In the most challenging of times with the economy, a home building company can succeed if one has the vision, the money, the people and the land — much like home building veteran Carl Mulac did.

Carl Mulac: New Chairman of the Home Builders Association of Central ArizonaCarl Mulac, the executive vice president of Avatar Holdings and President of Avatar Properties, was named Chairman of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. Mulac, very familiar with the leadership role, had served as Chairman in 2008 and Treasurer of the Association this past year.

“Home builders are ramping up as market conditions continue to improve and we are all very optimistic that 2012 will bring renewed interest in buying new homes. People are tired of waiting on the side lines and it is abundantly apparent that the market is on an upswing. I’m excited to help lead the residential construction industry during this dynamic time,” said Mulac.

In 2008, Mulac started Joseph Carl Homes in the Phoenix metro area, which built both active adult and traditional neighborhoods. With his experience of working with three major national home builders, Mulac managed to create a start-up company in the hostile real estate market that attracted attention from Avatar, a company with nearly five decades of experience in home building, land development, and other real estate operations. Avatar is traded on NASDAQ (AVTR) and has properties in central Florida and the Phoenix metro area. Its principal operations are based at its 55+ active adult community Solivita, and through its Joseph Carl Homes operation, in Central Florida near Orlando; and at its 55+ active adult community CantaMia and through its Joseph Carl Homes operations in the Phoenix metro area, which include the Preserve at Palm Valley, Sereno at Palm Valley, Blossom Hills and Arboleda Ranch, both in Phoenix. The two companies combined business operations in 2010 with Mulac in control of the operation.

“We are fortunate to have Carl return to the leadership helm of the Association for another year. It is critical that we continue to have proven leadership to help us meet the challenges of job creation and regulatory reform necessary for a housing recovery,” said Connie Wilhelm, President of the Board and Executive Director of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.

The Home Builders Association of Central Arizona (HBACA) is a trade association for the residential construction and development industry. The HBACA provides a forum through which these businesses can interact with each other to stay informed concerning new and proposed policies advanced by the local, state and federal governments which affect the housing industry. The Association works to foster a proactive, pro-growth business environment for the local building industry, eliminating overly restrictive and costly building laws and regulations that increase the cost of housing.

Carl Mulac is now a member of the Avatar Senior Leadership Team and will be involved in designing and developing lifestyle communities around the country.