CalAtlantic Homes

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/

Annually, the Chapters and the Regional Office culminate the year by celebrating at our Awards and Installation Dinner.  We will be expressing our gratitude to outgoing BIASC President Michael Battaglia from CalAtlantic Homes, installing Peter Vanek from Meritage Homes as 2017 BIASC President and presenting the 2016 Builder of the Year to Tom Grable from TRI Pointe Homes.

The Cool Product Awards and an awards ceremony, where various professionals will be recognized for their achievements in the building industry, will also accompany the BIASC Installation Ceremony. One award, presented on behalf of the Building Industry Legal Defense Foundation (BILD), will recognize Mary Lynn K. Coffee, Esq from Nossaman LLP, as the BILD Volunteer of the Year.

This year is particularly special because it marks the “50^th” year that BIA Southern California has been serving the incredible members of our Association!  Our “50^th Annual Awards” and Installation Dinner will take place at the Building Industry Show (BIS) Thursday, November 10th at the Riverside Convention Center.

The Building Industry Show will also be featuring new Pop-Up Education sessions which come included in your BIS Floor Pass. This year we are Starting the Conversation by getting our members’ potential answers to key issues that they may face in the industry. We want to stimulate dialogue with advice from informed experts and responses to new products throughout the course of the show.

The 2016 Building Industry Show will take place on Wednesday, November 9th and Thursday, November 10th, 2016 at the Riverside Convention Center.

Register for the show by clicking here.

IRVINE, Calif. and ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CalAtlantic Homes (NYSE: CAA), one of the nation's largest homebuilders, will visit the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Monday, September 12 to commemorate the one year anniversary of the company's founding through the monumental merger of homebuilders Standard Pacific and Ryland. In honor of the occasion, the company's executive team will ring the NYSE Closing Bell^® at 4:00 p.m. ET.

"The one year anniversary represents an important milestone for CalAtlantic and it is a tremendous honor to celebrate this historic event by ringing The Closing Bell^® at the New York Stock Exchange," said Larry Nicholson, CEO and President of CalAtlantic Homes. "I am grateful to the employees of CalAtlantic for their hard work and dedication who made this past year such a success."

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.

The Building Industry Association of Southern California’s (BIASC) President and Vice President Project Development of CalAtlantic Homes, Michael Battaglia, spoke at the 9th annual Orange County Water Summit on Friday May 20, 2016. The Summit was hosted by the Orange County Water District, Municipal Water District of Orange County and Disneyland Resort. Sponsors of the event also included Rutan & Tucker, Metropolitan Water District, and Southern California Gas Company.

The event, which serves as an innovative, interactive forum that joins business professionals, elected officials, water industry stakeholders and community leaders from throughout California, was held at The Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. The Orange County Water Summit raised discussion on water supply challenges, policy issues, and other topics impacting our economic and future supply health.

BIASC president, Battaglia, was quoted at the summit explaining how “home building contributes $38 million to state's economy,” and that “homebuilders are [also] early adopters of drought-fighting tech.”

The Orange County Water Summit serves a purpose to bring together academics, business professionals, elected officials and water industry representatives to talk about water issues, projects and emerging technologies in a dynamic forum atmosphere.

Attendees were able to learn about the Orange County projects that will provide shelter from the El Nino storms predicted by water agencies across the county to come. The summit also highlighted the changing laws and the lessons learned from businesses that are harvesting profits despite the shifting landscape.

HomeAid Orange County's Essential Drive Campaign kicked off with a huge success at the 2nd Annual Builders 4 Babies event Friday, April 29 underneath the Big "A" at the Angels Stadium of Anaheim. Building Industry Association of Southern California members came together to help collect diaper donations, and other essential items, for homeless babies in southern California.

BIASC members, Lennar, Brookfield Residential, Toll Brothers, Shea Homes, William Lyon Homes, the New Home Company, Reliable Wholesale Lumber, and CalAtlantic Homes all participated in the event by collecting donated diapers and building elaborate houses out of the boxes.

“This is a fun way to raise awareness about the need for diapers,” said Dave Prolo, vice president of operations for Southern California Cal Atlantic homes.

HomeAid OC’s goal this year is to collect more than 1 million diapers to be donated to 19 homeless shelters and facilities in Orange County before Mother's Day. Last year, the organization took in 1.8 million diapers.

“Not many people are aware of how important and expensive diapers are,” Scott Larson, executive director of HomeAid OC, said. “The average cost of diapers for a family is $100 a month. So, for some low-income families, they have to make a serious economic decision – food or diapers.”

Because diapers are considered a hygiene item, federal economic assistance programs, such as WIC, do not cover the cost. For more information about HomeAid OC's Essentials Drive go to homeaidessentials.org. To read the full Orange County Register article about the Builders 4 Babies event click here.

Click here for more photos from the Builders 4 Babies event.

The California Building Industry Association, the voice of housing in California, is pleased to introduce its 2017 Board of Directors’ leadership team.

“2016 was an exceptional year for CBIA and we have a talented and committed leadership team to continue our success in 2017.” said CBIA CEO & President Dave Cogdill.  “Housing affordability is the top issue facing Californians today and these individuals are strongly committed to continue to fight to ensure that the homebuilding and development industry can provide affordable housing to all of California while serving as one of the top jobs producers in the state.”

Jeff Pemstein, Division President for Homes by Towne was elected to serve as CBIA’s 2017 Chair. Pemstein served as Vice Chair in 2016, has served as Area 14-National Area Chair for the National Association of Home Builders, Chair of North State BIA,  and as an active board member. For a full bio and photo please click here.

Serving with Pemstein as Vice-Chair is Michael Battaglia, Vice President Project Development  at CalAtlantic Homes. Battaglia served last year as CBIA’s Government Affairs Vice Chair and previously served as President of BIA Southern California, Chair of BIASC’s Political Action Committee, and President of Los Angeles County East Chapter of BIASC, and has been active on a variety of board committees. For a full bio and photo please click here.

Chris Austin, Managing Partner at Development Planning and Financial Group, returns as CBIA’s Chief Financial Officer and Secretary.  Austin has served as CBIA CFO since 2012. For a full bio and photo please click here.

CBIA President & CEO Dave Cogdill rounds out CBIA’s officers. Cogdill joined CBIA in 2013 after serving as Stanislaus County Assessor from 2011-13. Prior to that Cogdill served in both the State Senate and Assembly including as Senate Republican Leader. For a full bio and photo please click here.

CBIA is looking forward to a strong leadership team and the opportunities 2017 will bring.

On Saturday, April 2, the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Austin awarded CalAtlantic Homes with the Grand MAX Large Volume Builder of the Year Award for the second consecutive year at their annual Marketing and Advertising Excellence (MAX) Awards and Gala. Continuing the legacies of Ryland and Standard Pacific, CalAtlantic Homes, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, was formed through the merger of two industry icons on October 1, 2015. CalAtlantic is now building in 30 communities throughout the greater Austin area ranging from entry level to luxury communities.

"We are extremely honored to be named as Builder of the Year by the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin for the second year in a row," said April Solimine, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CalAtlantic Homes in Austin. "We strive to design homes that blend sophistication and flexible design for buyers of all lifestyles. This award acknowledges that we are achieving our goal of providing the utmost in home choice, quality and value — all created with our longstanding tradition of excellence in design and craftsmanship."

The MAX Awards is presented by the HBA of Greater Austin, which is made up of more than 750 home building industry firms. Since 1953, the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Austin has served as the leading not-for-profit trade organization dedicated to residential construction and remodeling in Central Texas. The HBA works with government, public, business and community organizations in six counties – Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Lee, Travis and Williamson – to protect every family's right to home ownership.