Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - (Page 13) FEATURE They run a lean operation, with only 100 employees to sell, build and close as many as 1,000 homes a year. “Margin control is everything for us,” says Bartholomew. “We’re always balancing cost against value perception.” Expansion Plans The partners show no interest in other major markets in Texas. “Houston and Dallas are too far away and too big,” Bartholomew says. “We’d have to operate on a scale we’re not comfortable with to even be noticed.” But they do have strategic growth plans. “We’ve looked at Killeen, which is where one of the largest military bases in the country (Fort Hood) is located,” LeBoeuf says. “The other expansion we may make is into some attached and multifamily product, and we also might try to add some product aimed at active adults and retirees.” Main Street is developing a new product line to fit on smaller lots. “We’ve had 30-foot-wide houses that fit on 40-foot lots for years,” Bartholomew notes. “But this year, we want to debut 24-foot-wide houses that fit on 30-foot lots.” Because of the continuing problems with entitlements in Austin, the partners see their future primarily in San Antonio. “It’s a much larger market than Austin,” says LeBoeuf, “but it still represents less than half our total closings, so we have a lot of room to grow there. Land is cheaper. And it’s now a very fragmented market.” Because of the current market shakeout, and the problems of the big public builders, Bartholomew and LeBoeuf believe they have a golden opportunity to grab choice parcels of land and grow market share in San Antonio as housing recovery takes shape. The only question is: when? For the answer to that, the Main Street partners are looking to Washington — and crossing fingers. HG Many builders pitch quality, but can they prove it? The National Housing Quality Award differentiates you from other builders. Are you an NHQ award winner? What differentiates you from other builders? CLICK HERE to learn more and download the NHQ application. For 16 years, the NHQ criteria for performance excellence have been important tools for hundreds of home builders and trade contractors to assess and improve their performance on critical factors of business success. Identify high-priority opportunities to improve your business. You may just hit gold. Recent NHQ Gold Award Winners: 2009 - T.W. Lewis 2007 - Estes Builders 2006 - Shea Homes San Diego 2006 - Ideal Homes 2006 - Veridian Homes 2005 - Grayson Homes 2005 - Pulte Homes (National Winner) Applications due by April 30, 2009. 13 02.01.09 HOUSING GIANTS www.HousingGiants.com Click here to learn more http://www.probuilder.com/nhq http://www.HousingGiants.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 Contents Viewpoint News & Moves Process Feature Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 (Page Cover1) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 2) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Viewpoint (Page 3) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - News & Moves (Page 4) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - News & Moves (Page 5) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Process (Page 6) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 7) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 8) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 9) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 10) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 11) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 12) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 13) Housing Giants - February 1, 2009 - Feature (Page 14)
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