2004 Media Releases & Alerts

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kimberly Warren

2005 National Housing Quality Award Honors Quality Achievement in Home Building

First National Builder Wins Gold Award

September 13, 2004, New Orleans, LA - Today, the NAHB Research Center and Reed Business Information, publishers of Professional Builder and Professional Remodeler magazines, announced the winners of the 2005 National Housing Quality (NHQ) Awards. The Awards, which are patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, represent the highest recognition by the home building industry for quality achievement. For the first time in NHQ Award history, a national builder has applied for and won an NHQ Award.

The NHQ Awards are open to all U.S. residential construction companies. Entries are judged by panels of experts who evaluate the role that customer-focused quality plays in construction, business management, sales, design, and warranty service. This year's winners are:

  • Gold Award:
    • Grayson Homes, LLC of Ellicott City, Md.
    • Pulte Homes, headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (National award)
  • Silver Award:
    • Estes Builders, LLC of Sequim, Wash.
    • Ideal Homes of Norman, Okla.
    • Veridian Homes of Madison, Wis.
  • Honorable Mention:
    • Pringle Development, Inc., of Leesburg, Fla.

NAHB Research Center president Michael Luzier said, "We are proud to recognize these industry leaders for their extraordinary efforts to incorporate quality assurance into their business practices. Each of these companies has clearly displayed their commitment to customer satisfaction throughout their daily business practices." Professional Builder editorial director Heather McCune added, "Winning the NHQ Award is the most difficult award to obtain in the industry. This year's award recipients are to be commended for creating a company capable of achieving this honor. These six organizations set the bar for all builders."

Preparing an NHQ application is an important step in every applicant's quality journey. Program participants benefit from the introspective process of preparing an application, as well as the insightful feedback received from a judging panel of industry experts. Winners of the NHQ Award are featured in Professional Builder magazine articles that highlight their company's quality management practices and serve as models for the benefit of the housing industry.

The NHQ Award winners participated in an educational session at the 2004 Benchmark Conference today. Their presentations focused on best practices in business-critical areas, such as customer satisfaction, leadership, human resources, strategic planning, performance management, construction quality, supplier partnerships, and business results.

For more information on the National Housing Quality Program, visit www.nahbrc.com/quality or use our Contact Us online form.

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9/04

The NAHB Research Center, located in Upper Marlboro, Md., promotes innovation in housing technology to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of homes and home building products. Created over 40 years ago as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the NAHB Research Center has established itself as the source for reliable, objective information and research on housing construction and development issues. Through its various testing and certification services, the Research Center seal is internationally-recognized as a mark of product quality and an assurance of product performance.

NOTE TO EDITORS ON STYLE USAGE: To identify this company and its work correctly, first reference should be "NAHB Research Center." If clarification of the acronym is necessary, the phrase, "a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)," can follow. In subsequent mentions, "Research Center" is the only acceptable and accurate alternative reference.