Born in Collier County in 1997, the company started with only five employees, including the McCords. Four years later, it has twenty-eight employees and is building homes throughout the Southwest Florida region. The brainchild of Jim McCord, CEO, and his son James, American Dream Builders is the result of hard work, determination and meeting a need in the market that suits their professional, as well as their personal, goals.

“I get a fulfillment in the fact that we are helping people complete the American Dream,” says Jim, “that’s where we get our name from.” Passionate in their belief that people who own homes make better citizens, they not only specialize in working with first time buyers, but also in “helping people with credit fiascos fix them and get a home,” says James.

In targeting specific marketing niches the company is combining good business sense with a personal touch; laying the groundwork for corporate longevity. “[The McCords] are really good people,” says Rob Ducharme, Broker/Associate with Century 21 Mike Miller Realty. “Their business philosophies and principles, and their morals and values in their personal lives definitely contribute to their success.”

Building a dream

According to David Ellis, Executive Director of the Collier Building Industry Association, American Dream Builders has developed a reputation “as a company that works for the customer.” Realizing that the home buying process can be both emotionally and financially draining, American Dream Builders prides itself on being a “one-stop shop” for buyers. By simplifying the process, it increases the likelihood that a first-time buyer will end up in the home of their dreams. “We do everything from the time they walk in the door until the time we hand them the keys,” explains James. “We will pre-qualify them, help them with the financing process...purchase the lot for them, build the home, and even have the closing here.”

Working with buyers can, at times, be a lengthy process. The McCords want to do more than just sell people homes; they want to help those people stay in their homes. Committed to customer service, American Dream Builders goes the extra mile in helping their customers get into a new home.

“A lot of people have bad luck along the way,” says Jim. “We try to help them get over that bad luck — help them develop better savings habits, help them clean up their credit.” This means that the team at American Dream Builders does everything from helping the customer develop a workable, realistic budget to helping them negotiate a bad debt. Noting that sometimes it takes people up to two years from the time they first contact the builder until they have managed their financial issues and are in a position to buy a home, Jim is pleased to note that 98 percent of their customers are success stories.

In addition to simplifying the home buying process and working with customers through the often complicated financing process, the McCords also ensure that each and every home they build is as close to move-in ready as possible. States James, “If someone is buying one of our homes, they are already putting everything they have into it.” This is why “there are no surprises for our customers...what you see is what you get.” Meaning that included in the price of the home are light fixtures, floor coverings, site preparation, impact fees, even window coverings.

“For the working class citizens of Collier County,” says Ducharme, “I would consider American Dream Builders their best friend.” In an effort to cultivate this friendship even further, the company works toward building energy-efficient, cost-reducing homes.

Because the majority of their customers “work for a living, they need to be able to afford to live in the house,” says James. Therefore, American Dream Builders emphasizes building energy-efficient homes that lower utility costs for the homeowner. At the recent Aurora Awards, presented by the Southeast Builders Conference, the company received recognition for Energy Efficiency in their price range. They also received an award from the Florida Solar Energy Center for building the most Energy Star homes in the entire state. A designation put on by the Florida Department of Energy, the Energy Star indicates that a home is at least thirty-percent more efficient than the minimum energy standards. After years in the refrigeration and air-conditioning industry, it is no surprise that the McCords understand the toll that high electric bills can take on a consumer.

The Beginning

A Vietnam veteran and self-proclaimed “Florida Cracker,” Florida native Jim McCord never knew he would someday be building new homes. After a five-year stint in the United States Marine Corps, during which time he met his wife, Sue, Jim worked with NASA in the telemetry and radar division. Later, while working for RCA, he was involved on projects such as the Apollo missions and the development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) for the U.S. Air Force. However, in the midst of a successful career Jim made the decision to change professions. “I met a guy who worked for Pan Am in the air conditioning business and he was making twice as much money as I was...so I transferred back to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico,” explains Jim, “and went to school at night, training myself in refrigeration and air conditioning.” This career change eventually led Jim to open his own business, J&M Air Conditioning, in Fort Myers, where James had his first after-school job.

A graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in mechanical engineering, James McCord always knew “that I wanted to do something in the construction industry.” Graduating in 1991 at a time when “nobody was hiring engineers,” James returned to Fort Myers to once again work for his father at J&M; the next chapter of the father/son tradition that continues to this day.

The next few years saw Jim selling J&M and eventually settling into semi-retirement; James going to work as a construction supervisor for a new home builder, and long father-son conversations about what the future held. “We talked and talked and talked,” says James. “I had always wanted a company of my own and he [Jim] wasn’t ready to retire, so we started American Dream Builders.”

What’s next?

Four years later, are the reigns now starting to change hands? “They’re already turned over,” jokes Jim. “I just hang out.” However, Jim McCord is still very much involved and continues to develop new markets for a company that has already seen exponential growth. Though Jim hopes to retire within the next five years in order to spend more time traveling the globe pursuing his passion of diving and underwater photography, he is still involved in the growth and development of the company, sharing a corporate vision with his son.

Currently building in Golden Gate and in North Port, American Dream Builders will start building in Cape Coral this winter, thus expanding their market to include three counties. Having already purchased land in Lee County, right off of Chiquita Boulevard, they hope to be building “three to four hundred homes per year between the three markets,” states James. “I would like to do that.”

And the odds are good that they will. In a few short years, American Dream Builders has already managed to establish themselves for quality construction and customer service. Says Ducharme, “Hands down they’ve made a statement.”