The Inspired Innovator

Eric Wittenberg is a third-generation builder and a student of the work hard, play hard school. When he relocated from Southern California to Colorado about five years ago, he left behind his scuba gear, but held on to a personal debt of gratitude for those who helped guide him along the way. He says being people-oriented is critical to his role as president and chief executive officer of McSta...

Rising Arizona

Potential Overbuilding Reversed by Katrina

Featured Major Market: Houston Houston has steadily risen from a relatively small housing market in 1987 to the third largest housing market in the country. Houston has always been known for its pro-growth, pro-developer attitudes, which has lead to periods of overbuilding in the past. We were concerned about potential overbuilding in Houston until Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

Stocks Sag on Skyrocketing Oil

Building stocks and the major markets took a hit this month as oil prices jumped to record highs. Hurricane Katrina devastated petroleum refineries and the uncertainty of the storm's effects forced markets downward. "The president of the Philly Fed is saying the Fed has to adapt to changing circumstances," said Todd Leone, managing director of equity trading at SG Cowen Securities.

MBK Homes

Condo King Rising

Michael Lerner, 53, still looks the part of the football player he was in his youth. For that matter, he could still pass for the burly carpenter or job superintendent of his early years in the contracting business in his hometown of Chicago. You might not pick him out of a lineup as the president and managing partner of one of the fastest growing residential building companies in America.

An Influx of Infill

With the cost of land climbing and resistance to suburban sprawl mounting in some areas, GIANTS are looking for alternatives to business as usual, seeking options that will help them achieve and maintain the growth Wall Street expects. Large builders are taking on infill projects — brownfields as well as land skipped over in previous developments — that are more indigenous to smalle...

Best Practices for Quality Framing

A house's frame is its skeleton. The frame not only provides the structure and shape of the home, but it also affects the quality of the mechanicals, interior finishes and exterior finishes. Problems resulting from a poor framing job usually don't have quick, easy solutions. With so much riding on the quality of the framing, it's critical that home builders take quality assurance into their own...

Building A New Business

In August 1998, I sat intimidated in front of my computer screen, wondering what I could possibly say about a business totally new to me and wonderfully familiar to you. Adding the words, Editor-in-Chief, Professional Builder behind my name did little to eliminate my butterflies or erase my uncertainty.

Mercedes Homes

Mohawk Carpet