Resources: Blog
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For your business to weather this crisis, you must switch your focus from expansion mode to survival mode. Respected economist and Builder Partnerships founder Charles C. Shinn Jr., PhD, shares 20 steps you need to take.

Organized Living's sole focus is storage and organization, and we concentrate on providing builders with storage products that excite homebuyers. With Builder Partnerships, you have access to best rebate incentives available for their products.

Communication with your buyers during this crisis is critical. In keeping with our commitment to support our builder community, Builder Partnerships service provider Carol Smith with Home Address has offered our members two sample letters for your buyers to explain process changes implemented in light of of the COVID-19 virus. The letters also address possible complications, such as construction delays due to supply chain interruptions, that could affect the schedule for completing their homes. Feel free to use these sample letters as templates and revise the content to suit your needs.

If you missed Ed Hauck's recent webinar, you can watch the replay. Hear what Ed has to say about the potential impact current events will have on home builders and his advice for surviving these uncertain times.

Windows and doors are a fundamental component of building construction. They are critical to the enjoyment of any building by its occupants, and risk allowing moisture, pests, and other unwanted elements into the building if not properly sealed. Flashing provides a solution to this problem with a thin waterproof barrier to cover gaps and spaces in windows and doorways. However, traditional flashing has a number of shortfalls. The solution? SillDry Smart Accordion Technology®

AZEK Building Products has partnered with BIMsmith® to provide architects, builders, and designers the tools needed during the research and digital design process.

SR Homes is opening a new phase of new homes at Montebello in Cumming, Georgia. Priced from the mid-$400,000s, the new phase will feature opportunities in The Grove, the low-maintenance section of the community offering easy-living ranch and main-level owner’s suite designs.

Organized Living, a leading manufacturer of quality home storage and organization systems, has introduced Select, a new traditional built-in storage system. Select allows multifamily professionals the opportunity to profit while providing residents the affordable built-in look they demand.

Historically, Homes for HOPE has focused on new construction projects to generate capital for micro-loans so people living in under-served communities around the world can start or expand businesses and work to break the cycle of generational poverty. We love our builders and their trade partners and hope to continue deepening and expanding these existing relationships.

Update from Legrand.

Update from Wayne Dalton.

The Olson Company, a Southern California based builder, once again earned The Eliant award for the single-division builder segment. The Olson Company received a grand total of thirteen Homebuyers’ Choice Awards.

Update from SillDry.

Update from Lennox

Update from BSB Design.

Update from Lita Dirks & Co.

Update from Royal Building Products

Update from Reality Concepts.

Now in its 27th year, Emma Shinn's in-depth study benchmarks each company's financial and operational performance against other participants and provides information on compensation packages for 39 positions.

Homes for HOPE was honored to attend a groundbreaking ceremony in Bentonville, AR last week as long-time partner Schuber Mitchell Homes launched the start of their second H4H project. All 3 company owners attended the event, including a town councilwoman, who spoke about how excited she is that Schuber Mitchell is building in the region, and how their involvement with Homes for HOPE project speaks to the character and quality of the company.

Emser Tile unveiled its newest collections of porcelain, stone, ceramic and mosaic products for 2020, created in response to industry and consumer trends toward bold patterns and natural surfaces, including wood- and stone-look porcelain tiles.

Neal Communities, the Lakewood Ranch, Florida-based private home builder, is hosting the grand opening of Cielo, its newest community in North Venice. Neal Communities will celebrate the Cielo grand opening on March 14 at 220 Corsano Drive in Nokomis. Cielo is located on Jacaranda Boulevard just off of Laurel Road and is adjacent to Neal Signature Homes’ Aria community.

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MDC), parent company to the Richmond American Homes companies, recently announced changes to its leadership team at the regional home building operations level.

CPG Newco LLC, doing business as The AZEK Company, has applied to list shares of its Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the AZEK ticker symbol. AZEK has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to a proposed initial public offering.

DuPont Performance Building Solutions demonstrated integrated high-performance wall systems for the highest level of performance for energy savings, air tightness and water resistance with Tyvek®, Styrofoam™ and Great Stuff Pro™.

We reached out to our network of builders and received some very viable information on the building industry for 2020. We were able to capture information from 260 of our builder members. The survey focuses on what kind of systems they use, what they see as their biggest challenges, their business outlook, and how efficiently and profitably they are building homes. An extra thank you to ECI Solutions for collaborating on the Industry Survey with Builder Partnerships.

Explore the innovative products and processes of the 2020 BUILDER show home. In a balancing act of their own, the appliances, finishes, fixtures, and materials in the BUILDER Chōwa Concept Home work together to bring the vision of its architects, partners, and sponsors to life. The Icynene Classic Ultra Select open cell polyurethane spray foam provides high performance thermal insulation, very low air permeation, and low core density.

Explore the innovative products and processes of the 2020 BUILDER show home. In a balancing act of their own, the appliances, finishes, fixtures, and materials in the BUILDER Chōwa Concept Home work together to bring the vision of its architects, partners, and sponsors to life. KwiksetThe Halo Wi-Fi Enabled Smart Lock, available in touchscreen or keypad models, uses the home’s Wi-Fi to enable remote access, monitoring, and control.

Explore the innovative products and processes of the 2020 BUILDER show home. In a balancing act of their own, the appliances, finishes, fixtures, and materials in the BUILDER Chōwa Concept Home work together to bring the vision of its architects, partners, and sponsors to life. Organized Living 'The Classica' built-in storage system offers customers a choice of shelving, drawers, cabinets, and accessories in a variety of styles, custom-fitted on-site to match the dimensions of the home.

Century Communities, Inc. announced Monday that Morgan Hill—its newest community in Erie, Colorado—is now open for sales.With homes starting from the high $300,000s, Morgan Hill provides a sought-after location and a modern collection of single-family floor plans.

American Standard, DPIS, and local custom home builder Doug Pietsch of Pietsch Builders are piloting a solution that holds enormous promise for the homebuilding industry. A notable example was on full display – quite literally – in the legendary Twin Cities Parade of Homes. The 71-year-old extravaganza showcases the handiwork of more than 1,100 builders, remodelers, developers and building suppliers to about 250,000 visitors each year.

The Resmark Companies, a Los Angeles-based private equity real estate investment firm, is partnering with Tysons-based Madison Homes to develop Trenton Square, an upscale enclave of 19 single-family townhomes at 19 North Trenton Street in Arlington, Va.The project is fully entitled with construction on the first homes expected to start in spring of 2020.

Pacific Lifestyle Homes is opening a new community in Ridgefield, Washington, Heron Woods. Most of the 47 homes in the new community back up to a wildlife corridor and have spacious backyards. The new neighborhood is located minutes from Interstate 5 and the modern additions to the Ridgefield community. Home pricing for the new community starts at $361,000.

Fypon has launched a new website and new products for 2020.

What is a punchlist? Many might say it's a quality checklist. They would be wrong. A punchlist does n ot equal quality. In fact, it's the opposite of quality because it's a list of everything that wasn't done right the first time.

The 2020 International Builders' Show is behind us. Here are some highlights from this year's networking reception and our booth.

GuildQuality is the nation's leader in customer satisfaction surveying for the building industry. With nearly 2,000 members and having surveyed more than 1 million home owners, GuildQuality is the trusted partner of home builders, remodelers, and home improvement contractors who value authentic customer feedback.

Builder Partnerships welcomes its newest builder members into the program! Not yet a member? Join Builder Partnerships today to benefit from our many programs designed to improve your profits, knowledge and networking. Contact us today to learn more at: info@builderpartnerships.com

New products for 2020 include additions to the TimberTech AZEK, PRO, and EDGE decking lines. TimberTech AZEK’s Multi-Width Decking offerings will add two new 7.25-inch wide boards in the Harvest Collection, brownstone and slate gray. TimberTech PRO’s Reserve Collection will offer four new colors—two grays and two browns—in a matte finish.

Neal Communities has broken ground at Windward in Lakewood Ranch, Florida and is expected to open in summer 2020. The 450-acre gated community will also have a 7.8-acre amenity center with a 9,600-square-foot clubhouse, including gathering spaces, a fitness center, pools, dog parks, a playground, a sports field and multiple athletic courts including pickleball, tennis and volleyball courts.

The Warm Tiles ColorTouch thermostats are compatible with Warm Tiles flooring systems. Emerson has introduced a new line of smart thermostats designed for use with floor warming systems: the standard Warm Tiles ES ColorTouch and the wireless, WiFi enabled Warm Tiles ESW ColorTouch.

Brookfield Residential, Richmond American Homes, D.R. Horton, and KB Home will be highlighted by the grand opening of the Delaney Park's lake and the 12 model homes in five residential collections now selling.

California will give the zero net energy (ZNE) home market a huge kick-start in 2020, when a new state home energy code takes effect. The code’s performance path, used for compliance on most projects, will get 50 percent tougher, moving closer to requiring homes to be ZNE — in other words, to produce as much energy as they consume.

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MDC), parent of Richmond American Homes, on Monday reported selected preliminary results for the 2019 fourth quarter. New home deliveries increased 31% to 2,389 from 1,827.

From more than 600 entries, the judges selected grand and merit winners in categories including single-family, multifamily, and custom residential.Every year at the conclusion of PCBC (formerly the Pacific Coast Builders Conference), the Gold Nugget Awards ceremony and gala celebrates some of the industry’s top innovators in design, planning, and development.

Japan's largest home building company, Sekisui House, its wholly-owned subsidiary U.S. builder Woodside Homes, and construction industry analyst firm Hanley Wood today unveiled the BUILDER Chōwa Concept Home outside Las Vegas to coincide with the start of CES 2020.The project showcases Sekisui House's proprietary design and construction systems and techniques that are unlike any the U.S. home building industry has ever used.

Goodman Manufacturing, an industry leading manufacturer of residential air conditioning and heating, has received the 5th Annual Builder Partnerships Partner of the Year award. The award was presented during Builder Partnerships' 15th Annual Networking Reception at the International Builders' Show.

During new construction, moisture can accumulate before the construction is dried-in. Have your pest company apply Bora-Care with Mold-Care to help protect newly-constructed buildings from mold growth, wood rot and wood-destroying insects.

Homes for HOPE is excited to announce that Clearview Homes in Harrisburg, PA recently announced their intentions to build their very first Home for HOPE. They will break ground on their project in early December of this year. Having been in business since 2005, Clearview Homes is a family-owned company that has built a reputation for building quality, fully-custom homes for their clients.

Clayton Homes has made a name for itself in a business at best, discounted, and more often dismissed, dissed, and derided for much of its six-decade history, as a builder and purveyor of double-wides and HUD code mobile homes on wheels and platforms. For much of Clayton’s six-decade history, its executive management has been intent on elevating both the manufactured housing business and its customers, raising safety, quality, durability, and energy performance of the homes, and the financial stature of people who buy them.

A new integration between Builder Partnerships and ECI’s MarkSystems® ERP Software. The integration will make it easier for Builder Partnerships members to submit for and collect rebates.

The DuPont Tyvek DrainVent Rainscreen is designed to create a 6 mm/0.25-inch space behind a home’s exterior cladding for water drainage and air movement. This not only allows for drying behind cladding, but protects against moisture damage to exterior walls, including rotting, cracking, and peeling.

Royal Building Products has added a 7-inch smooth clapboard to its Celect line of cellular composite siding. Celect aims to replicate the look of wood and provide a low-maintenance, durable siding option for homeowners. All of the line’s profiles are now available in 15 fade-resistant colors and feature a patented interlocking seam design, which keeps moisture out and eliminates seams.

The new OC No-Mix open-cell spray foam insulation from Icynene eliminates the need to mix the solution, allowing for easier installation and a more consistent product. The benefits of spray foam include complete sealing of wall cavities, attics, and crawlspaces.

BSB Design has developed the 9th edition of inspire, it became evident that the cross section of design has expanded in so many different directions from our original inspiration for this publication founded 13 years ago.

Quishenberry will develop and manage client relationships to help grow the company’s business in the region. Quishenberry brings more than 25 years of experience in new home real estate and development including sales, marketing, general management, and business development.

Century Communities, Inc. announced a new collection of townhome-style condos and flats coming soon to Enclave at Mission Falls—a master-planned 55+ community in Fremont, California. Two other collections from Century Communities are already selling at Mission Falls: a set of single-family homes and an additional set of townhome-style condos.

The ViewPoints Construction Services Blog is published by RubinBrown's Construction Services Group as a value-added approach keeping clients and contacts informed about current, relevant topics affecting the construction industry. Positive cash flow and operating efficiencies are directly related to the skills and motivation of project managers.

The Olson Company is open for sales at Oak Walk, a group of 50 contemporary, new townhomes located in Los Alamitos, California. As with all Olson homes built in Southern California, Oak Walk will place its residents in the heart of the community. Restaurants, retail, and recreation opportunities are all nearby in a walkable distance, with easy access to the 405, 605, and 22 freeways, making the homes ideal for commuters.

GAF has introduced a new series of Timberline shingles, Timberline HDZ, which incorporates the manufacturer’s LayerLock technology to mechanically fuse the shingles’ common bonds. The shingles create a dual-phase shingle-to-shingle seal when used with GAF’s DuraGrip sealant, as well as an asphalt-to-asphalt monolithic bond.

Trane’s new ducted brand includes air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, coils, and handlers. Trane is introducing a new line of ducted heating and cooling products, RunTru by Trane, designed to provide dependable performance at an affordable price point. As of launch RunTru by Trane includes a full line of split and packaged units, including air conditioners up to 14 SEER, heat pumps, furnaces, coils, and air handlers.

Nisus Corporation, a leading manufacturer of sustainable wood preservatives and pest management products, today unveils its new brand identity including a new logo, tagline and website. The new materials are intended to more clearly represent the company’s commitment to innovation and new product development while honoring Nisus’ 30+ years in business.

Check out these four ways to connect with Shinn Builder Partnerships and Shinn Consulting at the 2020 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas.

For decades, Trane has been the go-to source for high-end, reliable engineering. While we pride ourselves on this fact, we also know that not everyone needs or wants all the bells and whistles. That’s where RunTru by Trane comes in.

The design trends for the new decade are in many ways reminiscent of the Art Deco movement of the 1920s.

We are excited to announce that our new and improved website is live! You may have noticed that our website has changed significantly since the last time you checked in. We have been working hard to bring you a better online experience. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

During the housing recession, Nathan Cox enticed builders to buy land by offering them construction loans for spec houses. But with so many builders struggling at the time, Cox and a partner—former custom builder Jeff Lane—in May 2011 launched Truland Homes Inc., primarily as a safety valve to monetize Cox’s land holdings. But Truland Homes LLC (as it’s now called) produced its own momentum, partly because it faced little builder competition aside from D.R. Horton (which remains one of Cox’s best land customers). Truland started 46 homes and closed 14 in its first year. Those totals jumped to 100 and 63, respectively, in 2012.

To support their three children, Peter and his wife, who also lost her sight to measles as a child, decided to start a business building rental properties. Every bank turned him away, prejudiced against his disability. But after he learned of Urwego Bank, HOPE’s microfinance institution in Rwanda, Peter received a loan and started his business in 2013. In the five years since his business launched, it has grown to include 25 rental properties.

Now in its fifth year, the Everyday Hero Award program was created to honor ECI customers—both individuals and companies—who consistently go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities. Nominations are submitted by ECI employees, customers and partners and evaluated by an independent panel of judges. This year, ECI received more than 70 nominations.

Home builders have begun pre-sales at Hunt Companies is rapidly developing The Colony, a 2,300-acre master-planned project in Bastrop, Texas developed by Hunt Companies, even though the model homes have yet to be completed, Hunt reports. 12 new homes underway and model homes scheduled to open in late 2019 and early 2020.

We are now entering the eleventh year of our economic and housing recovery, which is the longest in U.S. modern history; an economic cycle normally lasts seven years. On the surface, the economy looks strong with above-expected job growth, low unemployment, wage increases, strong consumer spending, and the stock market hitting new records almost daily.

Quote Kitchen & Bath offers 3D visualization software system which is made to give your potential homebuyers the ability to design their dream kitchen or bathroom on your website and social media platforms. The design software system engages the potential buyers and prompts them to enter their contact information which is then sent to the builder directly; so in fact, you have a sales and marketing tool to drive more potential homebuyers to your business.

Your door should always welcome you home – while playing seamlessly into your style. And with design trends moving toward simplistic looks, EnLitenTM flush-glazed designs from Therma-Tru Corp. are the perfect complement for today’s homes. With clean lines and seamless construction, EnLiten flush-glazed designs effortlessly combine indoor and outdoor living spaces. These doors offer up to a 16 percent increase in visible glass area as compared to conventional lite frames.

Airlite Plastics has acquired TRUEGRID, adding the permeable paving grid system to its line of environmentally sustainable construction products. TRUEGRID joins the family of Airlite products aimed at innovating the sustainable construction market. The paving system is a natural complement to Airlite’s Fox Blocks brand of ICF building blocks.

Kwikset, the leading residential lock manufacturer, recently introduced its Halo Wi-Fi enabled smart lock. Available in two styles, a touchscreen and a keypad, Halo pairs to a homeowner’s existing Wi-Fi network, providing smart lock security and smart home security to consumers simply and easily. With an assortment of features, Halo offers three entry modes: through the Kwikset app, via code, or with a traditional key.

C.H.I. Overhead Doors has created a full line of woodtone doors that marry the appeal of real wood with the low-maintenance longevity of steel. Accents Woodtones is meticulously designed and manufactured using full color digital imaging and insulated steel to create the highest quality, most realistic woodtone doors available. Featuring authentic, digitally imaged non-repeating woodgrains, each Accents Woodtones garage door is as colorful and authentic as real wood.

Today’s consumer expects more. Amerock’s Simple Solutions is an inspiring, interactive merchandising experience that streamlines cabinet hardware selection to feature Amerock’s top collections and on-trend finishes. Simple Solutions: Merchandising for every business model. Growing in popularity are appliance-inspired metallics, such as black chrome and graphite. Whether you’re going for high-contrast or that serene tone-on-tone look, decorative hardware creates the polish and pizzazz that turns a space from simple to simply stunning. With Amerock, creating a cohesive look from kitchen to bath has never been easier.

DuPont Performance Building Solutions (PBS) is a global innovation leader in the building and construction industry, providing products and materials for all six sides of the building envelope — from top to bottom, inside and out. By developing solutions for managing the air, water, and thermal performance of homes and commercial buildings, we help our customers build energy-efficient, resilient, and durable shelters.

Lennox has expanded its ultra-low emissions gas furnace line that meets new California state regulations for emission reduction, saving homeowners and contractors energy and money. Lennox developed four furnaces – the SL297NV, SL280NV, EL195NE and EL180NE – to comply with California's South Coast Air Quality Management District's Rule 1111 and San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's Ultra-Low NOx Rule 4905, both requiring reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

It takes years for you as a builder to create a reputation for building quality homes. If this issue is ignored, you risk severely damaging that reputation. Additionally, wood decay fungi could present a major threat to your customers’ health and property. For prevention and remediation, Bora-Care with Mold-Care is a product you should consider to protect the structure you are building and the families who will be living there for years to come.

For years, evolving code and building practice have resulted in ever-tighter homes, said David Maruna, an executive at Ingersoll Rand, parent company to Trane, a historic HVAC product manufacturer. Unfortunately, best practice for designing HVAC solutions hasn’t kept up with exterior envelope construction. The lack of coordination often results in a needlessly costly, let’s-overspec- just-to-be-on-the-safe-side HVAC system. That can lead to premature failures, as well as comfort issues, which result in costly call-backs for builders.

Entrematic – manufacturer of Amarr brand sectional doors – received the coveted David Weekley Homes “A, A Partner of Choice Award for Quality and Service” for the second year in a row. Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Amarr is one of the leading U.S. brands of sectional doors for residential garages, condominiums, commercial buildings, shopping malls, warehouses, and other industrial applications. The award recognizes suppliers that have operated at world-class levels through the year, as determined by the home builder’s supplier evaluation platform.

Wayne Dalton, a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial door solutions, has expanded its product offerings with additional design selections for Model 9510 Designer Steel garage doors. New options include the new Ridgefield panel that features recessed pinstripes, as well as Desert Tan, Terra Bronze, Gray, and Black premium color paint finishes. Homeowners can now achieve added customization for the ultimate curb appeal boost with the look of a carriage house door, but with the value and maintenance of the Designer Steel collection.

Builders know great ideas are easy to come by. The hard part is making them happen. The 2020 Executive Summit, scheduled for March 10-12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, zeroes in on this issue as we delve into “Superior Performance and Profitability: It’s All in Your Team’s Execution.” Our keynote speaker is Chris McChesney, global practice leader of execution for Franklin Covey and co-author of The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals.

As a consultant with Shinn Consulting, Rick is working with builders across the country to streamline their purchasing processes and procedures, as well as presenting at educational seminars. Rick is also the director of business development for Builder Partnerships, recruiting building material manufacturers, negotiating membership agreements, rebates, and marketing programs. Rick has more than 20 years of experience in the home building industry, with more than 10 years as director of purchasing. He has expertise in product design, costing, and construction management of sales offices, design centers, and community amenities. He is also a speaker at purchasing and estimating seminars.

AMERISTAR HEATING AND COOLING is a value brand under Trane and American Standard. These affordable, efficient HVAC systems and components are ideally suited for entry-level homes, spec homes, production homes, manufactured homes, and light commercial properties. QUOTE KITCHEN & BATH design software gives your potential home buyers the ability to design their dream kitchen or bathroom on your website and social media platforms.

Atlanta home builder SR Homes on Friday said Mark Willis has jointed the company as its CFO. In his new role as CFO, Willis will oversee the financial actions of SR Homes including monetary development, tracking spending and evaluating the company’s financial strengths and weaknesses to recommend corrective actions. SR Homes builds new homes throughout the metro Atlanta area.

Taylor Morrison currently offers single-family and villa homes in its Esplanade and Whitfield Preserve neighborhoods and will now expand its floor-plan selection into the Stansil Park neighborhood. Within the approximately 2,400-acre master-plan, Taylor Morrison plans to offer 230 single-family homes in the Stansil Park neighborhood.

Betenbough Homes recently broke ground on its newest subdivision in West Lubbock.Upland Crossing, south of 19th Street on Upland Avenue. Betenbough Homes is one of three regional production builders in the country committed to certifying 100% of homes to the NGBS, including this one in the Quincy Park community of Lubbock, Texas.

TimberTech AZEK, TimberTech PRO and TimberTech EDGE will be available in new colors and board types. AZEK Building Products has announced its complete lineup of new decking and railing products set to launch in 2020. These include additions to the TimberTech AZEK, TimberTech PRO, and TimberTech EDGE decking lines, as well as additions and changes to its composite railing collections.

Townhomes are featured in Mapleton, single-family home in West Jordan. McArthur Homes, South Jordan, Utah has opened sales at two new communities. Harvest Park in Mapleton offers three townhome floor plans ranging from 2,336 to 2,510 sq. ft. The community is located only 20 minutes outside of Provo and is within reach of the neighborhood's most commonly used amenities.

While preparing for a possible downturn, Epcon Communities is mostly optimistic about the coming year. BUILDER recently checked in with Paul Hanson, president of Epcon Franchising, a subsidy of Dublin, Ohio–based Epcon Communities, which is ranked No. 45 on the latest Builder 100 list. The topics of discussion included the senior market, recession concerns, and why Central Ohio has turned into a hot real estate market.

For years, evolving code and building practice have resulted in ever-tighter homes, says David Maruna, an executive at Ingersoll Rand, parent company to Trane, a historic HVAC product manufacturer. Who says a home builder can’t offer healthy, net-zero ready homes at popular prices? Maruna says his company will soon offer home builders a consultative service called Tranquility by Trane. Tranquility presents builders with scaled whole-home approach to build a healthier, high-performance home affordably. The service will include load calculations, coordinating with other building envelope manufacturers, and facilitating relationships with installers, testers and raters without the price tag expected in a consultative relationship.

Establishing sell-by dates can be a game changer for a builder’s operations. Also known as even flow or slot scheduling, the sell-by date is the procedure whereby you preset the production starts based on the anticipated sales volume for the year. The sales team is then able to sell the production start dates and communicate a reasonably certain completion date to the buyer. The sell-by date is built to the current business plan and will help a builder manage several key pieces in its operations.

Connect with Shinn Builder Partnerships at the International Builders' Show at the 15th Annual Builder Partnerships Networking Reception. Set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Jan. 20, 2020, at the Embassy Suites Convention Center, the reception is often called the best networking event of the show. An intimate event with great food and an open bar, the reception offers you a perfect opportunity to catch up with colleagues and meet with manufacturers’ national sales managers in a relaxed environment. Don't forget to stop by Builder Partnerships booth: SU216 in the South Hall!

The force of a lightning strike can damage homes and electrical and mechanical systems, including gas piping. A large custom home builder was one of the first to specify Counterstrike® in all of its homes. Before the switch, the home builder dealt with several lightning issues a year, but since switching to Counterstrike®, there have been no problems with lightning and gas piping.

The POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle is a revolutionary new roofing tile product that combines the performance and protection of a conventional asphalt roof with an integrated photovoltaic system.

Fischer Homes, Erlanger, Kentucky has purchased the majority of the single-family land assets of Cincinnati-based Inverness Homes. Privately held Fischer Homes is the 30th largest home builder in the U.S., with over 27,000 homes built and has been in business for nearly 40 years since 1980. The acquisition expands Fischer Homes footprint in the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Louisville markets. The company is currently the market leader in both the Cincinnati and Louisville MSAs and has a community in Springboro, Ohio, which is just south of Dayton.

Construction has begun on an amenity center at the Texas community called Wildridge, a master-planned community under construction by Ashlar Development in Oak Point. The 340-acre community on Lake Lewisville has been in development for several years, and now has roughly 750 residents in 360 occupied homes. Chesmar has seven floor plans for lots at the development, ranging from roughly 2,400 square feet to 3,800 square feet and priced at $360,000 to $430,000.