Housing Giants - April 1, 2009 - (Page 11) FEATURE The Buzz on Buz Hoffman Nickname: Birth certificate says “Bert,” but he was Buzz from early childhood. “I dropped a z at college when three Buzzes showed up on my dorm floor,” he says. “Even before I got to high school, home building was all I wanted to do. I thought it was very cool.” Family: Wife, Joey (28 years); four grown kids. “We’re a Big Ten family. The oldest two girls, Andria (26) and Lacey (24), graduated from University of Michigan. Our youngest daughter, Jessica (22), is at Indiana. And our son Sam (20) is a freshman at Iowa.” Management style: Loose, like the dress code. “I delegate and give people decisionmaking power without looking over their shoulder. No one is ever upbraided in front of others.” Car: Jeep. “That’s dicey. I had to get rid of one of my cars recently because it was a sticking point with one of my lenders.” Cell phone: None. “What can I say, I’m a dinosaur. I also don’t have caller ID on the phone at the house.” Photography by Todd Winters Favorite business books: “In Search Of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best Run Companies” by Tom Peters, “Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service” by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr. Spencer Johnson and Ken Blanchard Sports teams: Chicago Cubs, Bears Best vacation: Disney World. “I’m a fantasy lover. There’s no better place to get rid of your cares than the Magic Kingdom.” News source: Three Chicago dailies, in 11 04.01.09 HOUSING GIANTS www.HousingGiants.com print. “If I see something pop up on my computer screen during the day, I check Fox News online.” http://www.amazon.com/Search-Excellence-Lessons-Americas-Companies/dp/0446385077 http://www.amazon.com/Search-Excellence-Lessons-Americas-Companies/dp/0446385077 http://www.amazon.com/Search-Excellence-Lessons-Americas-Companies/dp/0446385077 http://www.amazon.com/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0688123163 http://www.amazon.com/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0688123163 http://www.whomovedmycheese.com/ http://www.whomovedmycheese.com/ http://www.HousingGiants.com
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