.

   

• In Desperate Times, Four Companies Change Their Personalities

  Process improvements and different products are what three builders and one developer hope will lead them into the next recovery.

   

• TOUSA to Wind Down Operations

  Florida-based big builder filed Chapter 11 last year, but will not emerge from bankruptcy.

   

• Questions and Answers with Cynthia Russell

  Builder talks to the Florida home builder whose essay won her tickets to the inauguration