Local builder Bruce Hancock has always been interested in using energy-efficient technology in the homes he builds. When he started drawing up plans for his own home, he met with a heating and cooling engineer who mentioned a word he hadn't heard before: geothermal. When the engineer used the phrase "save over 50 percent in electricity costs," Hancock had heard enough. He was in.

As often happens, Vince Gill and Amy Grant's day jobs merged with their passion for charity on Friday night as they marked their second year as co-chairs of the 2008 St. Jude Dream Home giveaway.

On February 4, Southern Exposure Magazine and Franklinis.com held a banquet for all of the 2007 Sizzle Award finalists. Southern Land Company was voted Best Builder/Developer in Williamson County for the second year in a row. With the amount of growth and development in this county, it is a huge honor to be named the best.

Video of the Tucker Hill Fountain assembly - one of the largest wrought iron fountains in the U.S.

When planning for Westhaven was under way, Southern Land Co. spokesman Jim Cheney was tasked with coming up with unique street names for the community. He drew his inspiration from his personal interest: literature. Soon, streets with names such as Kerouac, Tennyson and Yeats will be home to Westhaven residents.

One of the signature amenities at Tucker Hill – a Southern Land Company traditional neighborhood development now underway in McKinney, Texas – will be installed in mid-December, just in time for the community’s official 2008 launch.

Southern Land Company Homebuilding has received the National Builder of the Year Award from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for its contributions to the hospital’s Dream Home Program.