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The Company’s success in 2005
can be summed up in three central themes:
1) Our focus on anticipating and meeting the needs of our customers
as we expand our construction services capabilities and extend
our geographic reach;
2) Our adherence to BMHC’s core values as we grow the
business, maintaining an entrepreneurial culture and a focus
on customer service;
3) Our employees’ dedication to successfully meeting the
demands of our business and their ability to assimilate tremendous
growth.
For the last several years, we have charted a strategy focused
on becoming the leading construction services provider in targeted
U.S. homebuilding markets that are experiencing positive growth
trends. As the homebuilding industry has consolidated —
resulting in large national builders controlling more of the
residential development across the country — we have concentrated
our efforts on meeting the specific needs of high-volume production
homebuilders. We have always operated our business centered
on a philosophy of anticipating and meeting our customers’
requirements. Reflecting what we view as a partnership with
our customers, we have developed a business model that works
for them and for BMHC. We have been proactive in the growth
and expansion of our business by continuing to invest in the
Company and our people. In the past year, we not only completed
a number of strategic acquisitions, but also purchased real
estate for new facilities and expanded our existing locations.
We also successfully executed supply chain initiatives in certain
target markets, such as integrating lumber and truss operations
with our framing services. In all of our markets we remain committed
to meeting the needs of our customers. We believe that BMHC
is now firmly positioned in the right markets with the right
products and services to serve our customers on the scale they
require.
The Company’s outstanding performance in 2005 was due
in large part to our ability to execute our business strategy.
We completed seven transactions in 2005, which played a significant
role in driving our business to new heights during the year.
We have continued this momentum, completing an additional three
acquisitions in the first quarter of 2006. A large part of our
business strategy has been to expand our range of services at
BMC Construction as we become an integrated multi-trade residential
construction company. By investing in the BBP Companies and
acquiring the assets of Campbell Companies, we successfully
expanded our services to include concrete and plumbing in high-growth
markets, including Phoenix, Las Vegas and Southern California.
We also extended our geographic reach to the Chicago market
by investing in RCI Construction, and to the San Diego market
through our acquisition of HnR Framing Systems. In January 2006,
we acquired the assets of Benedetti Construction Management,
a framing company in Southern California’s Inland Empire
region, and MWB Building Contractors, which expands our Northern
California framing operation and extends it into the Reno, Nevada
market. In 2005, BMC West acquired the assets of Quality Truss,
a provider of truss and roof components in Idaho, which complements
our operations in the InterMountain region. We further expanded
our BMC West millwork facility in Houston to support continued
strong growth. In February 2006, we acquired the assets of Home
Lumber in Houston, adding lumber and materials distribution
and further increasing our millwork capabilities. This transaction
significantly expands our operations in this important homebuilding
market.
We remained diligent in our evaluation of acquisition opportunities
aimed at ensuring that each company we acquired was not only
a leader in its market but also a good fit with our culture
and business model. Prior to becoming part of the BMHC organization,
all of the companies we acquired were leading service providers
in their construction trades working with the top national and
regional production homebuilders. The principals and employees
of each company acquired in 2005 share our dedication to customer
service and our vision of BMHC’s future in the industry.
With this shared dedication and vision, all of our acquired
companies have maintained the entrepreneurial spirit that is
vital to our success in every market.
The business strategy we developed several years ago is beginning
to demonstrate its potential. We increased sales 39% in 2005,
largely due to the acquisitions we completed and to the continued
strength of our markets. Our efforts to leverage expenses against
increased sales and to enhance operating efficiencies proved
successful, and resulted in a 140% improvement to our bottom
line. We reinforced our strong financial position by expanding
our syndicated credit facility from $350 million to $500 million
with an option to further increase the size to $650 million
over the five-year-term. Further demonstrating our strong financial
performance and commitment to enhancing shareholder value, we
increased our quarterly dividend twice in 2005, by a total of
88%. In the first quarter of 2006, our board of directors approved
a two-for-one stock split and another 33% increase in our cash
dividend. The stock split and the third consecutive year of
dividend increases reflect our ongoing confidence in our long-term
growth prospects. Our dividend program enables shareholders
to participate in BMHC’s success, and we believe the stock
split should improve liquidity and allow broader ownership of
the Company’s shares.
| The Company’s ability
to grow successfully starts with our people. Without talented
and motivated employees, we would not be able to support
our growth and consistently provide the superior service
our customers have come to expect from BMHC. |
Throughout this exciting phase of BMHC’s growth, we took
important steps to ensure our infrastructure and systems were
able to support our continuing expansion. We continued to identify
and implement best practices throughout all levels of our organization.
We improved the systems and controls essential to managing our
business profitably and integrating newly acquired companies.
We made significant progress in our plan to standardize our
information technology platforms to support our field operations
and back office, and added high-quality systems staff to support
our rapid growth.
BMHC’s ability to grow successfully starts with our people.
Without talented and motivated employees, we would not be able
to support our growth and consistently provide the superior
service our customers have come to expect from BMHC. We continued
to make employee-focused initiatives a priority — including
professional and industry certification training, management
training, financial
and management support for participation in outside education
and our constant attention to keeping safety a core component
of our operations. The professional credibility, competence
and business integrity of our people is evidenced by a growing
number of our locations receiving quality certifications from
the National Association of Home Builders. We also remain sensitive
to the various cultures and needs of our employees. We have
conducted outreach to minority communities in our markets and
our corporate notices and information are bilingual. While we
focus on being a leader in our industry, we also create a rewarding
environment for our employees.
Two individuals who have played major roles at BMHC have recently
left the Company. Dr. James Brown, a director since 1991, retired
from our board of directors in February 2006. Jim’s counsel
and unique insights into the nation’s housing industry
have been valuable contributions to the Company over the years.
Ellis Goebel, a founder of BMC West in 1987, retired at the
end of 2005. As Senior Vice President — Business Development
and Investor Relations, and in his previous position as Senior
Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, Ellis played a significant
part in the development and expansion of the Company. On behalf
of everyone involved with BMHC, I thank Jim and Ellis for their
hard work and dedication.
We also made two appointments to our board of directors in 2005,
both of whom are nominated for election at this year’s
annual meeting of shareholders. Dr. Eric Belsky and Mr. Norman
Metcalfe bring a wealth of knowledge and industry expertise
to the board and will be valuable contributors to us as we continue
to grow our business.
In this time of continued critical focus on corporate ethics,
BMHC continues to consistently institute and follow a broad
range of programs to ensure sound corporate governance and ethical
business conduct throughout the organization, as the Company
has done since its formation almost 19 years ago. Our strong
corporate values and focus on good corporate citizenship have
fostered a culture that encourages us to give back to the communities
in which we operate, by donating time, resources and funds.
We also made significant contributions during the year toward
the recovery efforts from the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
Additionally, we continued our many years of work with Habitat
for Humanity, which is a natural charitable opportunity for
BMHC and a way to use our operations and the expertise of our
people to benefit those in need.
2005 was a terrific year for BMHC, and was one in which everything
came together — the strategy of the business as well as
positive trends in the homebuilding industry. We are pleased
with the acquisitions we completed, and the way our people continued
to provide superior service to our customers. Employees and
management recognized evolving industry trends and proactively
pursued the growth of our business. Everyone worked hard in
supporting our strategy and we are pleased to have been recognized
for our efforts by those outside the Company, as BMHC was named
2005 Pro-Dealer of the Year by Home Channel News and was included
for the first time on the Forbes Platinum 400 list.
As we establish ourselves as the leader in our markets, our
high standards and commitment to excellence continue to be the
foundation upon which we build customer relationships and our
reputation in the marketplace. Because of the steps we have
taken, we are better positioned to capitalize on future opportunities
in the homebuilding industry. In 2006, we expect the large homebuilders
will continue to gain market share. We believe BMHC is in the
right geographic areas where there will be strong demand for
new homes. Our willingness to invest in the business enhances
our leadership position. BMHC’s entrepreneurial spirit
and strong culture drive our success.
I appreciate and greatly value the hard work and loyalty of
all our employees and our board of directors, and the continued
support of our customers, suppliers and shareholders.
Sincerely,
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