Builder, Developer, AHBA President Bill LeBlanc Is Making Strides in the Industry
Set in the heart of growth in Lafayette, Green Farms is a quiet retreat of 72 modern farmhouse-style homes in a private gated community but is ideally convenient to shopping, hospitals, restaurants, business centers and highways
Inspired by the traditional charm of a farmhouse, each new home in Green Farms is custom-designed to blend the warmth of classic architecture with bright, open plans that live easily and beautifully today. Professionally appointed interiors evoke a farmhouse style incorporated with a selection of today’s best features and finishes.
The neighborhood amenities include a fenced playground, two stocked ponds, a neighborhood pavilion and a lighted walking path. Both the walking trail around the lakes and the neighborhood park allow for an opportunity to experience nature or socialize with fellow neighbors. Residents may also enjoy an afternoon picnic under the neighborhood pavilion or in the open green space.
“I love that the neighborhood amenities were installed and implemented from day one. We aren’t just telling buyers about the future plans of the developer. They are able to see and experience it now,” said REALTOR® Erin Saltzman of Dwight Andrus Real Estate Agency.
Five development partners – Heritage Home Builders Inc., L.R. Mitchell Construction, Overton Homes, West Constructionand Prestigious Home Builders–came together to create Lafayette’s newest premier gated community.
Co-owner of Heritage Home Builders, Inc., Bill LeBlanc, had the vision of a cooperative development coming to fruition in Green Farms subdivision.
Traditionally developers purchase land, design and build out the infrastructure of a neighborhood. Then, once development is under construction, the lots are marketed to be sold to builders or individuals. But LeBlanc wanted to try a different approach.
What if a neighborhood was developed in a cooperative way with other builder partners? The partners could be united from the ground up in order to contribute financially and to harvest ideas to create a first-class neighborhood.
LeBlanc sought open-minded builders who could embrace a new, out-of-the-box concept.
“I have been representing home builders for 12 years. This is the first time I have seen a group of builders come together on a project like this. The experience has been really interesting. Throughout the project the partners would often call all of their realtors in for meetings. They wanted to know what home buyers were looking for. Every detail was important to them!” said Claire Schexnayder, REALTOR® with Dwight Andrus Real Estate Agency.
In the early 90s, the Lafayette housing market was rebounding from the Oil Crisis of the 1980s. The city began to feel the strains of population regrowth. With a rising need for housing, there was a shortage of builders to meet the demands of a growing city. By chance, in 1992 LeBlanc picked up the phone to inquire about a residential lot listed for sale in Fernewood Subdivision. That phone call forever changed the course of his life.
Together with his twin brother, David LeBlanc, Bill and David set up a meeting with Matt Andrus and Allen Gankerdorf to discuss that residential lot. A few hours later, they were on their way to becoming licensed home builders!
David’s degree in architecture from the University of Southern Louisiana and his knowledge of construction were instrumental in this new endeavor. The brothers formed Heritage Home Builders, Inc.,in 1992 and poured their first slab in Fernewood Subdivision.
New to the building industry, Bill LeBlanc was sometimes underestimated by his peers. He explains, “Heritage was just starting out. Some said I would never make it in the building business. I wasn’t a typical pencil-behind-the-ear builder. I didn’t carry a tool belt with a hammer. I still don’t.”
For the first decade in business, Heritage built five to eight houses per year with a combination of custom homes and speculative projects, but Bill LeBlanc had much bigger plans for the future. To grow the company, the LeBlancs needed a diversity of lots in different price points.
Bill met with local developers to discuss purchasing lots in new developments. His approach was to negotiate the purchase of lots before the development of neighborhoods had even broken ground.
He said, “We needed to grow and build more houses per year. The problem was, we had a serious shortage of lots! I knew we needed to start by projecting out three to five years ahead. We started putting contracts down to buy 10-30 lots in one development at a time. Meeting with developers and essentially betting on their projects was the way to go. It can be risky, but I saw it as a calculated risk. Building relationships is the most important facet in any business.”
As Heritage grew, so did its challenges.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, roofing material and OSB prices, along with demand, sky-rocketed. LeBlanc was compelled to take action, “I called a major supplier and told him we wanted to buy 10,000 sheets of OSB immediately. I was watching the futures; lumber and oil prices were going up, so I decided Heritage needed to invest. We had to try and project our building cost.”
LeBlanc laughed, “I’m a numbers guy. I was looking at the dollars. Honestly, I didn’t really realize it was six whole truckloads until the regional manager called me to make sure the order was correct. He thought the salesman may have put too many zeros in my order. What I had negotiated was material on a prepaid ‘will call’ system. They would deliver as we needed it.”
He later negotiated similar deals with roofing and other staple building materials, an approach which proved to be a well-calculated investment for the growth of Heritage Home Builders.
As Heritage Home Builderscontinued to grow, BillLeBlanc directed his attention to the cost of the company’s number one asset: residential lots. With new costs imposed by changes in development regulations and with infrastructure costs steadily rising, developers had less confidence in projecting the final cost of their lots.
Bill LeBlanc noticed that developers were not as eager to negotiate contracts on such large percentages of their lots anymore. They seemed to have a fear of underpricing. LeBlanc knew what he had to do. He needed to become a developer!
He made a call to his realtors and told them to keep an eye out for property. Matt Andrus, broker at Dwight Andrus Real Estate Agency, remarked, “One of the things that makes Bill unique is his swiftness in pulling the trigger. He makes decisions quickly, and he isn’t afraid to take risks.”
One outcome of Bill LeBlanc’s more successful quick decisions is his development, The Reserve at Woodlake.
When the property that is now The Reserve at Woodlake subdivisionwas listed for sale, LeBlanc jumped on the opportunity to purchase it. Heritage Home Builderspartnered with established developer Shivers Brothers Constructionto create the now sought-after subdivision. Together, the partnered companies created a neighborhood that has become the host to several Acadian Home Builders Association Parade Showcase Homes and most recently the location of the 2019 Home for Holidays.
With a passion for the Lafayette building industry spanning nearly three decades, Bill LeBlanc was elected president of the Acadian Home Builders Association (AHBA) in 2018.
As a leader of one of Lafayette’s largest building companies, LeBlanc and his progressive and sometimes out-of-the-box thinking is paving the way for changes in AHBA. His focus is on the current changes facing the building industry and the impact those changes have on the organization’s 750+ members and the greater Lafayette community.
LeBlanc confidently stated, “Let’s face it, developers and builders are instrumental in our community. AHBA is a valuable resource of vetted contractors for consumers in our area. As an organization, it is our duty to communicate with our local government. We need be a voice for our members.”
For more than 50 years AHBA has impacted the Acadiana community positively though its adopted charitable agencies, including Lafayette Habitat for Humanity, Faith House, Healing House for Grieving Children and the St. Michael Center for Veterans.
Each year, AHBA partners with KATC-TV3 to facilitate the Home for the Holidays campaign which, over the years, has contributed more than $2.1million to these organizations. Through the dedication of the AHBA members, and, with support from KATC-TV3 and the community, Home for the Holidays has been successful project for 15 years.
Through all of his projects and endeavors, one idea Bill LeBlanc focuses on most is that a team approach is the pinnacle of success. When nominated to serve on the AHBA Executive Board, he felt it was an opportunity to make a difference and have a positive, lasting impact on the local building industry.
Under the valued support and guidance of Adrienne Fontenot, AHBA executive officer, LeBlanc looks toward the future of the organization and what could be done for the building industry. He is reshaping the mold for home builders in Acadiana by looking “outside the gate” for ideas to improve the quality of developments one home at a time that will create lasting value for our community.