Andy Warren, who has served as president of Maracay Homes since 2009, is stepping down.
Taking his place is James Attwood, who is being promoted from vice president of operations at Pardee Homes San Diego, where he served in that position for three years.
Both companies are members of the TRI Pointe Group Inc. (NYSE: TPH)
Attwood started as a construction intern with Maracay in 2005, moving up the chain from assistant superintendent to superintendent to construction area manager. He then pivoted to sales, serving as sales manager and ultimately was promoted to vice president of Maracay's Tucson market, where he led all sale, construction and warranty operations for an office that was responsible at the time for more than 200 sales and closings a year.
With an MBA from Arizona State University, Attwood said he is excited to come back to Arizona.
"The chance to lead a company with this kind of talent and this level of resources in any market would be an amazing opportunity, but getting to return home both to Arizona and the company where I started my career is especially exciting for me," Attwood said. "I return to Arizona with not only more homebuilding insight and experience, but also with a deep appreciation for the opportunity at hand and what Andy Warren has done to position Maracay for success."
'Rest, rejuvenation'
Warren spent 33 years in the homebuilding business, with 16 years in various leadership capacities at Winchester Homes, another TRI Pointe Group brand. Before being named president of Maracay in 2009, he spent six years as a partner at EYA, an urban-infill development company in the Washington, D.C. area.
He currently serves as chairman of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, is a board member of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona and an advisory board member of the Urban Land Institute Arizona. Warren said he will remain involved in GPEC and ULI, but is looking into having Attwood take his position at HBACA, which requires board members to be in leadership homebuilding roles.
Warren said he's going to be taking a gap year to focus on five words that begin with RE: Relationships, reading, rest, recreation and rejuvenation.
"In about a year or year and a half, or something like that, I'm planning to do something a bit more entrepreneurial — probably in the homebuilding space," Warren said.
Married for 33 years, Warren and his wife Sharon are empty nesters, with their three grown sons scattered throughout the country.
"About two years ago, we moved to the Arcadia area so we could walk to restaurants and enjoy a walkable lifestyle," Warren said.
Looking back on his time with Maracay, Warren said he's most proud of his team and workplace culture.
"We transformed Maracay from being a smaller boutique builder when I arrived in 2009 to being a major player on the homebuilding landscape in Arizona," Warren said.
'Homebuilding powerhouse'
When he took over as president of Maracay in 2009, the homebuilder had about 40 employees and was selling fewer than 200 homes a year.
Today, Maracay has about 150 employees and is expected to sell more than 700 homes in 2020.
"Andy Warren has transformed Maracay into a homebuilding powerhouse," said Jim Belfiore, founder of Belfiore Real Estate Consulting in Phoenix. "He took a smaller, niche builder and built it into a highly revered, move-up brand that Arizona buyers seek out."
Warren and Attwood are using the month of October to transition the leadership team.
"One of the things we emphasize is team and culture at Maracay and a big part of that has been to stay focused on developing our people talent," Warren said. "James was identified as an extremely talented individual. Every opportunity that he stepped into, he really made the most of."
To be able to provide those kinds of promotional opportunities for someone who is a key part of the Maracay team is affirming for the entire organization, Warren said.
"Our team loves to see someone who rose through the ranks," he said. "It shows that the organization recognizes and rewards people to do exceptional work."
