Beazer division wins Smart car for top sales

It's not often you see grown men and women tooling around in a car on the front lawn of a new house.

But the adults, with Beazer Homes, had a good reason: The Charleston division won a tiny, trendy Smart car for posting the best sales nationwide in a recent "eSmart Homes" promotional campaign.

The builder held a luncheon in late July at its sales model in the new Bolton's Landing neighborhood west of the Ashley. Among the guests was Mike Furlow, Beazer chief operating officer. The Smart car was a main attraction, and a few employees took it for a spin around the block and even onto the grass.

To win the car, Charleston placed first of 30 divisions across the country during the five-day eSmart blitz earlier this summer. To gauge production, Beazer compared the divisions' sales with their budgets. The Charleston division's total value of homes sold was 185 percent of its budget. The local group, which has 35 employees, gets to keep the two-seater Smart fortwo model for a year.

Charleston division President Frank Finlaw cited a number of factors for Charleston finishing on top. "We got a good product and a great sales team," he says. The group boosted market awareness, such as holding a day-long event with noted home organizer Monica Ricci. The comparatively stable local market also helped.

Finlaw says he has a few specific plans for the Smart car, which is white and green with Smart by Beazer Homes stenciled in red on the doors. For one, all the staff will get a chance to drive the car at some point, he says. Also, Beazer plans to take the car to promotional and civic events, such as when the staff visits schools to donate supplies, he says.

Furlow congratulated the Charleston employees on the honor. "Obviously, real estate has slowed down some in Charleston, but it's doing well," he says. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid we have a while longer to go" to emerge from the national housing doldrums, Furlow says.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542.