Risewell Homes launched in late 2025 shortly after the merger of New Home Co. and Landsea Homes, uniting the two builders under a national brand backed by Apollo Global Management.
The Risewell Homes brand was established in December 2025, building on the legacy platforms of the merged New Home Co. and Landsea Homes.
At the time of the launch, CEO Matthew Zaist described Risewell Homes as “the best of where we have been and the future we are building together.” The Irvine, California-based company combined New Home Co.’s emphasis on design, placemaking, and customer experience with Landsea Homes’ operational scale and focus on innovation and efficiency.
“‘Risewell speaks to progress, quality of life, and the idea that a home should help people live better,” Matthew Zaist, president and CEO of Risewell Homes, tells BUILDER. “It reflects our belief that homeownership is not just about the structure itself, but about how a home supports everyday living, personal growth, and long-term well-being.”
The $1.2 billion merger created a top-30 national builder and positioned the company as the Biggest Mover on the 2026 Builder 100 list. The company climbed to No. 27 from No. 62 the year prior, reflecting the combined operations of New Home Co. and Landsea Homes. Risewell’s footprint now stretches across more than 120 actively-selling communities in California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Washington, and Oregon.
“We believed it was important to establish a unified identity that employees, customers, and partners could rally around together,” says Zaist. “Rather than trying to preserve two separate legacies indefinitely, we focused on identifying the best elements of both organizations and building a new culture and brand from that foundation.”
With the foundation to scale further in high-growth markets, the company is also prioritizing how homes are delivered and how customers experience the journey of homeownership.
Alison Gladwin, chief marketing officer of Risewell Homes
“Through recent customer research, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of what today’s home buyers value most, and one of the clearest insights is the importance of a smooth, transparent, and connected buying experience,” chief marketing officer Alison Gladwin says. “That is shaping how we think about process, communication, and the overall customer journey.”
Preservation of Culture
A key part of the integration process following the merger was understanding shared values and behaviors across the two organizations. Shared priorities included craftsmanship, customer care, accountability, and the desire to continuously improve.
“We’ve also focused heavily on standardizing best practices, improving collaboration across divisions, and creating greater consistency in how we operate and serve customers,” says Zaist. “Perhaps most importantly, the integration has created stronger cross-functional alignment and faster organizational learning across the company.”
Leadership says preserving company culture required clear communication and visible collaboration in the transition process. Communication emphasized what the new Risewell brand was and what the unified company would stand for.
“Early wins mattered as well. Cross-functional collaboration, successful community launches, and unified marketing initiatives helped employees see the benefits of operating as one company rather than two legacy organizations,” says Zaist.
Trust, Experience, and Strength
In an industry often focused on price, size, and incentives, the leadership team at Risewell Homes saw an opportunity to differentiate the new brand with an identity centered on not just what is built, but how people live. Analyzing customer insight helped identify what emotional and practical needs matter most to buyers and helped shape company messaging. This focus in part helped shape Risewell’s core values: trust, experience, and strength.
For Risewell, trust reflects the importance of transparency, accountability, and delivering on commitments. Experience reflects the depth of personnel’s expertise and the belief that the home buying journey should feel thoughtful and customer-centric. Strength represents the scale, operational capability, and talent of the combined Risewell team.
“Those values also became the foundation for our ‘Built Well to Live Well’ brand platform, which represents where we are taking those strengths in the future,” says Zaist. “It reflects our belief that a home should do more than simply meet functional needs. It should support how people want to live, create a sense of connection and belonging, and ultimately help customers live better.”
In the near-term future, Risewell Homes is targeting continued growth, stronger brand awareness, operational consistency across markets, and creating a more connected experience for buyers across their journey to homeownership.
“Most importantly, we want to build a company that customers trust, employees are proud to be a part of, and communities value for the long term,” says Zaist.
