|
Contact:
Robert McKnight
Phone:
570-646-1333 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9 A.M. EST,
December 6, 2009 |
New Building Code
Goes into effect January 1,2010.
Blakeslee,
PA:
December 6,
2009
– Blakeslee, PA – There is good
news and bad news for potential home
buyers in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The bad news is that a new building
code will go into effect in January
2010. The code change is
likely to add thousands to the cost
of constructing a new home.
The good news
is that home buyers who contract
before January 1, 2010 can still
build a home using the current code.
Additional good news is that the
code will not require fire
sprinklers until January of 2011.
The
Pennsylvania Builders Association
released the following
clarification:
Design/construction contract can
extend 2006 code
(Some) Members have voiced their
confusion recently regarding exactly
when the 2009 International
Residential Code will take effect in
Pennsylvania and how a design or
construction contract signed before
the adoption would be affected. PBA
reached out to the state Department
of Labor and Industry for
clarification. A spokesman for L&I
explained that a design or
construction contract executed and
signed prior to Dec. 31 or the
adoption of the 2009 codes will only
need to comply with the 2006 codes;
this would apply indefinitely until
the permit is pulled, as long as the
permit is pulled and construction
begins within 180 days. L&I stressed
also that if a design or
construction contract is executed
for a one- or two-family home after
Dec. 31, 2009, but before Dec. 31,
2010, that home would need to meet
the 2009 code but not the sprinkler
provision that goes into effect Jan.
1, 2011. L&I further explained that
the design contract does not need to
be a sealed document from an
architect or engineer.
|
Contact:
Robert McKnight
Phone:
570-646-1333 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9 A.M. EDT,
September 18, 2009 |
Plateau Area Builder Scores a Hat
Trick
Pocono Builders Association held its
annual awards banquet at the Stroudsmoor
Inn on Wednesday September 16.
Centennial Homes, Inc. of Blakeslee
repeated its 2007 and 2008 performance
by earning five more awards (a hat
trick).
Centennial Homes, celebrating its 22nd
year in business, has previously won
awards in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and
2008. Centennial Homes, Inc. received
awards this year in the following
categories:
1.
Best Residential Construction under 1500
square feet.
2.
Best Residential Architecture under 1500
square feet.
3.
Best Residential Architecture under
$150,000.
4.
Best Residential Architecture between
1500 and 2500 square feet.
5.
Best Residential Architecture between
$150,000 and $225,000.
Robert Hutchins, Centennial’s Vice
President and production manager said,
"I always try to be positive so I
expected to win at least one award this
year. In the past, we have won awards
for quality construction, affordability
and value but this year we are thrilled
to also have won for architecture."
Each year members of the Pocono Builders
Association submit homes to a panel of
judges from outside of the area. They
are judged on quality, value,
architecture and affordability. Winners
are presented with their awards at their
annual banquet and the homeowners
involved receive identical plaques.
This year, the awards coincide with the
completion of Centennial's first
"Living Green home" , a
three thousand square foot split level
which was built in Tannersville.
Jim Hutchins, Centennial’s CEO put it
this way, “We are, of course, very proud
of our success in winning five more
awards. I think they are yet another
indicator of our efforts to always
remain in the vanguard of the building
community—in this instance, it is thru
quality construction, design, and value
.”
Press Release
|
Contact:
Robert McKnight
Phone:
570-646-1333 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9 A.M. EDT,
June 1, 2009 |
Centennial Homes
Becomes Second Registered Contractor in
Pennsylvania
Blakeslee,
PA:
June 1, 2009
– Blakeslee, PA – Jim Hutchins
is taking a deep breath this week.
After years of struggle to protect
the consumer from unscrupulous home
improvement contractors,
Pennsylvania has begun implementing
a state wide Contractor Registration
program.
Hutchins who is
president of Centennial Homes, Inc.,
a Blakeslee Home Builder, which is
celebrating its 21st year
in the business, has been a major
player in the process. He has
worked tirelessly with the
Pennsylvania Builders Association
and the state Attorney General’s
Office to produce a program intended
to protect both the consumer and the
reputable contractor.
When asked,
“Why?” Jim Hutchins replied, “This
had to happen. It was just a
question of how and when. Consumer
complaints against home improvement
contractors to the Attorney General
continue to be a problem. I
decided long ago that reputable
contractors would need to either
drive the bus or miss the bus.”
Drive he did.
Jim was an active participant in the
Pennsylvania Builders’ Association’s
SB1000 task force which developed
early recommendations for the
legislature. As part of this
involvement, he traveled to Scranton
and Harrisburg and testified twice
in front of the House Consumer
Affairs committee. When the program
was to be rolled out, Jim was asked
to chair the Attorney General’s
Implementation Task Force. In
addition, Jim made liberal use of
conference calls. One task force
member commented that Jim ran the
most effective conference calls in
Pennsylvania Builders’ Association (PBA)
history. “He certainly had a lot
on his plate”, remarked Bob
Hutchins, his brother and partner,
“Considering that he was also
running Centennial Homes.”
As chairman, he
recruited some of the most effective
members of the Task Force, set
documentation guidelines and
authored a short form contract to be
used by contractors. In addition,
he participated in meetings with the
office of the Attorney General in an
effort to positively influence the
outcome. Throughout the process Jim
had to interface with both the
government and the private sectors.
Developing the
program was only part of it. Jim
worked directly with the Office of
Attorney General’s project manager
to implement an on line application
for contractors, scheduled
introductory seminars to convince
contractors that registering would
be good for their business and even
presented a few of the workshops.
Hutchins says, “This program will
drive the unscrupulous from the
business and that’s good for
everyone.” Consumers will be able
to ask to see a contractor’s
registration certificate which means
that at the very least the
contractor will have liability
insurance. In addition the
commonwealth will be able to track
complaints.
As his final
act for support of the program Jim
made sure that Centennial Homes,
Inc. was one of the first in line to
register. In fact they were the
second company in Pennsylvania to
register, gaining them the
contractor number #2.
Contractor
Registration goes into effect on
July 1st which means that
as many as 80,000 home improvement
contractors will have to register
with the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania or risk the possibility
of felony charges.
Press Release
|
Contact:
Robert McKnight
Phone:
570-646-1333 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9 A.M. EDT,
November 25, 2008 |
Centennial Homes
Joins “Green Communities Alliance”
Blakeslee,
PA:
Effective
immediately Centennial Homes has become
a member of Green Communities Alliance.
The alliance is committed to using and
promoting green building practices
according to strict guidelines as
developed by the National Association of
Home Builders.
Homes built
by Centennial have included energy
saving features for years. Earlier this
year, Centennial announced the
introduction of a new series of homes
that offered enhanced insulation,
windows and a geothermal heat pump.
Centennial’s
next green project will be a 3000 square
foot split-level home in Cobble Creek
Estates.
Click Here
to See Certificate
-End-
Press Release
|
Contact: Robert
McKnight
Phone: (800)
669-4769 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9:00 A.M. EDT,
September 18,2008 |
Award
Winning Builder Repeats for 2008
Pocono Builders
Association held its annual awards banquet
at the Stroudsmoor Inn on Wednesday
September 17. Centennial Homes, Inc. of Blakeslee
repeated its 2007 performance by earning
five more awards.
Centennial Homes, celebrating its 21st
year in business, has previously won awards
in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Centennial
Homes, Inc. received awards this year in the
following categories:
-
Best Residential Construction
for under $150,000.
-
Best Kitchen under $15,000
-
Best Kitchen over $15,000.
-
Best Residential Addition over
$50,000
-
Best Whole House Renovation.
Robert Hutchins, Centennial’s Vice President
and production manager said, “These are our
first awards for renovations and kitchens
and we are thrilled.” He explained, “When
people retire and permanently move into
their vacation homes they find that they
need more space and updated kitchens.”
Each year members of the Pocono Builders
Association submit homes to a panel of
judges from outside of the area. They are
judged on quality, value, architecture and
affordability. Winners are presented with
their awards at their annual banquet and the
homeowners involved receive identical
plaques.
Earlier this year Centennial introduced a
new line of homes, The Prestige
Series. It offers a
green options package including enhanced
insulation and a geothermal heat pump. “We
are evolving along with our market and hope
to enter a Prestige Series
home in next year’s competition,” explained
Sales Manager, Robert McKnight. “Our motto
is: we build sensible homes for sensible
people. Today sensible means energy
efficient.”
McKnight added, “Not that we tired of
winning with our homes, but we thought we
would do something a bit different with our
entries. As it stands right now, no
other builder in the area has won in as many
different categories as Centennial Homes,
Inc.”
Jim Hutchins, Centennial’s CEO put it this
way, “More than anything else, I think this
shows just how diversified we can be—we
build award winning colonials to award
winning small kitchen remodels. And with
the uncertainty of today’s economy, one has
to wonder, ‘Who needs a new home…why not fix
up the one you have.’ In our case, we’ll
build you a big house or a small
kitchen…whatever you prefer. And, in either
instance, we want them to be award
winners.”
“We are thrilled with the success!”
Photos of the winning houses will be
uploaded to Centennial’s web site
|
Contact: Robert
McKnight
Phone: (800)
669-4769 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9:00 A.M. EDT,
May 15,2008 |
Centennial Homes, Inc.
Introduces New Home Series with “Green
Options”
Read
More Detail
Go to Our
Prestige Series
|
Contact: Robert
McKnight
Phone: (800)
669-4769 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9 A.M. EDT,
November 20, 2007 |
Pennsylvania
Builders Association Honors Robert Hutchins
of
Centennial Homes, Inc.
Blakeslee, Pa,
NOVEMBER 20, 2007: Robert Hutchins,
Vice President of Centennial Homes, Inc. was
recognized by the Pennsylvania Builders
Association by being named a Lifetime
Director.
Hutchins, who has served as a member of the
Board of Directors for the association since
1997, said that he was honored to receive
the award which was presented for ten years
of meritorious service to the home building
industry. Bob has also served on various
committees including the Governmental
Affairs Committee. In 2001 and again in
2007 he was elected to represent
the counties of
Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Lackawanna,
Luzerne and Susquehanna as Regional Vice
President.
Service awards are not
new to Bob, in 1999 he was named the
recipient of the prestigious “Builder of The
Year Award'' by the Pocono Builders
Association, for outstanding dedication to
the building industry.
As Production Manager
of
Centennial Homes, Bob personally
supervises the construction of
Centennial’s
homes. “His goal is to visit every job
site, every day,” said his wife Colleen
Hutchins who serves as Bob’s production
assistant.
In addition to running
production for Centennial Homes and serving
the builders’ associations, Bob was elected
to a six year term as a Coolbaugh Township
Supervisor in 2004 and he also serves as
secretary on the Pocono Mountain Police
commission.
Press Release
|
Contact: Robert
McKnight
Phone: (800)
669-4769 |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
9 A.M. EDT,
September 25, 2007 |
Centennial
Homes, Inc. WINS Five Awards In
Builders Contest
Blakeslee, Pa,
September 25, 2007: As part of its
20th Anniversary Celebration,
Centennial Homes, Inc. entered several of
its homes in the 2007 Pocono Builders
Association Builders Awards. They entered
the following value categories:
1.
Best Value Under $150,000
2.
Best Value $150,000 - $250,000
3.
Most Affordable Value Under $125,000
And swept the three value categories they
entered.
Centennial
Homes, Inc. also won:
1.
Best Home Under 1500 SF
2.
Best Auxiliary Building.
Accepting the awards
was Centennial Homes, Inc. was
Vice-President Robert Hutchins who
commented, “We pride ourselves in the value
of a Centennial home. We are very happy, but
not surprised to see that our peers,
professionals in the field, see the value in
our product.”
“The fact that
Centennial
Homes, Inc. received awards in
two other categories also speaks to the
quality found in a
Centennial
home,” said Sales Manager, Robert
McKnight. McKnight went on the say, “Our
ads say that ‘We Build Sensible Homes for
Sensible People’— These awards show that
Quality plus Value equals the Sensible
Choice… and now, once again, we have proved
it.”
To find out more about
the quality and value you can find in a
Centennial Homes, Inc. home, call
1.800.669.4769 and ask for Mac. Maybe, you
too, can own a Centennial Homes, Inc. award
winner.
-End-
Centennial Homes, Inc. - Announces
Partnership with PHFA
Blakeslee, PA--
Centennial Homes, Inc. -
announces a partnership with the
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to
provide Below-market interest rate home
purchase loans to qualifying buyers
throughout the Pocono area under PHFA's
Keystone Home Loan Program. For
qualifying buyers this could mean
little or no down payment.
For
More details and to see if you qualify
contact us.
Centennial Homes Launches
Customer Information Sites -
In an effort to keep its
customers more informed, Centennial has
added private web sites so that customers
can view the progress on their new home
using the web.
To view one
click here.
Centennial Announces
the Loss of a Friend
Blakeslee, Pa
October 8, 2007 – Centennial Homes,
Inc. is sad to announce the loss of a dear
friend. Big Foot the company’s well
known and loved golden tabby passed away on
Friday, October 5, 2007. He was 18 years
young at the time of his death. Big Foot
was interred under an apple tree
behind Centennial’s Blakeslee office.
Long time customers,
friends and employees will remember him as
the always friendly cat who was the first to
greet them upon their arrival. One lawyer,
who has handled title work for Centennial
since they were founded 20 years ago,
remembered the day that Big Foot leaped onto
the conference table during a closing. He
landed on a pile of papers which acted as a
sled propelling him over the edge. The
lawyer acted as though nothing were amiss
continuing with his closing.
He will be missed by
all.

Big Foot with
some of his admirers
Local
Builder Celebrates 20th
Anniversary
(Reprinted courtesy "The Journal of the
Pocono Plateau" September 13, 2007)
Blakeslee, PA – In the midst of what
has been reported as a “soft” real estate
market, one Pocono area builder is
celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Centennial
Homes, Inc. has managed not only
to survive the ups and downs of the building
business but actually to thrive since 1987.
When asked about
Centennial’s secrets to success
Jim Hutchins, President and CEO smiles and
says, “We believe that bigger is not
necessarily better. We believe that better
is better. You see,
we don't try to impress with
veneer... we try to impress with solid
performance, quality and value.” Jim
received his MBA in Operations Management
from the University of Scranton.
Jim has also earned a reputation
for being a no nonsense defender of consumer
rights. At the request of the Pennsylvania
Builders Association, he traveled to
Harrisburg to testify before the House
Committee on Consumer Affairs on a bill that
if passed would have cost consumers dearly.
Jim was responsible for
Centennial’s wildly successful
tag line, “Who needs a big mortgage?
We build sensible homes for sensible
people.” He argues, “The average
consumer is being sold an oversized home
with a big mortgage which might
jeopardize his or her
future. When the real estate
market goes down,
the average homeowner could be only a
few paychecks from financial ruin. That’s
why we specialize in sensible homes.”
Centennial boasts that unlike the
big national companies, they can offer over
twenty homes under $200,000.00—and of that;
fourteen
are priced under $150, 000.
“We rely heavily on our reputation,” says
Bob Hutchins Vice-President and Production
Manager. “We frequently build homes for
multiple members of the same family.”
Shirley Fowler and her husband Don are new
arrivals to the Pocono Area. They recently
moved into their new 1300 square foot ranch
home built for them by
Centennial, in Indian Mountain Lake. Shirley
recalled her thoughts as she did her final
walk through, “It was everything that I
could have expected.” In fact the Fowlers,
who regularly stop in for a cup of coffee
after church, were convinced to purchase a
Centennial
home by their daughter and son in law who
also bought a
Centennial
home.
But the homey atmosphere punctuated by a
bottomless coffee pot is not all there is to
Centennial’s
success. A visit to their office reveals a
company that is dedicated to quality. The
walls are adorned with awards presented to
them by the Pocono Builders Association and
the Pocono Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bob Hutchins who was named “Builder of the
Year” in 1999, by the Pocono Builders
Association was one of several visionaries
who pushed for a state wide building code.
“In the early days it was a little like the
Wild West. There was little or no
governmental oversight and the consumer had
to rely on the builder’s integrity for
quality. Those consumers who relied too
heavily on price were often faced with a
house that either did not get completed or
resulted in substandard construction. We
were building to the applicable national
codes long before Pennsylvania had a
building code.”
As part of a year long celebration
Centennial has launched a new state of the art
web site (www.NowGrow.com) which allows the consumer to
investigate the company, get directions,
print their own brochures and track their
projects.
They are also doing a few things for their
customers. Don and Nicki Mattson of
Burlington, NJ were surprised to learn that
their project included a year of digital
cable TV and in August
Centennial
presented a plaque and gift certificate to
Anthony and Karin Price of Green Lane, PA
for being their twentieth anniversary
customer.
Centennial
Homes Inc.
Announces New Marketing & Sales Manager
BLAKESLEE, PA
--
Robert
“Mac” McKnight has recently joined
Centennial Homes Inc., a family corporation
dedicated to offering affordable, quality
built housing in Northeastern Pennsylvania
since 1957. Centennial Homes, Inc. is
celebrating its twentieth anniversary this
year. His responsibilities will include
marketing and sales throughout the area.
He has served clients in the
Pocono area as a member of the Pocono
Mountain Association of Realtors, Inc.
Additionally, “Mac” is a member of the
National Association of Realtors.
McKnight brings extensive years of
sales and sales management experience in the
custom home, real estate and computer
industries to his new position.
A graduate
of Temple University in Philadelphia, “Mac”
furthered his studies at Thomas Edison State
College in Trenton, NJ and Saint Charles
Seminary in Philadelphia.
As a member of the Dale Carnegie Speakers
Bureau, McKnight gained a wide-range of
experience in public speaking and adult
education.
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