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Published on: 7/6/2007
Last Visited: 7/24/2007
Kim Shelpman has been the president of Holiday Builders since August of 2006.Prior to that, she was the president of Shelter Mortgage (a joint venture with Holiday Builders), while also serving on the board of directors for Holiday Builders.Shelpman credits her 20 years on the financial side of the company as preparation for her current position as president and CEO.Shelpman, who proclaims she is the only woman president and CEO in Brevard County's home building industry, says Holiday is one of the few residential construction companies with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).She credits the 265 full-time employee/owners for the honor of being ranked so highly by BUILDER magazine.
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We are launching an ad campaign that will leverage this difference between Holiday Builders and our competition," Shelpman says.
Holiday's Competitive Edge
According to Shelpman, Holiday Builders caters to retirees and entry-level buyers.In Brevard County, their three and four bedroom homes range in price from $150,000 to $250,000 - a scale that these buyers can feel comfortable committing to.
"We offer the buyer more options to choose from than our competitors do.Buyers can make simple changes with Holiday Builders that they can't do with some of the other homebuilders.We also provide a two year limited mechanical warranty, as opposed to a one year warranty that other builders offer, and a 10 year limited structural warranty," Shelpman adds.
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Shelpman has been working in the affordable housing industry for more than 20 years.
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"We are trying to be involved in more of the state bond programs where we can get assistance for the buyer," explains Shelpman.
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There is an income limit and sales price limit per county, and they have to qualify for the mortgage," adds Shelpman.
Those eligible for the special bond rates can receive up to $10,000 depending on income.Shelpman says Holiday Builders offers $1,000 off to government employees, police, fire, and healthcare workers nationwide for new or spec homes.
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Shelpman says providing affordable housing plays a part when strategically planning new markets to develop. Holiday builds where people want to live and where land costs allow them to build affordable home options.Currently, Holiday Builders operate in Florida, Texas, and Alabama.
"We are looking to build in Biloxi, Mississippi," says Shelpman.
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We are starting to build two-story homes, which we haven't built in more than 10 years," notes Shelpman."We are very excited to bring new products out in the market.This includes the ‘Tradition' series, a no-frills, smaller, affordable home with limited options.We are looking to help the first-time homebuyer who can't afford present Brevard County home prices."
In addition to product enhancements, Shelpman has taken on the responsibility of improving customer service.Holiday Builders recently started a customer focus initiative, which includes both the buyer and employees.They have eight committees that will work on an on-going initiative that will focus on training, customer surveys, etc.
According to Shelpman, they advertise via Internet, magazines, radio and some print.They also do home and mall shows and will soon be featured on the Sunday morning television program, "Hot on Homes."
Holiday Builders offers a full-circle home-buying experience to their customers through the creation of HBI Title Company, HB Designs, LLC, and a partnership with Shelter Mortgage.
"We will always continue to build in Brevard County.This is the core of our building organization," Shelpman adds.
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