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KB Home's Jim Widner Named Builder of the Year
LAS VEGAS, Dec 29, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Jim Widner,
president of KB Home's (KBH) Nevada division was named 2004 Builder of the
Year by Builder & Developer magazine, the nation's largest professional
homebuilder's magazine. Widner, a Las Vegas resident and KB Home employee
for the past 18 years, was recognized for leading the builder's Las Vegas
division as the top builder in one of the nation's most prolific markets
while spearheading key quality industry initiatives.
"I've long known Jim to be an outstanding leader," said KB Home Chairman and
CEO Bruce Karatz, who was Builder & Developer's 1993 Builder of the Year.
"Jim heads a division that is larger than most building companies. His
strategic focus and knowledge of our business help maintain our top market
share in one of the fastest growing and most competitive housing markets in
the nation."
Among Widner's successes in Las Vegas is the division's distinction as the
first public homebuilder in the nation to earn certification through the
National Association of Homebuilders Research Center's National Housing
Quality (NHQ) Program's pilot Certified Builder initiative. The builder
certification followed the Las Vegas division's adoption of the NHQ Trade
Contractors Certification program for all trade partners.
"So far, as a result of program implementation, [the Las Vegas division] has
seen a four-day improvement on our build time with the confidence that we
and our trade partners are building with a consistent commitment to
quality," said Leah Bryant, regional general manager of KB Home and former
president of KB Home Las Vegas. "Jim Widner has been one of the major
driving forces of this program."
Another major success in KB Home's Las Vegas division this year was Widner's
participation in ABC's popular Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Over a
five-day period in early November, KB Home demolished a 1,300 sq. ft.
cinderblock home and replaced it with a 3,200 sq. ft. two story beauty for
the very deserving Broadbent family in North Las Vegas. This accomplishment
reflected the strength of KB Home Las Vegas leadership, employees and trade
partners with more than 1,100 people working on the home in the brief span.
As president of KB Home Las Vegas Division, Jim Widner is responsible for
all Las Vegas operations, including land acquisition, construction,
purchasing, customer service, sales and marketing. Widner first joined Lewis
Homes in 1986 as a project superintendent. When Lewis Homes was acquired by
KB Home in January 1999, Widner was named vice president of operations
before his promotions to senior vice president and then executive vice
president. He assumed the role of president for KB Home's Las Vegas division
in August 2003.
About KB Home
Building homes for nearly half a century, KB Home is one of America's
premier homebuilders with domestic operating divisions in the following
regions and states: West Coast -- California; Southwest -- Arizona, Nevada
and New Mexico; Central -- Colorado, Illinois and Texas; and Southeast --
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Kaufman & Broad S.A.,
the Company's majority-owned subsidiary, is one of the largest homebuilders
in France. In fiscal 2004, the Company delivered 31,646 homes in the United
States and France. It also operates KB Home Mortgage Company, a full-service
mortgage company for the convenience of its buyers. Founded in 1957, KB Home
is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the
ticker symbol "KBH." For more information about any of KB Home's new home
communities, call 1-888-KB-HOMES or visit the Company's Web site at
http://www.kbhome.com.
For further information, please contact Sarah Thornton of The Firm Public
Relations, +1-702-739-9933,
saraht@thefirmpr.com, for KB Home.
SOURCE KB Home
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