THE BEST FOR BUYERS

Shortly after building his first home in a small town near Toronto, Ontario, Peter Gilgan decided to start his own company. He named it Mattamy Homes for his two children, Matt and Amy, and decided that customer satisfaction would be the foundation on which the venture would grow and succeed.

Now, 35 years later, Mattamy is Canada’s largest builder. In 2003, it expanded into the U.S. and now builds in Phoenix, Minneapolis, Charlotte, Orlando and Jacksonville. The company has completed more than 50,000 homes in 150 communities.

When a cozy family-owned venture evolves into a dynamic international behemoth, certain founding principles can get lost along the way. Not so at Mattamy, which in several important ways remains much the same company in 2012 as it was in 1978.

Customer satisfaction, for example, is still the company’s primary focus and the most important component of its culture. In fact, that single-minded focus on providing buyers a positive experience has permeated its U.S. divisions — and nowhere is that more apparent than in Jacksonville.

“We decided very early that the best way to build a unified culture among our disparate divisions was to emulate our parent company,” says Mattamy U.S. President Steve Parker, who’s based in Winter Park, Florida. In Canada, Parker notes, Mattamy has for years dominated customer-satisfaction surveys. Consequently, the company’s U.S. employees are laser focused on doing the same thing.

That effort culminated earlier this year, when the Jacksonville division won the Avid Diamond Award, topping all North American builders with an Avid Index Score of 282 points (out of a possible 300). Further, more than 97 percent of the division’s customers told Avid they would recommend Mattamy Jacksonville to friends and family.

Avid Ratings is a customer loyalty management firm. The Avid Awards, now in its ninth year, is the world’s leading industry-sponsored customer-satisfaction awards program.

Kerry Soltis, the Jacksonville division’s director of marketing, says a combination of customer satisfaction and unique architectural designs give Mattamy the edge in a competitive market where buyers are more discerning than ever.

“The competitions we participate in help with recognition and help buyers see the difference,” says Soltis, who recently closed on her own Mattamy home. “It’s great to work for a company where customer satisfaction is a passion.”

Jacksonville Vice President of Construction Jerry Dean and Warranty Service Manager David Bell are key in making certain that buyers are happy. Bell says that even the company’s construction supervisors — typically hard-charging types who are more accustomed to wrangling subcontractors than reassuring buyers — are as adept at customer service as anyone in the company. “That wasn’t always true in this industry, but today all of our builders have great interpersonal relationship skills,” he says.

Looking ahead, Mattamy plans to debut its own communities in addition to continuing its work alongside other builders in the region’s major master-planned projects. Kelly Pointe at Nocatee, Bartram Park Preserve, Willowbrook Townhomes and Holly Park will all debut later this year or early next year.

“Jacksonville offers many hidden treasures to homeowners,” says Parker. “We’re very much looking forward to building on our success as we continue to grow in the Jacksonville area.”

mattamyhomes.com

MATTAMY COMMUNITIES

DUVAL COUNTY

Bartram Park Preserve. Coming soon: single-family-home community located in the popular Bartram Park area; close to shopping, dining and top-rated schools. Prices TBD. Check mattamyhomes.com for grand opening information. (904) 237-8975

Cedar Bay. Located just off Cedar Bay Road, bordering the Broward River; the closest single-family-home community to Downtown Jacksonville. One-story homes priced from $149,990, two-story homes priced from $176,990. (904) 647-5692

Cornerstone at Watermill. Stylish selection of townhomes with one- and two-car garages; located near shopping and schools; purchase price includes two years of HOA dues. Priced from $101,990. (904) 240-0641

CLAY COUNTY

Forest Hammock at OakLeaf Plantation. Original collection of architecturally designed homes; located in amenity-rich OakLeaf Plantation adjacent to Eagle Landing and OakLeaf Town Center. One-story homes priced from $179,990, two-story homes priced from $209,990. (904) 553-4742

ST. JOHNS COUNTY

Durbin Crossing. Unique, architecturally designed homes located in the St. Johns County’s best-selling community. Single-family homes on 53-foot lots priced from $179,990, single-family homes on 63-foot lots priced from $224,990. (904) 217-0296

Greenleaf Village at Nocatee. INNOVATIONS homes located in a family oriented community packed with amenities. Single-family homes on 50-foot lots priced from $206,990, single-family homes on 60-foot lots priced from $259,990. (904) 429-7489

Kelly Pointe at Nocatee. Coming soon: architecturally designed one- and two-story homes offering a variety of elegant exterior styles from which to choose. Check mattamyhomes.com for grand opening information. (904) 237-8975

Old Sebastian Point. Located in historic St. Augustine nestled on a preserve where two rivers meet. One-story homes priced starting at $187,990, two-story homes priced starting at $216,990. (904) 547-2456

RiverTown. Master-planned community offering rare St. Johns River frontage. Single-family homes on 50-foot lots priced from $189,990, single-family homes on 60-foot lots priced from $221,990, single-family homes on 70-foot lots priced from $264,990. (904) 940-8010

Sevilla. Located near nationally recognized World Golf Village; lots of amenities and convenient to shopping and major highways. One-story homes priced from $144,990, two-story homes priced from $177,990. (904) 940-9222

The Colony at Greenbriar. Luxurious homes nestled among unspoiled wetlands and conservation areas. One-story homes priced from $278,990. (904) 287-3020