Meet Pella’s Partners: An Interview With Heritage Homes

At Pella, we know that relationships are foundational to success. That’s why we cultivate strong, long-lasting relationships with our partners, including Heritage Homes of Fargo, ND.

We recently sat down with Troy Mattern, VP of Operations at Heritage Homes, to discuss their stress-free home building process, the importance of client relationships, and how their partnership with Pella has helped them build the American Dream for so many homeowners. 

Heritage Homes: Building Dreams Since 1995

Since their beginning in 1995, the team at Heritage Homes has been committed to delivering high-quality homes for their homeowners. By implementing a stress-free home building process, their goal has been to become the Fargo/Moorhead area’s most trusted and forever home builder to their clients.

And with over 98% of their clients recommending them to friends and family, it seems they’ve accomplished that goal!

The team at Heritage doesn’t simply build houses. They bring homeowners’ dreams to life by creating homes with innovative solutions for enhanced functionality and style — homes where their clients can create memories that last a lifetime.

Q: Give us some background on Heritage Homes — when did you get your start, what kind of homes do you build, and who are your customers? 

We started as a home builder in 1995. We consider ourselves a move-up builder — we build semi-custom homes, with an average price point just shy of $800k. Our goal is to take market share at our price point, which I think we do a good job of.

Our clients are looking to build one-of-a-kind homes that are unique to them. Each year, we typically build between 50 and 65 homes (though sometimes it can be as many as 70). We’re doing a lot more custom and personalized homes now than we used to, which takes more time and production, so it’s all a balance…but we always want to be within that 50-65 mark annually.

The company has evolved quite a bit through the years. We now have different collections of home plans under our brand so we can hit different price points based on our clients’ needs and lifestyle. We also build custom homes, allowing clients who don’t want a set home plan to build the home they want. We always work to stay up-to-date with trends in the market and everything that is happening in the building industry.

We’re also attached to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Premier Properties — our sister company on the real estate side — and we’re the region’s first franchisee of Epcon Franchising (an active adult and low-maintenance community concept), so that’s been a great experience  for us too. 

At Heritage, we’re always looking to the future and for new opportunities in our market. The Heritage Homes brand is going to be here for many years to come.

Q: What is your service area?

We serve clients within about a 60-mile radius, but we’re busy enough in the Fargo-Moorhead area. 

Fargo is a fast-growing community — one of the fastest-growing communities in the country, actually. We have a very strong economy. When the rest of the country struggles with a recession, we tend to maintain good economic strength, and I think that’s an important part of why people are moving to the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Q: What would you say sets Heritage Homes apart from your competitors? 

One of the biggest things our clients give us positive feedback on is our process. We’ve worked hard to create a stress-free home building process and brand promise for our clients, and to make sure there are no financial surprises at closing. We keep our clients updated on costs throughout the whole process.

“The best part of building with Heritage is the fact there were ZERO surprises. No surprises financially, no surprises with trade partners, no surprises with timelines, etc. Everything was clear and consistent the entire way which was huge in being able to enjoy the process.” - Luke & Bailey

We take people through that journey — because, quite honestly, there are a lot of people who come to us who are afraid of building. The unknowns can scare people away. But we help them see how fun and enjoyable the home building experience can be.

This is the most expensive and important investment our clients will make in their lives, so it’s natural for them to feel nervous. But each step of the way our team does an excellent job of ensuring that our clients understand we have their backs and it’s a team collaboration to get this done.

In addition, we’re very invested in our community with our model homes. We have five fully furnished model homes available seven days a week that people who are looking to build can come and see. Through these homes we’re able to showcase all the things we’re doing at Heritage, as well as the products that Pella provides for us. 

I think one of the most important things in building a home is education. We really emphasize that with our clients and future clients — you don’t know what you don’t know. 

Anytime you get an opportunity, just come visit us and let us educate you on all the different aspects of home building, because you might be surprised that owning a home at our price point is very manageable. There’s an opportunity for you, and we can help you with that.

Q: What do you love about the work you do?

I think it’s that we’re building the American Dream for people. To be able to allow our clients to build that move-up home or the house of their dreams is something that means a lot to us. 

Our relationship with our clients isn’t just transactional — we really get invested in understanding our clients and building relationships with them, and I think that’s important. Building that trust allows for a great working relationship — especially since the process of building a home can take up to a year (more or less, depending on what the market’s doing). 

We’re really invested in helping our clients live their American Dream and meet their goal of owning their own home.

Q: How long have you been a partner with Pella, and how has that partnership impacted your business?

We are proud to have many relationships — including our partnership with Pella — that have lasted for over 20 years. 

This goes back to the question of what differentiates us. I think one of the biggest differences between Heritage and our competitors is the trade partners we use and the long-standing relationships we have with those partners — Pella being one of them. 

Pella is always looking for new ideas and ways to become innovative, and we’re no different. We’re always thinking of what we can put in our homes — new trends, greater energy efficiency, and so on — the things homeowners are looking for when they build their one-of-a-kind dream houses.

Pella’s a name brand that people understand and value — they know it’s a good product. So to be able to put Pella windows in our houses not only means a lot to Pella, but it also means a lot to us. It gives us instant credibility with our homeowners that we’re putting top quality brands into our houses.

Tyrone Leslie, President and CEO of Heritage Homes adds:

“Heritage Homes and Pella Windows have a parallel perspective across our business models, goals, and integrity as a company. Through our long-lasting and trusted partnership, we are able to design a home based on our homeowners’ lifestyles, while creating memories that last a lifetime. From the product we receive to the promise we provide in completing a quality home for our clients, we aren’t just building a house, we are building the American Dream. Pella has provided us the opportunity to enhance our relationships with our streamlined homebuilding journey that is unmatched.”

Our relationship with Pella is obviously very important. And to have a local rep here in Fargo is invaluable. Wayne Reichling is a huge asset to our company: He’s one call away and he’s here for us whenever we have questions or needs that arise. 

No matter what you do in the building industry, relationships are the most important thing. To be able to have that trade relationship with Pella is invaluable to our brand.

To learn more about Heritage Homes and their work in the Fargo-Moorhead area, visit their website at heritagefargo.com.

Partner With Pella for Your Next Project

If you’re looking for an experienced, highly reputable partner in windows and doors for your next project, look no further than Pella! We are proud to provide the highest quality products and service to each of our partners, and we’d love to do the same for you.

Contact us today to learn more about how Pella Windows and Doors can support your next big project. We look forward to working with you!