There is more to building a community than putting up walls, windows, and doors. Successful contractors and community developers have found ways to help define their communities through partnerships and alliances.
For example, Invitation Homes, a single-family home leasing company, along with PulteGroup, the nation’s third largest homebuilder, formed a strategic relationship that will enable Invitation Homes to purchase about 7,500 new property during the next five years for which PulteGroup will design and build expressly for this purpose.
The companies have already reached agreement on the construction and sale of some 1,000 locations across seven communities during the next several years, with the first closings expected to occur in 2022. Initial projects are slated for delivery in Florida, Georgia, Southern California, North Carolina, and Texas.
Invitation Homes has also invested in Fifth Wall’s Climate Technology Fund which invests in technologies that address decarbonization across all stages of the global real-estate ecosystem including materials, construction, operations, and revitalization. Invitation Homes joins actor Robert Downey Jr. and others who are among the first investors to participate in the fund which looks to raise $200 million to be invested in products and companies that will reduce the cost of operating buildings by improving their energy efficiency.
In addition to these investments, Invitation Homes continues to build its sustainability related operational actions, including the use of Smart Home technology that helps residents save up to 15% on their energy bills; water-saving landscaping; low-flow plumbing; electronic work orders that reduce paper waste; route optimization and stocked vehicles that decrease drive time for maintenance technicians; and an air filter home delivery program that helps provide better air quality in homes and improve HVAC efficiency.
To provide for the anticipated demand for skilled labor in their community development projects, Invitation Homes has created a three-year partnership with SkillsUSA to help close the skills gap and expand skilled trades education. Invitation Homes’ contribution will support SkillsUSA’s mission to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders, and responsible American citizens and prepare students for careers in the killed trade industries. Through the partnership, Invitation Homes is addressing a shortage of trained labor across the U.S. that is fueling a widening skills gap.
As an employer, Invitation Homes will invest in a skilled workforce and create a strong network of students, teachers, and associates across the country who are dedicated to creating pathways to success within the industry. The company will pilot two locations this upcoming school year in Tampa, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina and plans to expand its support across all company markets by the 2023-24 academic year.
Invitation Homes will support SkillsUSA Works, a program for students in underserved schools and communities that provides career-readiness training through the SkillsUSA Career Essentials program, along with onramps to employment opportunities in the skilled trades. It will also support opportunities for all students at SkillsUSA national workforce development conferences including the annual National Leadership and Skills Conference and Washington Leadership Training Institute.
Original Article: https://constructech.com/an-invitation-to-success/
