Mark Downing has been the new managing partner of Cornerstone Homes for a little over two months.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
He is in charge of sales and marketing, handling administrative duties including managing the staff and land acquisition. He works about 11 to 12 hours a day. “I’m extremely excited about the opportunity and where I think we can take the company. I think we can separate ourselves perhaps and have an outstanding reputation with the subcontractors, trades people and homeowners. I think we are building a team whose core values are the same and if we can all get on the same page in terms of our core values and goals, I think we will achieve that.”
BEFORE HOME BUILDING?
Downing has been in the building material supply business for 20 years and was most recently with the Builders First Source Jacksonville group as company president.
WHAT DID YOU DO AT BUILDERS FIRST SOURCE?
“As president, I was in charge of everything and ran the company.”
WHY GET INTO THE HOME BUILDING BUSINESS
“I’ve been selling to builders for years and finally had the right opportunity to become a builder. It is an area that has always interested me.”
WHAT DO HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?
“What we have seen is a lot of national builders come in and they have become the dominant players. I would like to think there is still room for some privately held hometown builders. It is a good business and very rewarding. There is satisfaction in building a home for someone and seeing how excited they get. It can also be rewarding financially as well.”
HOW DID HIS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP HIM IN HOME BUILDING?
His extensive background in sales, management and building supplies has laid the groundwork for his longtime desire to build homes. “I’ve been selling builders and looking for ways to take care of their needs and provide more products and services to them, so I’ve been working with these guys for my entire adult life. They are tremendous group of people that I have had the opportunity to meet, get to know and respect and I wanted to join their side.”
WHERE DOES CORNERSTONE
HOMES BUILD?
They are in three communities including Pablo Bay, Captiva Bluff and Tavanier Oaks. “We are a production builder, but we allow changes to our 20 different floor plans. We would be classified as a semi-custom production builder. Prices for Cornerstone Homes range from $140-400,000.” They intend to build all over Jacksonville and will continue to have a presence in North Jacksonville. “We are looking at some pieces of land in north St. Johns County and on the Westside. We are very excited about Nocatee and we will be a builder in that community.”
HOW IS CORNERSTONE DOING?
Cornerstone has been open for a year and closed on two homes last year and will close 74 this year.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT HOME BUILDING?
“It’s exciting to work with all the trades people and the home owners to see how excited they are about their homes through the whole process. Purchasing a home is the single largest transaction that the average person does in their life, so it is a pretty big deal. To see them go through those emotions and get excited is pretty neat. It kind of reminds me of kids at Christmas time.”
HOMETOWN
Atmore, Ala.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
In 1976 because his father was transferred. He graduated from Terry Parker High School.
WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
Teach Sunday school class and exercise. His children are also all involved in sporting activities, so he spends a lot of time attending those.
CHURCH
East Pointe Baptist.
ASSOCIATIONS
He is a member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association and its Sales and Marketing Council.
RESIDES
In the Deercreek community on the Southside.
FAMILY
He has been married to Becky, a housewife, for 20 years. They have three children, Joshua, 18; Danielle, 16 and Caleb, 11.
FAVORITES
His favorite movie is “Braveheart.” A book he recommends is “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. His favorite place to visit is the Colorado mountains for ski trips. When dining out, he prefers Ruth’s Chris and when relaxing at home, he likes to tune into “CSI.”
— by Michele Newbern Gillis