DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
BONADELLE NEIGHBORHOODS

What you do: Director of Operations at Bonadelle Neighborhoods

Education: High School: San Joaquin Memorial H.S. 2010; Undergrad: Southern Methodist University Economics Degree 2014; Grad School: Masters in Business Administration – Cox School of Business Southern Methodist University 2016

Age: 24

Family: John Bonadelle (Father), Lisa Bonadelle (Mother), Bianca Bonadelle (Sister), Mia Bonadelle (Sister)

How did you first get involved in the family business?
Our family routinely discussed the company at family dinners, vacations and so on, so I have been exposed to the business and industry since I was a child. When I was in elementary school I would spend my summer vacations sweeping out framed houses in our projects. During college, my summer “internships” would be spent in one of our Welcome Centers as an assistant to the sales counselors.  

What made you decide to follow in the family footsteps and pursue a real estate/homebuilding career?
I never actually made a conscious decision to pursue this career. The business has been such a prevalent part of my life for so long that it was basically a given I would eventually work for the company.

What are your responsibilities as the new Director of Operations?
I spend a major portion of my time working on the land acquisition and entitlement process since I have prior experience in that field and it is what I enjoy doing. In addition to land, I am attempting to increase communication between various departments and to ultimately improve the home purchasing process for our customers.

Describe some of the recent trends in real estate and housing, specifically in the Central Valley.
I feel a recent industry trend, or at least one that is discussed frequently around the county and in the Central Valley, is trying to target millennial homebuyers. Millennials represent an extremely large generation of current and future homebuyers and early indications are that they have different demands and priorities when purchasing homes compared to other generations.
 
How is Bonadelle Neighborhoods keeping up with these trends?
Bonadelle Neighborhoods is constantly updating our product to keep pace with the various industry wide trends. In addition to physical product changes, we are constantly updating the way we design communities to appeal to the modern homebuyer. For example, we are making a conscious effort on our current communities under development to maximize open space and other various community amenities that homebuyers expect from their builders and developers in 2016.

What are Bonadelle Neighborhoods goals moving forward?
Our goal is to continually improve the purchasing experience for our homebuyers and to ensure that we remain a top local builder in the Central Valley for current and future generations of homebuyers.

What do think the future holds for the homebuilding/real estate industry in the Central Valley?
The state of California has a housing shortage and I believe the Central Valley home building industry has an opportunity to capitalize on this shortage by offering Californians a more affordable living solution compared to their alternatives on the coast.

What was the best advice you ever received and who did it come from?
“Proper preparation prevents poor performance” was a saying my grandfather used and one that I believe in.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career?
My father has been the biggest influence on my career because he has laid out a career path I hope to follow in. I also greatly admire the founders of some of the major national homebuilders because being able to expand a home building company’s footprint and to successfully compete in multiple markets across the nation is an incredible accomplishment.

What are your roots in the Central Valley?
Both sides of my family have been in the Central Valley for multiple generations. My grandfather JB founded our company while my grandfather Guido Ventresca owned his own stucco company for many years. Guido actually did a majority of the stucco work on my grandfather JB’s houses before my parents even met each other.

What was your first job? Describe something you learned from that first job.
My first job after college was for Lennar Homes in Dallas – Fort Worth as a land acquisition analyst. I learned a great deal in evaluating various submarkets and the basic steps in residential land acquisition. I am thankful to have been able to work for a great company that is a national industry leader.   

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Golf and snow ski.