Why I love Social Networking

I just realized today that I have been using Facebook only for about 9 months and Twitter for only about 3. So, how is it that I am totally and fully hooked? When I started thinking about it, I came up with a few good reasons.

1. It's free! Not much in life is free these days, in fact most costs continue to increase. Think about the postage stamp! But, online tools such as Twitter, Facebook, this blog and others are great ways to get my message to customers, family and friends. As far as time, it just doesn't take very long once you're used to it!

2. It's informative! When I tell people I tweet, I always hear, "Why would I want to hear all about what someone had for breakfast." Well, it's a lot more than that. Sure, there's the occasional non-essential piece of information. But, I now use Twitter for my morning and evening news. The best part is that I follow local and industry specific news sources. So, I don't get a lot of the negative stories we are all too used to in the newspaper and late night news.

3. Stay in touch! These days, everyone is on Facebook. While status updates and photos shouldn't decrease the amount of time we spend with loved ones either in person or on the phone, it is a great way to stay in touch with those you would only normally see at a family or class reunion.

4. Mobility - Now, with phones, digital cameras and even video cameras, we can all communicate no matter where we are in the country. I can take a photo of an Epcon Community in Tennessee and Tweet it right away so that my customers can see what I am seeing. In the same sense, I can feel like I'm a part of a seminar that may be occurring in another state.

One of these days, I want to have a Social Networking Class in our Clubhouse. We'll have Wi-Fi Access in the Clubhouse, so we can all get online and become each others "Fans," "Friends," and "Followers." It's just one more way we can all get connected and become a part of the community! In the meantime, click on one of the links to the right and become a Fan on Facebook or Follow my tweets on Twitter. Check it out and you'll see why I'm so hooked!

Grand Opening Success & What's with those Green Houses?

Well, the Grand Opening of our models was a raging success! We counted over 70 people and we had only planned for about 50. But, that was OK because everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. We gave away the TV to a very surprised visitor and lots of other door prizes as well. The food from Carnegie's must have been fantastic because none of us got a single bite. Every dish was completely cleaned out! We couldn't have been happier!

So, Tom and I just added 8 green Monopoly houses to our Community Map. People may think that these homes have something to do with our Energy Star program, but that's not it! We have officially designated Buildings 2 & 12 as our Courtyard Collection of homes! This is really exciting because now all of the people that expressed an interest in these plans will be able to know where they will be built. We're very excited to get started on the Aboreta and Bramante as the interest has been very high. Check out the YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/timberrungreenfield for Virtual Tours.

Why Epcon Communities & Timber Run

Tom and I get asked this question a lot - Why did you decide to become an Epcon Builder and why did you choose Greenfield? Well, it's a good question, so I thought I would go ahead and answer it once and for all!

Since Tom and I have been together a long time, we've always had the idea that eventually, we would venture out on our own and have the luxury of working together on something really great. After college, we took off on a whim to California to look for jobs and enjoy a little fun in the sun. With an engineering degree in a recession (2001), Tom was hard-pressed to find a job in the manufacturing field. He happened upon a construction management company that specialized in marine-type projects, but of course, they weren't hiring. So, he negotiated a deal where they would pay him a very low salary for six weeks to see if they liked him. They must have liked him a lot because they put him on some very large jobs, including a multi-million dollar beach renovation. In the meantime, I was working for a large computer consulting firm in their finance and accounting department.

We decided to move back to our hometown in Ohio in 2003 to be closer to family and buy our first home. Tom took a job with a large, family owned general contracting firm as a project manager. I took a job as a bookkeeper with a small, family owned, office supply store. Both of our responisibilities just took off! Eventually, I was doing everything from setting up the website for online ordering, to inventory management, all the way to picking and packing orders!

In January 2006, after having our first daughter, we began wanting something more. We were presented with the Epcon opportunity. Between my background and Tom's, we felt like this was an absolute perfect opportunity for us to break out on our own. We did a lot of research and planning, and eventually became an Epcon Builder Partner in November 2006. When considering locations, we looked for a place that was similar to our hometown and under 5 hours away from "home." Someone at Epcon suggested we look at Greenfield. We did and it seemed to fit us perfectly! We feel so at home here now, two years later. I'm so glad we found a place that we can raise our family and become truly involved in this community. We have been welcomed with open arms and are so thankful for the people of this wonderful town!

Video Invite to Model Grand Opening

Here is a video invite I just sent out to our customers via e-mail. It's always a little odd to see yourself on camera, but I had a lot of fun putting it together! Plus, I think it's helpful for people to put a face with the name that is sending out the emails.

Let me know what you think! And, RSVP if you think you can make it!