Rich Binsacca is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Builder, where he ensures the quality, diversity, and value of editorial content for the magazine and its digital platforms. As a journalist and communications professional, his work has earned regional, national, and international recognition. He lives and works in Corvallis, Oregon.
Tony Callahan is VP of National Purchasing at Shea Homes in Walnut, Calif., where he is responsible for the builder's vertical construction costs in nine states. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in manufacturing, building products, distribution, and homebuilding, holds a master's degree in business administration, and maintains six professional certifications.
As Vice President of Human Resources, Administration & Information Technology for Veridian Homes and its sister company Marshall Towne Millwork, April Dichraff translates the strategic and tactical business plans into HR operational plans. April also is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of Information Technology. In the HR position, she evaluates and advises on the impact of new programs/strategies and regulatory action as those items impact the attraction, motivation, development and retention of the people resources of the Company. April joined Veridian in 2004, and has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources. During her free time April likes to stay active, she can often be found running marathons, skiing, hiking and biking.
As Co-Founder of The Bokka Group, Jimmy has worked with home builders to improve the home buying experience for over 10 years. He is the author of the annual Home Buyer Conversion Report, the industry's leading research showcasing technology's influence on new home sales. Jimmy's passion is utilizing research and technology to create a better, more effective home buying/selling process (and most importantly, a better customer experience).
Jeff Eschliman is Vice President of Operations for Maracay, a member of the TRI Pointe Group that focuses exclusively on the Arizona market. A Gulf War army veteran, Eschliman began his career with Maracay in 1992 and has advanced through leadership roles including Construction Project Manager and Director of Construction. In his current role, Jeff oversees the departments of production, architecture and design, purchasing, and warranty. Under his leadership, Maracay received the National Housing Quality Silver Award in 2016.
Mark LaLiberte is the co-founder and president of Construction Instruction (Ci), with over 30 years of building industry experience. Through his lectures, site assistance, Building Better Homes video series, and mobile App, he provides builders, architects, and manufacturers with an in-depth look at the current and future state of housing. His work has earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA), where he developed the highly acclaimed Houses That Work lecture series. The series has been delivered for over 16 years by the Ci team in hundreds of North American cities. Mark also leads the team in providing the next level of training at Ci Live in Phoenix, AZ. This facility incorporates classroom instruction, mocked up demonstration walls, and lab experimentation for hands-on training that defines best practices of entire building systems from framing to advanced HVAC.
Jay Mason, Ph.D, is the National Vice President of Market Intelligence for PulteGroup in Atlanta, where he manages the business strategy process of 27 divisions across the country and applies "big data" solutions to enterprise-wide competitive decision making.
Gene Myers is owner and CEO of Thrive Home Builders. Thrive has won an unprecedented nine Grand Awards in six years for Housing Innovation from the United States Department of Energy, and last year, Thrive built the most Certified Zero Energy Ready homes in the nation. In addition, every Thrive home is built LEED Certified, and Thrive is Denver's largest builder of EPA Indoor airPLUS-qualified homes. Although Thrive ranks 134 on Professional Builder Magazine's Housing Giants Rankings and operates in the Denver market amongst fourteen of the top twenty homebuilders on the list, Professional Builder Magazine named Thrive Home Builders their 2017 Builder of the Year. Thrive also won the Bronze National Housing Quality Award last year.
Stephen Myers is the COO at Thrive Home Builders. He began his career in media relations and marketing & communications, working in the United States Senate, United States House of Representatives and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Stephen obtained a master's degree in Finance at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver in 2010. Immediately prior to joining the Thrive team, he worked in mergers & acquisitions for Dish Network, working on more than $2.8 billion in transactions.
John Osborne is the Vice President of National Builders and Innovation for BMC in Raleigh, N.C. He has worked in the housing and construction industry for over 25 years, primarily focused on business development, and is currently focused on BMC's largest customers to develop new systems that reduce the overall cost and improve the quality of delivering and constructing building materials.
Deryl Patterson, AIA, is an award-winning architect with over 30 years of experience and the president and founder of Housing Design Matters, Inc., specializing in residential architecture. She is married with three grown children and applies her experience as a working mother and empty-nester to all of her designs. A renown influencer in the industry, Deryl stays on the forefront of current trends and innovations, drawing from everyday life to channel thoughtful design that improves the way we live. She has served on multiple NAHB committees, including Design, Education and the 55+ Council. Deryl is often a speaker at national and regional industry events. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Architecture and is a registered architect in multiple states.
Bill Ramsey brings over fifteen years of market experience to his position as a Principal at KTGY. From design guidelines and site planning, to programming, schematic design and construction documents, Mr. Ramsey understands the many facets of a successful project. Licensed in California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Idaho and Texas, Mr. Ramsey recognizes how various trends and market-specific intricacies effect how a project is perceived. The ability to align all aspects of a project with the target demographic has made him a well-respected expert in his field. In addition to his understanding of market trends, Mr. Ramsey is highly skilled at leading projects with multiple consultant teams, various jurisdictional requirements and building codes.
Chad Sanschagrin is fulfilling his purpose in life by making a difference in the lives of others. He began his career in the hotel industry as a hotel steward and convention houseman. After working his way up to Director level in several hotels, he wanted to do something different. He joined Richmond American Homes where he became the company's top sales professional. In new-home sales, he discovered that the right leadership could transform the average mindset into an extraordinary one. Today, Chad owns his own company – Cannonball Moments – coaching corporate leaders and their teams around the country and helping unleash the potential of his clients. When he is not focused on becoming better at changing behaviors, Chad speaks to thousands of people each year on how to have the life you truly want. This, for him is, "living the dream." In his free time, he attends his daughters' basketball games, is an avid runner, reads voraciously, and loves creating memorable moments with his family.
Scott Sedam is president of TrueNorth Development in South Lyon, MI, a consulting firm of experienced home building professionals who for 22 years has worked with more than 200 builders in five countries to improve product, process, and profit. A former Corporate VP for Pulte Corporation, Scott is also a senior contributing editor to Pro Builder magazine. His multiple award-winning monthly column has run continually for 22 years. Scott is a passionate advocate of both application of Lean Process in home building and the development of our trade base on both the national and local levels. Scott is a member of the Board of Trustees for HBI – the Home Building Institute, the organization that leads the way in trade development nationwide.
Eileen Whiting has 22 years in the home building industry. She has worked for both national and privately held builders. She has a passion for creating and implementing processes that create a win-win for Garbett and our customers, and is a champion for customer satisfaction and customer experience. Her experience has made her well rounded in all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, construction, customer service, and operations. She sees the big picture with an understanding of how all departments integrate together. Her motto is to "always do the right thing" and has found the balance in setting expectations with her team and her customers by staying focused on the company's vision and values.
Matthew Wilson, vice president of digital operations and corporate marketing for Pittsburgh-based Maronda Homes, is responsible for the company's online homebuyer process starting with generating leads, the continued user experience on its website and mobile applications, and throughout the sales and closing cycle, as well as internal software design and production. Matt attended California University of PA and the University of Pittsburgh and previously worked in political marketing and as a Google Guru and home building marketing consultant. He has spoken at several industry events including IBS, Leadership Conferences and is a member of Professional Builder's 2018 Forty Under 40. Although home building is a big part of his life, Matt considers his biggest accomplishment to be his family: wife Emily, daughter Quinn and son Dempsey.
Wayne Yamano is a Principal at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, where he helps executives make informed housing industry decisions by leveraging his experience as an executive at a top home builder recognized for innovation and a "unicorn" startup disrupting the way people buy and sell their homes. Prior to joining John Burns Real Estate Consulting, Wayne was Head of Pricing Operations at Opendoor, leading all national operations related to pricing. He also held the post of SVP of Strategic Operations & Marketing at Meritage Homes, where he led national land strategy, marketing, research, and architecture. Wayne has an MBA from USC and BS in Microbiology & Molecular Genetics from UCLA.
Rhett Yeary, AIA is a Senior Designer with the National Architectural Services at PulteGroup. He has been a registered architect in Texas since 1988 and is NCARB certified. His first 12 years of practice were in the commercial markets of Texas, California and Nevada. Over the past 24 years Rhett has focused on the residential market, leading design teams for Ryland, Highland and Pulte Homes. Rhett's wide breadth of experience includes entry level, move-up, active adult, multi-family and custom home design. Rhett designs and manages national product portfolios for Centex, Pulte, and Del Webb as well as spearheading the new Entry Level product initiative.