Robert Wood, President
Generation Homes

What we do: Generation Homes was started in 1996 and has evolved from a production-subdivision homebuilder to a design-build residential and light commercial general construction firm. Our employment has grown from three to as high as 45 to our current level of 18. Our primary focus is residential remodeling and custom home building. Our clients typically are looking for a one-stop shop for construction design, management, and decorating services.  We offer all of those services with a process that is inherently transparent.  Our construction experience covers the gamut from custom and production homes, kitchen and bath remodels, home performance audits and retrofits to light commercial tenant improvements and new commercial construction.  We have also created a home performance division that offers a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis of the home and added a painting division focused on residential and light commercial.

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Education: CSU Fresno  — BS in business administration (urban land use and economics)

Age: 50 in May

Family: Wife — Tina, married 1989; Tyler — freshman, Boise State; Trenten — junior, Clovis North; Tanner — freshman, Clovis North

What are customers looking for these days, Robert?
 The Central Valley is home to several highly desirable, established neighborhoods.  These areas have good schools, large to very large lots and generally good services.  Most of these areas are at least 20 years old.  We are seeing not only a desire for current homeowners to reinvent and remodel their old floor plans in these areas, but new owners moving to these neighborhoods are investing dollars into remodels to meet the perceived value of the established surroundings.

When we meet with a client who is ready to remodel their home the inherent decision is usually driven by the quality of their existing neighborhood and the significant compromises that would be made if moving to a comparable new home.  The choice to remodel allows the client to not only change finishes and fixtures but also the opportunity to incorporate superior function and, in many cases, performance.

How did you get involved in real estate, Robert?
In my senior year at Fresno State I was fortunate enough to get an internship to study the new home residential market for Union Bank. I was subsequently offered a position in their Commercial Real Estate Finance division.  At that time I was exposed to virtually every type of commercial and residential development from a construction finance perspective, which ultimately lead to my career in residential development and construction.

What do you like most about your job, Robert?
I enjoy the creative process of helping capture an image in a client’s mind, walk them through the design and construction process, and at the end of the day have them say, “That’s exactly what we had envisioned.” The satisfaction that comes from helping create that vision is what gets me to the office each morning.

Will home construction gradually increase over the next few years, Robert?
The home construction industry certainly has the demand to support growth, but the depth and breadth of the increase will ultimately depend on the overall health of our local economy. Unfortunately, continued high employment and the flat, and arguably negative personal income growth pose significant obstacles to a healthy real estate and construction economy.

Is putting construction workers back to work vital to the overall economy of the area, Robert?
I think it is obvious that we need to put more people to work in our industry and community. Construction provides a wide variety of positions from basic labor to individuals with Ph.Ds and everything in between. Construction projects that are local in nature; i.e., remodeling, custom homes, subdivisions produced by local builders and locally owned general contractors provide some of the highest investment multipliers for our economy. Most firms I know are cautiously optimistic and are near capacity. These fundamentals are a good sign, if we continue generally favorable or at least static economic conditions.

What is your key business strategy, Robert?
To continue to develop new and existing residential and light commercial relationships and to offer a simple path for the sometime overwhelming process of new or existing construction, where the client has not only gained the anticipated end result but finishes with the feeling that we delivered a true value for our design-build services.

What was the best business advice you received? Was there someone who inspired you, Robert?
Change is inevitable so look for its opportunities, be fair and honest, hire good people and offer value for your services and products.

I hope this isn’t cliché but I have been formed by many who I have had the fortune to work for, play with, go to church with, and there are many in our current business environment who I continue to look to for inspiration.  To single out one person wouldn’t be possible.

What was your first job, Robert?
I collected my first W-2 in sixth grade from my grandfather Ralph Wood who at that time owned Clovis Nursery and Landscape.  The tasks ranged from helping customers at the nursery to assisting the field crews with their landscape jobs.  My grandfather sold the business and retired a few years later but the lessons learned from a good hard days work to leaving a client with a sense that they received a better value by doing business with you has always had a great impact on my professional career and business.  

What do you like about the Fresno area, Robert?
The people of Fresno are great. We beat ourselves up with the preconceived negative connotations of living in the Valley, but truly, the positives are too many to enumerate. We have excellent schools, great neighborhoods-both old and new, proximity to almost everything one could imagine doing outdoors, good weather, and generally an optimism that things are improving here.

What do you do in your spare time, Robert?
The family sport is snow skiing, but this year that has been a challenge to enjoy much. I also enjoy cross and road riding, hiking and backpacking, shooting and hunting and just about anything outdoors.