The premier educational and networking opportunity for custom home builders takes place Oct. 26-28 in Naples, Fla., when the National Association of Home Builders presents its 2007 Custom Builder Symposium. “Discover Hidden Treasures” is the theme for the event, held at the Naples Grande Resort and Club.

“I look forward to the symposium more so than the builders’ show because it’s so targeted and focused upon what I do as a custom builder,” says Randy Rinehart, president of Rinehart Custom Homes, Charlottesville, Va., and vice chairman of the NAHB symposium committee. “I’ve always found that when I attend, it’s not the big things I come away with, but the little things that make it worthwhile. Plus it causes you to get out of your environment and think about your own model of business and how you might want to tweak it.”

Educational topics covered at the symposium include marketing and sales, design, business management, personnel management and several others. In addition to classroom opportunities, roundtable sessions offer an outstanding and informal atmosphere in which to swap ideas, adds Rinehart, who believes continuing education is critical for success in the custom home business.

“When dealing with clients who have children, I often turn to the wife and say, ‘You have three children, right? When deciding who was going to deliver your children, did you ask about their medical credentials?’ Their answer typically is no,” Rinehart explains. “But you expected them to go through continuing education, right? Then I say, ‘Well I can assure you that you’re writing a larger check to me than you did for that doctor. So why would you not expect the same commitment to professionalism from me as you did from the person bringing your child into the world?’ And that usually makes the point about the importance of education.”

Symposium highlights

Perennially popular symposium events include the golf tournament and awards ceremony sponsored by Pella Windows, the custom home tour sponsored by Lutron Electronics, the welcome reception, and the Custom Home Builder of the Year award sponsored by Dryvit Systems.

Networking is another valuable symposium element, and something Rinehart enjoys, and witnessing with others. “I see people meeting each other and going out to dinner or having drinks at the bar, people that didn’t know each other going into it. The next thing you know they’re exchanging business cards and staying in touch and helping each other out with business problems,” he says.