Trade partnering: Pulte par excellence.(Analysis)(Pulte Homes Inc. and Pratte Development Co. joint venture)

Professional Builder (1993), February, 2004 by Lurz, Bill

When Pulte Homes Inc. last month announced it has entered a 50/50 joint venture with its largest trade contractor in Arizona and Nevada, eyebrows went up across the American housing industry. A high percentage of them belonged to GIANT production builders who compete head to head with the Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based colossus.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pulte and Phoenix-based carpentry trades mogul Ron Pratte are equal partners in the new company, Pratte Building Systems, formed to replace Pratte Development Co., one of the nation's largest wood framing and concrete foundation companies. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The old Pratte company worked for many of the largest builders in Phoenix;...

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