How do you keep up with the latest advances in your field?

By making a substantial investment in our team members’ professional development to attend conferences, home shows, and classes to learn about new techniques and products. We also have access to the vast resources of Berkshire Hathaway and get information through those channels as well. One of the latest projects was Berkshire sending a team to Sweden to study automation in homebuilding. While not practical yet in the United States, there were plenty of lessons learned.

What do you like best about your line of work?

It’s incredibly gratifying to create “home” for people. Looking back at how many people raised their families in one of our homes and how many family memories we created the backdrop for warms my heart. My happiest moment is when one of our 30,000-plus customers tells me, “I grew up in a Mungo home.”

What is your biggest challenge?

We have a saying, “We don’t hire people, we adopt them.” Finding enough people who share our values, want to work in housing, and be part of our family is a challenge. Our standards are very high, and it takes the right kind of person to become part of the family. Those that do, stay for a long time and find it a rewarding career. Our team consists of some of the most experienced people in the industry, and they are a great resource for our newer team members.

How has the Columbia community benefitted from your business?

This is our home and for years, we have created many high paying jobs and provided housing opportunities for thousands of families. Always mindful that everything on Earth is borrowed, we have always tried to be good stewards and have provided land for parks and schools in addition to providing significant support to many charities across the Midlands. I think you could ask pretty much any organization in the Midlands how many people we have touched over the years and you would like the answer.