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Bill Pulte at home with building houses

He started as a humble carpenter and wound up running one of the biggest homebuilding companies in the US. Kai Ryssdal talks to Pulte Homes Inc. founder Bill Pulte.

Executive Snapshot

Who: Bill Pulte, Founder and Chairman, Pulte Homes

Built his first house in 1950 straight out of high school in Michigan, after two summers of working as a carpenter. Incorporated his business in 1956. In the 50 years since then, Pulte Homes has grown to become the second-biggest homebuilder in the US. The company ranked 147th on the Fortune 500 list in 2005.

First paying job: Selling greeting cards, fresh cherries and “The Saturday Evening Post” door-to-door.

Education: Graduated from De La Salle High School near Detroit.

What you may not know: The second house Pulte built was for his mom and dad. Before that, they’d never owned a home.

Related Links

Bill Pulte’s bio

Corporate history

Interview transcript

On the Web

Pulte Homes
Corporate site

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