Work, support, openness put homebuilder on list
Newmark Homes Houston again earned a place on the Chronicle’s Top Workplaces ranking, taking the No. 4 spot among companies with fewer than 150 employees.
With residential developments across the Houston area, employees of the Katy homebuilder say they get satisfaction out of putting customers into new homes customized to their needs.
“I get to meet people from around the world every day,” said one employee in the survey conducted for Top Workplaces by the Pennsylvania company Energage.
“It allows me to make other families’ dreams of home ownership come true,” said another.
They also credited the company for creating a work atmosphere that, while stressful at times, is also supportive.
Jeff Dye, president of Newmark Homes Houston, said making sure his staff feel comfortable to express their ideas is critical to maintaining the company’s competitive edge.
“Newmark strives to have an open-door policy where the flow of ideas and creativity is encouraged through all levels of associates and management,” he said. “It is this cohesive cohort of ideas that allows Newmark to pivot with the everchanging market and introduce new ideas and practices.”
At the core of the business is leaving customers satisfied and happy with their newly constructed homes. Of late, Newmark has been working to improve their homes’ technology, including energy efficient systems to keep bills down.
Newmark says such moves have resulted in steady referrals from past customers, with more than 20 percent of sales coming from word of mouth.
To help bring more customers in the door, Newmark says it encourages employees to bring their own ideas on how to access new markets and promote their residential developments. It seems to be working. One employee commented, “I feel like an entrepreneur with the support of a company.”
“An entrepreneurial spirit is one of the foundations of our organization,” Dye said. “It gives each Newmark employee ownership of Newmark’s current and future growth.”