At Milesbrand, we believe that being a leader in the real estate industry means more than creating award-winning work for clients. It means showing up, sharing knowledge, contributing to important conversations and investing in the people and organizations that shape our industry's future.

As we reflect on 2025, we're grateful for the opportunities we've had to engage with industry leaders, speak at major conferences, celebrate achievements alongside our clients and deepen our commitment to professional development and community.

Here's a look back at how the Milesbrand team contributed to and learned from the homebuilding community this year:

February: International Builders' Show in Las Vegas

The year started with a bang at the International Builders' Show, North America's largest annual gathering for the residential construction industry. Our team had the honor of celebrating wins, taking the stage and connecting with clients and colleagues from across the country.

Three Gold Nationals Wins

We're proud to have once again been recognized among the best in the homebuilding industry, earning three Gold Awards and 10 Silver Awards at The Nationals, hosted by the National Sales and Marketing Council of the National Association of Home Builders.

Our Gold Award wins included:

• Best Print Ad for True Homes' Personalization Ad
• Best Print Campaign for Ave Maria's Real Stories campaign
• Best Radio Ad for Ave Maria's Real Stories campaign, "Knew Right Away"

The 10 Silver Awards spanned work for Ave Maria (including Master-Planned Community of the Year) and Homecoming by True Homes, recognizing excellence in brochures, websites, digital campaigns, social media and overall advertising.

With 128 Gold Nationals and counting, we're honored to continue setting the standard for real estate branding while celebrating these achievements alongside our visionary clients. Each award represents a project where strategic thinking and authentic storytelling came together to create meaningful connections with homebuyers.

Bill Sievertsen Explores the Forgotten Art of Storytelling

Our Director of Client Services, Bill Sievertsen, took the stage to present "What's Your Hook? The Forgotten Art of Storytelling in New Home Marketing." Joining a distinguished panel including Diana Carroll of Hillwood Communities, Jennifer Cooper of Evolution Marketing and Robert Crowes of SmartTouch Interactive, Bill explored how compelling narratives can differentiate brands and influence buyer perceptions beyond basic features and pricing.

Research shows that 63% of people remember brands that tell stories. Bill shared real-world examples, cautionary tales of messaging missteps and actionable techniques to showcase what truly resonates with target audiences. The session reinforced what we know at Milesbrand: storytelling isn't just creative flourish. It's strategic advantage.

Kelly Fink on Building Impactful Brands

Our General Manager, Kelly Fink, led a session titled "Building an Impactful Brand: Beyond Colors & Logos," challenging the misconception that branding ends with visual identity. Alongside Carol Morgan of Denim Marketing and Lisa Welter of JTB Homes, Kelly explored creating cohesive brand identities, ensuring digital alignment and developing tailored strategies for master-planned community branding.

The session emphasized that branding is about crafting an identity that resonates with target audiences, consistently communicating values and differentiating offerings in a competitive market. Kelly's insights on master-planned community branding strategies provided attendees with actionable takeaways they could implement immediately.

May: The Innovative 50 at Circle T Ranch

In May, President and Brand Strategist Dave Miles and Director of Strategic Partnerships Genevieve Benson attended The Innovative 50, a curated experience hosted by Cecilian Partners in partnership with Hillwood Communities and Perot Jain. Set against the scenic backdrop of Circle T Ranch in Texas, this intimate gathering brought together 50 forward-thinking leaders across real estate, technology and development sectors.

More than a conference, The Innovative 50 served as a powerful reminder that innovation in new home construction is no longer optional. It's essential. And not just innovation in product, but in presence, process and purpose.

Key Themes That Resonated

Innovation as a Mindset, Not a Milestone: The event reframed innovation as an ongoing practice built through daily micro-goals rather than occasional breakthroughs.

Data as the Foundation of Agility: Every process should be tied to measurable KPIs and ROI. Mastering data infrastructure is critical for staying competitive and adaptable.

Experience is the Brand: From custom Air Jordans to expertly designed spaces and insightful panels, the event itself demonstrated that brand is felt before it's remembered. The full journey shapes how customers and communities connect with a brand.

Building Cultures That Sustain Innovation: The most forward-thinking organizations focus on creating internal "innovation labs" and safe environments for experimentation rather than chasing short-term wins.

Grit and the Power of Reinvention: Keynote speaker Lance Armstrong's story of triumph, adversity and reinvention served as a powerful metaphor for the entrepreneurial journey, reminding us that innovation requires persistent determination.

As Dave Miles reflected, "Innovation isn't just about adopting new tools or trends. It's about leading with clarity, staying true to your values and creating a brand experience that resonates at every touchpoint."

July: Sales & Marketing Leadership Summit in Denver

July brought the Shore Consulting Sales & Marketing Leadership Summit to Denver, where hundreds of real estate sales and marketing professionals gathered for three days of education, networking and inspiration. Dave Miles and Genevieve Benson both took the stage to share insights on emerging buyers, AI-driven marketing and empowering women leaders.

Dave Miles on AI and the Emerging Buyer

Dave participated in "Laying a New Sales & Marketing Foundation: The Who, What & How of the Emerging Buyer (Part 2)," exploring how technology is transforming homebuyer expectations. His presentation focused on agentic AI (technology capable of setting goals and making decisions without constant human oversight) and its looming impact on home builder marketing.

With Millennials and Gen Z representing 60% of consumers by 2030, these digital natives expect intuitive, fast, personalized experiences driven by predictive tools. Dave highlighted three major shifts already in motion: AI-managed lead qualification and outreach, immersive and remote buying experiences replacing traditional sales models, and hyper-personalized messaging that meets buyers at every stage.

"As AI grows smarter, human creativity becomes even more essential," Dave noted. "Scarcity creates value. As original ideas become harder to come by, imagination will define the brands that lead."

Genevieve Benson Champions Women Leaders

Genevieve brought energy and insight to the "Lead Like Her: Power, Purpose & Leadership Elevated" panel, designed to champion women in real estate and raise the bar for emotionally intelligent leadership. The dynamic session featured bold stories, unfiltered perspectives and calls to action for creating connected, capable teams.

"It was an honor to participate in the Lead Like Her panel discussion," Genevieve shared. "Connecting with powerhouse women in our industry, sharing insights and learning from their journeys was inspiring. I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the conversation and walk away energized by the talent and leadership that continues to shape the future of real estate sales and marketing."

September: New Home Trends Summit in Charleston

As summer turned to fall, Dave Miles and Genevieve Benson headed to Charleston for the New Home Trends Summit hosted by the New Home Trends Institute. This premier event brings together forward-thinking leaders to challenge conventional wisdom and explore what's next in community development.

The summit delivered game-changing insights on consumer sentiment, trust dynamics, wellness-focused design, neighborhood commercial amenities, nimble marketing strategies, housing affordability solutions and navigating volatility as the new normal.

A highlight for Genevieve was meeting Steve Nygren, founder of Serenbe, whose philosophy, "set the intent of your community because experience is everything," resonated throughout the event. The conference reinforced themes we champion with clients: placemaking isn't just design, it's the foundation of financial performance and long-term value creation.

Key takeaways included the importance of investing in social infrastructure first, designing for wellbeing rather than just function, studying what worked in historic neighborhoods, thinking regionally while adapting locally, and building brand equity that compounds over time.

October: Future Place by Zonda in Irving, Texas

In late October, Dave Miles and Genevieve Benson represented Milesbrand at Zonda's sold-out Future Place conference in Irving, Texas. As newly appointed Zonda Ambassadors, they joined the nation's largest landowners, builders and capital leaders to dissect brilliant master-planned community deliveries and discuss solutions shaping tomorrow's developments.

The conference confirmed what we've been telling clients for years: the communities that win understand placemaking as the foundation of financial performance, resident satisfaction and long-term value creation.

Insights That Will Shape the Industry

Daily Life Amenities Outperform Flashy Features: Investments in everyday experiences deliver far greater returns than costly amenity centers. Give people a life they can walk to.

Wellbeing and Connection Drive Buying Decisions: Mental health has become a defining factor. Buyers aren't just purchasing homes; they're investing in daily experiences that support wellbeing and authentic human interaction.

Historic Neighborhoods Hold the Blueprint: Studying what works in established places and thriving downtowns provides proven templates for creating places people love.

Market Realities Require Strategic Adaptation: Regional performance varies dramatically. Understanding specific market dynamics enables smarter product mix, pricing and positioning decisions.

Resilient Community Brand Equity Compounds Over Time: Patient, principled approaches to development create lasting value, as demonstrated by 2025 Legends Award winner Syd Kitson's Babcock Ranch.

Meeting Steve Nygren of Serenbe and hearing Casey Roloff of Seabrook share insights reinforced that authenticity wins when real people deliver consistent experiences. These developers had the courage to pursue visions that initially seemed crazy, and they're now creating communities that command premium pricing decades after opening.

Year-Round Commitment: NAHB Leadership and Women's Empowerment

Beyond individual conferences and speaking engagements, our team maintained ongoing commitments to industry leadership and professional development throughout the year.

Kelly Fink's NAHB Board Leadership

As a member of the National Sales and Marketing Council Board of Trustees and Chair of the Membership and Communications Subcommittee, Kelly Fink attended board meetings at IBS, the Spring Legislative Conference and Leadership Meetings in Washington D.C., and Fall Leadership Meetings in Denver.

The Spring Leadership Meeting provided a powerful platform to meet face-to-face with elected officials on Capitol Hill, championing housing policies that support industry success. The Fall Leadership Meeting brought together NAHB committee and council members, delegates, board members and executive officers to make decisions and provide guidance on advocacy, membership and the association's future.

"I have had the honor of being an active NAHB and NSMC member for many years," Kelly shared. "It is always inspiring to network and visit with industry leaders from across the country who are shaping the future of our industry. It is also important to me to give back to the industry that has provided me with such a wonderful career for over 25 years."

Women's Leadership Alumni Circle Journey

Kelly's participation in the 2025 Women's Leadership Alumni Circle represented a year-long commitment to personal and professional growth. Facilitated by Amy O'Connor, the program included monthly virtual meetings, cohort sessions and three in-person gatherings in Scottsdale (March), Denver (July) and Chicago (October).

As Cohort Leader for her group, Kelly facilitated monthly check-ins focused on connection, accountability and shared learning. The program centered on leadership development, communication strategies, team culture and both professional and personal growth.

"Participating in the Women's Leadership Circle in 2024 and now the Women's Leadership Alumni Circle in 2025 has been such a rewarding experience," Kelly reflected. "Each program has provided valuable tools, new perspectives and lasting connections that continue to influence how I lead and collaborate. I'm grateful to Dave Miles and the entire Milesbrand team for their encouragement and support throughout this journey."

The friendships forged through WLC extend beyond professional networking. These women leaders have become trusted advisors, sounding boards and friends who Kelly knows she can call on for advice or to discuss ideas at any time.

Cheers to 2025 and What's Next

This year reinforced something we've always known: the best work happens when strategic thinking meets authentic relationships. Every conference we attended, every stage we took, every award we earned and every connection we made reminded us why we do what we do.

We help builders and developers move from land to brand by crafting narratives that resonate, strategies that perform and communities that people are proud to call home. But we can only do that work well when we're deeply engaged with the industry, continuously learning, generously sharing and genuinely connecting with the people shaping the future of homebuilding.

Thank you to every client who trusted us with their vision this year. Thank you to every conference organizer who invited us to contribute. Thank you to every colleague who shared insights, challenged our thinking and reminded us what's possible when we lead with purpose.

Here's to 2025: a year of growth, impact and meaningful connection. And here's to 2026, where we'll continue showing up, learning, contributing and creating work that matters.

Ready to make 2026 the year your brand stands out? Whether you're launching a new master-planned community, repositioning an existing development or elevating your home builder brand, Milesbrand is here to help you move from land to brand with strategic clarity and creative excellence. Contact us today to start the conversation.