A Letter Introduction from David Gordon, President and Partner
A Blueprint of my Life
I grew up in Mint Hill, North Carolina, in a home that afforded me with the best building blocks to start my life- love, stability, and support. My parents and siblings all had rooms upstairs, in true North Carolina fashion. The only thing custom about my home became the wooden ramp up the back door, the retrofitting of our front room into my parents new bedroom, and the redesign of the downstairs bathroom to be wheelchair accessible – all places my family’s friends from church and the community built to accommodate our new reality as my dad faced his battle with ALS. Love and compassion built my childhood home and my foundational years.
Fast forward to college- where I met a girl from Florida. It didn’t take long to realize what we had was the real deal. Her dad, Randy, saw that as well. Likely just to keep an eye on me, he offered me summer “internships.” He knew I was going to school for Business Finance, the same area of study he went to school for as well, so I assumed he’d put me to use in the office. Instead, he showed me no favoritism, and I found myself tearing down walls and sweeping jobsite floors in the remodel division. “Insulation itch” was my first test to see if I had what it took to work for Kurtz homes, and to be worthy of dating his beloved daughter.
After a couple summers of this kind of work and a couple more years of falling for his daughter, I asked Randy to dinner. As a senior in college facing graduation, he assumed I was there to ask for a full time role in the company. He readily offered me that position… then he tearfully offered me the request I really came there for: his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Even marriage into the family gave me no instant step up in the company, but I did find myself working my way up in the field, overseeing projects as a superintendent, pricing out some of my own projects, and seeing what it took to lift a home up out of the ground as we say. My young wife did a lot of dusty laundry during those first formative years in our marriage. So we were both glad when Randy finally found me fit to join him in the office and help run my own jobs as project manager.
Our firstborn son took his first steps one evening when my wife brought me dinner at the first home I managed myself. We were building our family as I slowly and diligently built my skills at the family company.
Three more kids and many years later, I found myself with more invitations to bigger tables- the ones with architects and designers, business partners and clients. Randy made sure I earned every step up that ladder to eventually join him in leadership.
At this same time came the Covid pandemic, then one of the worst hurricanes our town has ever seen. It was time for me to step up and make sure the handling of these waters led our company to stability and set up our future success.
This season, along with the close mentorship from my father in law and his intentional raising of up his next generation, was crucial in the formation of my life and the family business.
The crescendo of my status in the company came at a time when Randy’s health unfortunately started to need more of his family’s attention. His stepping away was an act of faith as it was his desire to never retire, so this season of transition in our family and in the company was difficult and hard fought.
Randy was a giant in the industry in Naples. Everyone on our job-sites and around town has a story of the impact he made in their lives and on this community. It was his talent and passion and reputation that drew people to want to build with Kurtz Homes. I saw that firsthand and knew the kind of leader I was called to be. I was aware of this position I was stepping into. There was real weight and responsibility in it.
The stepping up as the next generation was one I felt confident in doing because of the example set before me, the experience from the ground up per say, and the passion I built in my own self for this industry, this company, and its team.
It’s the team at Kurtz homes that has been a solid foundation, a true constant. There are hundreds of years of time and talent represented in our team. We truly have the best of the best, allowing Kurtz homes to keep doing what we are phenomenal at- building amazing homes and keeping this legacy of time-honored tradition and talent to continue.
Now with 18 years of time at this company to look back on, I can truly see God’s hand on the blueprint of my life- from the meeting of my wife to the building up of my career and life’s aim. My foundation and passion for this company is unshakable. What a privilege it is to look back and see all the opportunities afforded to me, all the chances taken on me, all the knowledge that people have poured into me.
I was just a young man wiling to earn my role, and maybe impress the boss’ daughter a bit in the meantime. But now we’ve built a life and a really solid future for the next generation we are raising, both at home and in our company, and they are starting to feel like one and the same.