March 2014 Volume IX, Issue 3

Ralph Drees Wins Lee Evans Pinnacle of Management Excellence Award

By Paul Deffenbaugh, Builder Partnerships

When Ralph Drees joined his father's home building business in 1959, the company had already been in operation for 30 years. "Joined" is probably an awkward term since Drees had grown up in the business, doing the hard work sons often do in their father's construction businesses, but it was in 1959 that he bought his first lots and became partners.

Today, Ft. Mitchell, Ky.-based Drees Homes is one of the 25 largest homebuilders in the country, and Ralph Drees is being recognized with the Lee Evans Pinnacle of Management Excellence Award for his lifetime of achievement. He is the third recipient of the award, following Dave Showers of Wayne Homes in 2005 and Tom Bradbury of Colony Homes in 2008.

"This is not an annual award," says Chuck Shinn, Builder Partnerships founder and administrator of the Lee Evans Awards. "It is given sparingly to honor builders who have had a lifetime of achieving superior management practices and visionary leadership. Ralph followed Lee Evans from some of the early years as he grew his company."

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Streetman Homes Earns Lee Evans Award for Management Excellence

By Paul Deffenbaugh, Builder Partnerships

How do you earn a Lee Evans Award for Management Excellence? Deliver 22 consecutive years of profitability even during the worst housing recession in history. Streetman Homes in Austin, Texas has done just that by implementing strong management systems, delivering high customer satisfaction, and building top-notch houses. This didn't happen by accident.

President and CEO, James R. "Randy" Streetman, says, "If you're not going to get in the cycle of big growth followed by large layoffs, you have to have great discipline, which tends to limit size."

Streetman targets lots in master plan communities. It builds high-end homes for very selective buyers who demand top quality, and it strives to deliver the best customer service. "We're not the cheapest guy," says Streetman. Place such a builder in the Austin market, which has about 1.5 million people, and those factors in and of themselves limit growth. Overlay strict discipline, and you get a homebuilder with a predictable revenue stream and strong cost controls that delivers profitability. "Profitability is the only real security for the employees, the company, and the people with whom we conduct business," says Streetman.

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Stephen Crouch Joins BP

Builder Partnerships is excited to announce and welcome the newest addition to our team. Stephen Crouch has recently joined the company as the Vice President of Manufacturer Relationships and Marketing.

In this new position, Stephen will be responsible for further developing our current service offering and implementing new offerings to ensure that we are continuing to help our current and future manufacturer and builder members develop strong and lasting relationships. Stephen joins the Builder Partnerships team with 18 years of manufacturer experience, having worked for Emerson Electric and, most recently, Johns Manville, where he focused on residential channel marketing, with a great deal of emphasis on marketing and selling to builders.

Stephen, his wife, and three sons currently reside in the Denver area and, although they are transplants from the south, they love to ski and enjoy the mountains. When he is not skiing or camping in his free time, Stephen can likely be found coaching one of his son's baseball teams.

Stephen will be working out of our headquarters in Littleton, Colo. He has already started making calls to manufacturers to introduce himself. If you would like to reach out to him directly, he can be reached at 303-884-3365 or at Stephen@builderpartnerships.com.

Builder Partnerships Names Winners of Customer Satisfaction Achievement Award

At the Builder Partnerships' reception during the International Builders Show, Monica Wheaton, CEO, named the eight winners of this year's Builder Partnerships Achievement Award for customer satisfaction.

Those companies earning Highest Distinction in Customer Satisfaction are:

B.R. Knez Construction, Painesville, Ohio
HHHunt Homes-Hampton Division, Richmond, Va.
HHHunt Homes-Raleigh Division, Richmond, Va.
HHHunt Homes-Richmond Division, Richmond, Va.
Jeff Benton Homes, Huntsville, Ala.
Schmidt Builders, Cincinnati, Ohio

Those companies earning Distinction in Customer Satisfaction are:

Conaway Homes, Whitehouse, Texas
Gabriel Homes, Greer, S.C.
New Tradition Homes, Vancouver, Wash.
Thompson Homes, Owensboro, Ky.

"In these days of increased demand for homes, builders must be focused on customer satisfaction, and the best builders are," says Monica Wheaton, CEO of Builder Partnerships. "The Builder Partnerships Achievement Award for Customer Satisfaction recognizes those companies that have standards, company culture, and processes in place to deliver what is most important to homebuyers-quality construction and a great buying experience."

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Product News

Aquatic's Subway Tile Bath Products

Builders and homeowners who want the timeless, classic look of ceramic subway tile but with easy installation, low maintenance and an attractive cost will like one of Aquatic's latest offerings.

The company, renowned for providing the largest and most innovative selection of bathware-all made in America-has released new, one-piece DuraCoreTM tub-showers featuring subway tile design. These units currently are available in two sizes: 66 x 36 x 80 inches and 60 x 32 x 80 inches (in the Western United States). Aquatic plans to expand its subway tile series later this year with the addition of a low-threshold 36 x 36 x 80-inch shower and a larger 60 x 42 x 80-inch tub-shower.

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To watch a video about what Baessler Homes accomplished for Homes for HOPE, click here

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What is Homes for Hope?

Homebuilders from around the country are partnering with Homes for Hope to build charity homes and use the proceeds to small business loans, savings services, and business training to people living in extreme poverty.

A hand up vs. a hand out

There are two distinct responses to poverty. The traditional response is to provide relief, or a "hand out" freely given to meet an immediate and dire need, and at its best should be short-term. The other approach is development, a "hand up" that aims to equip impoverished individuals and communities to meet their own needs. It's vital to understand the difference, because providing handouts to people who are capable of securing it themselves can result in our charity becoming the basis for their entire livelihood, or dependency. Mistakes like this one have seen poverty alleviation become a multi-billion dollar industry while global poverty has remained unchanged.

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In This Issue

Drees Wins Lee Evans

Streetman Wins Lee Evans

Crouch Joins BP

BPAA Award Winners

Aquatic's Subway Tile

Homes for HOPE

Upcoming Events

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Upcoming Events

Live Events

Purchasing, Estimating and Job Costing

April 7-9, 2014

Embassy Suites--DTC

Centennial, Colo.

Purchasing, Estimating and Job Costing is a comprehensive seminar designed to improve profitability through a more accurate and effective estimating and purchasing department.

For more information, click here.

The Superintendent's Job: Front Line Manager

May 8-10, 2014

Embassy Suites-DTC
Centennial, Colo.

The Superintendent's Job - Front Line Manager is designed as an interactive experience to help your team improve job site management techniques.

For more information, click here.

Managing for Profit

May 19-21, 2014

Embassy Suites-DTC

Centennial, Colo.

Managing for Profit is an intensive seminar designed to put you on track to improved profitability. Loaded with valuable insight on management techniques specific to home building companies, this seminar will provide tools you can use to realize improved results across the entire organization.

For more information, click here.

Webinars

Time for a Tune Up! Bring Profits Back

Fri., April 4 11:30am ET

With the downward spiral in sales prices and volume, and the days of merely employing survival strategies in the past, it is time to once again, refocus and identify how to get back to earning a good profit on every house.

Click here to register.

Internet Strategies: What Works & What Doesn't

Fri., April 11 11:30am ET

Brad Bombardiere presents successful case studies on how to create a unified marketing plan and web strategy focusing on what has worked for both production and custom builders.

Click here to register.

Design Your Homes with Profit in Mind

Fri., April 18 11:30am ET

The ultimate goal of building a home should be to make a profit. However, once all is said and done, that is often not the case. In this forum, Ed Hauck will present simple ideas you can implement during the design process to protect your margins while maintaining the architectural integrity and quality of the home

Click here to register.

The Art of the Purchase: Build a Profitable Purchasing Operation

Fri., May 2 11:30am ET

When preparing for the start of any project, there are several crucial tasks a builder must perform in order to set it up for success. Mark Henderson will walk you through these steps and explain why they are important to complete up front.

Click here to register.

Are Your Foundations Screwed?

Fri., May 15 11:30am ET

Are you building your residential structure foundations on unstable soils? If you are, you may be in for a big and expensive surprise within your structural warranty window.

Click here to register.

Management Reports that Drive Profits: 10 Tips to Make Your Accounting Work for You

Fri., May 30 11:30am ET

After five years in the doldrums, the industry is ready to expand. Builders want to take advantage of the market revival, but growth can be expensive and risky. Your accounting system and its reporting function can guide the growth process to make sure your company is not only growing in size but also in profits.

Click here to register.

For the Complete list of webinars, click here

Builder Partnerships

Builder Partnerships is a unique organization focused on providing education and improving communication and collaboration within the home building industry. Currently we represents approximately 550 builders in the United States and Canada who have projected about 66,000 homes built collectively this year. With over 75 manufacturer and service providers associated with our group, Builder Partnerships also manages highly competitive rebate and incentive programs and works to strengthen relationships between builders, manufacturers and other service providers in the home building industry.

For more information, visit www.builderpartnerships.com