But moves by several of the largest for-profit, private builders put them in better shape to reap rewards in 2011.
By:John Caulfield www.builderonline.com

Ask anyone at Shea Homes how tough it was to make a buck in 2010.

The Walnut, Calif.–based company was once again one of the 10 largest for-profit, privately owned builders in closings that year, according to our annual BUILDER 100 ranking. (See chart below.) But those closings were down slightly from 2009 and Shea’s revenue was flat, despite J.D. Power & Associates recently rating Shea the industry’s No. 1 builder for customer satisfaction.

No one could argue that Shea was simply waiting for the recession to recede, either. In June, it acquired a bankrupt Levitt & Son community in Florida for $ 5.3 million from Bank of America, which includes 345 developed homesites and undeveloped lots with the potential for another 390 homesites. In the first phase of the $ 2 billion Civita project in San Diego, Shea is building two subdivisions of 200 condos, townhouses, and attached homes. And the builder continued to expand its popular Spaces house design concept, which features room flexibility, to other markets.

Moves made in late 2009 benefited two private builders, Ashton Woods USA and Woodside Homes. Georgia-based Ashton Woods USA converted $ 125 million of its public debt to private debt, which appears to have given this company breathing room to grow. The company has since expanded its operations into Raleigh, N.C., and Austin, Texas. Ken Balogh, a former Centex executive who was Ashton Woods’ COO, was promoted to CEO after Tom Krobot, who had held that post since 1995, retired on Dec. 31, 2010.

North Salt Lake City, Utah–based Woodside came out of bankruptcy in November 2009 and soon afterward began jumping on distressed land opportunities. Its strategy, says CEO Joel Shine, has been to “go where there’s a little less competition” from builders or existing homes, with an emphasis on being near job centers. As of November 2010, Woodside’s biggest deal since coming out of Chapter 11 was in Temecula, Calif., where this builder/developer placed in escrow $ 7.2 million to buy 210 finished and unfinished condominium lots. The company also acquired lots in Las Vegas; Mesa, Ariz.; and Roy, Utah.

Many private builders are hoping that 2011 presents their companies with a more robust business climate. Arizona-based Taylor Morrison, at the top of the list, is looking to return to profitability after its British parent, Taylor Wimpey plc, sold Taylor Morrison and Canada’s Monarch Homes in April of this year to an investment consortium for nearly $ 1 billion.

Texas-based David Weekley Homes, which incurred double-digit dips in revenue and closings last year, looked East for growth—to Indianapolis, to be precise, where last month it entered that market by acquiring The Estridge Cos., which only weeks earlier had discontinued its home building operations because it couldn’t get financing to continue. Paul Estridge will become president of Weekley’s Indianapolis division, which is already selling homes and is expected to restart construction next month.

Rank Company 2010 Closings Change 2010 Gross Revenue Change
14 Taylor Morrison 2,570 -23% $ 1,500 million 14%
16 The Villages of Lake Sumter 2,208 4% $ 512 million n/a
18 Shea Homes 2,002 -4% $ 835 million 0%
19 David Weekley Homes 1,857 -17% $ 612 million -11%
20 Highland Homes 1,704 17% $ 599 million 17%
21 The Related Group 1,634 n/a $ 961 million n/a
22 The Drees Co. 1,511 1% $ 513 million -1%
23 Woodside Homes 1,444 -19% $ 361 million -23%
24 Perry Homes 1,298 2% $ 364 million -1%
25 Ashton Woods 1,197 -9% $ 310 million -3%

John Caulfield is senior editor for Builder magazine.

Learn more about markets featured in this article: San Diego, CA, Raleigh, NC, Austin, TX, Indianapolis, IN.

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

Closings decline 21% among 10 largest private home building firms.
By:Teresa Burney www.builderonline.com

Surviving the worst housing market since the Great Depression represents a major achievement for a privately funded builder, but the top 10 for-profit private builders of 2009 were able to do more than just stay alive–they also managed to hold their own against the cash-rich publicly funded builders.

No private for-profit builder took a top 10 on the BUILDER 100 list, but one, Taylor Morrison, at No. 13 with 3,347 closings, came close. (Nonprofit Habitat for Humanity International achieved the rank of No. 8 on the list, with 5,294 closings.)

David Weekley Homes, The Villages, and Shea Homes weren’t too far behind with more than 2,000 closings for each of them. (See sidebar below for individual companies’ closings and revenue numbers.) However, Shea Homes, with a 35.2% drop in closings and a 40.1% fall in revenue, dropped several spots, falling behind David Weekley and The Villages.

Yet, as a group, the top 10 private builders were, for the most part, able to stay close to the same spots on the lists they held last year. Woodside Homes, even under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, only dropped one notch, from No. 20 to No. 22, with 1,788 closings in 2009.

Of course, 2009’s difficult business conditions made an undeniable impact on these firms. Business remains a fraction of what it was during home building’s peak, and most large private builders on the BUILDER 100 took a sizeable hit again last year. As a group, closings were down an average of 21%. Revenues were off as well, by 23.9%, as the companies discounted homes to get them sold.

Only one private builder, Ashton Woods Homes, grew closings last year, boosting its business by 9.7% to 1,319 deliveries. However, its revenue still declined 9.5% in 2009.

(Editor’s note: Housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, the No. 1 builder on this list of top 10 private builders last year, would have also been the biggest private builder this year based on last year’s criteria. However, this year we decided to restrict this list of the top 10 private builders to for-profit firms only.)

Top 10 For-Profit Private Builders in 2009

1. Taylor Morrison (B100 rank: #13*)
3,347 closings, $ 1.3 billion revenue

2. David Weekley Homes (B100 rank: #17)
2,229 closings; $ 690.million in revenue

3. The Villages (B100 rank: #19)
2,115 closings; $ 658.5 million in revenue

4. Shea Homes (B100 rank: #20)
2,091 closings; $ 838.9 million in revenue

5. Woodside Homes (B100 rank: #21)
1,788 closings; $ 469 million in revenue

6. The Drees Co. (B100 rank: #22)
1,500 closings; 519.6 million in revenue

7. Highland Homes (B100 rank: #23)
1,455 closings; $ 511.2 million in revenue

8. Ashton Woods Homes (B100 rank: #24)
1,319 closings; $ 319.5 million in revenue

9. McGuyer Homebuilders (B100 rank: #25)
1,280 closings; $ 325.7 million in revenue

10. Perry Homes (B100 rank: #26)
1,267 closings; $ 368.7 million in revenue

Source: BUILDER 100
* Numbers in parentheses refer to the company’s overall rank on this year’s BUILDER 100 list.

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

Mornings are crazy at best in most households.
Everyone is focused on what they need to do and lose track of time before getting out the door.
People who keep time logs have noted that they have 60 – 120 minutes that are not used productively from the time they wake up and actually start their commute to work.
A lot of people work late or have evening obligations, so successful people try to take care of their personal priorities first thing in the morning.

1) Streamline breakfast, personal care and kid routines
2) Exercise – it’s a great way to start the day and most people shower in the morning anyway
3) Take time to think – strategic thinking time – plan your day, read, meditate or write. All these things help clear your mind and get you in the right mind set
4) Indulge your creative side – if you have a hobby, spend 30 minutes doing it
5) Play, read or talk with your children – if you know you are working late that night or have an evening obligation, plan a leisurely breakfast with your children

If you only have an extra 60 minutes in your morning that you are not using productively…pick 2 of the above mentioned and spend 30 minutes on each or pick 3 and spend 20 minutes on each…in the end…you will feel better and have a better mind set to go out and have a productive day!

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

Congratulations to Jim Evans and with a group of his friends/colleagues, founded a company called Sevan Multi-Site Solutions.
Their team decided to pursue a partnership with a widely respected construction company called Balfour Beatty Construction and together they formed a new venture (Balfour Sevan) to jointly pursue multi-site program management. Balfour Sevan will serve the unique needs of clients who are building new sites, demolishing and rebuilding existing sites and re-branding or updating their image at multiple locations, usually across a wide geography and often with concurrent timelines.
Congratulations Jim and team!

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

Source: BIG BUILDER News
Publication date: June 13, 2011
By BB Staff
Beazer Homes USA, Atlanta (NYSE:BZH) early Monday abruptly announced that Ian J. McCarthy, the company’s president and CEO, had left the company. He is succeeded by CFO Allan Merrill, who was named president and CEO.
The company said only that McCarthy “is leaving the company and has resigned from the board of directors.” McCarthy, who ran Beazer and its predecessor companies since 1991, entered into a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in March in which he agreed to return his entire 2006 compensation, including $ 6.5 million in cash and 40,103 restricted stock units and 78,763 shares of restricted stock, to the company under section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. That provision “requires reimbursement by chief executive officers and chief financial officers of certain compensation and stock sales profits they earned while their companies were in material non-compliance with financial reporting requirements due to misconduct.” It was the third SEC enforcement action stemming from the results of an investigation into accounting misconduct at the company during the 2006 fiscal year.
Merrill was the driver behind Beazer’s recapitalization effort as CFO for the past four years. The new CEO previously worked for Move, Inc. after working for 13 years for Dillon Read & Co. Inc., and its successors, including UBS, where he managed the firm’s Housing, Construction and Building Materials group. In that capacity, Merrill was lead adviser to Beazer on its IPO in 1994 and on several acquisitions.
Succeeding Merrill as executive VP and CFO is Robert Salomon, a veteran home-building financial executive who was Beazer’s chief accounting officer. Salomon joined Beazer in 2008 and has more than 25 years of financial management experience, including over 19 in the home-building industry. Prior to joining Beazer, Salomon was CFO and treasurer of Ashton Woods Homes for nearly 10 years, which he joined from M.D.C. Holdings (NYSE:MDC), where he held various accounting and finance positions over a 6 year period.
“Over many years Ian McCarthy has ably guided the company to its current position as one of the ten largest homebuilders in the United States,” said Beazer Chairman Brian Beazer. “During this time, the homebuilding industry and the company have experienced many complex issues which Ian has dealt with to the benefit of the company. The board appreciates his leadership and many contributions to the company. For these efforts we would like to thank him and wish him all success in the future.”
Of the new executive team, Beazer said, “We are pleased that Allan and Bob have accepted these appointments. Both possess many years of industry experience and have demonstrated a commitment to the success of our stakeholders.” He added that the pair will “conduct a thorough review of the company’s operations and potential growth opportunities.”
David Golberg, home-building analyst at UBS, said in an investor note, “It is clear from our conversations with mgmt that increased focus will be placed on top line growth, as much of the low hanging fruit in terms of cost reductions has been realized. In our opinion, this reflects the continued dedication to improving operating leverage, especially as conditions normalize.”

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

From: BUILDER 2011Posted on: May 5, 2011 11:02:00 AM
I Am Woman, Hear Me Saw
Habitat For Humanity’s Fourth Annual National Women Build Week will start 257 homes by this Sunday.
By:John Caulfield

Mel Ressler has worked for Habitat for Humanity, on and off, for the past decade, including time spent with AmeriCorps. This week, she’s supervising the construction of two homes in Charlotte, N.C., that are among the 257 houses Habitat will start in different markets across the U.S. between April 30 and May 8 as part of its fourth annual National Women Build Week.

Women on construction sites may still be more the exception than the rule, but they’re more evident on Habitat’s sites, where on any given week 10,000 female volunteers are helping to build Habitat homes around the world. Over the past 20 years, all-women crews have built 1,800 homes under Habitat’s auspices, the first of which was started in Charlotte 20 years ago.

To finish reading the article click here: http://www.builderonline.com/construction/i-am-woman-hear-me-saw.aspx?cid=NWBD110506002

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

www.atlantarealestateforum.com

Lennar Atlanta Celebrates With “Derby Days”

Never ones to shy away from using an event or holiday as a reason to celebrate and decorate their Model Homes, Lennar Atlanta has announced that this coming weekend from Friday 5/6 though Sunday 5/8 will be “Derby Days” at all their Atlanta new home communities in celebration of this weekend’s Kentucky Derby.

All Lennar Atlanta Welcome Home Centers will be decorated and events planned by the individual New Home Consultants active in that neighborhood. This means that if you tour multiple communities this weekend you may be offered a piece of authentic Kentucky Derby Pie, have the chance to win Kentucky Derby memorabilia or just shop for your new home in a festive environment. Sorry, but Mint Juleps are not on the menu.

“Derby Days” will be taking place throughout the northern metro Atlanta area including Caswell Overlook townhomes, Creekview at Shiloh Valley, Mirraview and Tanglewood in Cobb county. The new Lennar Atlanta Forsyth county communities of Laurel Heights and Hanover Pointe. Trey Vista in Buford will be the location to join the festivities in Gwinnett county. These communities range in price from the $ 150,000’s to low $ 400,000’s.

Don’t forget forget to follow Lennar Atlanta on Facebook to stay up to date on activities including events like “Derby Days” for all their Atlanta communities.

For More Information -
www.LennarAtlanta.com
Ph. 404-931-7462

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

Four Builders. Same Story.
Similar choices beget singular successes.
By:John Caulfield
www.builderonline.com

Great minds think alike, the saying goes. So it’s not surprising to discover common threads that connect the recent successes of the four regional builders we profile on the following pages.

All of them have refreshed and edited their house plans within the past 24 months, often by introducing new series with flexible designs. The builders have concluded as well that offering more choices through options empowers their customers and generates more profit per sale.

Another common thread is construction efficiency. Each company used the recession to work out how to build houses quicker with significantly fewer employees but without sacrificing quality. Simplifying their house plans certainly helped, as did the availability of labor willing to meet the builders’ higher production demands. Keeping their associates and subs happy is now a critical component of each company’s business model.

It’s worth noting that each of these builders projects healthy growth over the next few years within its local markets. That doesn’t mean, though, that they aren’t also looking to attract out-of-state buyers who are relocating for reasons of business, lifestyle, or retirement.

To continue reading this article follow this link: http://www.builderonline.com/operations/four-builders-same-story.aspx?cid=NWBD110512002

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

1. Spelling, punctuation and grammatical mistakes. They tell an employer that you do not pay attention to details.
2. Using colored paper. It can make the text difficult to read and is distracting.
3. Too much information. Tailor your resume to fit the position you are applying for.
4. Using buzz works like “results oriented”, “team player” and “motivated”. They are over used and have lost their impact.
5. Irrelevant hobbies. If they do no t compliment the position, don’t include them.
6. Paragraphs that are packed with long sentences. Use 3 – 5 bullets and no more than 5 sentences per bullet.
7. Using an unprofessional email address. No nick-names, just use your name.
8. Mistaking responsibilities for accomplishments. Explain how you brought value to a company, not just your job duties.
9. Providing references. A company will not need them unless they are going to offer you a position and they take up space that could be used to sell yourself.
10. Don’t forget to provide your contact information. Phone number, address and email, and employer can’t set up an interview if they don’t have a way to contact you.

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog

Today we celebrate yet another milestone for Joseph Chris Partner’s – our 34th birthday! This would not be possible had it not been for the vision and dedication of Joe and Victoria Ramirez who built the foundation of our success today. As with any success we would not be here today had our clients and alliances not believed in our values and abilities. For that we thank you. The true cornerstone of our success is each and everyone in our Joseph Chris team. They have stayed the course through the challenging times and maintained our focus on relationship and support to our industry but more importantly will carry our values forward. Over the last year we have expanded our focus and I am confident we will carry our success into the next 34 years of Joseph Chris.

Veronica Ramirez, CEO/President

 Joseph Chris Partners | Executive Recruiting Search Firm » Blog