KENNESAW, Ga. | Dec 10, 2019

From right to left: Curt Byrd, NAHB Student Chapter president, Dr. Ali Keyvanfar Faculty in charge of Residential Concentration, Mr. Allan Merrill, CEO Beazer Homes, Dr. Khalid Siddiqi Interim Dean College of Architecture and Construction Management, Mr. Cory Taylor Safety Director of Beazer Homes and Member of KSU Construction Industry Advisory Board and other Beazer Team. 

Mr. Allan P. Merrill Chairman and CEO of Beazer Homes visited Kennesaw State University Marietta Campus and delivered a lecture on Current and Future Trends in Residential Construction. Beazer Homes USA, Inc. is a home construction company based in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2016, the company was the 11th largest homebuilder in the United States based on the number of homes closed. The company operates in 13 states. As of December 31, 2016, the company had 161 active communities. Beazer Homes is also represented on KSU's Construction Industry Advisory Board through Mr. Cory Taylor.

The lecture event was organized on December 3, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of Design II Building by Dr. Ali Keyvanfar, Faculty-in-charge of Residential Concentration in collaboration with Kennesaw State Student Chapter of National Association of Home Builders. Curt Byrd NAHB Student Chapter President greeted the Beazer CEO and shared KSU NAHB Student Competition experiences with him. Mr. Alan Merrill, who is also the Chairman of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies talked about his experiences and thoughts on the current and future dimensions of trends in residential construction. He discussed these trends in the context of organization, customer demographics, technology, and finance. Mr. Merrill also shared his thoughts on marketing and sales with a focus on security, comfort, convenience and maintenance. Alan dwelt at length on the influence of Technology firms that are changing the landscape in the housing industry.

A large number of students and faculty from College of Architecture and Construction Management participated in the event. Also present on the occasion were KSU students belonging to Residential Construction Concentration. Dr. Khalid Siddiqi, Interim Dean College of Architecture and Construction Management and Dr. Pavan Meadat Interim Chair Construction Management Department welcomed Mr. Alan Merrill and highlighted the role of Kennesaw State University’s contribution in developing the work force in the form of Architects and Construction Project Managers for the Construction Industry. A question and answer session followed Mr. Merrill’s presentation. The lecture and the QA session were webcast live and same are also available to watch on YouTube.