Drees Difference
Behind the Build: Meet the Drees Team
Posted on May 19, 2025 by dreeshomes
Posted on May 19, 2025 by dreeshomes
The construction process itself has many stages. Before a homeowner even gets the keys to their home, the Builder orchestrates every process, from foundation to framing to drywall.
But way before the build, a Land Specialist had to acquire the home site. An Architecture Designer had to draw the floor plan. A Loan Officer had to process the loan. And even before that – an HR Talent Manager had to hire the right candidate. A Web Developer had to create the online infrastructure. An IT Specialist had to ensure the customer portal was working, and an accountant had to ensure payments were processed.
What you often don’t see in the story are the Drees team members who support processes behind the scenes. Their roles aren’t customer facing, yet their work is crucial in creating exceptional customer experiences.
There are many minds involved in bringing a Drees home to life. These are the people behind the build.
Steve Schlagbaum has decades worth of stories from working in the mortgage industry, but one of his most memorable experiences happened relatively recently.
He was helping a customer who had just lost her spouse. She told him that she was extremely nervous and overwhelmed about purchasing, as her late husband typically handled the couple’s financial responsibilities.
On closing day, when Steve walked into the room, the customer hugged him and thanked him for all of his guidance throughout the process.
“These types of things always make it worthwhile,” Steve said.
Steve has been a Loan Officer ever since starting with First Equity Mortgage 10 years ago. Since then, he has covered most divisions across the company. He now works as Loan Officer for the Northern Kentucky, Dallas and Houston divisions.
In his role, Steve helps provide financing options for borrowers. He works closely with customers to tailor a loan to fit their needs and specifications. This also requires Steve to maintain close relationships with his local teams – Division Presidents, Market Managers and Sales Managers.
“I truly enjoy providing financing options to help borrowers achieve the American dream of owning a home. The more challenging – the more rewarding,” Steve said.
There was not yet a Human Resources Department at Drees when Diane Bibbins started her career here 36 years ago.
She started working at Drees as a Sales Coordinator for the townhomes division. Then, she moved to the Land Department before she became a part of the original, two-person team for the company’s HR Department.
And from there, as Diane puts it – “My how things have evolved.” She has worked in HR ever since, serving as HR Assistant, HR Coordinator and HR Sr. Coordinator before moving to her current position of Talent Manager in 2019.
Although Diane’s role is primarily behind the scenes, her job focuses on recruiting, hiring and retaining talented employees. From her perspective, it is absolutely crucial to have the right people in the right jobs.
“If we don’t have good people working at Drees, the company wouldn’t be where we are today. The people make the difference,” Diane said.
She oversees other processes like salary reviews and onboarding, but she believes hiring is the most important aspect of her job. She strives to hire people that fit well with the Drees culture – people who want to learn and grow with the company. It’s also the portion of her job that she enjoys the most.
“[I enjoy] bringing new talent to the company and seeing those employees succeed in the role they were hired for and/or be promoted to other roles. I really enjoy the annual meetings and awards presentation when I see those employees be recognized and knowing I played a part in them coming to Drees,” Diane said.
As for her other favorite Drees moments, Diane said she feels lucky to have attended the NAHB College Career Fair in which Ralph was presented the Hearthstone Humanitarian Award for his charitable works. Other memorable experiences include her 25th Drees Anniversary Party at the Drees Pavilion, winning the Administrative Person of the Year and Top Caliber Award and even presenting the Top Caliber Award to one of her employees, Amanda Micheal.
If there’s one thing Tracy Davis wants others to know about the Land Department – it’s that they deal with more than just dirt.
Tracy, a Land Analyst in the Washington DC division for almost three years, said there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into the land acquisition process. In her role, she analyzes real estate trends and demographics, collects data to assess land value and suitability and prepares a competitive market analysis to see how Drees’ price, product and location compares to other builders.
And, as analytical as the position can be, it also requires a good amount of networking and relationship building. Tracy collaborates with government agencies on obtaining bonds and permits for new land development deals. The Land Team establishes and maintains relationships with developers, builders and sellers to acquire land. The team even attends Local Chapter Meetings and Planning Commission Public Hearings to stay up to speed on development applications and zoning/rezoning Ordinances and Amendments.
Tracy started her career at Drees as a Closing Coordinator, a position she held for nine months. When the Land Analyst role became available, she knew her decades of experience in marketing made her a good fit for the position.
“I was so excited to start the position, and I love it! Every day I learn something new,” Tracy said. “We have a great team dynamic where everyone wants each other to succeed. Our Land Team has a lot of experience and knowledge, and they are always willing to share their expertise and encourage growth.”
The team encourages each other to hit their goals – whether that’s acquiring new land or opening a new community. And these moments, no matter how big or small, are absolutely crucial to the overall success of the division, and the company as a whole.
If Drees has built it, chances are Brian Williams worked on it.
In his almost 30 years with the company, Brian has done site specific contracts for Dallas, drawings for the Southeast and now, he works mostly with the Midwest region. In addition to site specifics, he manages the software and hardware for the department, testing out new versions before rolling it out to the team.
Brian says his job title really just means he has lots of knowledge of Drees processes and building codes, so he’s able to easily identify issues before they get into the field, reducing redraws and phone calls.
Brian said this is the most important aspect of his job – to come up with the best designs that appeal to homebuyers and then to get the drawings as neat as possible so that the Design Center, Operations and Builder can do what they do best. That, and ensuring designs will be functional on a basic level.
“Physics is a real thing,” he said. “I know you really want to delete that column, but you probably shouldn’t!”
Some of Brian’s favorite Drees memories include a trip to Dallas in which he and a co-worker arrived to the airport wearing the same exact outfit (no, this was not planned, and yes, there is photographic proof, see below), visiting the architectural marvels in Columbus, Indiana and playing cornhole during lunch in a vacant second-floor office. “We like to have a good time for sure,” he said.
“In my more than 28 years here, I have never gone to bed or woke up dreading coming into work. I knew I wanted to do architecture since I was 11, so this is literally my dream job. Being able to have a small part in giving people their dream home is incredible,” Brian said.
When she was a girl, Susan Kirchner’s love of homes manifested in the form of collecting Department 56 Christmas Village houses. Growing up near Indianapolis, she recalls attending HOMEARAMA and other home-centric events with her mom. For Susan, working at Drees combines her love of houses with her passion for providing computer support. “It’s been a great match for me,” Susan said.
As a Customer Support Specialist III, Susan responds to tickets and calls on the HelpDesk – everything from computers, printers and iPads to signage, kiosks, phones and passwords. She also works on projects related to computer inventory, documentation, software updates and model setups.
When it comes to troubleshooting a problem, usually the HelpDesk is the first stop, and the 17-year veteran has undoubtedly helped solve a lot of technology issues.
“I love being able to help people be more comfortable with the computer part of their job. I have helped pretty much everyone in the company at one time or another,” Susan said.
And this aspect of her job allows her to have relationships with people she might otherwise not interact with. She specifically recalls a business trip to Texas in early 2020. She landed in Houston on her birthday, and Sales Manager Brett Briggs and all of the Market Managers took her out to dinner. “Then a couple days later, I was in Austin and got to have my birthday again with Doris and Jon,” Susan said.
Susan’s job is more than problem solving; she provides assistance throughout the build and sales processes – Builders need to use DreesBuild on iPads, vendors need Dreesteam and models need internet so contracts can be written.
Beyond this technical assistance, Susan has been working on matching everyone’s computer equipment to best align with their role. She recently helped the Land and Design Center Teams move to laptops so they have the portability their roles require. She also enjoys mentoring newer members of the team, as she explains – there isn’t a school that teaches you how to do many of the things the HelpDesk team does to support the company.
“While there are certifications for a lot of things, without practical experience and patience with people, it is difficult to do the job well,” Susan said. “I can’t tell you how many people that I’ve been able to help that think they know nothing about computers … I’m like – you could fix all the things at my house that I have no idea how to do!”
For anyone inquiring about building a Drees Custom home in Dallas or Houston – Anita Kosco is their first stop.
With 13 years of experience as a New Home Specialist, Anita fields all calls and internet leads for prospective Dallas and Houston home buyers, converting quality leads into appointments, and most importantly – leaving a great first impression for Drees.
Anita’s job requires exceptional listening skills. In order to provide Market Managers with a qualified lead, it’s imperative that she directs the prospect to the community and floor plan that best suits their needs.
Anita’s favorite things about her job are the work/life balance it provides, the fellowship within the Marketing Department, and of course, the trips and company parties.
Anita is always busy with new communities. There are four new communities coming to the Dallas division and several communities coming to Houston between now and next summer. She enjoys the excitement that this brings to the job.
“I also enjoy the ever-changing market that keeps things from getting boring – always new product, new communities, new technology, etc. I also love the fact that we are creating homes and memories for new homeowners,” Anita said.
In the WDC division, people say, “If you don’t know, ask Vannita.” (OK, Vannita admits that maybe she just says that, but she likes to think it’s true.)
The almost 13-year veteran prides herself on being a resource for her fellow employees. After all, she has worked as a Sales Coordinator for the entirety of her Drees career thus far. She also has Closing Coordinator experience; she worked in that capacity for two years while holding her Sales Coordinator responsibilities.
In her role, Vannita reviews and documents new contracts and contract addendums for ratification, reports early sales and weekly sales to the Southeast Region and within the division and processes/tracks ACH deposits.
She also uses DreesSuite/Dreambuilder to build or update market homes and manages their sales prices. Her expertise extends into running an EGM, reading plans, understanding Closing Disclosure and writing Custom Design Requests.
Vannita is a proud three-time winner of the Top Caliber Award, and she has also won awards for her contributions to the LEAN program. But her favorite part of her job is knowing that she helps make someone’s dream come true.
“While I hardly ever meet a homeowner’s face to face, I know them through their paperwork and email communications, and I can quickly put a name to a lot number. I treat their file like it was me buying or building a home, and I care about their experience,” Vannita said.
Aside from her work responsibilities, Vannita enjoys the team building events she’s participated in over the years, from axe throwing to go carting to the summer outing with everyone’s families.
“Alicia and our management team show us how much we are seen and appreciated, and for this reason (and others), I love working for Drees,” Vannita said.
Vannita is an Air Force Veteran, wife and mother of three children. Her oldest son is currently serving in the Army and is stationed in Japan.
If there’s one thing Ellen Davis wants you to know about the Drees Accounting team, it’s that, yes, they do have a sense of humor! “We aren’t just boring numbers people,” she said.
As a Staff Accountant, Ellen has seen tremendous change and growth in her role over the last 25 years, but one thing that has remained a constant for her is the importance of communication.
“Communicating with my-co-workers in Accounting and the divisions is important to keep everyone on the same page and ensure that everything is completed in a timely manner,” Ellen said.
Though not customer facing, Ellen’s job is imperative because she is responsible for handling Bank Activity, preparing outgoing transactions for the bank and reviewing and completing home closings in JD Edwards. She also calculates lot costs, records purchases of home sites, balances bank statements, prepares month end reports and reconciles accounts.
Some of Ellen’s most memorable experiences at Drees include department outings, model home tours and her favorite memory – the impromptu movie in the conference room. During a particularly noisy remodel of the Accounting department, the team enjoyed a matinee showing of “The Mummy” in the conference room, complete with popcorn.
Along with the memories and team building activities, Ellen’s favorite part of her job is the people she works with.
“Over the years, the group of people in Accounting has always been the bright spot. My co-workers are supportive and knowledgeable and make me look forward to coming into work,” Ellen said.