John Bitely says he knows new home sales are on the rise because he's running double the number of framing crews that he ran last year.
"That means we're building twice as many homes -- it's a direct barometer," says Bitely, who owns
Sable Homes (11575 Edgerton, Rockford).
The framing crews are subcontracted crews and hiring takes place through various subcontracting companies. But in conjunction with that, Sable Homes needs to fill two to four new-home sales positions to keep itself in the forefront of a market where Bitely says buyers are emerging.
"We specialize in single-family residential first, second and third move-ups," he says. "Right now, we're in the beginning stages of working with
Aquinas College and
Grand Valley State University to set up a program that would offer paid internships to help students along in their career paths."
In the meantime, Bitely says he's looking for sales professionals who can work with potential buyers to educate them on the home construction process and energy efficient features, and Sable Homes will provide on-the-job training, if needed.
"All of our homes in the last year have been Energy Star rated," Bitely says. "According to
Builder Track Reports, we're the third largest builder [by volume] in the Grand Rapids area."
Sable Homes has five full-time, two part-time employees, and the number of contractors fluctuates based on the housing stream. For more information on the Sable Homes,
click here.
Source: John Bitely, Sable Homes; Tyler Lecceadone,
SeyferthPR
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.