COBA honors builder, Brooks Resources

At an award ceremony earlier this month, the Central Oregon Builders’ Association honored NorthWest Crossing Guild Builder Greg Welch Construction with the title of 2012 Green Builder of the Year.

The company, which has built more than 90 homes in NorthWest Crossing, is led by Greg Welch who is a designatedEarth Advantage™Sustainable Homes Professionalwith extensive technical knowledge, strategies, and tools needed to achieve high performance residential design and construction.

“Greg Welch Construction has shown consistent commitment to sustainable and best building practices in all his projects,” said Tim Knopp, executive vice president for COBA.

“Greg has been a COBA member for many years, is a COBA board member and had two homes on the Tour of Homes in 2012. He designated the NorthWest Crossing Tour home as a COBA Project Home and, as a result, donated $13,000 of the proceeds to COBA last year. With this award, we are recognizing his contribution to the green building field in our region.”

Greg contributes his success to his company’s true passion for home building, coupled with industry knowledge and personalized service for clients. Greg Welch Construction specializes in Craftsman-style architecture and builds stylish, livable homes employing spacious design and quality materials.

Surrounded by a solid team, Greg has long-term relationships with talented local subcontractors who share his dedication to excellent craftsmanship. Currently, Greg Welch Construction is sustainably rebuilding a historic home on Bend’s riverfront Drake Road and the company also builds in neighborhoods like Tetherow, Shevlin Ridge and Shevlin Pines along with NorthWest Crossing.

Every home in the Bend neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing is required to beEarth Advantage™ Certified, a program that addresses green building issues such as energy efficiency, recycling, building materials, landscaping, and water and indoor air quality. Many homes go beyond this certification with homes in the neighborhood holding LEED-RS Platinum, Zero-Net Energy and ENERGY STAR™ rankings.

COBA also honored real estate development company Brooks Resources Corporation with its 2012 Developer of the Year at its annual Awards of Excellence gala.

The award was granted based on criteria such as the company’s vision for developing land for housing throughout Central Oregon and its forty-year-plus history contributing to the landscape of the region.

“Brooks Resources was founding member of COBA 41 years ago, helping to lay the foundation for what COBA has become today,” said Tim Knopp. “With developments that have shaped Central Oregon – ranging from Black Butte Ranch to NorthWest Crossing – Brooks Resources’ commitment to our industry and our community is indisputable. This is their fourth COBA Excellence Award, and we were honored to present it to them.”

In the last year, Brooks Resources Corporation has continued work on award-winning neighborhoods like Bend’s NorthWest Crossing, a joint venture with Tennant Family Limited Partnership, as well as projects like North Rim on Awbrey Butte, IronHorse in Prineville and Yarrow in Madras. Designed to meet the needs of a diverse population, the company also takes special care to conserve natural surroundings around home sites and encourage positive, sustainable community growth.

Beyond its real estate projects, Brooks Resources also has a strong commitment to giving back to the community it calls home. To continue nurturing an active relationship with Central Oregon, the corporation formed the Bend Foundation, which supports education, arts and cultural institutions, parks and other endeavors with a minimum 3% of the company’s pre-tax profits each year. In addition, employees are encouraged to volunteer in the community and given paid time off each week to spend time doing charitable work. Brooksalso has an employee matching contribution programwhereby cash contributions made by employees to non-profit organizations are matched dollar-for-dollar by the company, up to $1000 annually.

Brooks Resources Corporation has a long history delivering quality real estate products and services in Central Oregon. With roots in the original 1916 Brooks-Scanlon lumber company that sparked a boom in Bend’s growth for the next half century, Brooks Resources is one of the oldest and most respected developers in the area.