Displayed in the greeting area of the Oster Homes office in Lorain are four pewter keys inscribed with the words, “The Key of Courage,” “The Key of Knowledge,” “The Key of Wisdom” and “The Key of Success.” When Oster Homes co-owner Evelyn Oster found them in a store in Florida, she thought, “This is destiny.”
Evelyn and her husband, Tom — Oster Homes’ other co-owner — believe these keys represent the journey that has taken their company from being the fifth-largest homebuilder in Lorain County in 1995 to becoming No. 1 in Lorain and the No. 1 local homebuilder in the nine-county Greater Cleveland area today.
Five years after starting the company, the Osters faced increased competition from national building companies in the local marketplace and decided to meet the national builders head on.
“We created this strategic movement of going from a custom builder to a production builder because the homebuyers’ needs had changed such that they were looking for the greatest value in their home,” Evelyn says. “But we also understood customers want to personalize their home, so we had to incorporate not only their needs, lifestyle opportunities and value but also allow them to personalize their home.”
In the last two-and-a-half years, Oster Homes has increased its market share of housing starts from 3 percent to 14 percent, improved corporate revenue by 270 percent and grown sales volume by 308 percent.
“In our particular success story, we have opened the door of opportunity with the key of courage, the key of knowledge and the key of wisdom, which has provided us with the key of success,” Evelyn says. “How’s that for symbolism?”
HOW TO REACH:
Oster Homes, (440) 985-7440 or www.osterhomes.com
