Minto Communities — USA has built more than 85,000 homes over the years.
The construction of a community is a complex process where sites can be overrun with delays and excess waste. But Minto Communities — USA acts so its operations run more efficiently, Senior Vice President Steve Svopa says.
One way the company does that is by providing its trade partners with adequate detailed drawings and design options that allow them to complete components off-site. For example, its plumbing contractor precuts all of its products at its warehouse. Minto utilizes centralized scheduling to provide accurate schedules with efficiency in mind.
The subcontractor then brings the products to the jobsite so they are ready to be assembled and installed, instead of cutting them on site. “That saves a lot of time and eliminates waste,” Svopa says. “We’re trying to bring manufacturing [best practices] to the building process as much as possible.”
Based in Coconut Creek, Fla., Minto Communities is part of Minto Group, an integrated real estate company that started operations in 1955. Over the years, it has built more than 85,000 homes.
This includes more than 26,000 homes in communities throughout Florida and South Carolina that have earned Minto Communities much repeat business. “We have some industry-leading practices that focus on delivering a quality home on time,” Svopa says. “That’s what customers are looking for and that’s why they come to us.”
Best practices include maintaining a daily or weekly cadence for its projects. “If we have high volumes, we might be building 10 or 12 [units] a week,” he says. “We use the cadence and align with our trade partner’s crew capacity to keep them productive while maintaining the cadence from start to finish.”
And by keeping its construction crews close, “We can build right down the street,” Svopa says. “It helps us eliminate waste, drives efficiency and we’re building quality homes on time.”
Better Places
Minto Communities’ current projects include Latitude Margaritaville Daytona and Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head. The 55-plus neighborhoods are a Jimmy Buffett-inspired lifestyle with a bandshell right in the middle of the town square where you can enjoy live entertainment. Enjoy the Fin Up! Fitness Center, dine in at the Latitude Bar & Chill or relax in a cabana at the Paradise Pool.
In fact, Latitude Margaritaville has been awarded the best 55+ community of the year and Minto best 55+ builder of the year by NAHB. It is where every day feels like a vacation, according to Svopa.
Another project is Westlake, a community in Westlake, Fla., which will feature 4,500 homes and 2.1 million square feet of commercial space. As one of the newest municipalities in Palm Beach County, Westlake is an all new community that promotes the well-being of its residents, strengthens families and builds new friendships. Svopa predicts that these projects will continue to be successful and continue to gain even more momentum.
One reason these communities are so successful is because “we create a lifestyle of recreation and relaxation while delivering innovative and quality product.” Minto builds the amenities shortly after the first residence move in so they can enjoy the lifestyle right away.
High Ambitions
Last year, Minto Communities — USA set company records with $600 million in revenues, more than 1,100 closings and a customer satisfaction rate of 94 percent. This year, it has raised that rate to 96 percent.
Svopa predicts that the firm will stay on this track throughout 2020. “I see us continuing to execute at a very high level while seeing the right opportunities to expand our latitude,” he says. The firm will build its brands and acquire more properties, he says, which “will allow us to stay successful with high volumes.”
