Newland CEO Awarded Hearthstone Builder Humanitarian of the Year

 
Goodyear, AZ – January 12, 2011 – Newland, the largest privately-held land development company in the US and parent developer of Estrella, the Southwest Valley’s premier master-planned community, is being recognized for successful achievements in the building and community development industry.

Bob McLeod, Newland’s CEO, will be honored on Thursday January 13 with the Hearthstone BUILDER humanitarian lifetime achievement award at the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) International Builders Show in Orlando, FL. Now in its 12th year, the Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award continues to honor leading industry individuals who have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to making their communities a better place to work and live. McLeod will accept the award on behalf of the entire Newland organization, in recognition of the company’s efforts on behalf of HomeAid , a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless. The organization builds and renovates multi-unit shelters for America's temporarily homeless families and individuals.

“Our business is about creating communities, where people can live, make great memories, where children can go to school and grandparents grow old,” said McLeod. “It is our responsibility as community developers to create places where people feel a sense of stability, connection and optimism about their future. We are committed to building great communities and actively helping people in those communities while doing so.”

Continuing on a company-wide focus of community outreach, Estrella supports various organizations including The Safeway Foundation, with a generous giving in the past year to Safeway’s first Charitable Golf Tournament. Proceeds from the tournament benefited two elementary schools and a high school in Estrella, as well as Breast Cancer Awareness. Estrella employees have also supported Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the West Valley Arts Council and the City of Goodyear’s programs such as the annual Toy Drive.   

In addition, Newland has recently been recognized as the 2010 ‘Developer of the Year’ by prominent real estate publication Builder & Developer, which highlighted Newland’s “impressive, successful portfolio.” Newland has achieved solid business results with five of its communities ranked in the top 15-selling master planned communities in 2009, and 2010 sales results that look as strong. Newland is strategically positioned for solid growth, with its projects in the majority of the top 30 U.S. housing markets.

Estrella experienced a number of exciting successes in 2010, with sales rising 34% in 2010 over the same period in 2009. It launched CantaMia, its new Active Adult community that will see further expansion this year. The new Safeway grocery store at Mountain Ranch Marketplace opened to big sales and great acclaim. The community held its 3^rd annual Taste of Estrella event, which drew in hundreds of new visitors to sample Valley chefs’ tasty offerings. And Estrella launched the Life in Estrella website and an accompanying Facebook fan page.

“Estrella continues to be a preferred community for couples and families to live, play and relax,” said Greg Bielli, President, Western Region for Newland. “We’re thrilled to start 2011 with great industry recognition, solid sales momentum and top-notch leadership of a great company like Newland.”

Nationally known homebuilders continue to build and invest into the Estrella community, with wonderful new neighborhoods, new models or new floor plans in 2010. These include Ashton Woods Homes, Joseph Carl Homes, Maracay Homes, Richmond American Homes, Rosewood Homes, Taylor Morrison and William Ryan Homes.

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About the Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award
The Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Awards were founded in 2000 by BUILDER magazine and preeminent institutional real-estate investment firm Hearthstone to recognize and support the philanthropic work of those in the housing industry. The Hearthstone BUILDER Foundation has contributed more than $4 million to various charities in the names of Hearthstone BUILDER Award honorees, making it the largest charitable-award program in the home building industry. Receiving recognition from this program is among the industry’s most coveted honors.

About Newland Real Estate Group, LLC.

Newland is a diversified real estate company leveraging a national platform and over 40 years of experience to perform challenging and diverse development, investment, management, and advisory services across a wide range of real estate. The company’s mixed-use development business, Newland Communities, actively owns, operates and develops premier residential master-planned, commercial, retail, and urban mixed-use real estate across the U.S. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Newland and its affiliated companies have completed, or have underway, more than 140 diverse real estate developments, more than 20 million square feet of commercial and retail space, and 175,000 residential units in 14 states.

About Estrella by Newland Communities

Estrella provides a lakeside mountain oasis nestled in the Sierra Estrella Mountains, approximately 17 miles from downtown Phoenix on Estrella Parkway in Goodyear, in the Sonoran Desert Valley. Estrella currently offers more than 500 acres of parks and open space including 72 acres of lakes for boating and fishing, the Starpointe Residents Club, hiking trails, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. Estrella is also home to a Nicklaus-design championship golf course. Estrella's sense of seclusion is enhanced by the adjacent 19,840-acre Estrella Mountain Regional Park. The land use plan for Estrella calls for approximately 50,000 homes, about 1,600 acres of commercial and a build-out of approximately 25 years (approximately 2032). For more information, please visit www.estrella.com.