Rod Cullum, founder and CEO of Cullum Homes in Scottsdale, Ariz., has been honored as the Custom Home Builder of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Custom Home Builders Committee. Sponsored by Sherwin-Williams, the award was presented at a ceremony in Las Vegas during the NAHB International Builders’ Show.
With more than 30 years in the business, Cullum relies on handpicked professionals to take projects from the early stages of site selection and architectural design through construction and beyond. Cullum Homes builds 10 to 15 multi-million-dollar homes a year and completes six to eight remodels.
The firm offers ongoing services to maintain a home after move-in and, in many cases, renovates the home years down the road as the owners’ needs change. Focusing on post-move-in client care and service has led the company to expand short-term warranty service into a long-term profit producer and keeps the company on the minds of clients for years after the home is built, often resulting in referrals that bring in new clients.
Cullum Homes shepherds clients through every part of their project, with in-house architecture and interior design teams, high-tech virtual reality software that allows clients to take a virtual walk through of the design as it evolves. Clients and the building team have open online access to project documents and communications.
“Rod gives complete service for clients, providing top-level work at each stage of design, construction, and, if desired, ongoing maintenance and remodeling,” said Doreen “Dodie” Adams, Financial Officer at Integrity Builders Inc., and chair of the NAHB Custom Home Builders Committee. “Fine craftsmanship, up-to-date tools, a first-rate team and great client service mark him as a leader in his field.”
Finalists:
David Foard, vice president and owner of Arcadia Homes Inc., in Charlotte, N.C., believes his company brings the benefits of a large company with a small company feel to customers, using a relatively large staff strategically to match ability with the requirements of a project, then emphasizing face-to-face time with clients to foster collaboration and good communication. Arcadia Homes builds 10-18 unique client homes each year ranging from $1.5 to $15 million in North Carolina and South Carolina.
In addition to quality craftsmanship, careful project management and strong relationships with clients and team members, Foard takes pride in being a good steward of the land around his projects and a leader in green building, partnering with building trades partners to recycle tons of construction materials and building a custom home to the highest level of U.S. Green Building Council LEED standards.
Jeffrey Sweenor, president and CEO of Sweenor Builders Inc., in Wakefield, R.I., builds an average of five custom structures in coastal Rhode Island each year, many of which are family compounds with an expansive main home and auxiliary buildings.
Sweenor provides in-house design-build services as well as collaboration with premier architects to create projects that satisfy clients and also earn the respect of design professionals, other project partners and industry leaders who then become the wellspring for the next projects. Sweener credits a company culture where everyone on the project holds themselves accountable for the quality of their work and take pride in their craft.
“These professionals build quality homes, focus on client satisfaction, use the latest technology, stay up-to-date with materials and systems and maintain great teams,” said Adams. “They are leaders in their communities and mentors for their local home building associations. Congratulations to David and Jeffrey.”
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ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 140,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with 700 state and local home builders associations around the country. NAHB’s builder members will construct about 80 percent of the new housing units projected for this year.