Robert Broad came out of the University of Michigan exactly three decades ago with a B.S.-Architecture focus, and a plan to make an impact in homebuilding. Ten years later, I met Robert in early 2005, in his role as director of engineering for PulteGroup, where he oversaw industry-first home energy performance innovation in Pulte's Las Vegas operations.

Broad's homebuilding and residential development star – starting as a construction superintendent, and continuing on in roles in purchasing, engineering, business optimization, operations, offsite integration, at Pulte, Taylor Morrison, KB Home, and now, running operations at AMH – has never stopped its ascent in 30 years.

Robert's leadership development is a testament to his commitment to continuous learning. His force-of-nature passion for learning and his mission to adapt and apply that learning into team-building and leadership are evident in his multiple re-enrollments in construction and engineering-related education and leadership programs. He has added business coursework in accounting and finance, civil engineering degrees, and a year-long program on Accelerating Change Readiness and Agility to his repertoire.

Those who know Robert, know a man energized both by what homebuilding operations teams do day-to-day and by what they could be doing should they adapt and lean into their opportunities to drive to constantly-improve. The ultimate dynamic team state, for Broad, blends resilient, high-performance building systems and practices.

We're so honored Robert Broad will be one of our featured speakers at our upcoming Focus On Excellence leadership summit and workshop, Oct. 28-30, at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort in Austin.

Co-hosted by The Builder's Daily and Constellation HomeBuilder Systems, Focus On Excellence is the only homebuilding executive education platform committed to lifelong homebuilding leadership learning, raising operational chiefs’ skills at building data- and tech-powered, resilient, high-performance teams.

Our Focus On Excellence sessions will tap into an extraordinary knowledge- and wisdom-base of proven leaders, including:

• Chris Graham, President, Constellation HomeBuilder Systems
• Cory Boydston, Former CFO, Ashton Woods
• Tony Avila, CEO, Builder Advisor Group
• Don Dykstra, President, Bloomfield Homes
• Deborah Flagan, Vice President, Community Engagement & Giving, Hayden Homes
• Ken Pinto, Founder, Kenzai USA
• Larry Webb, Co-Founder, and former Executive Chairman, The New Home Company
• Robert Broad, Senior VP, Development, AMH
• Tony Avila, CEO, Builder Advisor Group
• Scott Davis, Former Regional President, Trumark Homes
  

The significance of this event is reflected in the roster of companies whose leaders have already committed to attending. These include Akel Homes, AMH, Ashton Woods, Bloomfield Homes, Brookfield Properties, Cadence Homes, City Ventures, LLC, Drees Homes, Davidson Homes, Eastwood Homes, Giddens Homes, Grand Oak Builders, Greenwood Homes, Hart Homes, Holiday Builders, Landsea Homes, National Home Corporation, Oakwood Homes, Olivia Clark Homes, Olsen Homes, Partners in Building, Perry Homes, Schaefer Homes, Scott Communities, Scott Felder Homes, Smith Douglas Homes, Tim O'Brien Homes, Tri Pointe Homes, Trinity Family Builders, United Homes Group, and West Homes.

To register Click here.

As we prepared our program, we asked Robert Broad this question: "Given the accelerating changes in consumer household demographics, tech adoption, and data applications, and the coming impact of AI, how important is it for business leaders understand these forces as key factors in present and future high-performance and success?"

Here's how Robert responds:

The tools at our disposal may change (big data, AI, etc.), but the fundamentals of homebuilding are relatively consistent yet not well understood. Even the best tech fails when people do not understand the 'why' behind the process or action. Situational adaptability is crucial to the successful adoption of new information, tools, and tech – but we should never look to automate a bad or broken process."

Here are a few other questions on which Robert took time to share his three-decades of institutional knowledge and unquenched appetite to learn.

Q: Why is the Focus On Excellence an important moment for homebuilding business leaders to gather, learn from one another, and take a pulse on what 2025 and beyond may bring?

The homebuilding industry is facing unique challenges and opportunities in the face of higher for longer interest rates, cooling sales, constrained labor, and ultra-competitive land prices. The rising tide that benefitted nearly every builder the last few years has begun to wane, so it is perhaps more critical than ever to focus on operational excellence across the various disciplines that define homebuilding."

Q: Can you speak to your experience of homebuilding teams' operational talent pools and how important next-generation rising stars are to sustaining success?

We are now 16 years removed from the crash of 2008. Layoffs that continued through 2012 were followed by re-hiring previous employees. As an industry, we essentially skipped an entire generation of talent. The competition to hire experienced homebuilding leaders has been fierce and unsustainable. We’ve been fortunate to lean heavily into our network of trusted, talented leaders, but the need to identify, recruit, and develop next-generation leaders is clear."

Q: How excited will you be to convene at that time, on the eve of the 2024 Presidential election, to get a clearer sense of the dynamics impacting the end of 2024 the next two to four years?

No comment on the election, but always nice to connect with talented entrepreneurs and leaders within the space to hear what they are focused on, concerned with, or excited about."

Act Now

For every medium and large homebuilding company president or CEO, the Focus On Excellence summit represents an unparalleled opportunity to gain cutting-edge insights and form critical connections. With limited attendance available, don’t miss your chance to be among the industry’s most forward-thinking leaders. Register today to secure your place and help shape the future of homebuilding.

Thanks to the support of our valued partners — Constellation HomeBuilder Systems, audience town, Boise Cascade, Builder Advisor Group, New Home Star, and Westwood Insurance Agency — this summit will provide an unmatched platform for learning, collaboration, and innovation.