McCaffrey Homes nominated for Family Business Award

FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS

The Fresno Business Journal
Ben Keller - Staff Writer
January 16, 2009

Diversification, innovation spur 'one-stop' builder

What started out as a homebuilding company more than 30 years ago has become a one-stop home buying operation.

John and Pauline Bonadelle founded their Fresno-based company in the early 1950's and sold it in 1976 to their daughter, Karen McCaffrey, and her husband Robert. Today, the company continues to serve the Central Valley with the addition of Robert and Karen’s son and daughter Brent and Lauren and their spouses, Elizabeth and Ash Knowlton .

The McCaffrey Group has built thousands of homes and has weathered several major fluctuations in the home market in part by adapting to changing times and expanding services to include realty, mortgage and design. The company’s interactive website includes a map in which to locate a home or community, and online home loan application and an option featuring McCaffrey’s own mortgage plan.

"I think that, along the way, we realized that it was no longer good enough to build a quality product of lasting value," Karen McCaffrey said. “To have a truly satisfied customer, you need more.”

Being a family owned business, McCaffrey executives have put the better part of their lives into the company. Brent and Lauren began pitching in working summers when they were about nine years old, answering phones and sweeping out new homes. The two later earned bachelor’s degrees in planning and development from the University of Southern California in anticipation of their leadership roles in the company.

Besides having a weekly dinner to discuss business challenges and opportunities, the family also has a quarterly board meeting to establish new policies and company goals. Downturns in the housing market in the past year have made it even more important to clarify these goals and adapt to current trends.

“We have diversified,” Karen McCaffrey said. “We have diversified into farming, and today we farm about 220 acres of almonds. We also have some office projects and plans for some condominium projects.”

The company also takes pride in being a good employer. The McCaffrey Group has not had a layoff in the past 32 years. McCaffrey’s full time employees benefit from a 401(k) package and bonus program.

The McCaffrey Group’s innovative strategies have brought the company widespread acclaim. The company has earned awards for its 1800 square foot Tuscan Castle model at Madison Place in Fresno. The National Association of Home Builder’s Builder Magazine recognized the company as the nation’s 112th largest home builder in 1993.

Besides Madison Place, the company featured Tuscan, French, and traditional designs when it unveiled its Palmina collection in Clovis and northwest Fresno and introduced several energy saving features in its Poet’s Crossing line.

“We take pride in the fact that they remain vibrant and thriving communities,” Karen McCaffrey said.

The company is also recognized for its community contributions and its dedication to local education. The Robert and Karen McCaffrey Imani Scholarship Fund has given more than $100,000 in college scholarships to African American students in Fresno since 1998.

Last year, the company donated $50,000 to Central Unified School District and $50,000 to Reagan Elementary School Library in 2006. They have been a longtime supporter of Fresno State athletics and Tree Fresno.