Ian Schmoyer’s path to home building was shaped as much by restraint as by exposure. Although he grew up around real estate and development, with his father being a prolific real estate developer with operations across South Florida, Schmoyer never worked in the business. His father, who firmly opposed nepotism, ensured Schmoyer carved his own path.
That path took time. The Florida native spent years traveling the world, surfing, and exploring life outside the industry. Everything changed about 15 years ago, when his father passed away.
“That moment drove me into business,” Schmoyer says. He founded a shell construction company first that focused on concrete and framing, quickly building relationships with local and national builders in the Florida market dominated by publics.
And as the business scaled quickly, he kept taking note of what he could do differently. By 2017, he opened Christopher Alan Homes, a company rooted in culture, heart, and owner satisfaction.
Learning Along the Way
In its first year, Christopher Alan Homes closed more than 110 homes and sold over 150. Within three years, it earned its spot on BUILDER’s Next 100 list. Crossing into the Top 100 in 2024, Christopher Alan Homes has steadily climbed, selling over 500 in 2025 and ranking No. 93 this year.
Mike Jaffe, East Coast division president, says, “Growth is the goal, but not at the expense of the experience. We’re expanding into markets like Palm Coast and growing our community count, but at the end of the day, if a buyer doesn’t walk away feeling great about the process, we didn’t do our job.”
Professional View Photography
And while growth has come quickly, Schmoyer says he and the team have learned much of the operational side in real time. “We’ve made a lot of mistakes,” he says. “But we learned from them.”
One early differentiator was the company’s emphasis on spot lots. Over time, Christopher Alan Homes became particularly strong in this segment. And while Schmoyer views it as a long-term value driver for the company, there are plans to expand the product library, price points, land positions, and build-to-rent fee builds.
“We are consciously shifting away from strictly serving the entry-level home buyer. While those buyers will always be a key facet of our business, our goal over the next 12 months is to deliver homes to the move-up and double-move-up buyer as well,” says Kristine Smale, executive vice president of revenue and strategy. “Further, we will continue to expand throughout Florida this year and are actively looking at opportunities to expand our brand throughout the Southeast.”
Just as important as business model evolution is talent strategy. Schmoyer quickly learned that not every hire fits a growth-stage builder. “Some people need a playbook,” he explains. “They’re great maintainers. But we’re in growth mode.”
Professional View Photography
Instead, Schmoyer built a team comfortable solving problems without predefined answers. “We’ve always been the underdog,” he says. “I like that. It makes us scrappy.”
The company fosters a culture built on trust and accountability. In the company’s office, an employee wall displays team events and values—anchored by a prominent rule written in bold red letters: “No a**holes.”
Get to Know Ian Schmoyer
Title: Chairman, president, and CEO
Inspirations: My biggest inspiration was my father and mother. My mom is extremely caring and compassionate. The type of person that would take care of everyone in her neighborhood if they had no one else. My father was a business genius and probably one of the most brilliant real estate minds that there ever was in this industry.
Most proud of: With all our incredible success I’m most proud of my family, my wife Amanda and my two young children, Christian and London.
Hidden talents: I do portrait drawings out of charcoal. I can paint. I surfed a lot in my life, and I dabble with the piano and the guitar.
Beach or boat: Beach. I can’t stand boats and if I went to the beach, it was typically for surfing.
“It’s one of our biggest policies,” Schmoyer says, laughing. “But it matters.”
“People come first here,” adds Kevin Belleville, executive vice president of home building operations. “From employees to trade partners to homeowners, that’s the difference.”
A People Business
Operating with a people-first mentality, Schmoyer describes the company as entrepreneurial, methodical, and conservative, but never rigid.
“There’s more than one way to do everything,” he says. “A lot of companies get stuck in processes. For us, it’s about building the right team and trusting them.” That trust is vital.
Candy Kane, chief financial officer, describes Schmoyer’s leadership style as one that “fosters respect and trust while encouraging healthy competitive tension.”
“He empowers employees to make decisions,” Kane says. “He allows for mistakes and learning, genuinely cares about employees and their families, and leads by example.”
Community involvement is core to the company’s identity. Christopher Alan Homes participates in charitable initiatives nearly every month, from volunteering to financial support.
As a husband and dad of two, children’s causes are deeply personal for Schmoyer. He serves on the board of the Lee Health Foundation and supports Golisano Children’s Hospital, Youth Haven, and others. Veterans’ causes are also part of the company’s philanthropic focus.
Professional View Photography
Christopher Alan Homes takes a hands-on approach to building with smart layouts, energy-efficient features, and modern finishes.
Building a Heritage
And while Schmoyer and Christopher Alan Homes are newer to the industry, he says that there’s no exit strategy in sight.
“I don’t have an exit plan,” he says. “If you build a company just to exit, you lose focus on building something great.” Instead, Schmoyer wants to build a heritage brand, one homeowners recognize by name.
“In home building, people rarely say who built their home,” he says. “I want that to change.”
Looking ahead, Christopher Alan Homes is targeting 650 home closings this year, with a goal of reaching 1,000 homes annually through organic growth and potential M&A exploration.
Jaffe adds, “Ian’s values are embedded in the day-to-day culture of this company. This isn’t a builder chasing volume for volume’s sake. It’s a team built around genuine care for the customer and for each other. Ian has created something that feels personal at a scale where that’s honestly hard to do. That means a lot to the people who work here, and I think buyers feel it too.
