Baden, ON – Released December 10, 2010

AVID Canada™ has announced the winners of 2010 AVID Awards™ for best customer experience in the home building industry.

Now in their fourth year in Canada, the AVID Awards are the leading industry-sponsored awards honoring the best builders for delighting homeowners. Surveys were issued to 10,547 home buyers throughout Canada to determine the top performing companies.

The Awards, presented by AVID Canada, are headlined by the AVID Diamond Award™, which recognizes the No. 1 builder in Canada. Additional AVID Awards recognize the top builder in the following categories:

No. 1 builder in Alberta
No. 1 builder in Ontario
No. 1 builder with 151+ closings in Alberta
No. 1 builder with 300+ closings in Ontario
No. 1 builder with 50-150 closings in Alberta
No. 1 builder with 50-299 closings in Ontario
No. 1 builder with fewer than 49 closings in Alberta
No. 1 builder with fewer than 49 closings in Ontario

Reids Heritage Group – Sherwood Homes Collingwood
Reids Heritage Group – Sherwood Homes Collingwood, with headquarters in Guelph, ON, has won the 2010 AVID Diamond Award – Best Customer Experience in Canada, with 100 percent of its homeowners responding that they would recommend their builder to others. Reids Heritage Group – Sherwood Homes Collingwood was also named the No. 1 builder in Ontario and No. 1 builder with fewer than 49 closings in Ontario. Sherwood Homes’ two communities in Collingwood — Georgian Meadows and Silver Glen — offer bungalows and two-storey homes in locations that are in town yet situated near the edge of the country. The communities are close to several golf courses and other amenities, and they include walking, biking, and snowmobile trails.

Mattamy Homes – Calgary
Mattamy Homes – Calgary, with headquarters in Markham, ON, has been honored with the 2010 AVID Award – Best Customer Experience in Alberta, with 93.9 percent of its homeowners indicating that they would recommend their builder to family and friends. Mattamy Homes – Calgary was also named the No. 1 builder with 50-150 closings in Alberta. The community of Windsong in Airdrie, which is unique in Alberta, provides family-friendly features such as parks, playgrounds, and hiking/biking trails, while many homes offer front porches to encourage neighbors to visit, all of which add to the neighborly atmosphere. Mattamy proudly offers its WideLot™ design, which opens up more exterior and interior design possibilities while creating a more distinctive looking neighborhood.

Mattamy Homes – GTA
Mattamy Homes – GTA, with headquarters in Markham, ON, has received the 2010 AVID Award – Best Customer Experience 300+ Closings in Ontario, with 92.1 percent of its homeowners responding that they would recommend their builder to others. As the largest builder in North America, Mattamy Homes has built more than 50,000 homes in over 150 communities in and around the GTA, Ottawa, Calgary, and cities across the U.S. Offering a range of home — from starter homes and executive residences to townhomes and WideLot™ communities — Mattamy has established a reputation for customer satisfaction.

Mountainview Homes
Mountainview Homes of Thorold, ON, has been honored with the 2010 AVID Award – Best Customer Experience 50-299 Closings in Ontario, with 95.9 percent of its homeowners indicating that they would recommend Mountainview to others. As the largest builder in the Niagara Region, Mountainview has built thousands of homes from Fort Erie to Grimsby during its 30 years of experience. With numerous industry awards, including two TARION awards, Mountainview Homes was proud to be named the OHBA Ontario Home Builder of the Year 2007.

Hawthorne Homes – Calgary
Hawthorne Homes of Calgary, AB, has been honored with the 2010 AVID Award – Best Customer Experience 151+ Closings in Alberta, with 97.8 percent of its homeowners saying they would recommend their builder to family and friends. Hawthorne Homes is Carma Developer’s multi-family housing division, which has been building in Calgary since 1995. The company focuses on creating functional floor plans to maximize living space and create lasting value for its homeowners.

Lifestyle Homes
Lifestyle Homes of Calgary, AB, has been honored with the 2010 AVID Award – Best Customer Experience Fewer Than 49 Closings in Alberta, with 91 percent of its homeowners indicating that they would recommend Lifestyle Homes to family and friends. For over a decade as a new home builder, Lifestyle Homes has been building in the Calgary area, and the company takes pride in its original and creative designs. Offering executive, move-up, and entry-level homes, Lifestyle also maintains a strong environmental focus by aiming to surpass the industry’s “green” standards.

More to Come
Upcoming, AvidBuilder will publish an in-depth review of the Canadian study results and provide profiles of the home builders that won AVID Awards.

About AVID
Founded in 1993, AVID (www.avidratings.com) is a full-service customer loyalty management firm, providing customer loyalty research, organizational strategies, employee training, and proprietary solutions to the home building industry. Since 2003, AVID’s team has been working with leading Canadian home builders to improve referrals, margins, and long-term customer loyalty. Today, with more than 50 Canadian and 200 U.S. home building clients, AVID Canada and its affiliate, AVID Ratings, are the leading providers of customer loyalty management services in North America.

For more information please contact Tim Bailey, General Manager, AVID Canada, 1-800-987-6318 or email tim.bailey@avidglobal.ca.