In My Truck

Michael Mendelsohn, president/CEO of Cliftwood Homes Inc. in Scottsdale, Ariz., doesn’t build typical houses. But he does conduct much of his business in a typical builder setting: the front seat of his truck.
March 31, 2000
2 min read

Michael Mendelsohn, president/CEO of Cliftwood Homes Inc. in Scottsdale, Ariz., doesn’t build typical houses. But he does conduct much of his business in a typical builder setting: the front seat of his truck.

Mendelsohn has quickly earned the reputation of constructing beautiful high-end homes while championing new and alternative building materials and methods that are environmentally friendly. &quotThat’s really my thing -- I love to experiment with new technology," says Mendelsohn.

A: Plans and Drawings Keeping several irons in the fire, he nearly always has plans for a current project, a pending project and a project on which he is bidding. B: Materials Samples A cabinet door, an OSB panel, Cultured Stone and a piece of a foam panel wall system that becomes structural after being sprayed with shotcrete. &quotI always carry samples because people are constantly asking about materials, and it helps them to be able to see what I’m talking about." C: Palm Pilot Filled with appointments, a to-do list and a calendar. He is working on entering phone numbers to handle the overflow from his cell phone. &quotMy phone only stores 100 numbers, and it’s constantly full." D: Coffee Cup &quotThis is almost always empty because here in the desert a full water bottle is much more important."
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