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Justin Homes was
Kentucky's largest homebuilder/developer. My Mother, Elsie
Martin, was Sales Manager for seven major subdivisions. Mother
showed property, took sales credit applications, and sold
19 homes in one day from one sales office. In 1970 she was
the only woman in the United States to win Home Builder Award.
Bonanza actor, Lorne Green, presented her the award. Don Calvert
was the owner of the business. He would fly to the subdivisions
in Louisville and Lexington in a helicopter he bought from
Howard Hughes. Calvert learned business by working briefly
with each trade. I learned and followed this technique. The
funding for the 235 finance programs ran out abruptly with
the seven subdivisions under construction causing Justin Homes
to go broke. Despite the loss, Justin built thousands of homes.
Some of those, I would later come back and fix as a H.U.D.
Contractor, because the buyers did not understand home ownership
and thought they were renting. That final year we won the
best float in the Kentucky Derby Parade. Calvert landed his
helicopter on a semi tractor trailer and with a few Alix Adam's
Models and me in the copter with a new suit we were quite
impressive.
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