KB Home

Opens trading day on the New York Stock Exchange on company's 60th birthday.

Jeffrey Mezger, chairman, president and CEO of KB Home (NYSE:KBH), rang the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday in celebration of the company's 60th anniversary.

Accompanying him was a team of long-tenured employees.

Read the full article on Builder Magazine here.

BIASC Members Make the List of the Top 20 Most Trusted Homebuilders in America

According to the results from the 2017 America’s Most Trusted® Home Builder Study by  Lifestory Research, Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc. (BIASC) members, Taylor Morrison, Richmond American, Khovnanian Homes, Toll Brothers, Shea Homes, William Lyon Homes, CalAtlantic Homes, TriPointe Homes, Meritage Homes, Lennar, Beazer Homes, D.R. Horton, Pulte Homes, and KB Home, have made the list of the Top 20 Most Trusted Homebuilders in America.

After tabulating the opinions of home shoppers and identifying the home builder that is trusted the most among the nation’s largest builders, Taylor Morrison take the top spot on the list. This is the second consecutive year in which Taylor Morrison has been identified among home shoppers as being the home builder they trust the most among the nation’s largest builders.

“Relationships and trust are the foundation of success for any business,” said Taylor Morrison President and CEO Sheryl Palmer, whose company was also ranked No. 1 in last year’s study. “Every day we strive to provide our customers with the resources and support to help them make an educated decision about their most important investment.”

Taylor Morrison operates in 16 regional markets across nine states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, N. Carolina, S. Carolina and Texas – and closed more than 6,300 homes in 2015.

The study, based on 31,764 consumer opinions, tracks how trust impacts consumers’ evaluations of home builder brands. Consumer opinions are collected over the course of the prior 12 months in the largest home building markets in the United States. To qualify to participate in the study, participants must have indicated that they were aware of specific brands and actively shopping for a new home.

See the table below for Lifestory Research’s full top 20 rankings.

BIASC.org--Nov 9 and 10, 2016--Riverside,CA--The Building Industry Show (BIS), which was on Wednesday, November 9 and Thursday November 10 at the Riverside Convention Center by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc. (BIASC), “Started the Conversation” by turning its focus towards education.

More than 1,500 attendees came to this year’s show not just to mingle with builders, catch up with professionals in the building industry, and discuss new job prospects, but to also participate in the show’s new format that sought to engage attendees with informative discussions.

This year the show evolved to do more than provide a place for building industry professionals to catch up with colleagues and discuss new job prospects. BIS included insightful Pop-Up Education presentations that covered a range of topics from discussions of how mobile apps are transforming home building; what you need to know about solar: code requirements to future trends; advanced framing techniques; minimizing costs & increasing efficiency; CEU workshops; to design trends for 2017 among other topics.

The goal was to get BIASC members potential answers to these issues such as the skilled labor shortage that BIS addressed during its first ever Skilled Labor Brain Trust, which connected the employers with the educators of potential employees. The Skilled Labor Brain Trust panel discussion was one of the many rich programs that were included in the price of the show floor pass.

Program organizers, the instructors that train the future skilled labor workforce, and the Building Industry Panelist made up of Thomas Steele, HCI; Tanner Schamber, Schamber Electric; and Bruce Wick, OSHA, were all a part of the education-driven discussion panel.

The topics discussed by the dynamic panel during the event included the current and future needs of employers in the industry, the current training programs, and how to connect graduates with employment.

The Building Industry Show Floor culminated Thursday evening with an award ceremony to honor and recognize BIASC’s hard working leadership and dedicated members.

BIASC wishes to extend another congratulation to the following winners which were announced at the 2016 Installation and Award Ceremony Thursday evening after the Building Industry Show Floor closed.

Volunteer of the Year, Greater Sales and Marketing Council: Melissa Auten, Fisher & Paykel

Volunteer of the Year, Union Contractors Council: Rick Parker, Conco Cement

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC LA Ventura Chapter: Taleen Mason, Geocon West, Inc.

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC Orange County Chapter: Alan Boudreau, Boudreau Pipeline

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC Baldy View Chapter: Ryan Combe, Lennar Homes

Volunteer of the Year, BIASC Riverside Chapter: Charles Hunt, Primera

Volunteer of the Year, BILD Foundation: Mary Lynn Coffee, Nossaman LLP

Volunteer of the Year, 55+ Housing Council: Linda Howard, Linda Howard Interior Designs

Individual Achievement Award, Local Government Affairs: Scott Ouellette, Williams Homes

Individual Achievement Award, Community Involvement: John Lavendar, Lennar Homes

Lifetime Service Award: Jonathan Weldy, Meridian Land Development Company

2016 Builder of the Year: Tom Grable, TRI Pointe Homes

President’s Award: Norm Witt, Cook Hill Properties and Valerie Hardman, Outdoor Dimensions

BIASC would also like to congratulate the newly installed 2017 BIASC Governing Board who were also announced during the 2016 Installation and Award Ceremony Thursday evening after the Building Industry Show Floor closed.

BIASC President: Peter Vanek, Meritage Homes

BIASC Vice President: Tom Grable, TRI Pointe Homes

BIASC Vice President: Mike Gartlan, KB Home

BIASC Secretary/Treasurer: Alan Boudreau, Boudreau Pipeline Corp.

Immediate Past President: Michael Battaglia, CalAtlantic Homes

Builders at Large:

Greg McWilliams, FivePoint

Howard Press, Watt Communities

Bob Yoder, Shea Homes

Erren O’Leary, Lewis Management Corp.

Mark Torres, Lennar

Paul Hernandez, Irvine Company

Jonathan Weldy, Meridian Land Development

Dave Bartlett, Brookfield Homes

Associates at Large:                                                                                

Charles Gale, Metropolitan Water District

Harry Crowell, AmTrust Surety

Randy Richards, Reliable Wholesale Lumber

Chapter Immediate Past Presidents:                                                      

Ali Sahabi, Optimum Group (Baldy View Chapter)                                  

Glen Longarini, KB Home (Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter)                      

Jim Yates, Rancho Mission Viejo (Orange County Chapter)                    

Leonard Miller, Richmond American Homes (Riverside Chapter)

Representative to Councils: Valerie Hardman, Outdoor Dimensions

Representative to CBIA: Wes Keusder, Keusder Homes

BIASC CEO: Mike Balsamo

***

About the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc.:

BIASC is a cohesive nonprofit trade association organized into chapters and councils that represents the building industry throughout the counties of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino.  Members of BIASC are active in all aspects of the building, including land development; homebuilding, multi-family and commercial development as well as infrastructure; our membership includes architects, engineers, planners, contractors, suppliers, property owners, subcontractors and associated professionals throughout Southern California.

BIASC is a full-service organization providing legislative advocacy, educational programming, labor relations, networking and community relations. The association objective is to promote a positive business environment for the building industry. http://www.biasc.org/

As iPhone sales growth slows, Apple is teaming up with a handful of builders and using these kinds of test beds to inch its way into the market for Internet-connected home furnishings, a nascent field that has attracted rivals like Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Amazon.com.

The gamble is that pricey wireless home devices will be an easier sell when bundled into the home itself. Builders market granite countertops and brushed-nickel fixtures at thousands of models homes across the U.S. Why not video doorbells?

Unlike Google and Amazon, however, Apple isn't hawking hardware meant to connect the home. Instead, the HomeKit app could increase the value of its iOS ecosystem -- and make it tougher for users to switch to Android phones and tablets.

"We want to bring home automation to the mainstream," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of product marketing. "The best place to start is at the beginning, when a house is just being created."

The convenience on display in the Alameda stucco doesn't come cheap. A single motorized, battery-operated Lutron shade starts at $349. Or consider the Schlage "touchscreen deadbolt," which can be controlled remotely, so you can text an unexpected visitor a code. It can retail for $200. A regular deadbolt fetches $32 at Home Depot -- and there's always hiding a key under the flower pot.

In Fremont, California, about 15 minutes from Facebook's headquarters, Los Angeles-based KB Home is also getting its own Apple house ready. Along with the automated thermostat, lights, security system, locks, fans and shades, it lets you, on voice command, change the color of the light underneath a vanity.

With the words "good night," the light turns purple. With a "good morning," it switches to white.

KB offers wireless devices as upgrades. A basic package runs about $2,000, "which once rolled into a mortgage is pennies a month," according to spokesman Craig LeMessurier. Lennar builds the cost into the price of homes. The Alameda house sells for $1.2 million, though it was a beta model and an actual dwelling wouldn't include $30,000 worth of gadgets.

Apple is also working with Brookfield Residential Properties. and other builders. The companies declined to say when the homes would go on sale.

Consumers will buy about $24 billion worth of connected home devices in 2016, according to Strategy Analytics Inc. Though that's a drop in the bucket compared with smartphones, the research and consulting firm expects those sales to nearly double by 2020.

Read More>>

For the second consecutive year, KB Home receives Sustained Excellence Award for its recognized commitment to water efficiency

LOS ANGELES--October 11, 2016--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized KB Home with a 2016 WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award as a leader in saving water for future generations. KB Home was honored at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference on October 6, 2016, for promoting water efficiency and WaterSense in 2015.

“KB Home is proud to once again earn the WaterSense Sustained Excellence award for our ongoing innovation in the important area of water efficiency,” said Dan Bridleman, senior vice president of Sustainability, Technology and Strategic Sourcing for KB Home. “Constructing homes optimized for water conservation continues to be a priority for KB Home, particularly in the water-challenged regions in which we operate. We remain committed to building homes that help conserve water and educating our customers about the environmental benefits of WaterSense labeled products.”

Since 2006, KB Home and other WaterSense partners have helped consumers save 1.5 trillion gallons of water, more than the amount of water used by all households in California for a year. In addition to water savings, WaterSense labeled products and homes have helped reduce the amount of energy needed to heat, pump, and treat water by 212 billion kilowatt hours since the program began in 2006, enough energy to supply a year’s worth of power to more than 19.4 million homes.

More than 1,700 utilities, manufacturers, retailers, builders, and organizations partner with WaterSense. Only a select few, however, are recognized each year for their significant program contributions.

“Over the past 10 years, communities, states, organizations, manufacturers, retailers, and builders across the country have been working with WaterSense to help Americans save water for future generations,” said Joel Beauvais, EPA Office of Water Deputy Assistant Administrator. “I am pleased to see so many of our WaterSense partners making contributions to build the resilience of communities everywhere by helping people use water more efficiently.”

KB Home was honored as a 2016 WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award winner for its continued commitment to building sustainable and water-efficient homes. In 2015, KB Home increased the number of WaterSense labeled homes it delivered, and expanded both the availability of WaterSense labeled homes to additional communities and its outreach to consumers on the value and benefits of WaterSense labeled products.

Cumulatively, KB Home’s WaterSense labeled homes and installation of water-efficient features save an estimated 3 million gallons of water daily, compared to typical existing homes that do not have the same water-saving items.

For more information about WaterSense, visit www.epa.gov/watersense, and for more information about KB Home, visit www.kbhome.com.

About KB Home

KB Home (NYSE: KBH) is one of the largest and most recognized homebuilders in the United States and an industry leader in sustainability, building innovative and highly energy- and water-efficient new homes. Founded in 1957 and the first homebuilder listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company has built nearly 600,000 homes for families from coast to coast. Distinguished by its personalized homebuilding approach, KB Home lets each buyer choose their lot location, floor plan, décor choices, design features and other special touches that matter most to them. To learn more about KB Home, call 888-KB-HOMES, visit www.kbhome.com or connect on Facebook.com/KBHome or Twitter.com/KBHome.

About WaterSense

WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, homes, and services. Since the program began in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save 1.5 trillion gallons of water and $32.6 billion in water and energy bills.

Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc. (BIASC) members, KTGY Architecture + Planning, Whirlpool Corporation, and KB Home, along with project partners, Builder Magazine, Cradle To Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech Center for Design Research School of Architecture + Design, SoCalGas, SunPower, and a range of additional partners and sponsors, have debuted their latest product of their 20-year relationship at The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Los Angeles Oct. 5-6.

The KB Home ProjeKt is a next-generation idea and learning program that aims to discover how to build better homes and neighborhoods for the future, showcasing concepts of modern housing in 2020 and 2050. While the latter date anticipates the future of sustainable living through futuristic concepts, the 2020 model contains some of the most innovative and sustainable appliances available today.

“Whirlpool Corporation is proud to be part of the effort to make high-performance, sustainable and efficiently operating homes,” said Bob Bergeth, general manager of Contract Builder Sales at Whirlpool Corporation in a press release. “Together with our partners, we are exploring how to create homes that are on the leading edge of sustainability, while also ensuring they remain affordable.”

Research and case studies were used in the collaborative effort to create an innovative environment with strong consumer appeal. The ProjeKt attempts to marry creative and sustainable design to help them innovate towards the future.

The ProjeKt is based on research and experience showing that innovation created in a collaborative environment is much more likely to produce new products with strong consumer appeal. In fact, a 2015 Nielsen Collaboration and Innovation Study examining consumer product development found that “ideas developed by teams of three or more people have 156% greater appeal with consumers” and develop much farther from the originating concept than products driven by teams of just one or two people.

“A critical aspect of the design and production of this home is creating a model that is sustainable and affordable,” said Manny Gonzalez, principal at KTGY, who was quoted in a Builder Magazine article. “Green living is often associated with privileged buyers with a higher income stream. We are working with manufacturers and KB Home to change the dynamic.”

The display at the 2016 Greenbuild Show and Expo included assemblies and systems, home tours for expo attendees, interactive educational features, and a digital wall display.

VALENCIA, Calif., August 18, 2016--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KB Home (NYSE: KBH) today announced that Glen Longarini has been named president of its Los Angeles/Ventura division. In this role, Longarini is responsible for all of the Company’s homebuilding operations in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, from land acquisition and construction, to sales and customer service.

KB Home names Glen Longarini as president of its Los Angeles/Ventura division.

“We are pleased to promote Glen Longarini to serve as president of the Los Angeles/Ventura division,” said Nick Franklin, executive vice president of Strategic Operations for KB Home. “Glen returned to KB Home two years ago as executive vice president, and he has done an outstanding job acquiring, opening and repositioning several communities in critically important submarkets. With his extensive experience and understanding of the Los Angeles and Ventura markets, we are confident that Glen will continue to be an asset to KB Home as we grow our presence in the region.”

Longarini has more than 20 years of residential construction experience in Southern California. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from CSU Northridge, and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. 

KB Home is currently open for new home sales at eight locations in Los Angeles and Ventura. For more information about KB Home, visit www.kbhome.com or call 888-KB-HOMES.

About KB Home

KB Home is one of the largest and most recognized homebuilders in the United States and an industry leader in sustainability, building innovative and highly energy- and water-efficient new homes. Founded in 1957 and the first NYSE-listed homebuilder (ticker symbol: KBH), the company has built nearly 600,000 homes for families from coast to coast. Distinguished by its personalized homebuilding approach, KB Home lets each buyer choose their lot location, floor plan, décor choices, design features and other special touches that matter most to them. To learn more about KB Home, call 888-KB-HOMES, visit www.kbhome.com or connect on Facebook.com/KBHome or Twitter.com/KBHome.

Contacts

KB Home

Craig LeMessurier, 925-580-1583

clemessurier@kbhome.com

A Los Angeles Chapter of HomeAid America, a national non-profit provider of housing for homeless families and individuals for 27 years, has been established in partnership with the Building Industry Association of Southern California—Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter (BIA –LAV), with whom HomeAid LA will share offices. BIA-LAV CEO Tim Piasky agrees the timing is good.

"There is a great need to address now the rising homeless population in L.A., and the building industry wants to give back to our community by doing what we do best: build housing. We are proud to support HomeAid LA and look forward to uniting our efforts to build housing for care providers helping those experiencing homelessness in our region," he says.

It is estimated that 50,000 people are living on the streets of Los Angeles. The mayor recently declared a state of emergency, and the city government continues to pursue various approaches to try to stem the tide. This makes it an opportune time for the building industry's leading charity fighting homelessness to join the effort.

"We are thrilled to be active in L.A. helping homeless families and individuals on behalf of the building industry," says Peter Simons, CEO of HomeAid America. "HomeAid has a long history and successful track record of enabling the building industry to give back effectively to local communities by building and rehabilitating housing for organizations helping families and individuals experiencing homelessness. HomeAid has been active in Southern California since its creation in 1989 and has created thousands of new beds for charities working in this area."

The HomeAid LA Chapter will be operated locally under the direction of a local board of directors, chaired initially by Sandra Stewart, a partner at the Cox Castle Nicholson law firm. HomeAid LA's Board of Directors includes executives from powerhouse industry players such as KB Home, Lennar Homes, CalAtlantic Homes, Shea Homes, Brookfield Residential, TRI Pointe/Pardee Homes, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Fidelity Title Group, Kennedy Wilson/Meyers Research, and others. HomeAid LA is receiving its initial financial support from funding from HomeAid America and a grant from the Lennar Charitable Housing Foundation.

Jacob Atalla, Vice President, Sustainability, of KB Home; Megan Eltringham, VP of Marketing, of The New Home Company; John Leehey, Director of Planning, of Danielian Associates; John A. Danielian, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, of Danielian Associates; Nick Slevin, Publisher, of Builder and Developer Magazine; and Jacob Atalla, Vice President, Sustainability, of KB Home will be presenting at the upcoming Pacific Coast Builders Conference, or simply known as PCBC, taking place from June 22 & 23, 2016 at the Moscone Center, San Francisco.

PCBC is the largest homebuilding tradeshow representing the west coast region for advancing the art, science and business of housing. PCBC alternates each year between San Francisco and San Diego and has been endorsed as the official show of Leading Builders of America (LBA), whose membership includes 21 of the largest publicly and privately held homebuilders in the nation. PCBC is sponsored by the California Building Industry Association (CBIA).

PCBC launched in 1959 as a small educational conference at the Sheraton Palace Hotel in San Francisco, PCBC is now an annual two-day conference, product display and business exchange and is open to anyone professionally involved in the building industry, including builders, developers, architects, remodelers, designers, contractors, dealers/distributors and suppliers/manufacturers.

BIASC Member Presenters at PCBC:

To catch Jacob Atalla, Vice President, Sustainability, of KB Home speaking at PCBC about “Progressive Building Science Technology, Design and Application,” go to North Room 120 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.

To hear Megan Eltringham, VP of Marketing, of The New Home Company and John Leehey, Director of Planning, of Danielian Associates speak about “The New Sustainability: Connecting People and Places through New Trends & Applications,” head to North Room 120 from 12:30 pm  to 1:30 pm.

To see John A. Danielian, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, of Danielian Associates and Nick Slevin, Publisher, of Builder and Developer Magazine at PCBC speak about “A Case Study Utilizing the ABC Green Home 3.0,” head to North Room 120 from 1:45 pm to 2:45 pm.

To hear Jacob Atalla, Vice President, Sustainability, of KB Home present “Tap into WaterSense! Differentiate your Homes,” go to North Room 120 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

To register for PCBC click here.

KB Home founder, Eli Broad, was recognized in a recent “capsule" article on Time by former New York Mayor and media and business information empire builder Michael Bloomberg as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People for 2016.

Bloomberg saluted his fellow titan as "one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs—not only in business but in philanthropy too." Bloomberg noted that the two Fortune 500 companies Broad built—KB Home and SunAmerica, Inc.—have helped people own homes and retire with security.

KB Home is a homebuilding company based in the United States, founded in 1957 as Kaufman & Broad in Detroit, Michigan. It was the first company to be traded on the NYSE as a home builder and was a Fortune 500 company from 2000 through 2008.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized KB Home with its sixth consecutive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award in 2016 for its ongoing leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. Additionally, EPA has recognized KB Home for the third year in a row with an ENERGY STAR Climate Communicator Award for its outstanding efforts to elevate the issue of climate change.

KB Home's accomplishments were recognized by the agency in Washington, D.C. on April 13, 2016. KB Home, an industry leader and ENERGY STAR partner since 2000, will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency. The nearly 96,000 ENERGY STAR certified KB homes built to date are estimated to save as much as $29 million on utility bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 34,000 passenger vehicles each year.

KB Home is the only production homebuilder to earn ENERGY STAR's Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence award for six years in a row, and is also the first and only homebuilder to receive ENERGY STAR's Climate Communicator award for three consecutive years.

"It is an honor to be recognized with these prestigious ENERGY STAR awards for building highly energy-efficient homes and for our initiatives to educate consumers about the positive impact energy efficiency can have on the environment," said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home. "Building homes to a high level of energy efficiency delivers measurable value to our buyers and can help lower their total cost of homeownership substantially compared to a typical resale home."

Since its inception in 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners have helped prevent a total of more than 2.4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2014 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners provided more than $11 billion in societal benefits due to reducing damages from climate change.

"By continued collaboration with ENERGY STAR, KB Home is helping Americans save money, save energy, and do their part to reduce our nation's greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate climate change," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "I'm proud to recognize KB Home with the highest form of ENERGY STAR recognition, as the winner of the 2016 Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award. KB Home demonstrates a strong commitment to energy efficiency and to preserving a healthy planet for future generations."

The 2016 Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their contributions to reducing harmful carbon pollution through superior energy efficiency efforts. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.