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Creativity Meets Experience: Inspired Homes Welcomes New Director of Purchasing

May 2, 2019

In his 30-year career, there’s not much in the homebuilding industry that Eric Lauterbach hasn’t done. We’re thrilled to tap into his extensive expertise and demonstrable creativity as our new Director of Purchasing. Eric, a Kansas City native, started his homebuilding career by working as a carpenter in Arizona. From there, he worked his way up through the company, a trajectory that included relocating to Chicago. At the time, his employer was the largest builder in the country, which gave Eric unmatched insight into the building process. Eric also has an entrepreneurial streak, another reason we thought he’d be a great fit on the Inspired Homes team. While in Chicago, Eric started a design company that specialized in the design and construction of residential and commercial projects. He also developed a line of sustainable handcrafted products including wine racks, spice racks and an iPhone stand that Eric called iSlant. “My daughter is a foodie and loves to cook, but always had her iPad laying on the kitchen counter,” he says. “I wondered how we could get the iPad off the counter so she could see it better, and I came up with the iSlant so she could more easily cook and follow recipes.” Did we mention that Eric’s also a problem-solver? That’s an especially valuable trait to have in our industry. And he’s a licensed Realtor, too, so he also understands the building industry and customer expectations from that perspective. Given his family history, it’s no surprise that Eric followed the career path he did. “My dad and grandfather were Realtors here,” he says. “My dad had three offices here in Kansas City, and my grandfather had offices in Topeka. My dad and grandfather were innovators for the time in the 1940s-1980s. Homes and building are in my blood.” Now, Eric’s next chapter begins. As our Director of Purchasing, he’ll use his accumulated knowledge while closely following the market to help ensure our building process prioritizes both quality and efficiency to deliver lasting value. He’s repeatedly helped previous employers increase their market presence while also spotting opportunities to streamline key functions like construction purchasing and estimating, and we have no doubt he’ll play a key role in helping us deliver an even better and more efficient building process for each of our clients. Welcome to the team, Eric! We’re so excited to have you with us and back in Kansas City. To borrow a beloved phrase from literature and film: “There’s no place like home!”