The Grand SAM Awards are presented to the builder, renovator and partner deemed to have shown superior achievement in design, sales, advertising and service, while the Customer Choice are determined by the home-buying public, based on results from service surveys conducted by a third party. Both are the most coveted prizes to receive.

Doug Whitney, chair of the 2006 SAM awards and vice-president of sales and marketing at Albi Homes, says the awards, long esteemed within the industry, are becoming a ruler by which buyers measure builders and renovators. “There are people out there who won’t dare to be compared, some because they feel they don’t need to be. But I am of the opinion a little healthy competition is good. As a company, we have always been supportive of the awards as we believe it improves the public image of home builders and gives us a forum and a measuring stick.”

You might say Morrison Homes should have had a sixth sense going into the April 16 event, which again rewarded president Al Morrison with Builder of the Year. In addition to the sixth straight win in the top category, Morrison stacked up six more nods, including Customer Choice for large-volume builder—perhaps one of the hardest to net.

“This year, from an industry perspective, it was such a busy year for everyone. This year (winning) meant more just because of everything we went through, and for the guys in the field who worked so hard,” says Dave Gladney, vice-president of sales and marketing at Morrison.

Despite winning the five years previously, Gladney says it really was a surprise to take the honour a sixth, especially because you never know how the competition is doing. “When we got the Customer Choice, it really was so close between four or five builders, and I really think (Builder of the Year) came down to that. There are a lot of really great builders out there.”

The six-time top builder also garnered design wins for custom homes in three consecutive categories from $300,000 to $450,000, as well as in the Luxury Home, $1 million to $1.5 million contest. Meanwhile, Morrison’s entry-level home division, Discovery Homes, also closed the deal on Area Sales Team of the Year for its Cranston crew.

When asked what the magic ingredient to the recipe for success is, Gladney credits the faces behind the Morrison name. “I think what is unique about our company is there is a bond between sales and construction. I think people like coming to work, have that twinkle in their eye, and that shows to our customers.”

It was lucky number seven for NuVista Homes, who has held on to the Customer Choice baton every year since 2000 in the mid-volume builder division.

Karen Hoes, sales manager at NuVista of the Qualico Group says despite the SAM darling’s success over the years, she still gets nervous. When asked about the key to the company’s success with customers, Hoes chalks it up to maintaining excellent employees who aren’t afraid to venture outside of their job descriptions.

“One of the secrets is consistent people on staff from consistent sales people to consistent office staff to consistent construction people. After seven years we can say that, and we are really lucky that way. It’s a true team effort—it is mind boggling to me. Everyone catches the ball where they need to.”

And in the small-volume category, Gold Seal Homes got enough gold stars from its homeowners to also earn the coveted Customer Choice award for the first time.

Albi Homes gave Morrison a run for its money, notching five SAMs in its seasoned toolbelt for home design, among them show home wins for Tuscany’s the Bristol IV and Verona V, and the opulent Wynnstone in Crestmont. The Calgary mainstay and Grand SAM contender also carved out victories for custom homes in the $525,000 to $599,999 and $1.5- million-and-over categories.

Family-owned Stepper Custom Homes stepped away from the SAMs with a gaggle of geese—or four, to be exact—including two for advertising, one for best billboard and the second, best print ad, featuring company patriarch and founder, Rudy Stepper.

Two private residences by Stepper also came out on top in the custom home, up to $249,999, and $250,000 to $299,999 categories respectively.

Seven-year-old Astoria Homes, a youngster next to some of the other experienced hard-hitters on the local building scene, is a SAM veteran. Customer Choice winner in the small-volume division in 2003, Astoria came away with equally enviable hardware this year, as 2006’s Builder of Merit.

“We are thrilled, but it was a bit of a shock to us. There are really some great custom builders we were up against,” says Darrell Haase, president of Astoria Homes, who craft about 25 homes annually.

“First and foremost it’s definitely thanks to our staff. They are truly dedicated to our customers, and our trades and suppliers are also a huge part of it, especially with the way the market has been,” adds Haase, who also took home a best new home design nod for a custom residence in Monterra on Cochrane Lakes, $450,000 to $529,999, noting the win ups the ante for the company. “It sets the bar now. We have to keep doing what we are doing. We are still very customer based and will continue to be.”

The power of the red pen proved its might, rewarding vice-president, sales and marketing at Baywest Homes, Ryan Hall, for his work over the past couple of difficult years in the industry, and netting the builder the Janine Coughlin Marketing Campaign of the Year award and best radio commercial for its memorable Red Pan campaign.

“I don’t want to say I am surprised. We felt pretty good about our chances going into the awards,” admits Hall. “I think it’s something that’s caught on, it’s really a bit of an icon now. We chose the red pen because we want home building to be fun; we are a unique company in that we do allow changes. It’s ridiculously simple—if you look at one of our floor plans it’s full of red ink. But we didn’t really know how it would be received.”

While it’s always a compliment to win peer recognition, Hall says, “It’s what we are doing here that really matters. In the future we are going to look at doing something new with our marketing, and everyone is asking us about it, but for now the red pen will stay.”

The builder’s Alpine IV in Tuscany, also summited the competition for a design win.

Landmark Homes, McKinley Masters, Beattie, Ashton Custom Homes and Heartland each ratcheted out a well-deserved SAM for design in the uber-tight race. Good Carma shone back on developers of Aspen Hills. While missing out in the contests for best show home parade and community for Cranston and Auburn Bay, new kid on the west side, Aspen Hills by Carma Developers, was crowned New Community of the Year.

Heritage Pointe Lake Developments’ the Lake at Heritage Pointe is going out with a splash. Now in its final phase, the golf course and lake community that’s been a joint venture of Upper Lakes Group Inc. and Intergulf-Cidex Development Corp. took this year’s Community of the Year kudos for the second year running. Hopewell Residential Communities' Copperleaf earned the hardware for best show home parade.

The Pinnacle Group Renovations by Design was rewarded for its success in turning ugly ducklings into swans in 2006, gutting the competition in the race for Grand SAM, Renovator of the Year.  NL
 
2006 SAM Award Winners

GRAND SAM AWARDS  
Builder of the Year   
Morrison Homes

Renovator of the Year    
Pinnacle Group Renovations by Design
 
Multi-Family Builder of the Year    
Hawthorne Homes 

Builder of Merit    
Astoria Homes  

CUSTOMER CHOICE AWARDS  
Multi-Family Small Volume Builder
Cedarglen Homes

Multi-Family Large Volume Builder
Aspire Condo Living by Jayman

Small Volume Builder
Gold Seal Homes

Mid Volume Builder
NuVista Homes

Large Volume Builder
Morrison Homes

BUILDER CHOICE AWARDS   
Supplier of Service Partner
Shaw Cablesystems 

Supplier & Installer of Products Partner (with show room)
Alberta Hardwood Flooring

Supplier of Products Partner (with show room)
Regal Building Materials

Supplier & Manufacturer of Products
Zytech Building Systems

DEVELOPER AWARDS  
Show Home Parade of the Year     
Hopewell Residential Communities-Copperleaf in Copperfield, Calgary

New Community of the Year     
Carma Developers-Aspen Hills, Calgary

Community of the Year
Heritage Pointe Lake Development     
The Lake at Heritage Pointe, DeWinton

INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Best New Idea
Cedarglen Homes, Your Home on Track Customer Interactive Website

RENOVATOR AWARDS                  
Best Home Renovation (with addition)
Premium Renovation, Jones Residence

Best Home Renovation (without addition)
Pinnacle Group Renovations by Design, Russell Residence

Best Basement Renovation
Jameswood Homes, Woolner Residence

Best Renovator’s Choice Renovation
Ultimate Renovations, Brown Residence

Best Kitchen Renovation
Premium Renovation, Jones Residence

SALES & INFORMATION CENTRES  
Best Sales & Information Centre—Attached    
Medallion Development

Best Sales & Information Centre—Detached    
Statesman Group of Companies

ADVERTISING & MARKETING AWARDS    
Best Billboard (Indoor/Outdoor)
Stepper Custom Homes

Best Brochure
Three Sisters Mountain VIllage 

Best Direct Mail Piece
Hopewell Residential Communities

Best Moving Media
Trico Homes

Best Print Ad
Stepper Custom Homes

Best Radio Commercial  
Baywest Homes

Best Website
Homes by Avi

Janine Coughlin Marketing Campaign of the Year
Baywest Homes - The Power of the Red Pen

SALES ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Sales Rookie of the Year-Single-family
Cedarglen Homes, Danielle Mandeville

Area Sales Team of the Year
Discovery Homes (a division of Morrison Homes)-Mike Wagner, Adam Wagner, Kim Arsenault, Stacey Schimidt
Cranston, Calgary

Project Sales Team of the Year
Statesman Group of Companies
Cory Baiton, Mike Sali, Shauna Clark - The Wedgewoods of New Discovery

NEW HOME AWARDS    
Best New Home – up to $249,999
SHOW HOME    
Homes by Avi, Tim Damian Dean

CUSTOM HOME
Stepper Custom Homes, Gigovic Residence

Best New Home – $250,000 - $299,999  
SHOW HOME     
Heartland Homes, The Addison

CUSTOM HOME     
Stepper Custom Homes, Koutzarov Residence
Best New Home – $300,000 - $349,999

SHOW HOME     
Beattie Homes, Alpine VI

CUSTOM HOME     
Morrison Homes, Shupe/Blackmore Residence
Best New Home – $350,000 - $399,999

SHOW HOME     
Ashton Custom Homes, The Ashley

CUSTOM HOME     
Morrison Homes, Collett Residence
Best New Home – $400,000 - $449,999

SHOW HOME     
Landmark Homes, Huntsview

CUSTOM HOME     
Morrison Homes, Janzen Residence
Best New Home – $450,000 - $524,999

SHOW HOME     
Baywest Homes, Alpine IV

CUSTOM HOME     
Astoria Homes, MonTerra on Cochrane Lakes
Best New Home – $525,000 - $599,999

SHOW HOME     
Albi Homes, Verona V

CUSTOM HOME     
Albi Homes, Hurd Residence
Best New Home – $600,000 - $749,999

SHOW HOME     
Albi Homes, Bristol IV
Best New Home – $750,000 - $999,999

SHOW HOME     
Albi Homes, Wynnstone

CUSTOM HOME     
McKinley Masters, Armstrong Residence

Best in Luxury Home – $1 million - $1,499,999  
Morrison Homes, Watson Residence

Best in Luxury Home – $1.5 million and over
Albi Homes, Bullen Residence