Joseph Blanco, Division Manager – North Florida, ICI Homes of Jacksonville

In an interview with Invest:, Joseph Blanco, division manager for ICI Homes of Jacksonville, discussed the company’s achievements and strategic initiatives in North Florida. Key projects included Seven Pines and Nocatee with a focus on expanding custom home offerings to meet diverse client preferences.

What have been the most significant milestones or achievements for ICI Homes over the last year?

For us in the Jacksonville market, over the last year, sales and growth have been good. The overall feel of the market and construction has been a little back and forth, but at our price point, we’ve been successful in maintaining volume. Our main focus is customer service. We aim to ensure that as we achieve these sales and maintain volume, the buyers of our houses are happy with their purchases. We’ve seen a significant increase in customer service over the last year, which has been our main focus.

What key projects is ICI Homes developing in North Florida?

Long term, we see big growth in Jacksonville. We do a lot across the state of Florida, but the southern part of the state is competitive due to the lack of vacant land. We see a lot of growth coming to the Gainesville and Jacksonville markets based on project availability. Over the last year in Jacksonville, we have developed new lots and invested in areas from Amelia Island to Tidewater and Tamaya. We have a new flagship neighborhood, Seven Pines, and new lots in Nocatee. We are looking forward to growth in this area over the next few years.

What are the main opportunities for growth in real estate, and what design trends and features are your clients looking for?

We see growth in single-family residential homes, particularly on the custom side. Catering to buyers’ preferences and making custom structural changes allow them to build their desired homes. Offering customer service with custom homes is where we see the most growth. There is a wide range of demand because we serve clients with diverse cultural and personal preferences. Our advantage lies in providing this variety. While not all builders want to offer customization due to its complexity, we find great value in doing so.

What challenges is ICI Homes facing?

We’ve had good success over the last year and a half. It took a while to get over the supply chain issues of 2020 to 2022, but through 2023, that really improved. This year, we haven’t seen significant supply chain issues, but labor is still an issue. Qualified, skilled labor is hard to find due to the volume of construction in Jacksonville. Working with vendors who share our vision has helped. Our long-term relationships, built over 30 years in Jacksonville, have kept the supply chain moving and increased production. Offering custom houses within a production time frame also helps us.

How does ICI Homes leverage relationships to enhance outcomes?

Leveraging these relationships involves building trust over many years. We ensure that both the vendor and the builder are committed to making the homeowner happy. Meeting timelines, doing quality work, and offering good customer service are key parts of our approach. Working with some vendors for 10 to 15 years, and even with the next generation of owners, helps us understand each other’s needs. This mutual understanding allows us to leverage these relationships to build quality houses.

What strategies does ICI Homes employ to maintain competitive pricing?

Pricing is always a challenge and something we work on extensively. Our strategy involves reviewing pricing on a statewide basis, discussing with our internal purchasing managers across the state, and meeting with vendors one-on-one. Regularly paying vendors and staying up to date on payroll helps them run their business correctly, which in turn helps us with pricing. Vendors know they can count on us to pay them regularly and keep work in front of them, ensuring an even flow of sales and starts, which also helps maintain good relationships and competitive pricing.

What role does technology play in ICI Homes?

Technology is crucial right now. We use various computer programs to increase efficiency, though it’s hard to single out one specific program. Everything we do nowadays, from client interaction to vendor interaction, leverages technology. We use Salesforce, DocuSign, Basecamp, and other programs to enhance these relationships and create efficiencies.

What steps is ICI Homes taking to integrate green practices into its projects?

Sustainability starts at the initial project and development level. We discuss it with different partners as we go, especially when designing new floor plans and looking at new technologies. We have conversations with larger vendors like Kohler and Carrier about sustainability and offering products that provide environmental advantages to the buyer.

What is ICI Homes’ focus in Jacksonville?

We lean toward single-family homes, though we’ve done some multifamily projects as well. We want to grow, but not too fast, as we don’t want to compromise our customer service by expanding too quickly. While there are opportunities in other sectors, we prefer to stay within our niche to offer the right value to the buyer without tarnishing our brand. Upholding our established brand is important to us.

How does ICI Homes contribute to the communities it serves?

In Jacksonville, we do a lot through Builders Care, which is a local home builders association. Builders Care connects with the community through NEFBA. We’ve done many projects with Builders Care and made donations through Homes for Hope in Gainesville and Oakmont. Our owners, Mr. and Mrs. Hosseini, are committed to giving back. They work with us to ensure we support the communities where we build. What we do in Jacksonville is a small part compared to the contributions our owners make throughout Florida, including Gainesville and Daytona. We are proud of our efforts and our owners’ contributions.

How do you envision the future of the residential housing market in North Florida?

We see good growth in North Florida. We are looking to the future by developing and investing in new property. Regardless of market fluctuations or political changes, we believe North Florida will remain a desirable place to live. As South Florida becomes more saturated, we feel North Florida has excellent growth potential over the next few years. To prepare, we are following market trends and investing in new property and locations to secure our future.

What advice would you give to young professionals entering the industry?

For young professionals, even those who work with ICI, the biggest piece of advice I typically give is to be patient. This is a great industry to be in, and Jacksonville is a connected city in the construction world. Learn what you can, be patient, and make sure you don’t burn bridges. Build relationships and be patient.

What are the top priorities for ICI Homes over the next two to three years?

For the next two to three years, our priorities are growth in North Florida and throughout Florida markets in general. We are heavily focused on promoting and building the ICI brand. Customer service is also a key priority. We discuss customer service in every meeting because we believe that enhancing our brand and maintaining excellent customer service will drive our continued growth in Florida.