Tampa Bay Good Neighbor Awards

So, Florida Homebuyer Tampa Bay and the Tampa Bay Builders Association are pleased to recognize such efforts through the First Annual Good Neighbor Awards. Our company also sponsors Good Neighbor Awards through our publications in Jacksonville and Orlando.

To kick off the recognition program in Tampa, 14 companies are being honored. Despite facing a challenging real-estate market, these organizations have contributed funds, volunteer hours and professional expertise to an array of important causes.

Executives and employees have been busy wielding tools, running races, assembling care packages, collecting school supplies and serving in organizational leadership roles. Their efforts have touched nearly every major nonprofit in the region.

And of course without the support of trade partners, who donate supplies, products and often labor, many of these good works would not have been possible.

The following summaries only partially describe what the selected companies have accomplished. But even this abbreviated list makes it clear that the hearts and minds of those who build Bay- area homes are truly in the right place.

Cardel Homes
GOOD WORKS: Cardel Homes has supported a variety of local charities and events, including the Brandon Ballet, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Ronald McDonald House. The company also helped raise $42,000 for Dreams Take Flight, which focuses on physically, mentally or socially challenged children, and raised $6,500 during a food drive to benefit The Joshua House and Metropolitan Ministries. Cardel Homes partnered with Metropolitan Ministries and other organizations during the Take Hunger by Storm competition to fight hunger and support high school athletics.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Having a successful family business means thinking like a family—even when you’ve grown into an international company. For Cardel, that has always meant looking after those around you. Each Cardel region has chosen to carry on that legacy of giving by committing a significant share of revenue to local charities and events.”

Connerton
GOOD WORKS: The American Cancer Society received vital support from Connerton staff members, who served on committees and participated in events such as the Relay for Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the Cattle Baron’s Ball. Connerton’s donations and charitable activities also have helped organizations such as the Community Aging and Retirement Services, the Pioneer Florida Museum, Toys for Tots and the University Community Hospital Foundation.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “The Connerton lifestyle is centered on maintaining a strong sense of community. It’s the duty of every business and organization to serve the community, and at Connerton we hold this responsibility as a professional priority. Connerton is more than a business; it’s the place our residents call home. Strengthening our community through service is something we promise to ourselves and all who make their home here.”

Habitat for Humanity of Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County
GOOD WORKS: Habitat for Humanity of Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County welcomed 1,555 new volunteers in 2007 and helped build homes for 11 families, including refugees from war-torn Kosovo. The organization also launched Women Build, which helps empower women who want to participate in all-female building projects. Planning also began for a 19-unit multifamily community built on the site of a former subsidized housing project.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Habitat for Humanity of Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County’s goal is to change lives and change our community one family at a time by creating permanent housing solutions for hardworking families in need of a hand up. Putting faith into action, Habitat for Humanity of Tampa" target="_blank">Pinellas County promotes family stability by providing innovative and affordable housing solutions to qualified individuals and families. In partnership with our community, we work toward our ultimate goal of eliminating substandard housing throughout the county.”

Inland Homes
GOOD WORKS: Inland Homes partnered with Rebuilding Tampa Together, donating time, materials and labor to repair a home for a family in need. During the Special Olympics, volunteers raise funds, coordinate events and man snack stations. The company also collects donations and raises funds for a fitness walk sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which seeks to raise awareness of breast cancer. During the holidays, Inland Homes hands out holiday gifts to children through the Sincerely, Santa program.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “We at Inland Homes are in the business of creating strong communities and making them as beautiful as possible with our products. Every quarter, our company enjoys being involved in philanthropic activities that strengthen existing communities and the public.”

K. Hovnanian Homes
GOOD WORKS: K. Hovnanian Homes, formerly Windward Homes, has raised more than $1 million for cancer research over the past seven years. In 2007 the company built its fourth Dream Home at Highland Park, with proceeds from the sale benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society? and Children’s Cancer Research Group at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital of Tampa. The company, along with its partners and vendors, also took part in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk by raising funds, making donations and walking.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Because K. Hovnanian has such a deep history in the Tampa market, the founders of the Tampa division have made it a priority to give back to the community by encouraging its employees, developer partners, trade contractors and suppliers, friends and family to support its fundraising efforts.”

Lennar Homes
GOOD WORKS: Lennar Homes contributed labor and materials to build a pavilion for the Tampa Marine Institute, which provides help to troubled teens. The company previously had raised $20,000 for the institute during a fishing tournament. Over the years, Lennar has served the community through projects such as Christmas gift drives for the Child Abuse Council and renovating the offices of Hillsborough Kids Inc., which offers help to abused and neglected children.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “At Lennar, we know that our responsibility to our community consists of far more than just building and delivering quality homes. Our philosophy of giving is based on an ancient proverb: ‘Give a person a fish and you feed him a meal; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ Therefore, our programs are often focused on helping people learn better life skills.”

Lindell Properties
GOOD WORKS: Lindell Properties and its staff has donated more than $2 million to date to local charitable organizations while its employees served as directors, board members, committee chairs and members of many beneficiaries. Again this year, Lindell Properties was involved with fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, including the Cattle Baron’s Ball, Relay for Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Our staff is highly passionate regarding their involvement of community service. We empower our employees, and in turn the residents of our communities, to give back to the community by offering complete support from Lindell Properties. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment is to see this philosophy and philanthropy being embraced by the residents living in Wilderness Lake Preserve.”

Newland Communities
GOOD WORKS: Newland Communities hosted its annual Life is Good Pumpkin Festival, which raised $11,200 for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and another $40,000 for the Tampa chapter of HomeAid, which provides housing for the homeless. The company also spearheaded the Art in the Park event to benefit both groups. Plus, Newland donated more than 70 acres to Tampa" target="_blank">Hillsborough County for the FishHawk Sports Complex. The company’s MiraBay community hosted a Resident Cookbook Launch, with proceeds from book sales benefitting Apollo Beach Elementary.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “At Newland Communities, we believe it’s our responsibility to have a positive impact on the world around us. Broadly, we do this by creating enduring, sustainable and healthy communities such as FishHawk Ranch and MiraBay. More specifically, we recognize the value a community and its people can bring to a region. So we endeavor to reach out both inside and outside of our own communities and residents, to create opportunities to contribute and serve as many people as we are able.”

New Millennial Homes
GOOD WORKS: New Millennial Homes analyzed Habitat for Humanity’s construction process to find ways to save time and money. As a result, implementation of this “segment specific building” has helped the organization save $4,400 on each home built and has shortened the construction cycle by 25 percent. The company also participated in the 2006 HomeBuilder’s Blitz, a nationwide effort by Habitat for Humanity to build 500 homes in one week.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “To build communities by making homeownership available to as many people as possible.”

Phillips Development & Realty
GOOD WORKS: Phillips Development & Realty donated use of its corporate plane and crew to fly the family of Air Force Major William Downs, who was killed in Iraq on Memorial Day, to Washington, D.C.,? for a Gold Medal of Remembrance Ceremony honoring children who have lost a parent in wartime. The company also participated in or donated money to numerous events and organizations, including the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball; the Pediatric Cancer Foundation; One Breath at a Time, which assists lung transplant recipients and their families; and the Children’s Dream Fund, which helps make dreams come true for children with life-threatening illnesses.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Phillips Development stands by our core values, the ‘Great Eight:’ Ethical, Entrepreneurial, Reliable, Loyal, Responsible, Passionate, Competitive and Fun. On our Web site, you’ll find a quote by Norman MacFinan: ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ With these core values, you’ll find Phillips Development & Realty to be dedicated to enhancing the lives within the communities we build—not only by building extraordinary structures, but also by giving back.”

Pulte Homes
GOOD WORKS: Along with donating their time, employees at Pulte Homes also donated funds to several local organizations. More than $141,000 for good causes was raised during the President’s Challenge, a company-wide initiative involving Pulte operations nationwide , and more than $55,000 was raised during a golf tournament to help a local family in need. Another $22,000-plus was raised during a fishing tournament to support The Children’s Home, which focuses on the needs of abused and neglected children.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Pulte Homes is very committed to community service. Every employee is given 16 hours of additional time per year to be used for volunteer hours with any organization. In addition, the Tampa division established the President’s Challenge in 2007, where the team completed 2,373 community service hours.”

Schmidt Brothers Homes
GOOD WORKS: Schmidt Brothers Homes helps support Africa Ministries, which digs wells, builds churches and educates people about AIDS/HIV prevention, and Missions Ablaze, which provides food and clothing to orphans and others in need in South Africa. The company also is involved with Adopt A Village, a group that transforms African villages by creating jobs and providing health education, and Living Water Ministries International, which builds churches and trains ministers.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Schmidt Brothers Homes is a Christian company based on Biblical principles. We believe that we should show God’s love to our community through giving and helping people in need. ‘Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.’ (Isaiah 1:17) That’s why we believe in giving to others, especially the underprivileged.”

Southern Crafted Homes
GOOD WORKS: Southern Crafted Homes was a sponsor of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s gala, which benefits breast cancer research, as well as the Night of the Iguana, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The builder also is a contributor to a fund for Corporal Josh Cooley, a Marine who was injured while serving in Iraq.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “Giving back to the community that we live and work in is a priority for us. That being said, we’ve selected a few key organizations to be involved in with the belief that it’s better to make a significant contribution to a few than a token contribution to many.”

Standard Pacific Homes
GOOD WORKS: The Tampa Bay division of Standard Pacific Homes made donations from each of its home closings last year to three charities: Voices for Children Guardian Ad Litem, which provides support and advocacy for abused, neglected and abandoned children in Tampa" target="_blank">Hillsborough County; The Centre for Women and Centre for Girls, which offers counseling and other services to women, pre-teen and teen girls; and the Museum of Science and Industry, a not-for-profit, community-based institution dedicated to advancing public interest in science, industry, and technology.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: “For four decades, Standard Pacific Homes has demonstrated a commitment to enhance the value of our community through dedicated corporate citizenship. As we’ve grown, we’ve forged new bonds with local, regional and national organizations from coast to coast. Reflecting the values of our neighbors, Standard Pacific Homes has sought to support, assist and sponsor the good work of schools, organizations and institutions that strengthen the fabric of community life.”