The 1998 Builder of the Year, Richard Komer, president of Wineman & Komer Building Company, has made an impact on the building industry with diverse residential and commercial building projects. The company, formed in 1976, builds custom homes, elegant detached condominiums, single family homes and commercial office buildings throughout Southeastern Michigan. Komer attributes his success and his partner, Henry Wineman's success to the firm's meticulous attention to detail and creativity in all price ranges of the homes they construct, earning him the top honor awarded by the Building Industry Association of Southeastern Michigan.

Wineman & Komer boast many accomplishments, from single family homes in Troy, Lake Orion and Rochester Hills to detached condominiums in Bloomfield Hills. His firm has received two awards from the Engineering Society of Detroit: one for its work on the restoration of the Old Wayne County Building and another for the construction of the Kenneth Newman House, a one-of-a-kind home in Franklin Village owned by a leading architect with an ultra-contemporary exterior comprised of four levels of windows that bathe the home in natural light.

Komer says he enjoys all aspects of the home building industry, including building ultra-custom homes for local executives, CEOs of major corporations, entrepreneurs and other professionals. Komer's homes range from traditional to historic and from retro to ultra-contemporary. Some of the homes are upwards of 25,000 square feet.

Marilyn McLellan is special projects manager of the Custom Home Group. "It doesn't matter if we're building a $2 million custom home, a smaller single family production home or a detached condominium," says McLellan. "We always use skilled tradespeople and are willing to customize the home to meet the home buyer's preferences."

According to Komer, today's home-buying generation is environmentally oriented, focusing on volume and an abundance of windows to take advantage of sunlight, beautiful views and wooded homesites. When building, Komer tries to work harmoniously within the natural characteristics of the site, whether it be woodlands, undulating hills, ponds or lakelands. "To ensure that a home blends naturally with its surroundings, we capitalize on the environmental beauty of the site," Komer says.

No detail is too small for Komer. "Dick will walk the site checking out the landscaping and the signage," says McLellan. "But believes in the team approach. Each home is a group effort. He respects everyone and we have a good time together."

Komer earned a law degree from Wayne State University in 1964. His background is real estate law and property management. He is a member of the State Bar and a real estate broker, but he says he considers himself to be first and foremost a builder. In addition, Richard Komer is in charge of land development, legal matters, property management and sales and marketing at Wineman & Komer. Coupled with his work on building industry associations on the local, state and national levels, he's on the move from morning to night.

Article reprint from Home Spotlight, January 1999

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