Royal Oaks Building Group President Named Builder Of The Year

Royal Oaks Building Group, LLC (www.royaloaksbg.com), has announced that its president, Rich Van Tassel, received the Builder of the Year honor from the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA). The award was presented at the HBA’s annual Holiday Celebration and Officer Installation Gala held on Dec. 2 at Embassy Suites in Cary, N.C. Van Tassel received Builder of the Year award with Don Mead, president of Atreus Homes and Communities, Raleigh Division, for their joint leadership and energy behind the first "Operation: Coming Home" project, which provides free housing in the Raleigh-Durham area to severely wounded veterans of recent Middle East wars.

Under the guidance of Van Tassel and Mead, members of the HBA and the Triangle Real Estate and Construction Veterans (TREACV) built a custom home free of charge for Joey Bozik, a war veteran who was severely injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2004, at Southern Oaks, a Royal Oaks community located in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. The groundbreaking took place on May 30, 2008 and workers finished construction on Sept. 20.

To help make everyday life easier for Joey, a triple amputee, and his pregnant wife, Jayme Bozik, the new home offers a number of special features, including a microwave and refrigerator in easy-access drawers, a modified stove and kitchen sink, and heated floors. The Boziks moved into their new home on Oct. 27, the fourth anniversary of "Joey’s Alive Day," named in honor of the day when he awoke from his coma and knew he would survive his injuries. Additional information on "Operation: Coming Home" may be found at www.operationcominghome.com.

The HBA awards its Builder of the Year honors annually to a Wake County member who is judged to have gone above and beyond call of duty in the HBA during the current year. The winning builder must be a member of the HBA. Van Tassel and his company have been HBA members since 2000, when Royal Oaks began operations.

Related Links:
www.royaloaksbg.com
www.operationcominghome.com
www.hbawake.com
www.mmimarketing.com

News Facts:
• Rich Van Tassel, president of Royal Oaks Building Group, LLC, received the Builder of the Year honor from the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA) at its annual Holiday Celebration and Officer Installation Gala.
• Van Tassel received the Builder of the Year award with Don Mead, president of Atreus Homes and Communities, Raleigh Division, for their joint leadership and energy behind the first "Operation: Coming Home" project, which provides free housing in the Raleigh-Durham area to severely wounded veterans of recent Middle East wars.
• Under the guidance of Van Tassel and Mead, members of the HBA and the Triangle Real Estate and Construction Veterans (TREACV) built a custom home free of charge for Joey Bozik, a war veteran who was severely injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2004, at Southern Oaks, a Royal Oaks community located in Fuquay-Varina, N.C.
• The HBA awards its Builder of the Year honors a Wake County who is judged to have gone above and beyond call of duty in the HBA during the current year.

Quotes:
"I thank members of the HBA for this honor," said Van Tassel. "I would be remiss if I did not note the contributions of Don, with whom I share this award, and many other hardworking HBA members into making this project a reality. This is the kind of project that makes me proud to be a homebuilder, particularly in the Triangle. ‘Operation: Coming Home’ is a deserving program that will assist our disabled soldiers greatly, and I am so happy that we as local home builders have made a difference in making life a little easier for one of our valiant war veterans and his family."

About Royal Oaks Building Group, LLC:
Royal Oaks Building Group, LLC, builds fine homes throughout Raleigh, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Wake Forest, Cary, Apex and Chapel Hill, N.C. Locally owned and operated, the company focuses on quality of design, construction and customer service, offering a portfolio of plans and a wide selection of standard features from which to choose in price ranges from starters to multimillion-dollar luxury homes. Royal Oaks is a member of the Raleigh-Wake County Home Builders Association and has received multiple gold and silver awards from the HBA Parade of Homes. This annual event recognizes the best homes based on exterior and interior design, special features and overall craftsmanship. Royal Oaks received the 2008 Triangle Major Achievements in Marketing Excellence (MAME) Building Company of the Year Award. The firm was named to the 2007 Triangle Business Journal's List of Residential Builders as the 18th largest builder by volume in the Raleigh-Durham market. Royal Oaks was a recipient of the Journal's 2007 Fast 50 Award, marking its third consecutive honor among the fastest-growing privately held companies in the Triangle. To round out its 2007 awards, the firm was named the Small Business of the Year by the Apex Chamber of Commerce. The company's homes have been featured in publications such as Triangle Real Estate Magazine, the News & Observer and The Wall Street Journal, among others. For more information, visit www.royaloaksbg.com.

Keywords:
Royal Oaks Building Group LLC, Rich Van Tassel, Builder, Triangle Builder, NC Homes, Raleigh-Wake Home Builders Association, HBA, Exterior Design, Interior Design, Home Construction, Limited Liability Company, Commercial Building License, Builder of the Year, Don Mead, Atreus Homes, Joey Bozik, the Boziks, Operation: Coming Home, Triangle Real Estate and Construction Veterans, TREACV, Southern Oaks, Fuquay-Varina

Patty Briguglio
MMI Associates, Inc.
(919) 233-6600
patty@mmimarketing.com
PR Firms Raleigh, NC

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