IRVINE, Calif. (November 29, 2023) – New Home Co. today announced its expansion into Texas with the acquisition of Hamilton Thomas Homes, a privately owned business that operates in the Houston and Austin markets. Hamilton Thomas was founded in 2021 and is currently led by veteran homebuilding executives John Bohnen and Jennifer Keller, both who will remain at the company to lead the newly formed Texas region of New Home Co.
“We are thrilled to announce that we are bringing the New Home Co. brand to Texas,” said Matthew Zaist, Chief Executive Officer at New Home Co. “With Houston and Austin, we are entering the second and fourth largest homebuilding markets in the nation, both of which feature dynamic, robust, and growing job bases fueled by diversified industries including manufacturing, healthcare, technology, trade and energy. At its core, homebuilding is a people business and there are no two finer people in this industry than John and Jennifer. Their entrepreneurial drive and local market expertise coupled with their integrity and track record made this the right time and opportunity to plant the New Home Co. flag in Texas. We look forward to growing and scaling our business in Houston and Austin, and we plan to expand throughout the state in years to come.”
New Home Co. has assumed a portfolio of approximately 2,000 lots owned and controlled by Hamilton Thomas representing an estimated 12 new home communities. The Company currently operates three active communities in Houston and its first two Austin communities are anticipated to open in early 2024.
As part of the acquisition, New Home Co. also gains two well respected homebuilding industry veterans in Bohnen and Keller.
John Bohnen was formerly an Area President for Taylor Morrison Homes, the nation's fifth largest homebuilder. During his tenure, he oversaw the Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Phoenix markets which generated more than $2 billion in annual revenue. He joined Taylor Morrison by way of the William Lyon Homes acquisition in 2020, where he served as the Texas Regional President. Prior to William Lyon Homes, Bohnen was Chief Operations Officer and co-founder of RSI Communities with operations in California and Texas prior to selling the company to William Lyon Homes in 2018. He also previously served as the Austin Division President at CalAtlantic Homes and Standard Pacific Homes. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and was a Captain in the Infantry and a U.S. Army Combat Veteran before entering homebuilding.
Jennifer Keller has previously served as Division President for William Lyon Homes, COO for Land Tejas Companies, and a senior manager at KB Home and AECOM. She has more than 25 years of experience in homebuilding, land acquisition, land development and water resources engineering. During her tenure at these companies, Keller acquired and developed more than 20,000 single-family homesites and oversaw the engineering design of an additional 4,000 single-family lots. She was last year’s President of the Greater Houston Builders Association and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas who holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Houston and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M.
“Jennifer and I could not be more excited about our Hamilton Thomas family joining with the incredible team at New Home Co.,” said Bohnen. “We’ve both known Matt Zaist for many years and when we discussed the idea of combining our two companies, we immediately saw the strategic value for all parties. New Home Co. has a tradition of building award-winning homes and communities with an industry-recognized commitment to customer satisfaction. This was extremely important to us as we start this new chapter, and we look forward to carrying on this tradition in Texas. Additionally, New Home’s capital partners, Apollo-managed investment funds, provide differentiated, flexible and scaled capital supporting New Home’s position as a leading high growth homebuilder.”
It's been a busy year of expansion for New Home Co. In the spring, the Irvine, California-based builder expanded into Oregon and Washington state. It now has divisions in Southern California, Northern California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Texas.
For more information on New Home Co., visit NewHomeCo.com.
About New Home Co.
New Home Co. is a leading high growth homebuilder headquartered in Irvine, Calif. It has divisions within select growth markets in California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Texas. New Home Co. is one of most awarded homebuilders in the United States. It was named 2019 Builder of the Year by Professional Builder and is a multi-year recipient of “The Eliant” for providing the Best Overall Customer Experience in North America in the Eliant Homebuyers’ Choice Awards. New Home Co. has won hundreds of awards in the homebuilding industry for its design and planning excellence, dozens of “Community of the Year” awards, and was recognized five straight years for creating the best community or master plan in all the United States. For more information, visit NewHomeCo.com.
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