T.W. Lewis

T.W. Lewis' excellent customer loyalty ranking helps make it No. 3 out of 41 on the list of top performing builders in the Phoenix market as a higher-end luxury production builder. Homes range between $500,000 and $850,000. The builder delivered 350 homes in 2005 and another 330 are expected by 2006's end.

Like most Phoenix builders, T.W. Lewis is experiencing a market correction. Nevertheless, the company is holding its own quite well in a competitive market.

The Tempe, Ariz., builder's customers primarily comprise second- and third-time home buyers looking to move up, as well as some empty nesters who might partly account for the company's resilience in a tight market.

In the study, 93.7 percent of T.W. Lewis' customers said they would recommend it to family and friends. Even more impressive is the sizable 39.3 percent of its customers who actually made six or more.

Kevin Egan, president, T.W. Lewis

The company has customer-centric leadership and backs it up with a significant investment in staff per home built. With an average of only eight homes per construction manager compared with an industry average of 20 homes per manager, T.W. Lewis maintains one of the industry's highest numbers of personnel per home built. Employees are in contact with each customer every week of construction. Survey results indicate customers thought T.W. Lewis explained explained the construction process better than any other builder in Phoenix.

In addition to consistent communication, the T.W. Lewis team frequently checks work quality throughout the organization; area managers regularly check on houses to ensure everything is right. Such rigor earns T.W. Lewis its spot among the best in the valley.