Brand Building

Colorado builders and manufacturers go for green exposure.

Source: BUILDER Magazine
Publication date: 2002-03-18

Colorado builders and manufacturers go for green exposure. By Kathryn R. Sears

Builders in the Centennial state are finding that having a Built Green designation offers them more than just an add-on "save the earth" label. The six-year-old program, run by the builders' association of metro Denver, provides a powerful differentiator, say members.

Bob Bowell, vice president of construction for Village Homes of Colorado, says the Built Green designation is just one more aspect that sets his firm apart from the competition. Every Village home is built to the program's standards.

Likewise, Lennar's U.S. Home registers all of its Colorado homes as Built Green. The company has been the largest builder participant, with more than 5,500 homes of the total 8,800 registered programs to date.

McStain Enterprises wants to "transform the marketplace and build demand for higher quality homes," says Kristin Shewfelt, director of environmental programs. Higher quality homes with lower fuel costs, more durable materials, and better indoor air environments translate to added benefits and value to homeowners, she says.

Using a menu approach to green features, the program requires each home to comply with its basic energy-efficiency standards and other criteria outlined by an extensive, flexible list. In addition, builders choose at least 35 other options from among 21 categories comprised of more than 160 features; land use, waste management, energy use, indoor air quality, materials, and water efficiency are all covered. (For more information, visit www.builtgreen.org.)

It's the flexibility of the program that makes it work so well for builders, believes Built Green's director Kim Calomino. "It allows builders to make the choices that make the most sense for their operations, price point, and market," she says.

Hitting the Market

To participate, builders pay $150 for annual membership and an additional $35 registration fee for each Built Green home they build. That buys the 116 builder members the use of the logo for their own advertising, print materials for sales models, and the chance to lock into co-branding opportunities whenever possible.

And they get added play through the association's own marketing efforts, including local events such as Parade of Home and linking with the Web sites of various companies, especially Built Green's manufacturer sponsors: Whirlpool, James Hardie, Trex, Boise Cascade, The Rheem Team, Excel Energy, and the Colorado Brick Council. (Builders in the program are not required to use the sponsor's products.)

An aggressive approach to marketing and selling is a key factor in making the brand stick, says Calomino. She works with builders individually to create comprehensive training sessions that teach construction, purchasing and sales and marketing staff both the green technology and the benefits to buyers.

For buyers, conserving resources and improving the environment in the process are just added bonuses, says McStain's Shewfelt. The primary value, she says, is that complying with the program's standards "contributes to the development of a quality home, distinguishes the builder in the marketplace, and allows for a good return on a premium investment."

--Kathryn R. Sears is based in Arlington, Va.

BIG BUILDER Magazine, March 2002