From Staff Reports
The Dallas Builders Association has announced the winners of its 43rd Annual McSAM Awards, presented on April 9 in partnership with Hillwood Communities. The McSAM Awards are held each year to recognize “maximum creativity in sales and marketing.” More than 400 entries were received this year, and winners were named in 62 categories.
U.S. Olympian and former NFL player Johnny Quinn was the master of ceremonies for the awards gala held at the Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel.
In the industry-judged awards, M/I Homes was named the McSAM Builder of the Year, Hillwood Communities was named Developer of the Year, and Emory Park by Centre Living Homes was named Builder Neighborhood of the Year. Industry experts from around the country including builders, architects, interior designers, and new home marketing professionals judged the awards.
Highland Homes won the prestigious People’s Choice Builder of the Year honors. Harvest by Hillwood Communities was named People’s Choice Community of the Year.
The People’s Choice competition rewards builders and developers based on consumer voting. To identify the People’s Choice winners, the Dallas BA enlists the help of a third-party firm that sends an online survey to hundreds of homebuyers, asking for feedback on everything from home design, sales experience, customer service, community lifestyle, and overall satisfaction. Respondents were also asked to rate – on a scale from zero to 10 – how likely they would be to recommend a particular builder or community to a friend or family member, which is considered the gold standard in customer satisfaction surveying.
Other winners in the industry-judged categories were:
- Home of the Year – Windsong Ranch 50s – The 569 by Highland Homes;
- Master Planned Community of the Year – Harvest by Hillwood Communities;
- Active Adult Home of the Year – Mantua Point 50s – The Davenport by Highland Homes;
- Multifamily Community of the Year – The Truman at Arlington Commons by The Nehemiah Company;
- Builder Project Manager of the Year – Misty Morehouse with Meritage Homes; and
- Marketing Professional of the Year – Chellie Meziere with Huffines Communities.
A complete list of winners can be found HERE.
Shining Light on Legends
Additionally, veteran sales trainer and author Mar’Sue Haffner was honored as a Legend of Sales & Marketing. This year’s award was presented by Jody Hanson of Anderson Hanson Blanton, who received the honor in 2006.
“What better time to bring back a very special award honoring a fellow industry professional whose significant body of work has clearly passed the test of time?” asked Hanson.
The Legend of Sales & Marketing recognizes a visionary leader who has contributed to the advancement of the housing industry through the consistent sharing of knowledge and mentoring of others.
Mar’Sue Haffner has been a sales and marketing force for over three decades. She started Sales Solve Everything, a new home sales training company, in 2011. Together with business partner Ralph Williams, Jr., Mar’Sue recruited, trained, and was responsible for hundreds of success stories, not just in this market, but on a national scale. She has trained new home sales professionals and helped them break into the business, coached management teams, and consulted with homebuilding company executives that reach into the hundreds.
She has traveled all over the world, gaining insights and new perspectives that allow her to discuss strategies for reaching the multicultural buyer.
An author and a highly sought-after keynote speaker, Haffner has written training programs on diverse topics ranging from conquering fear to finance to the “cheat codes of new home sales.” In 2019, her book — Rise, Shine and Sell — was hailed a “must-read” for anyone in the business who wanted to learn from the best. One reviewer called her a Jedi Master.
She has shared the stage with such motivational speakers as Tom Ziglar, Johnny Quinn and Ralph Williams, Sr. And over the past couple of years, nothing slowed down due to the pandemic … she continued to train and mentor sales professionals across the country via Zoom. She has been a featured speaker at the International Builders’ Show and has won Sales Manager of the Year from both the Dallas BA and the National Association of Home Builders.
