-
Green Building Professional
Posted on January 12th, 2012 No commentsJenkins Custom Homes recycles 80% of all jobsite materials on every custom home construction project in Austin.
Just call us Austin green home builders, as we have been doing this for over 3 years now in partnership with Construction Waste Recycler of Texas. It is simply the right thing to do for our environment. It doesn’t cost that much extra and tends to keep the jobsite cleaner, not to mention the positive effect it has on all who work on the project and visit it. We are proud, as a home builder, to support the environment and promote good, green community relations on all our jobs.
-
Winner Announced!
Posted on November 15th, 2011 No comments
The winner of our Parade of Homes contest is… Linda Houston
Congratulations Linda!!! Linda wins culinary classes for 4 to the Silver Whisk Culinary School. She can choose to attend either Thanksgiving Desserts class or Make Your Christmas Gifts class. Oooh boy, sounds yummy!
The winner was selected by random number by random.org:
Thanks to all who registered to win, as well as those who attended the BIA Parade of Homes! -
Aggie100 Winners
Posted on November 12th, 2011 No commentsThis is the Press Release that was sent out last weekend:
Luxury home builder, Jenkins Custom Homes, was honored today as the 6th fastest-growing Aggie-owned business in the world, with an average compound growth rate of 94.13%! The luxury home builder was recognized at the seventh annual Aggie 100 program, sponsored by Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University. The Aggie 100 focuses on growth as an indicator of job creation, product acceptance and entrepreneurial vision. Recipients of the award were selected based on verified compound annual revenue growth for the 2008 to 2010 period. In addition to this honor, Jenkins was also recognized as one of only three companies which have been named in the Aggie 100 for five out of the last seven years since the program has been in existence. This is the longest sustained growth of any Aggie100 recipient.Nearly seven hundred people attended the awards luncheon in The Zone Club at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. Texas A&M University Women’s Basketball Coach, Gary Blair, presented the keynote address at the luncheon. After leading the Aggie Women to a 2010 NCAA National Championship, it was only fitting that he inspire the group of entrepreneurs by sharing his thoughts on true leadership. Kelsey Assarian, a member of the winning basketball team, sat at the table with Shan & Bethany Jenkins, along with Porter Garner, CEO of the Association of Former Students, and other distinguished faculty.
Earlier that morning, Jenkins had breakfast with the Dean of the College of Architecture, along with the Department Heads, which include the Department of Construction Science, Architecture, Landscape Architecture and UrbanPlanning, and the Department of Visualization. After breakfast, Jenkins was given a personal tour of some of the technology being used to design homes and commercial buildings in the Department of Architecture. One such technology, called the “BIM Cave” (Building Information Modeling Cave), surrounds students with display screens which allow them to be immersed in the design from multiple sides. Such technology allows aspiring architects to envision spaces within the home or commercial structure during the design process, a very useful technology which could be used to assist the luxury home builder’s clients as well.
This year’s Aggie 100 companies posted an average compound growth rate of 41 percent. The complete list can be found at aggie100.com. The Top 10 Aggie 100 companies include:1. Tranzon Auction Resolutions – Cypress, TX 276.83%2. BMI Defense Systems – College Station, TX 207.04%3. Republic landscapes, llc – College Station, TX 141.70%4. Miner Central Texas Ltd – San Antonio, TX 128.75%5. Opportune, LLP – Houston, TX 101.91%6. Jenkins Custom Homes – Austin, TX 94.13%7. Accent Wire, Ltd. – Bradford, United Kingdom 94.01%8. Power Funding Ltd. – Tyler, TX 93.52%9. Leftfield Pictures – New York, NY 93.16%10. OriGen Biomedical, Inc. – Austin, TX 85.99%“Since the founding of Texas A&M University, Aggies have been leaving a legacy across all businesses and industries,” said Dr. Richard H. Lester, Executive Director of Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. “Over the last seven years, the Aggie 100 companies have continuously proven that even in tough economic times, solid business ideas and hard work pay off.”
To be considered, companies (corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships) must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M. After receiving the award five out of the last seven years, Jenkins Custom Homes is a shining example of the legacy of leadership. -
Thermador Adventures in Scottsdale
Posted on October 19th, 2011 No comments
Our latest Builder20 meeting was held in Scottsdale, AZ (thus, my previous post about visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Center). We have been meeting with our Builder20 group twice a year for over 5 years, and it is always a great time where we work strategically “on” the business instead of just “in” the business. This time, we held the meetings in the award-winning Thermador training center and showroom. I must say, this place was awesome and put every meeting room we have ever used in the past to shame!
One of the nights, we had an interactive dinner, where we all cooked various dishes in the showroom on Thermador appliances. This was really fun and allowed us to learn first-hand about the appliances. The most amazing feature we saw, in my opinion, was the infrared sensor on the cooktops. This bad boy senses the temperature inside the dish and KEEPS IT FROM BURNING! Ah, hello, why haven’t we always had this awesome feature?!!! As newlyweds, that could have saved us LOTS of money in ruined dinners. There were many other great features, and we were duly impressed. Here is what Thermador says about their “Sensor Dome” technology and how it is used in conjunction with their induction cooktop (also available in the electric cooktop):“Thermador Induction can fry with the industry’s most powerful heating element, or simmer precisely for long periods of time. Thermador’s patented Sensor Dome technology brings the pan to the perfect temperature and utilizes infrared sensor technology to monitor the temperature inside the pan, cycling on and off to maintain the precise temperature. Sensor Dome allows Thermador Induction to simmer without scorching, boil without boiling over, and deep fry without burning.” (Read more)
Incidentally, Thermador recently announced that they are closing this facility, and that is unfortunate. We wish everyone could see it!
-
Inspirational Photo of the Week
Posted on October 6th, 2011 No comments
Is this the Four Seasons? No, it’s in a home we recently built! How fun would it be to have a hotel-like spa in your home? They are not unreasonably expensive to build, and just think of the savings on those resort hotels… 
Also, don’t forget…the Luxury Home Show is this weekend, Oct. 8th & 9th. If you would like to attend, just register at http://luxuryhomeshow.info.
-
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture in Austin?
Posted on September 21st, 2011 No commentsAustin’s own Jenkins team (well, just Shan & I) recently visited the Winter camp of the late Frank Lloyd Wright in Scottsdale, Arizona (called Taliesin West) to see Mr. Wright’s “other home” and offices. His primary home and main offices are in Wisconsin, but he built this facility when he was in his 70′s (when some of us might have been thinking about retiring) to have a respite away from the Winter cold of Wisconsin. We learned a lot about Frank Lloyd Wright and his philosophies, family, and personality. However, what we came for was the answer to the question, “How does one become a legend in Architecture and how can we take that back to Austin?”
Even if you are not a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, he created an entire style of architecture that influenced our culture even until today. Most famous for the Guggenheim, he also founded what we now call “modern” or “contemporary” architecture. So, how did he do it? One could argue, quite successfully, that he had a gift and that the gift is the primary reason for his success. However, a gift alone doesn’t normally account for someone’s success at this level. What he did that I think differentiated him was that he studied details…in nature especially. He watched and studied the local plant material, the way the sunlight hit and created shadows, and the way nature reminded him of other things. Then, he translated that into the architecture. He must have spent hours, maybe even days, studying the site where he would place Taliesin West. Everything he did had a purpose, and most of it was related to how he wanted people to experience life or how nature influenced him and ultimately the architecture. The pursuit of excellence, ultimately, along with his innate gift is what brought about the legend. That’s exciting for those of us who strive to pursue excellence.
See highlights of the tour we took below…
-
- The Music Theater Room was built at an angle
-
- The Roof was made of White Canvas – talk about a campout!
-
- The Use of Water was ideal!
-
- Shan enjoying it all.
-
- See how lighting played such an important part!
-
- See how the trees grow right through the structure.
-
Follow Me
Google Ads
