Good Neighbor Awards

Any builder will tell you that in a family-friendly community with good schools, leading-edge arts programs, effective children's services and accessible healthcare, selling homes is easy.

That's certainly one reason northeast Florida's builders have been leaders for years in enhancing the region's quality of life through volunteerism. But there's more to the story than "doing well by doing good." Indeed, the First Coast building community has embraced a shared philosophy of helping simply for the sake of helping.

Perhaps the most high-profile example was in 2000, when the Northeast Florida Builders Association partnered with HabiJax, the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate, for a project called 101 Home Build. NEFBA and HabiJax, along with 10,000 volunteers, built 101 homes in 18 days, transforming the site of an abandoned public-housing project into a vibrant neighborhood teeming with families, many of who had never been able to purchase a home before.

"When our builders say they're going to do something, they get it done," says Ken Kuester, owner of Lumber Unlimited and coordinator of the nationally recognized effort. Kuester now chairs Builders Care, the nonprofit organization founded by NEFBA.

More recently, Builders Care joined ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team, building a new, custom-designed home for a down-on-their-luck family in Hastings, located in rural St. Johns County. The home, which was completed in 96 hours, involved teams of designers, contractors, suppliers and hundreds of individual volunteers.

There's no question such high-profile events make a big splash. But it's what builders do on an ongoing basis—sometimes through Builders Care, sometimes on their own—that inspired Jacksonville Homebuyer to launch a recognition program called the Good Neighbor Awards.

The inaugural class of 20 Good Neighbor honorees is introduced in this issue. And it certainly wasn't difficult to find enough qualified companies. Local builders have spearheaded construction of showcase homes for an array of charities, raised funds for children's organizations, awarded scholarships to deserving students and even initiated projects to help entrepreneurs in emerging countries. And they've tirelessly participated in walk-a-thons, benefit runs and a smorgasbord of other events to benefit good works.

Indeed, virtually every major nonprofit in the region has enjoyed support from the home-building industry. In some cases, entire social or cultural programs have been underwritten by builders.

"Most people involved in the new-home industry are aware of the charitable and community efforts of area builders," says Penelope Geismar, Jacksonville Homebuyer publisher. "But many of those efforts go unrecognized by the public, and we want to change that. Builders do a lot, and they deserve to be acknowledged."

Adds builder Bryan Lendry, president of NEFBA, "When the neediest of the needy need help, there's really no better group of people to turn to than builders. We have the resources to help, and we've shown that we have the will to help."

NEFBA has for years honored a "Member of the Month" for outstanding service to the association and the community. But the 2,500-member organization—the largest builder association in the state and one of the largest in the nation—has never held a recognition program on the scale of the Good Neighbor Awards.

"Because we have so many generous builders, it's difficult to select just one member each month," says Arnold Tritt, executive vice president of NEFBA. "From financial contributions to donations of time, labor, goods and services, NEFBA members are tireless workers on behalf of the less fortunate. That's why we're so glad that Jacksonville Homebuyer has taken this initiative."

Local builders' contributions continue to make a huge impact in the community, say non-profit organizations that have benefited from their largesse. "Builders have made a tremendous difference in our ability to uplift the needy in our community, especially during the holiday season," says Major James Siler, area commander for the Salvation Army of Northeast Florida.

The Salvation Army and the I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless have been supported by Providence Homes, D.R. Horton Homes, W.G. Pitts and North Florida Builders/A Woodside Company, among others.

"Several builders and subcontractors were very involved in helping us build our shelter, doing much of the work pro bono or at cost," says Sharon Youngerman, executive director of Quigley House. "That help has been critical to our ability to provide services. Builders have an important skill base that we can't provide ourselves."

Youngerman notes that some companies have contacted the shelter and offered to hold fund raisers while others have simply answered "yes" when asked to repair storm damage or renovate thrift shop space. In addition, there are several children's charities that wouldn't exist without the help of local builders.

• The Monique Burr Foundation for Children, which aids and protects abused children, was founded in memory of LandMar executive Ed Burr's late wife and continues with the support of LandMar and other local companies.

• Safe Harbor Boys Home, a residential and vocational program for at-risk teens, has a wing staffers dubbed "the White House" because it was made possible by North Florida Builders owner Howard White and local subcontractors.

• Seamark Ranch, a home for children in state care who have no hope of being reunited with family, is taking shape on 462 acres donated by developers Chester Stokes and Hawley Smith. The project's nearly-completed boys' residence is being built by Beazer Homes.

  "Beazer helped us, and many subcontractors and suppliers gave us materials and services either pro bono or at tremendously reduced costs," says Hugh Mathews, vice chairman of the board of directors of Seamark and president of England, Timms & Miller civil engineers. "We want to take every opportunity to compliment the entire building community of Northeast Florida. They've given us a jump start. The program isn't about buildings, it's about helping kids. But without the facilities, we can't do the things we want to do."

There are many other stories of good deeds done by our award-winners, including:

• Admiral Homes' custom-designed playhouse, built and sold to benefit Hope Haven Children's Clinic.

• Classic American Homes' "Give Hope a Home" house, built and sold to benefit the Donna Hicken Foundation.

• Providence Homes' "House for Hope," built and sold to provide micro-loans to families in impoverished countries.

• Matovina & Company's $100,000 contribution toward HabiJax's Superbuild 39 project.

• Brylen Homes' role of "extreme sponsor" and coordinator of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project.

For many Jacksonville Homebuyer Good Neighbor Award winners, community service is part of their corporate philosophy. Here's what several winners wrote in their application packets:

• "Beazer Homes believes that good communities foster good neighborhoods. We do not shy away from helping worthy causes, and employees get involved by volunteering time during their work week to benefit others."

• "The Vintage Group does not participate in community service projects for the sole purpose of gaining recognition or winning awards. We participate in order to build, support and strengthen the communities, neighborhoods and relationships in which so many people have invested so much."

• "Brylen Homes' dedicated employee volunteers aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and clean leaves out of gutters, weed the yard or plant and mulch flower beds. When it comes to charity work and community services, no job is too big or too small."

Below, Jacksonville Homebuyer salutes these companies and others for the outstanding work they do.

They are "good neighbors" in the truest sense.

2005 Honorees

It would be impossible to highlight all the good deeds of our Good Neighbor Award-winning companies. Many give back to the community so often and automatically that a full treatment would require an exorbitant number of pages. Consequently, we've limited the scope of the awards to only works accomplished in the calendar year 2004. Still, even an abbreviated list makes it clear that Jacksonville's builders make an incalculable contribution to the region's quality of life in all its aspects.

Admiral Homes

Admiral Homes' employees and suppliers built a stunning replica of one of the company's OakLeaf Plantation models to benefit Jacksonville-based Hope Haven Children's Clinic and Family Center, which diagnoses and treats childhood disorders such as autism and Down syndrome. The miniature home was auctioned off in November at a charitable gala. In addition, the company has been an active participant in NEFBA's Builders Care projects. "We believe strongly in giving back to the community and to charitable organizations to make a difference in people's lives," says Judy Watterson, director of sales and marketing. "It's not just about building homes. It's about building neighborhoods for families."

Beazer Homes

Beazer Homes contributed time, money and construction services to Jacksonville-based Seamark Ranch, a permanent home for abandoned and abused children. Most recently, the company completed construction of Seamark's first residence for boys between six and 16 years old. Beazer also participated in Builders Care Day, held quarterly drives for the Florida Georgia Blood Alliance and sponsored three children's baseball teams. Employees have actively participated in HabiJax, the regional affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. "At Beazer Homes we believe that it's not only our responsibility, but also our privilege to give back to the community," says Barbara Morre, division president. "We are, and will continue to be, committed to serving the communities in which we build."

Brylen Homes

Brylen Homes focuses primarily on NEFBA's Builders Care projects. Through that program, employees made home improvements for low-income and elderly homeowners, sometimes fixing problems that threatened the residents' health and safety. The company is also a sponsor of the Salvation Army's "Angel Tree" project, which distributes toys to needy children at holiday time. "Those of us in the homebuilding industry want to help improve the lives of the less fortunate," says Bryan Lendry, company president. "We've been blessed by being able to build in Northeast Florida, and we don't take the blessings we've enjoyed for granted. That's why we give back and try to make a difference wherever we can."

Classic American Homes

Classic American Homes built a 1,700-square-foot home to benefit The Donna Hicken Foundation's "Give Hope a Home" project. The home was built using mostly donated materials and labor; all profit from the sale was given to the Jacksonville-based charity, which helps low-income women battling breast cancer. Employees also helped with construction projects for HabiJax and Jacksonville-based Daniel Memorial, a residential program for troubled children. In addition, the company has been an active participant in NEFBA's Builders Care projects. Says Paul Axtell, division president: "This recognition is at the heart of our proud role in not only creating communities but giving back to those communities as well."

Chester and Lynda Stokes, Hawley and Emily Smith

Two longtime Jacksonville development companies, H. Smith Inc. and Stokes & Company, have paid civic dues in countless ways over the years. But perhaps the most generous donation during the past year was a personal one made by company founders Hawley Smith and Chester Stokes along with their spouses, Emily and Lynda. Smith and Stokes, who owned a 17,000-acre tract in Clay County near Black Creek, became acquainted with Keith Denton, who was raising funds to build a residential facility for abandoned and abused children. The project, called Seamark Ranch, would provide a permanent home for youngsters in need. Impressed with Denton, who was raised in a similar facility in Alabama, the Smith and Stokes families decided to donate 500 acres of their prime Clay County real estate to Seamark Ranch for a campus to be built. That donation, and the credibility it brought, ignited a groundswell of business community support for the project.

Engle Homes

Engle Homes encourages and supports employees' charitable interests with donations of time and money. At Thanksgiving, the company donated grocery gift certificates to the Mandarin Food Bank. At Christmas, the company collected new toys for the Toys For Tots campaign and "adopted" a family, providing gifts and household items for a single mother and her eight children. Engle also sponsored the Jacksonville Firefighters' River Rally Poker Run, which benefited the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and donated time and money to the Clay County Soup Bowl Kitchen. Engle built two HabiJax homes last year and is active in NEFBA's Builders Care. The company also sponsors children's T-ball and softball teams as well as charitable golf tournaments.

D.R. Horton

D.R. Horton took the lead in planning the William R. and Francis B. Barnett Children's Building, which is now under construction at the Jacksonville-based Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless. In addition, the company is a sponsor of the Salvation Army's "Angel Tree" project. The company participated in "Adopt a Grandma," sponsored by NEFBA's Builders Care, and spent days renovating the elderly woman's home. D.R. Horton also sponsors children's baseball teams and makes contributions to school athletic departments. "First, we take care of our own," says Andy Fremento, president of the North Florida Division. "From building homes for needy employees to providing emergency aid during a crisis, we're there to support our own. But we also help many organizations in the community."