We have no desire to be the biggest, we simply want to be the best by building trust and lasting relationships with our residents, welcoming and vibrant neighborhoods and most importantly delivering on our promise to our customers.

THE EPCON STORY

Epcon Homes and Communities, Inc., headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, is the nation's preeminent developer and builder of single-story, residential condominium communities. In 1986, in response to the fundamental demographic and cultural changes transforming our society, particularly the maturing of America, the founders of Epcon, Philip Fankhauser and Edward Bacome, began building single-story living communities. Since that time, they have developed more than 40 Epcon communities neighborhoods in Central Ohio. The concept proved to be so remarkable that today, homebuyers in over 31 states are enjoying the unusually high standards of Epcon Homes and Communities living and that number continues to grow with each passing year. Yet, Epcon Communities still strives, one customer at a time, to enhance our reputation of offering residents a lifestyle that provides one remarkable experience.

Guildmaster Award Winner 2008 Guildmaster With Distinction
2010 Guildmaster
2011 Guildmaster With Distinction
2012 Guildmaster

Affiliations GuildQuality
National Association of Home Builders
Bonded Builders Warranty Group
ENERGY STAR
Residential Warranty Company
Pennsylvania Builders Association
SMA Consulting
VELUX Skylight Provider
Therma-Tru Doors
Owens Corning Preferred Contractor

Guildmaster Q&A

Company History

Hawthorne Partners is a developer of lifestyle communities as a builder partner of Epcon Communities. The company began operations in 2000 and has completed approximately 225 condominium homes as a Franchise of Epcon Communities. This Pittsburgh based company has received numerous awards for floor plans it builds, the merchandising and marketing of the homes, its business operations and customer service.

Scope of Work

The company has remained committed to community living and community building. The true single story architecture of homes it builds as an Epcon Builder Partner and exterior services offered at the communities it creates differentiate the company from a traditional single family or townhouse builder.

Typical Workload

It's always busy and as a small company we try to prioritize those issues which will have the greatest impact on our customers and the name and reputation of the company.

Team Makeup

The company is closely held and the principals are Paul and Lisa Scarmazzi. Our team members bring a wealth of experience from varied industries and include resumes that have previous backgrounds with large national builders as well as self-employed craftsmen.

Personal

The principals of the company are active in their community and have served and currently serve on various boards that have an impact to the quality of life of residents in the region.

More than 90% of your clients would recommend your firm to a friend. How do you earn such high praise from your customers?

We try to be customer focused and understand issues from the customers' perspective. The process from when a prospect walks into our office to after the resident customer moves into their new home is regularly reviewed and we make every effort to manage their expectations and exceed them. We also remain very involved in building the community and are intimately involved in the associations as they mature.

Client Profile

Our typical customer is an empty nester or active retiree that is looking to downsize. These customers are seeking a more carefree way of living and to reconnect to the community within which they live.

Approach to Working With Clients

Very hands on. We are committed to continually improving our customer experience to ensure that they receive what we've promised them.

Ongoing Staff Training and Development

Our employees are offered world class sales and construction training through our Builder Partner relationship with Epcon Communities. Annual National sales and construction meetings are an incredible opportunity for our employees to gain knowledge, seek solutions and obtain personal growth.

Motivating Employees

We have several young talented employees that we invite to become part of any major management decisions we make. Since we are a small company, we are informal and our employees act as stakeholders rather than employees.

Why are you a builder?

To have a positive impact on the communities we serve and provide an opportunity for families and individuals to improve the quality of their lives.

What should clients bring to the table?

They need to understand that homes are not built in a factory and that sometimes factors beyond the builders' control have an impact on the construction process. While they should expect the possibility of a mistake, they should be confident in the builder they have chosen to correct any minor problems that may arise. A customer is well served to express any factors that are critical to their home buying and building process in writing to reduce the chance for mis-communication.

How do you market your company?

As a service provider. It's not enough to have great floor plans and beautiful, functional architecture. We focus on the community and the opportunity we offer to customers to establish new friendships in our family of community.

What are the biggest challenges facing companies like yours in the building industry?  What are some of the challenges facing your business right now?

Clearly the mortgage crisis and ensuing housing market downturn are challenges. However, we've taken the opportunity to reinvent our company and improve or develop process for all aspect of the business. Our biggest challenge at the moment is helping our prospective customers that now is the time to buy and to avoid delaying happiness through the well deserved and long waited for move to the carefree community living we offer.

What's next for your company

Several new communities are planned for the next 18 months and our company is working with strategic partners to allow for calculated growth and we continue to refine and improve our process and operations.