Standard Pacific Homes Grows with Happy Employees

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Office Expansion Coincides with Award From Professional Builder Magazine

One of the keys to a successful business is having a work force that enjoys what they do and the environment in which they do it. Most people would agree that even the biggest paycheck does little to improve the low quality of life experienced in an uncomfortable work environment. Standard Pacific Homes, at 3825 Hopyard Road, Suite 195 here in Hacienda, makes every effort to make its employees' physical and mental environment as comfortable as possible.

Standard Pacific is one of the nation's largest and most successful publicly traded homebuilding companies with shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company has built more than 49,000 homes in California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida over the past four decades and currently has around 100 employees working out of its Hacienda office, which it has occupied for the last 15 years.

Being an employee of a successful company can be rewarding but Standard Pacific's work environment is certainly an added benefit. In fact, the company was recently recognized by Professional Builder magazine as one of the "101 Best Companies to Work For In The Residential Construction Industry" in its June 2002 issue.

"The strength of this company corporate-wide is the autonomy given to each of the divisions," says Glen Martin, vice president of project management for Standard Pacific. "So, we operate much like a family business. It's still a big family business at the divisional level, but it's a very good environment to work in because you feel like you can impact decisions on a local level."

Employees at Standard Pacific are also expected to treat everyone with the same type of courtesy and respect they hope to receive, whether they are talking to the receptionist, the company president, a home owner, or a consultant. Martin says it's that kind of philosophy that makes Standard Pacific a desirable place to work.

"This is a place where people who work for our competitors want to work," Martin says. "We don't have a whole lot of recruiting trouble in this company because our competitors know that this is a good work environment."

According to Martin, the Hacienda location works well for the company primarily due to its central location. "It's a great spot for us because from here we do business to the west in Hayward, to the north up to Fairfield, to the East into San Joaquin county, and to Discovery Bay and Brentwood in Contra Costa County," Martin says. The company will also soon be servicing the Sacramento market from its office at Hacienda.

While Standard Pacific's corporate culture receives raves from Martin, the company's business strategies also seem to be working. Standard Pacific completed hundreds of houses in Dublin Ranch last year and currently has a project in Pleasanton on Stoneridge Drive. Standard Pacific is also building in Livermore, as well as constructing 183 houses in Concord. The Hacienda office is currently responsible for the construction of some 500 homes annually, with plans to increase that number to 750. All in all, Standard Pacific Homes seems to provide evidence that happier employees are more productive.

Photo: Kathy Kenna of Hacienda's Standard Pacific office stands in the new suites which are currently being constructed for the firm's expansion.

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