Richardson will receive his company’s Family-Owned Business Award from Terri L. Denison, SBA Georgia District Director, later this spring at an Atlanta luncheon hosted by the Georgia Lenders Quality Circle. He was nominated for the statewide award by David Greer, Publisher of the Gwinnett Business Journal.  

The SBA Award recognizes a family-owned business with outstanding growth in sales and profits as well as one that provides employment opportunities for both family and non-family employees. The award also goes to a company that shows potential for long-term business growth while providing voluntary community services.

As Richardson Housing Group started, Allen learned the basics of homebuilding from his father Melvin who provided both financial support and expertise in the early days of the company. The first year, Allen and his father built 10 homes. Since then, the company has grown to build approximately 150 homes a year and employs over 25 people.

As a family business, Allen’s wife Ann serves as the company’s Vice President. Their son Mark joined the business in 1996 and is Vice President of Development. Son-in-law Jason West joined the management team in 2003 as Vice President of Marketing.

Richardson Housing Group focuses its development on Gwinnett County and has built more than  2500 homes in the county over the past 30-plus years. Based on industry standards, these new homes created over $110 million in local and federal revenues and fees while providing over 6,000 jobs for the area.

In recent years, the company has had sizeable growth, posting gross profits of $6.2 million in 2005, double the annual total since 2001.

For 2006, the company sold about 220 homes, a company record, and generated approximately $45 million in revenues. The company added Richardson Real Estate Corporation in early 2005 to provide more control over its growing home sales. This new business returned a profit in its first year   of operation.

The standard Richardson home is a two-story traditional plan with four or five bedrooms, beginning in the mid-$200,000 range. To meet changing needs for housing, the company offers town homes and other options in the mid $100,000 range.

 “Now with a third generation at work in the company, Richardson Housing Group still operates with its founding business value: always treat people the way you expect to be treated,” said David Greer in his nomination letter. “The company’s success can be measured in impressive numbers in sales and profits. But what speaks volumes is the fact that the average tenure for company employees is an impressive eight years, while many have topped even that figure.”

Allen Richardson is past President of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and the Georgia Home Builders Association (GHBA). He also serves as a director of the National Association of Home Builders. Last year, he was the GHBA Builder Member of the Year and in 2004 he was selected the Small Business Person of the Year by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

In 1992, Richardson was one of the original founders of the Home Builders Self Insurance Fund, which later became known as Builder’s Insurance Group. Builder’s Insurance has had a major impact on the building industry and is the largest writer of workers’ compensation in Georgia.

In community service, company employees are actively involved with the Habitat for Humanity program and Gwinnett Technical College. In recent years, the company has given over $45,000 to various civic and charitable causes.

Allen Richardson, President
Richardson Housing Group
2169 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite 200
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770/963-0359

Contact: Jim Hightower (404) 331-0100, ext. 215
Release Number: 11-07