Congratulations to longtime home builder Dan Reeves, of Landmark Fine Homes in Norman, the newest member of upcoming 2015 board of directors for the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association. Come January, he will be inducted as vice president/secretary.
Reeves has always been on the cutting edge of innovation and partnerships in the industry.
Dan Reeves of Landmark Fine Homes
Last year, Reeves partnered with Oklahoma Natural Gas to roll out one of the few, if any at that time, "concept" homes with 15 CNG-powered options, including a fueling station in the garage.
Landmark was named America's Best Builder 2012 by "Builder" magazine, the leading media brand for the residential construction industry which serves as the magazine for the National Association of Home Builders.
Landmark was selected due to its "innovative business strategies, careful attention to customer service and a distinct approach to quality home building," according to the magazine.
In 2009, Landmark built only the third home in the state at that time to be certified by the National Home Builders Association as a gold-level Green Home, the first being in the Edmond area and the second in Broken Arrow. The gold certification meets the highest "green" standards under the NAHB's green building program Election of
An Oklahoman article two years ago captures what makes up the Reeves family:
Copyright © 2012, The Oklahoma Publishing Company
"For Dan Reeves, a single phone call from his wife, Amy, would change everything.
"She called me one day and said, Hey, we haven't seen each other in a couple of years,'" he recalled with a laugh.
She had a point. They worked opposite shifts Dan Reeves as a field training officer with the Oklahoma City Police Department, and Amy Reeves as an elementary school teacher. Their spare time was gobbled up by the growing homebuilding work they had going on the side.
"And I was glad she called," Dan Reeves said. "I was tired."
"And so we took a leap of faith," Amy Reeves said, "left our careers and started a homebuilding company."
Eleven years later, there are no regrets, not even with a market downturn thrown in to complicate things. Dan Reeves credits his police department training "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best" for not only getting Landmark Fine Homes through but even growing it a little.
"We retained earnings and (did) not just spend all our money, to make sure we're going to be around to take care of our customers and our family and our employees," he said. "I think you can see there were a lot of other people who were spending it as they were making it, overextending themselves."
The Best Builder' award was hardly a cosmetic one. Dan Reeves said his company had to provide details about its systems and practices, accounting, employee retention and more when the company applied for the award.
"Having beautiful homes, all that plays a part," he said. "But it's a little easier to build a beautiful home than it is to build a company."
His wife said, "A lot of times people, I think, misconceive America's Best Builder as just the sticks and brick and the exterior and what you see. But it really is a lot of the behind the scenes, how you run your organization."
Amy and Dan Reeves grew up in the Moore-Norman area, were high school sweethearts and live within miles of their childhood homes. Both are active in the community through Relay for Life, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross.
Amy Reeves has served with the Salvation Army for years, including four years as kettle chairman, and Landmark's annual "Thanksmas" brings friends, colleagues and families together during the holidays at one of its model homes to collect food and toys for the Salvation Army. The Reeves have three children.
Dan Reeves cut his construction teeth in high school and college working with his uncle Lyndsey Gay, who owns L.G. Construction in Oklahoma City. Reeves put that experience to work in his spare time after going to work as a police officer, heeding the advice of another uncle who also worked in law enforcement.
"He said, Don't work extra police jobs because you'll die a young man,'" Reeves recalled.
So Reeves built instead. And the buyers came. Then he built more, and more buyers came.
"And it was growing and growing," he said. "And (Amy) was doing the books after teaching all day. And we grew it. Basically it came to us."
Dan has been active in the state association for years, and we are sure, years to come. Congrats Dan!
