Everyone knows about the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would wish them do onto you.” However in today's litigious society, it is not very often that individuals operate under that premise. It is even more rare for businesses to operate under that philosophy. Greg Alford and his wife, Julie, are some of those rare individuals who uphold the rule and apply its basic principle to the way they run their business, Alford Homes.
By Shannon Nogar

Greg's first opportunity to sharpen his practical knowledge came under the tutelage of Creswell Custom Homes. He worked for nine years there, honing his skills as a construction superintendent, drawing blue prints and learning the importance of accurately estimating jobs. In 1989, Greg went to work for Gagewood Homes, which transitioned into Hawkins-Welwood Homes. There he ran the production, estimating and design departments.

Greg credits Hawkins-Welwood for helping him to fully master the art of developing and maintaining an unsurpassed standard of excellence in building homes.

Born in Muleshoe and raised in Breckenridge Texas, Greg Alford can be described as “a true Texan with a Texas sized heart.” In 1980, after graduating from Texas State Technical College with a degree in building construction, he made the decision to follow in his brother's footsteps and move to Dallas to be a part of the home building industry.

“One of the greatest things about attending Texas State Technical College was that I was constantly exposed to builders and was interviewed by many from the Dallas market. I had a job in the building industry even before I was out of college. At school, I not only learned every element of the building business from an educational standpoint, but because I was exposed to so many builders, I was virtually a sponge and absorbed every bit of information I could from everyone that I spoke to,” explained Greg.

“In 2000, we decided to branch Alford Homes off from Hawkins-Welwood, allowing each one of us to bring a unique element to the table,” said Greg. “John Hawkins and Curt Welwood provide the marketing prospective and the expertise in site selection and land development, and I have the ability and honor of running the company.”

Greg's style of running the company recognizes that it is impossible to have a great company without great people. It is very clear that faith plays an important part in the Alford Homes philosophy, from the subtle crosses that enhance the walls of the Alford conference room to the calm and tranquil nature of both the office surroundings and its staff.

“Our company is built on Christian foundations and fundamentals. Although it is not a requirement, most of our employees are strong Christians that are very involved in their churches as well as in their communities,” he explained. “God has truly blessed each and every one of us!”

Greg is confident that he has assembled the best of the best sales people, production team, office staff, and support group of accountants, lenders, architects and title companies. Alford Homes has also established a key group of realtors, called “Preferred Alford Realtors.”

“We do our research when it comes to where we will build. It is not just a matter of a developer calling us to build our homes in their communities. We want to be associated with reputable developers and know who the targeted demographic is and compare that to who our client base is and the dollar amount they want to spend,” said Greg.

Alford's careful research has paid off. It has almost doubled its closings every year.

“Our goal each year is to build better homes than we did the year before by researching building sciences to determine that we are using the very best products available and implementing the best and most user-friendly computerized systems into our business,” Greg explained.

But when asked what most sets Alford Homes apart from other homebuilding companies, Greg quickly responds, “the guys out in the field-hammering the nails, cutting the boards and doing the work.”

“We are very proud of the fact that some of our subcontractors and suppliers are third generation subs. Our ability to count on their commitment and craftsmanship allows us the privilege of having a very well defined and fine-tuned process when it comes to home building,” said Greg.

With a professional, dependable team who are all committed to focused attention to detail throughout each phase of every project, Alford customers can enjoy such benefits as fantastic neighborhoods that will appreciate in value, well designed plans, quality that is second to none and quicker build times (typically 6 to 9 months for 4,500 to 7,000 square foot homes).

Alford Homes has reserved many of the last half-acre to one-acre sized golf course lots in Prosper's premier gated communities of Gentle Creek Place where it plans to build homes priced from the $700,000s to approximately $1.8 million. Alford Homes also builds in the touted Whispering Farms addition where homes are priced from the $600's to $1.2 million. In Dallas, Alford Homes is also active in the Preston Hollow area where its latest projects have ranged from $1.3 to $1.9 million, and in Bluffview Park Estates where prices start from just under $1 million.

As one example, Alford Homes' customers are given weekly memorandums which describe in detail what has happened each week as well as what will happen in the weeks to come, and keeps them up to date with the decisions that need to be made each week. Each customer is also given a personal code for their specific home information and warranty/service request via our web site.

Though Alford Homes' great achievements would be plenty to satisfy most, Greg's greatest satisfaction is derived from a higher calling. He describes it as “a ministry that is supported by home building.” That ministry extends from Prosper to south and east Dallas where Alford Homes along with Hawkins-Welwood Homes has remodeled and re- built and re-roofed homes for those in need. Greg also works with the Kairos Prison Ministry.

“We go into maximum security prisons, presenting programs that teach not only the grace of God and the forgiveness that God offers but we help implement a Christian environment to those that are incarcerated,” said Greg. “The recidivism rate for our prison system is any where from 60 to 80 percent. However, those going through the Kairos program have only a six percent chance of relapsing into crime.”

“People don't understand that most individuals incarcerated in our prison system have a common denominator…they never had a father figure and the majority of the incarcerated were involved in drugs. The majority of them are normal average guys that were drugged up and made bad decisions. When you remove the drugs and put them in a Christian/family environment, they then have the opportunity to make something of themselves.”

Greg and Julie Alford provide an example every day of treating others as they would like to be treated. The Alford Homes team, its customers, its subcontractors and the community have all been blessed by the simple and yet profound rule that guides the way the Alford's live their lives, run their business and reach out to others in need. For more information, contact Greg Alford 17480 Dallas Parkway #213 Dallas, TX 75287 972-429-1074

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