Sometimes the best careers start with zero intention. Jordan Brown showed up to a Pulte Homes interview in 2005 just to get practice for the jobs he actually wanted. Twenty years later, he is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Graham Hart Home Builder, and he is helping guide a 30-year-old custom builder through one of the trickiest transitions in the industry: scaling from boutique to higher volume production without losing the distinct characteristics that makes them stand out from the pack.
This conversation with Michael Krisa gets into the real stuff. Not the polished LinkedIn version, but the actual mechanics of what it takes to grow a homebuilding company when you care about more than just the numbers.
Jordan talks about his philosophy on hiring, which challenges the usual wisdom. Sure, seasoned veterans bring expertise, but there’s something valuable about people who don’t know what’s supposed to be impossible yet. He pairs them together intentionally.
“I love bringing in fresh, new energy, folks that you don’t necessarily have to untrain certain habits or things that they’ve learned along the way at different builders in the space. I like pairing someone who has little to no experience with the tenured seasoned veterans who are just very sharp. The seasoned veteran can really pour into the person who’s new into the industry, and vice versa, the new person is bringing technology, AI, fresh ideas coming out of college that maybe the person who’s a 20 year veteran never has thought of.”
The veteran gets to remember why they fell in love with this work in the first place, and the rookie brings fresh energy and ideas about technology and process that a 20-year pro might have never considered.
“One of the things I love watching in real time is when you give a seasoned veteran the opportunity to be a mentor and onboard someone from outside of the industry. In a sense, it really shakes the cobwebs. They’re coaching and teaching this person, and they go, ‘Oh gosh, I haven’t been doing that. I used to do that and it was fantastic. And I don’t know what happened, but I don’t do that anymore.'”
The Graham Hart story is fascinating because it’s happening right now. Shawn Goff built a reputation over three decades building custom luxury homes and developing communities in Colleyville, Texas. The kind of builder where you would see the same family come back and purchase their third home. Then about three years ago, they asked themselves: what if we could scale this but not lose what makes us different?
“Graham Hart up until two years ago, we’re 30 years in the industry. We were very comfortable being a small, family run custom luxury builder where we do some really neat, distinct things. But we had the opportunity to start saying, hey, maybe we want to scale up. How do we bring a production run or an element into this company? And here’s the tether: keeping the same culture and feel of the company, because you can work years and years and years to put it where it needs to be, and it takes two seconds to lose it.”
That’s where Jordan came in. With 18 years of experience working for large national builders, he quickly identified areas that would need to change operationally, become more efficient, and supported to handle growth. Finding the right strategic partners that aligned themselves with Graham Hart’s mission would need to happen quickly. He brought on HubSpot CRM to support the sales team in their efforts and he partnered with a nationally respected new home marketing company to drive brand visibility and leverage their marketing dollars for results.
“Working for a smaller builder, it’s easier to pivot very quickly. We had an opportunity to sit down and have a very real conversation about who we are today, who we’ve been in the past, but where do we want to go and how quickly do we want to get there?”
They’re closing in on 100 homes this year, with a land pipeline that could support 300 homes annually by 2028.
But here’s the thing Jordan keeps coming back to: the jump from 100 to 250 homes isn’t just bigger numbers. Everything changes.
“There is a big, big jump from 100 homes to 250. Everything changes. Your personnel, your SG&A, how you go about making operational decisions, how you manage your capital. Unfortunately, there’s been too many examples out there of companies that grew too quickly and fell apart for one reason or another. They saw it, and they ran after it, but then they weren’t being mindful of how they got there. You need to be very, very careful and systematic in how you do that.”
The whole conversation is grounded in this tension between ambition and sustainability.
There’s a moment where Michael asks about overleveraged builders, and Jordan’s answer is perfect: the first sign is a silent sales team.
“If a company is over leveraged and the executive team says, ‘okay, we thank you very much for your feedback, but we’re going to go a different direction,’ then the salesperson is going to get silent when they’re asked for feedback on future endeavors because they already see the writing on the wall. Whatever I say isn’t going to matter because you guys are going to do whatever you want to do anyway.”
It’s not about the spreadsheets. It’s about whether people still believe their voice matters.
His leadership philosophy runs counter to the typical ego-driven approach:
“One of my old sales leaders said, ‘Hey, one day my goal is to coach to the point where you are as good as you are to where other companies want to steal you away. My goal is that you want to stay here, but inevitably, if I do my job, you are going to fast track into other opportunities.’ I think it takes a certain individual to be confident in themselves to know, hey, I’m here to coach and grow people. And if I’m great at what I do, they’re going to find great things for themselves.”
The post-sale experience at Graham Hart is worth stealing. They walk over from the corporate office to hand keys at closing. They follow up multiple times in the first 30 days. They send surveys at 45 days with specific product questions so they can keep evolving.
“A lot of other builders out there will forget that homeowners have now moved into one of your homes and they are living there full time. We remind them at the closing table that both the sales and the construction staff over the next 30 days is going to be reaching out to you multiple times. We’re here for you, even after the closing, even after you’ve signed the check and you’ve seen our brake lights driving away from the home.”
Jordan’s been through some moments. Starting in 2005 right before the market crashed, having his back against the wall as a green salesperson with no backup plan.
“Because I was new to the industry, you have this eternal optimism of, man, not only do I want this to work, but I have to make it work. You know, I have a family that I need to provide for. I don’t have any other options. You’re left with no other option but to not only meet but exceed your sales goals. And I think because of that mindset at the time, I was able to not only ride out, but really enjoy and flourish in what could have otherwise been a really tough time.”
Joining Graham Hart in October 2023 right when interest rates spiked to 8.5%. Making tough team changes while building trust with people who’d never worked with him before. But that’s the thing about rough seas and good sailors.
Near the end, Michael asks what St. Peter would say Jordan hasn’t finished yet. His answer: being a dad to his three girls, seeing them walk down the aisle, being a grandparent. It’s a good reminder that the people who build the best teams usually understand that work is just one part of a life.
About Jordan Brown
Jordan is a recognized leader in the homebuilding industry with over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and executive leadership. He was recently recognized as an NAHB Silver Award winner for “Sales Manager/Leader of the Year”, 2025 Dallas Builders Association “Sales Director of the Year” and Professional Builder’s “40 Under 40”.
As part of Jeff Shore’s Alumni Roundtable and Chad Sanschagrins Betterment Circle, Jordan is a firm believer in continuous self-improvement and projecting positive energy into those around him. But most importantly, he is a father of three girls and husband to a powerhouse wife who have blessed him with an incredible life together.
Connect with Jordan:
- Website: www.grahamhart.com
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jorbrown
- Instagram: @jbrown_TX
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