The graphic presentation of a magazine certainly matters — especially one with the lofty goal to become the preferred information resource for owners, CEOs and senior managers of America's largest production home builders. That's our mission at Housing Giants, so we're excited about senior art director Michael Irace's new design of the magazine in 2007.
ImprovementsHere's the skinny on what we've improved:
Rather than GIANTS, we are now Housing Giants. The thought here is that it lends prestige to our coverage of the public builders and the largest private housing companies to point out the industry they dominate. We're not writing about Fortune's 500, but rather the top 100 home builders in America.
Beyond that, you'll notice the magazine's pages are larger. It's also slicker, thanks to upgrades in cover and paper stock. That combination brings a bold new look to our cover and the photography and graphics that enliven the content you find inside. "The new design is much more forceful and forward-thinking," Irace says of his creation. "We've adopted the look and feel of a consumer magazine because we have to compete for the attention of busy executives. We'll give you the motivation to pick up Housing Giants, open it and read."
Each issue will have a theme tied to the topics most important to the top 100 builders. This issue —"SELL"— offers features such as contributing editor Martha Russis timely analysis of how builders and sales managers are re-thinking product and pricing to get home sales moving again (see "Sales Initiatives that Worked" on page 24). Senior Editor Felicia Oliver's coverage of the National Sales & Marketing Awards (see "Surviving and Thriving" on page 28) profiles how great salespeople move product even when the market is stagnant. The CEO Spotlight this month shines on an unusual approach to growing a giant home builder, as franchisers Ed Bacome and Phil Fankhauser tell how they've taken Dublin, Ohio-based Epcon Communities Franchising national — and well into the rich-and-famous category in Professional Builder's Giant 400 rankings.
Future issues will focus on leadership, people management, product design and distribution chain innovation. In each, our goal will be to provide a forum for creative ideas that will drive future profits to the bottom lines of housing's best-managed production-building companies. Our columnists, including industry luminaries such as John Burns, Jody Kahn Kline, Rick Heaston, Margot Crabtree and Michael Dickens, will stir the pot with their own ideas. You'll also want to regularly check our new Web site, www.HousingGiants.com. It's part of our HousingZone.com network of online information. We invite your participation. Your ideas are what will truly make Housing Giants a forum.
941/371.4804, bill.lurz@reedbusiness.com
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