Dan Reeves receives "America's Best
Builder" award from "Builder" magazine
editor Denise Dersin in Orlando Thursday
night during International Builders Show
Thursday night. The award is presented.
Four honorees were selected based on
homes sold. Applications are reviewed
by a panel of industry experts, and
evaluated for excellence in
finance/operations, design/construction,
customer service/quality, community/industry
service and marketing.
More than 200 Oklahomans attended the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., last week, including OSHBA President Brandon Perkins; Tulsa's Phil Rhees; Kurt Dinnes, president of Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association; COHBA Vice President Steve Allen; and Enid Home Builders Association president Dave Callant.
Dan Reeves of Landmark Fine Homes in Norman attended as well, particularly to receive the "Builder" magazine's top award as "America's Best Builder."
"I loved the show. It is always a great opportunity to go and see what the latest and greatest' in home design and construction. We took seven people from Landmark who were able to tour concept homes, go to classes to get further education on building practices and tour the floor to meet suppliers and find out what the new products are that we should expect to see this year.
"In 2006, 105,000 people attended the show. This year, there were only about 50,000 people, although it's up 10 percent from last year.
"The good thing is people are buying again. I saw a lot of guys buying. That's good. The important thing to remember here is that, basically, we might have had half the people there this year, but only about 40-50 percent were serious about show before this year. Now, 70-75 percent of people are serious about their occupation. That's the encouraging part.
"On the other hand, there were vendors there in the past who weren't even there. I talked to several one-man vendors. For example, a guy from Canada was there, and I had never seen his product before. He makes mitered posts. That is a structural item for back patios or front porches.. We usually use iron and wrap with wood. He's come up with a great idea. The dilemma is to get it to Enid. Who is your closest distributor? I asked. And jokingly, it generally is Virginia or some distant state.
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