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. "That’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. "I 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. "My phone only stores 100 numbers, and it’s constantly full." D: Coffee Cup "This is almost always empty because here in the desert a full water bottle is much more important."
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