GE Appliances Names Neal Communities "2010 Single Family Builder of the Year"

SARASOTA, Fla., April 8, 2011 – GE Appliances recently named Neal Communities its “2010 Single Family Builder of the Year”. The Lakewood Ranch-based homebuilder was chosen from a seven-county region for its continued commitment to excellence in the homebuilding industry.

Neal Communities has always strived to incorporate the latest, high-quality technology in all aspects of business. The company’s newest vehicle for advancement is Hypen’s SupplyPro Connect. SupplyPro Connect allows Neal to order GE products, schedule deliveries, and pay invoices electronically.

Neal Communities’ usage of Hyphen Solution’s SupplyPro Connect has enabled the company to become the first regional builder in the country to partner with GE. The automated purchase order system allows Neal to streamline its ordering scheduling and payment processing by linking directly to GE’s order system. Only national builders have used this system until now because of the time and expertise it takes to maintain them.

“Neal has the quality of a regional builder with the sophistication of a national,” said Kreg Hickman, GE Appliances’ Area Sales Manager.

“I love GE products and have been installing them in my homes for over forty years,” said Neal Communities President Pat Neal. “Automating our purchase order system allowsus to save time, keep costs down, reduce errors and continue to compete with the National Builders.”

Last year, Neal began using Hyphen’s BuildPro, a scheduling and supply chain management application designed specifically for builders. The application also facilitates the sending of building-related tasks directly to trade partners, subs, and suppliers in the field. Neal estimates that using BuildPro has already reduced the amount of time it spends sending information by 30% and that using SupplyPro Connect will further that reduction.

“Our contractors see every day where to go, what to bring, and when to be there. They can plan their business accordingly,” said Building Division President Michael Storey.“We’re also electronically entering contracts rather than hand-writing them. The increased efficiency means we can close homes in the time frame we promised, keeping our customers satisfied.”

 

Neal’s history with GE 

Pat Neal began installing GE products in his homes in 1968, when the 18-year-old aspiring builder and his father first entered the single family home building business. Today, all of Neal’s models have GE appliances.

“We are loyal to the GE Brand,” said Pat Neal. “They are investing in new plants and creating new jobs, which show their strength as a company.”

Last year, GE announced that it is investing $1 billion to manufacture energy efficient products in the U.S., creating over 1000 jobs by 2014. The company has also focused its attention on environmental initiatives, such as their “Homes Inspired by Ecomagination”, designed to make homes more energy efficient and reduce emissions.

Neal Communities is ranked #1 locally by MetroStudy and by Hanley Wood Market Intelligence based on number of home sales and #126 among home builders nationally in BUILDER Magazine’s 2009 listing based on sales. As the area’s largest and most established locally owned and operated private builder, Neal Communities’ innovative home building, pool construction, development operations and quality customer service standards all contribute to the firm’s continued, record-setting local success. With nearly 8,000 homes built in Southwest Florida, Neal Communities’ honors and accolades include 24 Awards 2010 Parade of Homes, 44 Aurora Awards, five Best in American Living Awards and hundreds of local and regional industry awards. For more information, visit nealcommunities.com.