| JANUARY 2011 Volume VI, Issue I |
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Success Stories
Keystone Custom Homes, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Larry Wisdom describes success for builders this way: "Building enough units to be profitable, growing market share, and developing people to sustain that and grow the company." Wisdom is president of Keystone Custom Homes in Lancaster, Pa. The company primarily serves the move-up buyer, but also delivers products for the entry level and second move-up buyer. Since the recession began in 2007, Keystone has achieved these milestones:
- Been profitable for four years
- Nearly doubled market share in three of the five counties where they build
- Moved up 61 spots in the Builder 100 ranking to 109 in 2009
- Moved to the number one spot on the Central Pennsylvania home builder ranking
- Moved up 13 spots to 30th position in the Central Penn Business Journal's rankings of top private companies
That success didn't come by accident. It came through striving for excellence and having the mindset and team members to achieve it. In early 2007, Keystone Custom Homes recognized it needed to change the way it conducted business in order to survive the downturn. They did so by sharing a vision across the company.
Read more...
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 The Builder Partnerships
Achievement Awards
By Charlie Scott, Woodland, O'Brien & ScottDelivering the highest quality and customer satisfaction are an essential edge in today's housing market. Builders executing at elite levels have a distinct advantage over their competition, and today that can mean the difference between barely surviving or thriving and growing market share. Unfortunately, many customer centric builders do not have an economical, reliable, third-party customer satisfaction verification option - until now. Read more...
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Market Report
By Chuck Shinn
The long free fall of the housing permits seems to have leveled out for the last year. The increase between January 2009 and March 2010 can be attributed to the Homebuyer Tax Credit. After the drop off when the tax credit expired, we have evened out again over the last few months. How quickly will the numbers rebound? Many factors affect this, including the foreclosure market, interest rates, housing prices, consumer confidence and employment rates, but the best guess is we will continue to bounce along the bottom for the next several months. Read more...
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Product FeaturesServing Millenials with Storage Solutions
We've been hearing about big changes in home design coming out of the recession. Floor plans are shrinking and builders and developers are refocusing on home efficiency to accommodate the newest emerging heavyweights in the housing market - the millennials.
You need to be paying attention to this shift. With smaller spaces in mind, the need for efficient storage systems like freedomRail will be very important to millennials. Your floor plans will increasingly include home offices, mudrooms, storage nooks and basements, all of which freedomRail accommodates perfectly. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating the millenial floor plan.
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5 Questions for - Jason Sherman, Supply Chain Manager Keystone Custom Homes, Lancaster, Pa.
Q. What is the best tool you have for managing your purchasing process?A. Our best tool is the proprietary supplier value scorecard. We use it for selecting, communicating and performance appraisal with all vendors and suppliers. The intent is to be transparent and have an objective measurement and tool. Read more...
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What's New at Builder Partnerships
By Chuck Shinn This year, Builder Partnerships celebrates the completion of its fifth year, and our team is excited about our growth and the opportunities we had to support our members as the market recovers. Over the last five years, when some markets were off their peak by more than 80%, the Builder Partnerships program continued to experience strong growth, adding approximately 500 builders and more than 60 manufacturer and service associates to our membership base. As an innovative organization aimed at changing the way builders, manufacturers and service providers work together, Builder Partnerships has served as a conduit to facilitate interactions and encourage communication. Our team remains focused on these goals as we work to facilitate relationship building and the synergies that result.
Read more...
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It's Not Too Late -
To be considered for a 2011 Builder Partnerships Achievement Award, please contact Monica Wheaton by January 31, 2011 at
monica@builderpartnerships.com.
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Join us for a Webinar on January 28:
I want to change my own content on my website, what are my options?
In this webinar, Brad Bombardiere will discuss the different options for managing your website content in house. Date: Friday, January 28, 2011 Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/525691342 Cost: $450 FREE for participating Builder Partnerships members $50 for non-participating members Loyal customer discount 75% ($112.50)
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) or newer
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The Shinn Group has over 500 builder clients, located across the U.S. and Canada, including top performers among regional homebuilders. For more information, visit www.theshinngroup.com.
Builder Partnerships represents nearly 350 builders in the US and Canada who build an average of over 25,000 units annually. To be added to our distribution list or contribute an article to the newsletter, please contact us at info@builderpartnerships.com.
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