Executive Builders received several awards for its Mozart model home featured at the 1995 Cavalcade of Homes, including awards for best interior foyer design, interior trim, window design, and interior lighting. The home was a big hit with visitors and the company has been busy with customers interested in having Executive Builders build their homes. Executive Builders is known for exceptional interiors and generous use of windows in its custom home designs, which start at $100,000-$200,000 for lot and home packages. Founder Steve Sledz prioritizes customer satisfaction and building high-quality, long-lasting homes.

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etting an interview
with Steve Sledz of
Executive Builders,
Inc. wasn't easy. Since
the opening of 1995's
Cavalcade of Homes at
Saddle Creek in Naperville,
Sledz has been busy meeting
with the 30 or so customers who want Executive
Builders to build their new home.
The Mozart featured at the Cavalcade was a hit
with visitors this year, and with the NIHBA as well: it
garnered four awards, including a Gold for Best
Interior Foyer Design, a Silver for Best Interior Trim,
and Bronze Awards for Best Window Design and
Best Interior Lighting.
"People were filling out reply cards during the
Cavalcade without our even asking them to," Sledz
noted. "We were very well received. They were con-
stantly complimenting us on the design and layout of
the home. It was the greatest response we've ever
had from a Cavalcade."
The categories in which he won awards came
Slip away into a prioate luxurious master suite with step-
down entrance and day-dream near the see-thru fireplace
ooerlooking the whirlpool tub in the master bath.
looking for Executive Builders' home, remembering
how much they liked The Presidential from the
1994 show.
The Truly Customized Home
Sledz builds custom homes (a minimum of
2,600 square feet) from an extensive library of over 75
designs, all of which he himself developed. Buyers
use these stock plans as a foundation, then customize
the layouts according to their needs. Executive
Builders'expert architect and engineers "make it
work" for the customer. Home prices start from the
high $100s-1ow $200s for lot/home packages; most of
Executive Builders'homes average in the $300s.
as no surprise to Sledz.
Executive Builders is
renowned for its excep-
tional interiors and Sledz'
generous use of windows
in the overall home
design. In fact many 1995
Cavalcade visitors came

5. #
Left: 2-story family great room abounds in the
"togetherness" family feeling and is boasting 23-
foot floor to ceiling windows. Below: First class
aiew of lioing room into dining room noting the
arched entry ways and embossed ceiling large
enough for priaate formal entertaining.
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ledz also builds high-end homes; a $1.5 million
project is currently under construction.
In the residential market since 1984, Executive
Builders has eamed such a shong reputation in the industry
that Sledz builds homes for other residential builders. "They
{other builder} know I can build a quality home at the price
they want to payi' he pointed out. "Ninety percent of our
business is pre-sold. Customers come to us from referrals of
their friends, or seeing our sign in from of a home we're
building.
"We operate with a simple philosophy -'Only the
buyer matters'. The buyer is my boss - and his or her satis-
faction is our only goal."
With customer satisfaction as Executive Builders' pri-
mary goal, Sledz takes pride in notrng the few callbacks on
his homes. "I tell home buyers right up front, 'I'm not per-
fect, but I'll do everything I can to build your home the way
you want and expect it.'They appreciate that honesty...and
they're pleasantly surprised when the only call they have to
make after they moved in is for minor things, like a too-
short fireplace key or a sticky cabinet latch."
:
Todafs Sophisticated Home Buyer
Home buyers today, says Sledz, are much more edu-
cated than a decade ago, and also more concerned about
quality because they're staying in their homes longer. They
are opting to put more money into things like quality light
ing and plumbing fixtures that are ensured to endure years
of wear-and-tear; and opting for more amenities that
enhance their families'lifestyles. Buyers are making careful
choices about how they spend their money. "They don't
want the 'glitz and glamour'. They want quality materials
and construction that will last and hold value."
He adds that people today don't necessarily want big
houses as much as homes that comfortably and affordably
suit their lifestyle. Because people anticipate staying in their
homes longer, space is more carefully planned to today's
and tomorrow's needs. For example, one family might want
to allow for a future in-law suite addition; soon-to-be empty
nesters might design a floor pian that will let them easily
convert bedrooms into a study or entertainment center.
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6. The ozter-sized kitchen and eating area grand enough to haoe a relaxed get-together with a
full wall of windows to bring the outdoors inside
lif
ustomization requires a lot more than unique designs
I or ,rrriue square footage," sledz points out. "lt
U means designing the home around the people who
will live in it. And they know best what they need - so we
listen."
The Building Industryt Stronger fhan Ever
The mark of a good builder, contends Sledz, is not
how many homes he builds, but how long he's been build-
ing homes. He says that those builders who have weath-
ered the tough times over the past decade are a credit to
their profession and an asset to the industry.
He contends there is still "a great deal of honor"
among builders in today's market. He buys, sells and
trades lots with severai of his industry peers, and
exchanges ideas with them as well. "And now lending
institutions are shaking out the less reputable ones," he
said. "The lenders and title companies want to see a
builder's resume, his performance record, his quality. It's
making it a stronger, better market for everyone - builders
and buyers."
Past Experience Makes The Futwe
Clearly Ssccessful
Thirteen years experience in real estate - including
commercial real estate - have given Sledz the foresight he
needs to lead Executive Builders along its successful path.
"The only gambling I do is in real estate - and I've never
lost a cent.
"I don't'do lunch', and I don't sit in an ivory tower.
I work with my staff and customers to get done what
needs getting done. My title is the same as everyone else's:
'HomebuilderAssociate'. We all take part in or learn every
phase of the construction process, from design and build-
ing to keeping the books.
He says he's also learned from the school of hard
knocks. "l now know that 10 years ago, when I thought I
knew everything, I knew nothing. I owe a lot of success to
the staff we've built here, and to our subcontractors {many
have been working with Executive Builders since the com-
pany's founding). Executive Builders is only as good as its
staff and subcontractors.
Sledz estimates he']l build 50 homes or so in the
next L2 months and is aiming to make Prot'essional Builder
magazine's "Builder 400" list next year. "We think we can
do it," he says. "If we continue to focus on what has
brought us this far - offering customers the designs they
want, building them to meet their expectations, cooperat-
ing with other builders - we'll be there."