Leadership

As Homebuilders Morph Into Tech Firms, Here's One Big Way They Differ

What sets organizations born and bred as homebuilders apart from tech firms given rein to "fail fast and fail often," is this. For homebuilders, failure is not an option. Learning to succeed, come what may, is the only option.

Leadership

As Homebuilders Morph Into Tech Firms, Here's One Big Way They Differ

What sets organizations born and bred as homebuilders apart from tech firms given rein to "fail fast and fail often," is this. For homebuilders, failure is not an option. Learning to succeed, come what may, is the only option.

August 29th, 2024
As Homebuilders Morph Into Tech Firms, Here's One Big Way They Differ
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We're a technology company that builds and markets new homes to families. That's how I pitch CBH Homes to our partners and prospects."

CBH Homes VP Ronda Conger's unique perspective mirrors a turning point among homebuilders of all sizes, from coast to coast.

Still, there are big differences. For instance, a decades-long mantra among tech companies – keen to disrupt businesses and households with transformative innovation – has been this:

Fail fast, fail often, [and an inferred] fail cheaply."

This mantra strikes leaders of a transformed business community of technology companies that operate as homebuilders as mildly, wistfully amusing.

The business and operation of homebuilding enterprises live and breathe a distinct intolerance for failure, under any circumstance.

Zero.

The profound mentality difference between technology companies and homebuilders became crystal clear in a monumental initiative by CBH Homes. This 'extreme-home-makeover-on-steroids' project, aimed at delivering six new ADA-compliant camp cabins, each accommodating six to eight young campers at Camp Rainbow Gold's new Hidden Paradise campus in Fairfield, ID, was a testament to CBH's unwavering commitment and culture of capability, leaving a lasting impression on all involved.

Having signed on to the undertaking in June of this year, CBH Homes assembled a cast of 1,000 on- and off-site volunteers, representing 100 separate crews, from more than 60 trade partner organizations and 60 manufacturer and distribution sponsor firms. They then proceeded to build the six cabins from start to finish in just three days, from August 6-8, a feat that left many – even themselves – in awe of their efficiency.

Local TV station KMVT correspondent Dereka Kay reported:

Tuesday was day one. We started with the framing, the roof, the trusses, and the sub-contractors went in– so the plumbers, the electricians, the heating guy,” said President of CBH Homes, Corey Barton.
“Then day two was all roofing, finishing up the trims and doing the trim work on the inside and then today we’re trying to button it all up,” said Barton.

photo of homebuilder crews with Camp Rainbow Gold camp cabins for kids with cancer
Image Source: CBH Homes

Now people who know Boise and that part of Idaho know that days are longer, and nighttime comes later than in many localities due to how far back the location is in its time zone. Still, working day and night, the number of hours in three days is the same: 24.

We knew that with the window of time we had to do this project, it was going to be hard," Ronda Conger tells The Builder's Daily. "Even with extraordinary generosity among our partners, trade crews, manufacturers, and their willingness and resiliency in working in these unusual conditions, we knew it would be hard. And it turned out to be even harder than we anticipated. We're used to building in the Valley, but this was two-plus hours, up in the mountains from any of our job sites. The team overcame hurdles, storms, and delays to complete the project, and it was hard!"

But here's what sets organizations born and bred as homebuilders apart from tech company organizations given rein to "fail fast and fail often." At stake were quarters for 48 to 50 campers that Camp Rainbow Gold CEO Elizabeth Lizberg said the camp would simply be unable to accommodate if the cabins weren't done.

That settled that. Learning to succeed, come what may, was the only way ahead.

Failure was not an option," Conger said. "And, once we got in, we were all-in. What happened over those 72 hours was a miracle. We had crews working together who typically compete with one another; we had plumbing, electric, and heating teams coming in, practically on top of one another. We had work going on 24-hours a day, and music blasting, and moments to give volunteers some love, and then we had to set them back to the task. We literally went through what must have been 1,000 cans of Redbull. Failure was really not an option."

According to a provided statement:

Camp Rainbow Gold now has 72 more beds to host more kids and members at medical camps. The cabins, equipped with accessible bathrooms, and other essential features, will provide a safe and welcoming haven for campers of all abilities.
"We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of support from CBH Homes, the trades and countless volunteers and donors," said Elizabeth Lizberg, CEO of Camp Rainbow Gold. "These six cabins will allow us to welcome even more children and families to Hidden Paradise, ensuring that we don’t have to turn kids away."
Camp Rainbow Gold is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing emotionally empowering experiences for Idaho's children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Serving 400 Idaho children and their families battling pediatric cancer through year-round programs and a medically supervised summer camp. Camp Rainbow Gold offers a safe and supportive environment for children to connect, heal, and thrive.

KMVT reports that Camp Rainbow Gold will also have a medical building on the campgrounds where children and families can go to for any medical treatments and needs. Camp will officially open at the end of September.

Failure for this tech company – one that has lived and breathed delivering homes for 26,000 families since its founding 32 years ago – has never been, nor will ever be an option.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John McManus

John McManus

President and Founder

John McManus, founder and president of The Builder’s Daily, is an award-winning editorial, programming, and digital content strategist. TBD's purpose is a community capable of constant improvement.

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John McManus

President and Founder

John McManus, founder and president of The Builder’s Daily, is an award-winning editorial, programming, and digital content strategist. TBD's purpose is a community capable of constant improvement.

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