80 | BUILDING Latitude Homes - Otago & Southland A solid reputation throughout the South Over the past seven years the Latitude Homes Otago & Southland franchise has helped around 200 people get into a new home. Latitude Homes Otago and Southland’s team have worked hard to establish a solid reputation for the company in the south since the franchise was established seven years ago. The franchise is owned by Kurt Laurie, a born and bred Southlander who did not originally come from a building background. Kurt and his family were attracted to one of Latitude Homes plans when they were looking to build and like the flexibility offered, from a fully managed build to supplying materials only. The latter option was ideal for Kurt as his father is a builder. At the time there was no Otago/Southland franchisee so Kurt was dealing directly with Marc Hunter, the national owner of Latitude Homes. “We had a similar background and were on the same page on a lot of things and he asked if I was interested in owning my own business and it’s always been a goal of mine to do that. “It’s a pretty exciting industry to be part of, particularly now because there’s so much happening.” It also exciting to be part of the most significant purchase most people will make, he says. Kurt comes from a corporate background in sales and marketing which followed a university education, however the building industry was completely new to him. Kurt acknowledges the first two years were a steep learning curve, but over the past seven years the Otago/Southland franchise has helped around 200 people get into a new home. Kurt’s corporate experience has been complemented by a team strongly focused on making the planning and building process as seamless as possible. “We surrounded ourselves with some knowledgeable and experienced people including subcontractors and business people to develop into the business that we are today.” One benchmark Latitude Homes Otago/ Southland operates to is that it aims for a house to be built in 16 to 18 weeks which requires good project management along with strong support and commitment from its subcontractors, suppliers and tradespeople. The franchise created an awards event for these in recognition of this commitment and the contribution they make to the success of every home built. “If we didn’t have them we wouldn’t have a business. We provide the work and they do the hard work.” Russell Fredric “We surrounded ourselves with some knowledgeable and experienced people including subcontractors and business people.” 8 Gourley Street, Dunedin 021 237 1083 newbuildotago@gmail.com NEW HOME BUILDS | BATHROOMS | FENCES & DECKS EXTENSIONS | ALTERATIONS & MAINTENANCE GIBSTOPPING | AND MUCH MORE... CALLUM HAYDE IS PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH Latitude Homes Otago & Southland Moore Markhams Otago 2 Clark Street, PO Box 919, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand T +64 (0)3 477 0032 | www.markhams.co.nz Moore Markhams is a network of independent firms that are each members of Moore Global Network Limited. Member firms in principal cities throughout the world. EURO RANGE – METALLIC BLACK PHONE: 0800 MIDLAND MIDLANDBRICK.CO.NZ LOW MAINTENANCE CLADDING SOLUTIONS Proudly Supplying – Latitude Homes
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