Four Builders Join GHBA Benefit Homes Project

Terry SwensonBenefit Homes Project, Featured

Key players attend GHBA Benefit Homes Project meeting to schedule construction for four Benefit Homes in 2022 and 2023. Pictured left to right are Bill Ellison, owner ASGi Homes; Benefit Homes Chairman Scott Merovitch, city president of Houston Chesmar Homes; Wade Bradow, regional executive vice president Empire Communities; Tracy Brown, division president Empire Communities; Mickey Pizzitola, division president HistoryMaker Homes; James Miller, regional president Empire Communities; Victor Umana, construction manager Taylor Morrison Homes; and Alex Kamkar, managing shareholder Bold Fox Development.

Four Greater Houston Builders Association builder members will be giving back to the community as all four have committed to building a GHBA Benefit Home. Two will complete the construction of their Benefit Home in 2022 and two will complete theirs in 2023.

“This is an exciting development for the GHBA’s charity fundraiser,” said Scott Merovitch, chairman of the Benefit Homes Project. “Our goal was to partner with two to three builders and developers for ongoing construction through 2022, so signing on four has exceeded our expectations, and it also reflects the generous spirit of the homebuilding industry.”

The Benefit Homes Project is a 42-year-old program that recruits two builders a year to build a home with donated materials and services from GHBA member companies on lots donated by the developer. The homes are typically built with amenities and features not always found in homes with similar pricing, and then are sold at market value. The more donations provided, the less the home costs to build, and the more money will be raised. The majority of the proceeds from the sale go to two local charities, Operation Finally Home and HomeAid Houston.


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“To cap off this achievement,” said Aimee Bertrand, GHBA CEO, “all four builders have commitments from developers for a lot donation. We are honored and grateful to these GHBA members who will help raise valuable funds for two charities that change the lives of men, women, children and families facing crisis situations.”

The builders breaking ground in Spring of 2022 are HistoryMaker Homes and Taylor Morrison. In the fourth quarter of 2022, Empire Communities and ASGi Homes will break ground with the majority of construction in 2023.

Hundreds of GHBA members have participated in the Benefit Homes Project that has raised over $12 million. Not one year has gone by since the Project’s inception that Houston area companies have not made this happen. Everything from the land, surveys, construction and closings have been donated. The companies that participate range from large national organizations, to local one-man/woman operations.

The construction and sale of these homes for the Benefit Homes Project means that through Operation Finally Home, wounded veterans and their families will own a mortgage-free home that is constructed to meet their needs through the direction and vetting by the OFH team. And, through HomeAid Houston, homeless men, women, children and veterans will have a safe, stable environment to begin rebuilding their lives.

If you would like to join the Benefit Homes Project as a vendor, builder or developer, contact Terry Swenson at (281) 382-9977 or visit www.ghba.org/bhpteams.

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Terry Swenson

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A writer and a photographer, Terry Swenson is GHBA's director of public relations.

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